Chapter 97: The Response from the Entire Lineage and All the Ancestors of Past Generations!!!

"You don't need to give me an answer right now."

The old man looked at the Celestial Master He Xun, who had just cried out in shock, his tone as calm as if discussing an ordinary matter.

"After we finish eating, we can go ask the Patriarch, ask our master's opinion."

Celestial Master He Xun did not respond to this. He frowned deeply, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the old man and the quietly seated Gu Qingwan.

"How did they offend you again?"

The old man thought for a moment, then slowly spoke:

"That's a long story. Killing my disciple, cultivating a Malevolent Deity, and also..."

His eyes swept over the peacefully quiet Gu Qingwan beside them, who hadn't even touched a single dumpling.

"The matters concerning her are definitely linked to that Commanding Ghosts Liu Family."

"You're talking nonsense?!"

"If they had the ability to raise something like this, then the lands beyond the Great Wall wouldn't be under our Daoist sects' control anymore!"

Celestial Master He Xun shook his head like a rattle drum, his face full of disbelief.

The old man immediately said:

"She wasn't raised by the Liu Family, but as for how she ended up like this..."

The words on the tip of his tongue made even the old man's own scalp tingle, so he simply waved a hand.

"Anyway, don't worry about it. Just help me find the Commanding Ghosts Liu Family."

Celestial Master He Xun let out a long sigh.

"I'm afraid it will take some effort."

"I understand the affairs of the Ten Families better than you do. Don't be fooled by their loud reputation, boasting about being great families with centuries of heritage."

"In reality, they're just some sneaky, hidden groups with some weird techniques, not worth mentioning on the main stage."

"Among these Ten Families, the largest have only a few dozen members. The smaller ones with single-line inheritance probably can't even gather three people."

"The lands beyond the Great Wall are so vast, and they are all proficient in methods of concealment and hiding their tracks."

"There was not a single whisper of them before. Now, suddenly wanting to find them, how easy could that be?"

As soon as Celestial Master He Xun finished speaking, the old man directly said:

"I have clues."

Huh?

Celestial Master He Xun was taken aback, looking at the old man curiously.

"What clues?"

The old man then said:

"Quite a few. I caught one of their juniors, killed him, and interrogated his Three Souls and Seven Souls."

Hearing this, Celestial Master He Xun blinked and said:

"Tell me about it."

Bang!

The door was kicked open. Lu Yuan strode in, carrying two large plates of steaming hot dumplings, and deftly hooked the door shut with his heel.

"Why are you two just standing there instead of eating the dumplings?"

At this point, the old man stopped talking and just pulled Celestial Master He Xun, saying:

"We're full. Let's go out for a walk to aid digestion."

That fast?

Lu Yuan didn't say anything. However, as soon as Lu Yuan put down the two large plates of dumplings and glanced at the table...

When he saw the old man's side of the table was completely clean, Lu Yuan suddenly looked up at the old man, who was about to leave, and said:

"Hey?!"

"Hold on?!"

"How many coins, how many treasures, how many dates did you eat?"

The old man's body stiffened, and he waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Didn't get any."

Lu Yuan's eyes instantly widened.

"????"

Seeing Lu Yuan's face full of question marks, the old man then said:

"New Year's dumplings aren't allowed to be dipped in garlic. They're too greasy, didn't eat many."

With that, the old man tried to pull Celestial Master He Xun away.

But just as he brushed past Lu Yuan, the back of his collar was suddenly yanked tight, and he was hauled back forcefully!

"I huffed and puffed rolling out dough for half the day!"

"Qingwan worked hard wrapping dumplings for half the day!"

"And you only ate a few?!"

"You didn't get a single treasure or a single date, do you even want to have a good year?!"

The next second, Lu Yuan directly dragged the old man down onto the meditation cushion.

Under the old man's bewildered gaze, Lu Yuan directly scooped up two scalding hot, steam-billowing dumplings and loudly declared:

"Eat!"

