Ancestral Sacrifice?

Hu Long frowned slightly.

He prepared to put it in his pocket, but after a moment's thought, he tucked the human skin into a compartment inside his backpack instead.

This thing was too bizarre; while keeping it close to his body might be secure, it would be troublesome if it had any unforeseen side effects.

After finishing this, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his constantly vibrating phone.

The caller ID showed Hu Chengwen.

"Hello!"

"Little Long, how has your trip been lately?"

Hu Chengwen's voice came through.

"Not bad."

Hu Long replied.

He knew that the other party likely wasn't calling just to check on him.

During this time, he had already gained some understanding of the personalities of the people in his original family.

Sure enough.

After Hu Chengwen finished inquiring about Hu Long's situation with feigned concern, he finally brought up the real business.

"You've had enough fun. With the end of the year approaching, the Ancestral Sacrifice will begin in two days, so you should come back first."

Hu Chengwen's voice came through.

"Ancestral Sacrifice?"

Hu Long's eyes flickered.

The mention of it triggered some fragmented memories from the original owner.

There was indeed such a thing as an Ancestral Sacrifice.

However, because the memories were quite incomplete, he didn't know the details.

Just then, perhaps triggered by the mention of the Ancestral Sacrifice, a scene from the original owner's residual memories abruptly surfaced in his mind.

It was a memory regarding the main branch of the Hu Family.

Perhaps because it was so long ago, the image was somewhat blurry.

The original owner only knew that even just facing the people from the main branch made one feel immense pressure.

That feeling was very strange.

It was hard to describe, like standing before a wild beast.

Moreover, they were very mysterious and held immense power.

Even Hu Chengwen treated the people from the Hu Family's main branch with extreme caution.

Recalling this, Hu Long's heart stirred.

The Hu Family that the original owner belonged to seemed to have some secrets of its own.

Since he wasn't gaining anything by staying out here anyway, he might as well go back and see.

Thinking of this, he agreed directly.

"Alright, I understand."

The sky was clear as if washed, and the sunlight spilled down, dyeing the boundless grassland into a giant velvet-green carpet spread to the horizon.

Suddenly, a dark, thin line emerged from the horizon, slowly slicing through that vast expanse of green.

Clang... clang...

The sound came from afar, rhythmic and dull—the noise of wheels striking the gaps in the rails.

Dense black smoke billowed from the locomotive, rolling into the azure sky.

It was a green-skinned train, dragging its long body as it moved steadily across the vast green wilderness.

"Hey, switch seats! I want to sit with my girlfriend."

In the aisle of the rear section of carriage 13, a large man was speaking to the young man sitting by the window.

The young man wore sunglasses and had earphones in, acting as if he hadn't heard.

The large man raised his volume: "I'm talking to you!"

The young man turned his head, his gaze behind the sunglasses sweeping over with indifference.

"I can get sunlight here."

His tone was devoid of fluctuation.

"Tell your girlfriend to swap with someone else."

"A-Cheng, forget it, stop making a scene."

The girl beside him couldn't help but speak up.

The man's face darkened, his voice growing louder: "Xiao Mei, you go sit over there, I'm sitting here!"

The eyes of the surrounding passengers had already gathered.

The girl named Xiao Mei looked embarrassed, her face cooling as she hissed, "I told you to go, so go!"

The tall man opened his mouth, but ultimately dared not defy his girlfriend, so he vented his anger toward the young man by the window, glaring viciously: "You just wait..."

Before he could finish, the young man interrupted him.

He reached into his bag, pulled out a booklet, and casually spread it open on the tray table.

"Don't push me."

The young man's voice was low, yet perfectly clear.

"I'm mentally ill. If you keep nagging and I have an episode and kill you, do you believe me?"

The man's gaze fell upon the page: a medical diagnosis, stamped at the bottom with the red seal of the "Morning Light Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center."

His expression stiffened, and the words "who knows if this is real" stuck in his throat, unuttered.

The boorish thugs of this world are often most afraid of those who don't value their lives, and even more afraid of the mentally ill who don't value their lives.

Because normal people might feel fear or hesitation when encountering trouble, choosing to yield.

But the actions of the mentally ill are completely unpredictable; you can never guess what they will do next.

Even if they really killed you, you would likely die in vain.

"What's going on? What's happening over there?"

Just then, the voice of a train police officer rang out from the front carriage, approaching their location.

Clearly, they had heard the commotion.

The tall man took the opportunity to huff, turning around and walking back to his seat in a sullen mood.

"I'm sorry, my boyfriend has a bit of a temper."

The girl named Xiao Mei apologized to the young man in a low, embarrassed voice.

The young man didn't respond, having already turned his head back to gaze at the scenery rushing past the window.

The sunglasses reflected the flowing light and shadows, concealing the look in his eyes.

This person was none other than Hu Long.

The only reason he didn't want to change seats was because there was sunlight here, which could increase his Source Value—nothing more.

Although high-speed rail existed in this era, it was not yet fully popularized, and most people still relied on green-skinned trains for travel.

As for why he didn't choose the more efficient airplane, there were two reasons:

First, only a few large cities had airports.

Second, he didn't trust them; while the accident rate for planes was extremely low, once an accident occurred, death was almost certain.

Suddenly.

[Source Value +0.1 wisp]

A line of silver text appeared before his eyes.

Hu Long's gaze flickered.

Only ten minutes had passed since the last increase in Source Value, and the Source Value from the parchment was already gone.

Moreover, this increase was 0.1 wisps, not 0.01.

This meant that this increase in Source Value did not come from the sunlight.

Thinking of this, following the direction of that cool, flowing sensation, Hu Long's gaze couldn't help but shift to the young woman named Xiao Mei sitting nearby.

She was about twenty, wearing a dress, with slightly yellowish skin, a high nose, deep-set eyes, and a few freckles on her face.

It was certain that she was not of pure Yu State blood; she looked more like a person of mixed descent from Luo State.

But that wasn't certain, as there were also ethnic minorities within Yu State.

At this moment, she was quietly holding a book, her eyes lowered as she read intently.

Printed on the cover were two striking black characters: Evil Thoughts. It was a very famous mystery novel.

But that was not what Hu Long cared about.

It was her hand—or more precisely, the Snake Bone Bracelet wrapped around her right wrist.

Just now, the other party's arm had moved, brushing against his own.

"What's wrong?"

The woman seemed to have noticed Hu Long's gaze and asked.

"Could you let me see that bracelet of yours?"

Hu Long did not hide his intentions.

He pointed a finger at the Snake Bone Bracelet and asked directly.

"This..."

Upon hearing this, she was about to refuse.

Although this item wasn't particularly precious, it wasn't something she would just show to a strange man at will.

Not to mention that the person in question was suspected to be mentally ill...

However, before she could finish her sentence.

She heard Hu Long's voice continue.

"I'll buy that bracelet from you for ten thousand."

"Are you sure?"

The woman paused.