Ancestral Worship, Year Beast

"What you've become..."

Ice Block turned his gaze to his chubby baby face.

She frowned slightly, reached out and pinched his face, rubbed it, and tugged at it, making Li Mo grimace. She, however, pouted, not quite satisfied.

"Hiss... Don't worry, you'll see when I draw it."

What kind of self-portrait should I draw?

Little Painter Li fell into deep thought, gently poking his cheek with the bottom of his pen. After a moment of contemplation, his dark eyes lit up.

I was drawing that day too.

And he even accidentally got ink on his face...

Scenes from his memory that didn't belong to this time gradually appeared on the paper.

Thus, the sunset at the Autumn Water Pavilion that day illuminated the canvas of today.

The boy in the painting is standing to the side, drawing a girl within the painting; his cheerful and handsome face is smudged with ink...

"Her eyebrows and eyes do possess a certain Divine Charm," Mother Ying nodded.

"Where's the Divine Charm? Brother Li is a big, burly guy, Xiao Mo must have deliberately made himself look better in the drawing."

Ying Xuliang smacked his lips, which were as stiff as a dead duck's, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Seeing what the Li family's son looks like now that he's grown up, I inexplicably feel he deserves an even bigger beating.

"Boys tend to resemble their mothers when they grow up."

Mother Ying smiled gently, not allowing her husband to find fault.

As is widely known.

The father-in-law looked at his son-in-law and grew increasingly angry; the mother-in-law looked at her son-in-law and grew increasingly pleased...

Wrong.

It seems a bit inaccurate to say they had mixed feelings; these two children are so young, yet they're already engaged...

"..."

The setting sun illuminated the sunset in the painting, and also illuminated Little Ying Bing, mirror-like eyes, piercing through the snowy depths within them.

She couldn't help but reach out and gently touch the boy's face in the painting, leaving a trace of ink on her fingertips.

"How is it? Pretty good, right?"

Little Painter Li tilted his head back, looking rather smug.

Then I felt a chill in my philtrum.

"?"

The small hand, its fingertips stained with ink, poked his philtrum.

"Hmm, this looks even more like the painting."

Little Ying Bing spoke softly, glancing at her parents who were talking beside her, her clear eyes turning complicated.

"Time to eat dumplings!"

The New Year's Eve dinner at the Ying Family Courtyard is about to begin. After the dinner, people will worship their ancestors, recount the major events that have occurred in the Lineage throughout the year, and ask for their blessings for a smooth and prosperous year to come.

This is similar to the tradition of other families in Qinghe County.

Soon, in front of the brightly lit ancestral Ancestral Hall, a large pot of dumplings was bubbling in the open air, and the sound of firecrackers could be heard from time to time, adding a touch of smoky warmth to the gray night.

The Ying Family was a prominent clan with a distinguished lineage.

The New Year's feast is a celebration where neighbors, villagers, and even people from the county can come and join in the festivities, which is a sign of a prosperous family.

Li Mo sat there with a frown, looking at the Ice Block beside him.

The Ice Block is still Ice Block, which means that the dream still shows no signs of ending.

Little Ying Bing picked up a dumpling, her eyes somewhat dazed as she gazed at the Ying Family Courtyard during the New Year.

"Wife, where's the vinegar? How can we eat dumplings without vinegar?"

The old father Ying Xuliang, looked at the two little ones, asked his wife for some vinegar, and prepared to give the dumplings a good bath.

"You're really something... Bing'er finally has a friend, that's a good thing."

"I know, but I just want something sour."

"Then you eat. I'll go find a red envelope for Xiao Mo; we can't be impolite."

Ying Xuliang, eating dumplings, asked, "Why hasn't he gone home for New Year's Eve dinner yet?"

"You forgot, the Li family eats their New Year's Eve dinner late," Mother Ying reminded her.

"That's true, Brother Li is probably out patrolling the area. If he passes by later..."

"Daddy, let's eat dumplings."

A chopstick holding a dumpling was presented to him, held in a small hand.

Ying Xuliang's eyes widened suddenly, and he remained stunned for a long time.

Is it Bing'er?

At this moment, the old father suddenly felt like crying. Bing'er had never liked communicating with people since she was a child, and she was the same with her parents. There were even gossips in the county saying that his daughter was stupid.

Bing'er seems different today.

"Great, delicious! These dumplings smell wonderful."

"Hey, Xiao Mo, you should eat too."

Ying Xu was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with a smile.

Mother Ying also returned, carrying two red envelopes in her hands:

"Happy New Year, Xiao Mo! Here's your red envelope. Please take Bing'er with you more often in the future."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Li Mo carefully tucked the red envelope into her pocket, glanced at Ice Block, then stuffed it into her bosom, a slight smile playing on her lips, a look of satisfaction and joy on her face.

"..."

All right.

Anyway, it's just a dream. Even if you really encounter Calamity Beast in the dream, it doesn't matter. Even if you die in the dream, at most your Will Soul will be weak for a while.

Why must you wake up?

At least in his dreams, he could face his childhood fears with Ice Block, and that was enough.

After a while.

After the banquet was nearly over, the members of the Ying Family entered the Ancestral Hall at the behest of the clan elders.

The night seemed to have grown a bit darker.

In the very center of the Ancestral Hall stands a large incense burner, filled with incense sticks as thick as a child's arm, making the ancestral tablets enshrined behind it appear hazy in the swirling smoke.

Not only the memorial tablet, but also a gilded statue of the Ying Family ancestor, depicting a woman, whose craftsmanship can be described as superb.

"This statue is quite impressive."

"That is a statue of our ancestor, crafted by a renowned master craftsman."

Ying Xuliang looked up and thought that Li Mo had good taste.

"Master Craftsman..."

Li Mo withdrew his gaze, thinking to himself that it was no wonder he had vaguely sensed the Power of All Living Beings above, mixed with Divine Intent.

"Let's go offer incense."

Mother Ying brought over two sticks of incense.

"Should I go too?"

"Go ahead, you're already here."

Little Bing hasn't paid respects to her ancestors yet. Her Mother Ying mainly wanted to see if she would follow along with the Li family boy.

Li Mo nodded, took the incense, and looked at the Ice Block:

"Shall we go?"

"..."

Little Ying Bing seemed not to hear, her gaze fixed on the deep night outside the Ancestral Hall.

Yes.

Li Mo was suddenly startled; when had it become so quiet outside? There wasn't a sound at all.

Following the gaze of the Ice Block, Li Mo's pupils contracted slightly.

It was a strange beast with a jet-black body, four legs on the ground, black horns on its head, and eyes like scarlet lanterns. It resembled the legendary Qilin, but it had no auspicious meaning whatsoever; it was ugly and ferocious.

Its enormous lantern eyes stared straight at the two little figures.

To be precise, it was looking at Little Ying Bing.

"Hehehe... you're finally back."