Before his words even finished, two dumplings still emitting scorching white steam were shoved straight into the old man's mouth.

Old man: "????"

"I... he..."

Lu Yuan covered the old man's mouth with one hand, his eyes wide like copper bells.

"Hurry up and eat!"

Only after the old man's cheeks bulged twice did Lu Yuan let go, leaning in nervously close to his mouth.

"What did you get?"

Ptooey!

The old man spat out a treasure made of chestnut.

Ptooey again!

He spat out another red date.

Hey! That's more like it!

Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction, reaching out to grab two more dumplings to stuff into the old man's mouth.

This time, the old man was scared out of his wits, mumbling incoherently.

"Damn it!"

"There are cold ones! These just out of the pot are burning me to death!!"

Lu Yuan was taken aback. Oops, forgot!

Casually tossing away the two scalding ones, he grabbed two warm ones from the plate of the first batch and accurately shoved them into the old man's mouth again.

"Hurry up and eat!!"

Celestial Master He Xun silently turned around beside them, raising a hand to cover his eyes. Couldn't bear to watch, really couldn't bear to watch!!

Treasonous!!

Utterly treasonous!!

Junior Brother!!

You're suffering, oh!!!

In the end, under Lu Yuan's "meticulous" hand-feeding, the old man successfully ate seven treasures, five dates, and three pieces of rock sugar.

Lu Yuan looked with great satisfaction at the old man beside him, who was now so stuffed his eyes were unfocused, slumped on the meditation cushion unable to move, and grinned broadly.

"Yee!!"

"Master, your fortune this year is just off the charts!"

"And you ate so many dates and sugar, guaranteed to have a sweet and happy whole year~"

"Most importantly, you didn't get a single coin! Old man, you're guaranteed to be happy and joyful all year long~"

As for Lu Yuan's words, the old man was too stuffed to utter a single word.

Celestial Master He Xun's mouth twitched at the side.

Obviously!

If he could have gotten a coin, that would have been truly seeing a ghost!

Celestial Master He Xun saw clearly. Once in the middle, after Lu Yuan stuffed in a dumpling, he pinched it with his fingers, seeming to feel something was off.

He actually forcibly dug it back out of the old man's mouth!

The broken dumpling tossed on the table clearly contained a small silver coin.

Good heavens, checking the dumplings by hand before feeding them. Treasures, dates, sugar went into the mouth; coins were directly discarded.

If he could have gotten a coin under those conditions, that would have been the strangest oddity in eight generations!

However, Celestial Master He Xun didn't make a sound the whole time, nor did he intervene.

He just felt...

Compared to the completely empty table from before, this table now full of "fortune" seemed... better.

In the end, supported by Lu Yuan on one side and Celestial Master He Xun on the other, the old man wobbled unsteadily to his feet.

Burping intermittently, he pointed a finger at Lu Yuan, too angry to speak.

Supported by Celestial Master He Xun, he took one step and swayed three times as they walked out.

The figures of the two old men disappeared outside the door.

Lu Yuan wiped the dumpling crumbs from his hands, turned to look at the quiet Gu Qingwan beside him, and grinned.

"Those two bamboo trays are cooked now too. I'll go get them, and then we can start eating!!"

...

On the stone path leading to the main hall of Zhenlong Temple, the night wind was clear and cold.

"Burp~"

"...burp~~"

"Damn... it..."

"Later I... burp... I'll definitely teach that brat a lesson!!"

Supported by Celestial Master He Xun, the old man cursed through gritted teeth between burps.

Celestial Master He Xun glanced at him, his face showing a look of disdain that saw through everything.

"Yee!!"

"Just keep pretending!"

"If you really didn't want to eat, with his strength, could he have held you down?"

These words seemed to step on a cat's tail. The old man stiffened his neck and angrily said:

"You don't understand a damn thing!!"

"That little woman beside him was helping him!!!"

Celestial Master He Xun: "..."

He was somewhat stunned.

