Thud!
Just then,
the sound of bells and drums rang out from outside.
Hearing it,
Hu Long gathered his thoughts.
He straightened his clothes, opened the door, and went out. Then he walked over to a nearby washbasin and rinsed his face.
Afterward, he headed to the ancestral hall's main entrance. Inside, shadows moved everywhere, and it was even more crowded than before.
A quick glance suggested there were at least a thousand people.
An ancestral rite of this scale naturally couldn't be run by clan members alone. Numerous security guards, cleaners, and ceremonial staff in matching uniforms moved among the crowd, maintaining order and keeping everything on schedule.
His phone suddenly vibrated. Hu Long took it out and saw that He Yanling was calling.
"Xiao Long, where are you right now?"
Her voice on the other end sounded a little anxious.
It was understandable. In her eyes, her son was still a patient who had just been discharged from the hospital and needed constant attention.
Before Hu Long had gone out, He Yanling had called him at least ten times a day.
"I'm fine. I just went to the restroom."
Hu Long's tone was casual.
"Where are you?"
After finding out where they were, he headed over.
It wasn't far before he spotted He Yanling and the others—or, more accurately, the four of them.
"Brother... hold..."
The little one in He Yanling's arms, Hu Yu, saw him and immediately reached out with his tiny hand, babbling in a childish voice.
Over the past few days, the little tyke had somehow learned to say "brother."
His older sister, Hu Zhao, had been quietly jealous for a while because of it.
She'd tried to teach him for ages, but he still couldn't say "sister" clearly. He could only manage a single syllable.
Hu Long looked at the little arms reaching out to him but didn't take him.
Young children were fragile, and ever since downloading Innate Divine Strength, Hu Long's performance in the restroom just now had been proof enough that his strength had increased dramatically.
Although Body-Mind Unity helped him adapt to his body quickly,
that still took time.
At the moment, he still hadn't fully mastered his newfound strength.
It wouldn't do to accidentally squeeze his adopted "little brother" to death.
"All right, let's go in," Hu Chengwen said at just the right moment.
By tradition, only members of the Hu clan could enter the ancestral hall. Relatives with other surnames had to watch the ceremony from the plaza outside.
But as times changed, many old customs had been altered to strengthen the clan's unity.
This was one of those rules, and it had long since fallen out of use.
The ancestral hall was vast, with a lofty ceiling.
It was like a palace, its entire structure built with mortise-and-tenon joinery.
The walls and beams were all made of wood.
Immortals, spirit beasts, auspicious clouds, and ruyi symbols had been intricately carved into them. In the dim light, their features were blurred, leaving only vague silhouettes silently looking down on the crowd gathered below like ants.
A faint scent of incense lingered in the air.
A few shafts of light entered through the high, carved windows. Filtered through the layers of ancestral tablets and incense smoke, they took on a hazy, dreamlike quality.
There were quite a few people here—hundreds of them, all dressed appropriately.
Despite their numbers, not a sound disturbed the hall.
The hundreds of people stood close together, yet naturally fell into distinct ranks and groups.
Their positions varied according to how closely related they were.
Since Hu Long's original body's grandfather was within the fifth degree of kinship, Hu Long and the others stood relatively near the front.
His gaze swept over the ancestral tablets.
At last, it settled on a statue in the middle of the hall.
The stone statue stood six meters tall. It wore full armor and held a pair of hammers, its upright figure straight as a pine.
This was the ancestor the Hu Family truly worshipped: a general who had fought his way through bloodshed during the Cloud Kingdom's chaotic era six hundred years ago and won great renown on the battlefield.
The Hu Clan of today were all his descendants. A stele beside the statue recorded his life.
His name was Hu Wei. He'd grown up in poverty, but had been born with extraordinary strength and learned martial arts. When famine struck, he'd joined the army to survive.
From then on, there had been no stopping him. He'd broken through enemy lines, stormed cities, and captured enemy generals and standards. For his many achievements, the emperor of the Cloud Kingdom had ennobled him, raising him to the third rank.
