Chapter 104: Inside the Ancestral Hall
Chen Keai drove away while imagining that Chu Jiang was gathering the Lin family in the ancestral hall to execute their family rules.
Of course, Chu Jiang had no idea that his little financial ability allowed him to imagine so vividly. Taking advantage of the empty surroundings, he effortlessly leaped over the high wall.
In fact, if he wanted to be more elegant, Chu Jiang could make his body ghost-like and pass through walls.
But he wasn't foolish and preferred to use his supernatural powers sparingly. Especially considering that the ancestral hall seemed to have ancestral spirits, it was better to enter in a "relatively normal" way.
As he leaped into the range of the ancestral hall, Chu Jiang hadn't felt anything strange yet. But as soon as his feet touched the ground, his expression drastically changed.
Upon landing, he immediately reached behind and took off his backpack, unzipping it.
Two things happened in this short moment:
Firstly, after entering the ancestral hall, Chu Jiang felt an indescribable sense of oppression, and even more surprisingly, his Blood Hand Ghost inside his body seemed to be affected as well.
The ghost became restless, as if it wanted to desperately break free from Chu Jiang's body.
But after Chu Jiang landed, the Blood Hand Ghost quieted down; it even became still, not moving at all, like it was dead.
Originally, Chu Jiang used to feel restless spirits stirring inside him, even during the daytime, due to the deepening erosion. But now that feeling disappeared, vanished, as if he had become a normal person.
The second thing was even more serious, the Ghost Diary was moving!
Except for the last time when he was almost dying at school, Chu Jiang had never seen this thing move at all, not even when he cut it, burned it, or soaked it. It didn't react at all.
But at this moment, this pure black diary started shaking violently, to the point that as soon as Chu Jiang landed, he immediately checked it.
In case he didn't trigger the near-death condition and the Ghost Diary would devour him, then Chu Jiang would have to find a way to escape.
Opening his backpack, he could see that the diary was indeed vibrating, but as time passed, this vibration gradually weakened, faded...
In the end, the Ghost Diary returned to calm, and the whole process lasted about a minute and a half.
To be honest, when Chu Jiang picked up the Ghost Diary again, he even felt a sense of retreat. He realized that he had underestimated the Lin Ancestral Hall too much.
This is a level zero seal! What is sealed inside could very likely be a powerful ghost of S-class.
Such beings have such strong reactions upon entering the ancestral hall. Combining it with the Blood Hand Ghost's reaction, there must be something extraordinary or a very powerful force within this hall.
The ghost had to pretend to be dead, and the Ghost Diary also had a certain stress reaction.
Now Chu Jiang is starting to believe more and more that Wang Lei died because of this ancestral hall. If Chu Jiang doesn't calm down, he could be the next one to die.
Should he retreat or not? Chu Jiang hesitated as he looked at the diary and then ahead.
He landed in the backyard position and as he looked forward, he could only see some artificial hills, potted plants, and a wall.
If only Chu Jiang had known that Lin Ancestral Hall was so dangerous, he would have sealed the Little Theater into the diary first. But now, it seemed like it might not be too late...
But at this moment, Chu Jiang hesitated. Wang Lei had come in many times, clearly thinking that this place was very special and required multiple investigations.
And Wang Lei died four or five months ago, it wouldn't be possible for Chu Jiang to have such bad luck, right? To encounter great danger as soon as he entered.
Just as he hesitated, Chu Jiang suddenly heard some faint sounds coming from in front of the ancestral hall.
He focused his attention and realized it sounded like someone praying. The voice sounded like an elderly woman, "Bless our ancestors, bless our ancestors, bless our ancestors, let my grandson Xiaofan pass the university entrance exam this year..."
Most of the prayers were similar, very genuine and from ordinary people, praying to their ancestors.
However, one thing puzzled Chu Jiang, why was this "Old Master" mentioned after the ancestors? Shouldn't the ancestors come last?
Could it be that the Old Master held an important position in the past? But even officials shouldn't break the rules, right?
Curiosity sparked, and Chu Jiang really wanted to go and take a look at what was in front.
Initially, he was quite nervous, but when he heard the elderly woman mention "Xiaofan passing the university entrance exam," he instinctively relaxed a little.
If they were really ghosts, could they have been listening to their descendants' chatter for hundreds of years? They couldn't be that evil, right?
Of course, Chu Jiang didn't act rashly. He stood still and patiently waited for a while.
He smelled the scent of incense, heard the sound of tossing the Holy Grail, and only when all the sounds stopped did he hear the footsteps of the old woman in the distance, and then Chu Jiang took action.
The so-called "Holy Grail" is not the same thing as the one in the anime series FATE, which can grant wishes.
The Holy Grail, also known as the "Cup of Divination," is an ancient tool used by people to predict good and bad luck. The Tang Dynasty poet Han Yu wrote, "The old man in the temple understands the will of the gods. He carefully observes and bows. Holding the Cup of Divination in his hand, he guides me to toss it. It is said that this brings the best luck, but it is difficult for me to have the same."
In modern times, the Cup of Divination is rarely seen, only in some areas where there is still a strong belief in deities and Buddhas, keeping the tradition of using the Cup of Divination.
In places like Luohe and Luoxi, the older generation still uses it when worshiping gods and ancestors, commonly known as the "Holy Grail."
The appearance of the Holy Grail is like two clam shells, and nowadays, the Holy Grail is mostly made of bamboo or wood. The person lighting incense puts the two Holy Grails together and prays, and after finishing the prayer, they toss it to the ground.
[Image description: The image shows a picture of the Holy Grail]
If they toss one up and one down, it means a very auspicious sign, a good omen.
If they can't toss it like that, the person lighting incense often tosses it multiple times until they get one up and one down, one yin and one yang, then they consider it satisfactory.
Of course, Chu Jiang remembered that if he didn't find the Holy Grail for four or five times in a row, the adults would think that maybe his heart wasn't sincere. They would often wait for some time and let the ancestors receive more incense before trying again.
In the end, Chu Jiang didn't seal off the Little Theater. It's best not to use supernatural powers inside the ancestral hall. Just freely take a couple of spins and leave.
Step by step, Chu Jiang walked forward and went around the back wall, entering the main hall of the ancestral hall.
The decoration here is also antique. In front of him is a large, vertical rectangular shrine made of half wood and half stone. Above the shrine are three gilded characters saying "Shunde Hall."
The upper half of the shrine is made of wood, with six layers of steps inside. The base color is reddish-brown. On each step, there are ancestral tablets of different sizes.
The lower half of the shrine is made of stone, with red bricks on the outside. Directly below is a colorful engraved image depicting mountains and rivers, plum flowers, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, as well as two dancing cranes. On the left and right are fire lions playing with embroidered balls.
In front of the shrine are incense burners and candle holders, followed by four long rectangular redwood offering tables.
At this moment, there are only a few incense sticks burning on the incense burners. There is one lit red candle on each side. The offering table is very clean and there are no offerings.