"They get along that well?"

The old man resentfully rolled his eyes, but his tone carried a hint of something indescribable.

"What do you think!"

"If only she could have children now!"

"Otherwise, I'd damn well be holding a grandson already!!"

Celestial Master He Xun: "..."

...

After dropping the last two bamboo trays of dumplings into the pot, Lu Yuan carried back the two large plates of freshly cooked, steaming hot dumplings.

There was no need to come back for these last two bamboo trays of dumplings.

Once cooked, he'd have the junior brothers in the dining hall help scoop them out and leave them there. They couldn't finish them all anyway.

Returning to the side hall, Lu Yuan looked at the peacefully quiet Gu Qingwan and grinned:

"Just the two of us left~"

"Come on, eat dumplings, it's New Year's~"

...

At the same time, inside the Patriarch Hall of Zhenlong Temple.

The old man's burps had finally subsided. His aura was now deep and steady as he prepared to inquire of the ancestors.

"No need to ask."

Celestial Master He Xun beside him suddenly spoke, his tone calm:

"If Junior Brother has trouble, Senior Brother I have no reason not to help."

But the old man directly shook his head:

"Not acceptable!"

"If I don't ask the Patriarch and you help me, then I owe you a favor!"

"If I ask the Patriarch and receive a decree, then I'm not asking you for help, but carrying out orders from the Dharma lineage! I won't owe you a favor!"

The warmth and noise of the New Year's Eve dinner were completely shut out by the heavy hall doors.

Inside the hall, only the faint glow of the eternal lamps illuminated the rows upon rows of solemnly standing ancestral tablets.

In the air, the scent of aged incense, decaying wood, and paper and ink blended into a heavy, oppressive silence, as if even the flow of time had been slowed down.

Celestial Master He Xun was left speechless by the old man's words, "If I don't ask the Patriarch and you help me, then I owe you a favor!" He could only glare in exasperation.

In the end, he could only helplessly flick his sleeves and retreat into the shadows by the hall entrance, crossing his arms.

He would just have to see what result his stubborn mule of a junior brother could get from his inquiry.

The old man stood solemnly in the center of the hall, alone before the layers of tablets.

His gaze finally settled on the central spirit tablet inscribed: 【Perfected Being of the Nine Heavens Responding to Primordial Principles, Upholder of Laws, Celestial Master Commanding Thunder, Illusion-Breaking Golden Thunder, Zhang Jiuting】.

At this moment, not a trace of his previous laziness or irritation remained on his face.

His eyes were deep and serene, still as a cold pool.

His entire aura actually merged with this ancient, solemn Patriarch Hall, becoming indistinguishable from it.

The old man walked to the copper hand-washing basin on the left. The basin contained rootless water collected at midnight the previous night.

He immersed both hands in the water, washing meticulously—between fingers, palm lines, leaving no spot untouched—while softly reciting the "Hand Cleansing Incantation" under his breath.

"Heavenly River Water Star, cleanse worldly dust."

"Hands purified, to honor the true deities."

After the ritual, he took out a special set of "Inquiry Incense Tools" from the ritual tools cabinet dedicated to sacrifices.

It was a palm-sized purple bronze Eight Trigrams incense burner, its body thick with patina, specifically used for seeking guidance from the Patriarchs on major matters.

Three sticks of "Blood-Vein Agarwood Incense," entirely dark red with faint golden threads, uniform in thickness—this incense was the finest of the finest, used only for major decisions.

He placed the purple bronze incense burner on the floor directly in front of Zhang Jiuting Patriarch's spirit tablet, not on the altar table.

With the incense burner as the center, he stepped in the "Seven Stars Yu Steps," virtually drawing a small-scale Big Dipper diagram on the ground.

His steps were precise, his breath deep and steady. With each step, the green bricks beneath his feet seemed to faintly glow.

Finally, he stood firm at the "Heavenly Pivot" position, facing the incense burner and the ancestral tablets.