That was how he'd built a foundation of his own, allowing his descendants to carry on to this day.
Hu Long recalled the memories that had suddenly surfaced from his original body.
They included accounts of the ancestor's heroic exploits.
For instance, in one battle, the enemy had taken refuge inside a city. The terrain made it difficult to attack, and the prolonged siege had cost the soldiers dearly.
Faced with this situation, Hu Wei had taken an iron hammer under cover of night and smashed the city gate open with three blows of brute force, capturing the city.
It was practically a legend.
"Three blows to smash through a city gate?"
Hu Long's eyes flickered.
Before, he would've thought the tale was exaggerated.
The gate alone would have been incredibly thick, with a bracing post and multiple bolts, making it even harder to break through.
Without firearms, it was impossible to smash a city gate open with nothing but human strength.
Even a thousand jin of force wouldn't be enough.
Otherwise, why would ancient armies have resorted to scaling walls with ladders and opening the gates from within, a method with such a high death toll?
It was perfectly normal for stories passed down by word of mouth to become embellished and turn one's ancestor into a legend.
But after downloading Innate Divine Strength and learning that Secret Martial Artists existed in this world,
he'd come to a different conclusion. The recorded deeds and life story of this ancestor of his might well be true.
"The clan leader is here!"
Someone called out.
Everyone turned toward the entrance.
An old man in a black robe was the first to walk in.
He was Hu Zhenkui, the clan leader of the Hu Clan.
He was also the most powerful figure in the clan.
Around thirty Hu clan members followed behind him.
Everyone stood respectfully at the sight of their arrival.
Even Hu Chengwen, standing off to one side, was no exception.
The Hu Family had only one main branch, the direct line. The other members of the Hu Clan were all collateral branches.
The main branch was very mysterious.
But one thing was clear: it wielded enormous power.
It was a power that couldn't be measured in mere wealth.
Hu Long stood off to one side as well.
But his gaze moved back and forth over the newcomers.
Their exposed muscles bulged, and they were exceptionally burly. Even their clothes couldn't hide it.
Even the clan leader at the front was the same.
An ordinary person might not have thought much of it.
They might simply have assumed these people worked out.
But Hu Long had Comprehensive Combat Arts at the perfected level. He could tell at a glance that they were all trained fighters, and every one of them was strong.
More importantly,
perhaps because he'd crossed over and absorbed his original body's soul, his senses were exceptionally keen. At that moment, he felt a distinct sense of danger coming from these people.
"Secret Martial Artists? They're really something."
Faced with this, a hint of delight flashed in Hu Long's eyes.
Next came the usual ancestral rite.
Under normal circumstances, the rite consisted of several parts.
After the preparations, the next steps were to welcome the spirits and honor the ancestors, present offerings, recite the ritual text, burn offerings to send off the spirits, revise the family genealogy, hear an elder's address, take a group photo, share a meal, and so on.
It was a complicated affair.
But each task had its own people assigned to handle it.
Hu Long followed along with the other members of the Hu Clan, paying his respects, kowtowing, and offering incense.
Before long, once the basic rites were nearly complete,
the staff withdrew.
Then Hu Zhenkui, the clan leader, spoke again.
"Our Hu Family's founding ancestor, Duke Polu, was born with extraordinary strength and possessed superb martial skills. He defeated the enemy, defended the state, and brought honor to our family through his loyalty and bravery."
He didn't use a microphone or loudspeaker, yet his voice reached everyone in attendance clearly.
"That technique..."
A glint appeared in Hu Long's eyes as he watched.
He wanted nothing more than to go up and take a look at the man's skills.
Hu Zhenkui's voice continued.
"Today, our Hu Family honors our ancestors. In accordance with their teachings, we must stand on our own and grow strong. We must hold the Strength Bearing Festival!"
"Any man of the Hu Family who has reached fifteen but is under twenty-five may step forward and test his strength. The strongest will be named today's Hammer Holder."