The old man held the three sticks of Blood-Vein Incense, not rushing to light them. Instead, he first held them with both hands at his brow, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

As if communicating with the ancestral will in the void.

After about ten breaths, he opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning.

"Unworthy disciple Li Xiuye of Zhenlong Temple, today has important matters."

"Concerning the inheritance of the Dao lineage, the life and death of disciples, and the grievances of the departed. Difficulties in my heart, struggle over decisions of life and death."

"Specifically burn this 'Blood-Vein Communicating with Truth Incense,' kowtow and beseech all generations of Patriarchs, especially beseech the Patriarch above, to open a thread of heavenly opportunity, to show this disciple a clear path!"

His voice was not loud, but each word was clear, carrying an iron-clad force that echoed within the silent hall.

After the announcement, he did not use ordinary fire, but instead formed the "Li Fire Seal" with his left hand.

Thumb and middle finger rubbed together, and a strand of pure True Qi flame ignited from his fingertips, gently lighting the three sticks of incense.

The incense tips instantly lit up with three points of warm, concentrated red light. The fragrance did not spread out strongly but condensed into three straight strands of azure smoke, curling upward.

The old man steadily inserted the three sticks of incense into the incense ash in the center of the purple bronze burner.

He did not step back but sat down cross-legged right there, raising his right hand, his five fingers trembling slightly with a strange frequency.

This was precisely the starting posture of the "Planchette Inquiry Technique."

At the same time, his eyes were bright and piercing, staring fixedly at the three rising strands of azure smoke and the burning incense tips.

When the three strands of azure smoke rose to eyebrow height, instead of dispersing as usual, they suddenly converged inward!

They were actually forcibly twisted into a single strand by an invisible force!

The color of the smoke also changed from azure to pale gold!

The golden smoke soared upward, straight toward the hall beams, swirling beneath them without dispersing, gradually transforming into a continuously rotating cloud vortex.

"Golden smoke condenses into a vortex... the Patriarch descends to the altar!"

Celestial Master He Xun, in the shadows by the entrance, held his breath. This was the highest-level sign of "Patriarch Manifestation"!

And at this very moment, the burning speed of the three sticks of Blood-Vein Incense in the burner suddenly changed drastically!

The middle stick burned at an extreme speed, the ash falling inch by inch, yet always maintaining a straight column of ash, unbent and unbroken!

The left and right sticks burned extremely slowly. The accumulated ash gradually curved outward, their shapes like blades, edges exposed!

This... what is this?!

The old man and Celestial Master He Xun were mentally shaken, instantly comprehending the Dharma aspect presented by this incense!

The middle column represented the presiding master, Patriarch Zhang Jiuting! Burning urgently, burning straight, representing his nature fierce as fire, his attitude urgent and clear!

The left and right represented the assisting generations of Patriarchs. Ash curved like blades, representing the decision for "slaughter," "military action" had been made!

At the very moment this "Blade and Soldier Aspect" appeared!

All the ancestral tablets enshrined in the hall, regardless of era or material, whether wood or stone, simultaneously emitted a clearly audible "buzzing" vibration!

That wasn't a sound, but a resonance that reached directly into the soul!

Especially Patriarch Zhang Jiuting's spirit tablet vibrated most intensely!

On the surface of the tablet, a faint strand of purple lightning flashed and vanished, so fast it seemed like an illusion!

Celestial Master He Xun felt a chill shoot from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head. All his hairs stood on end, his scalp tingling!!

All ancestral tablets resonating?

This was an extremely rare phenomenon in any Daoist temple, meaning the will of the entire Dharma lineage was highly unified at this moment!

Within the purple bronze incense burner, the fallen ash did not pile up chaotically.

After the middle stick burned out rapidly, the final ash at the bottom of the burner clearly formed a crooked, scrawled character...

This character also represented the response made collectively by the entire Dharma lineage of Zhenlong Temple, all generations of Patriarchs.

This character was...

...

KILL!!!