Chapter 35: The Ancestral Hall!

Yang Nan cast a glance at the Yang Family ancestral hall, which featured green tiles and grey bricks, towering halls, and pavilions, clearly having been meticulously maintained. He thought for a moment, then retrieved several spirit stones to set up a glowing light formation and a dust-cleansing formation. The glowing light formation could protect the ancestral hall from above to prevent mortals from damaging it, while the dust-cleansing formation absorbed dust, keeping the interior of the ancestral hall spotlessly clean. After setting up the two formations, Yang Nan took out the glowing pearls, gold pearls, coral, and other treasures he had obtained from the Dragon Palace, embedding them into the upper space of the ancestral hall to serve as lamps.

Seeing the young lord casually work his magic, Yang Jin and the others watched as the previously dim ancestral hall suddenly glowed with brilliant colorful mists and radiant golden light. Countless luminous pearls and treasures floated suspended above the high ceiling, illuminating the great hall as bright as day. This magnificent and luxurious supernatural sight left them completely dumbfounded.

After thinking for a moment, Yang Nan waved his sleeve and set up an invisibility array above, veiling the true forms of the pearls and treasures so they appeared merely as ordinary lanterns, lest they invite disaster upon future generations of descendants!

At the high seat of the ancestral hall, using his vital blood as ink and the arts of the Rune Sect, Yang Nan left behind three divine will talismans that transformed into three spirit tablets standing upon the ancestral altar. These three talismans were like three grandmasters; should anyone not of the Yang family step into the ancestral hall, the talismans would transform into three divine generals to drive the intruder away.

Having completed all of this, Yang Nan and Fang Qingyan performed a grand bow to pay homage to their ancestors, offering the three sacrificial animals, six ceremonies, water, wine, and fine dishes to express their memorial tributes.

The couple bowed beneath the divine altar. Gazing at the rows of ancestral tablets arrayed upon the altar, Fang Qingyan wore a solemn expression and earnestly said, "Ancestors of the Yang family above, your granddaughter-in-law, the Fang clan, boldly enters the ancestral temple today to pray for the protection of our forebears, hoping that one day we may add sons and grandsons to the Yang family's main lineage and pass down our incense fire! If the ancestors have spirits, please grant Qingyan a child..."

Fang Qingyan's voice was heavy. As she closed her eyes and parted her lips to pray, that pious and genuine expression was truly moving!

Yang Nan bowed a few times. Hearing his beloved wife's prayer to the ancestors, he sighed inwardly, thinking that Confucian moral teachings were truly formidable. A peerless woman like her had all along been plagued with guilt over her inability to bear children for her husband!

He figured that if her wish could not be fulfilled, Qingyan would likely find no peace for the rest of her life!

Raising his eyes to the spirit tablets of his father and grandfather, Yang Nan also felt a stirring within his heart to repay the grace of his birth and continue the family line. However, although his magical powers were formidable, the matter of conceiving children was entirely a matter of chance; such things could not be had simply by wishing for them. His wife's emotional knot could only be untied after children were born in the days to come.

Turning his head, Yang Nan said gently, "Qingyan, you need not be like this. The ancestors will certainly not blame you. You and I will accompany each other for hundreds of years; could it be that we cannot even bear a single son?"

Fang Qingyan lowered her eyes, her expression dim as she replied, "Husband, we have been married for over eight years, and you are gradually approaching the age of thirty independence, yet we remain without a single son or daughter. I know full well that I am dragging you down from the heavenly dao. If I could just bear a single son or daughter, I would have no regrets even if I were to die another day..."

In this world, going more than twenty years without offspring was already considered a wondrous rarity. How could this fail to make Fang Qingyan feel deeply self-reproachful?

Entering the ancestral hall only made her feel an even greater, oppressive weight!

The more Yang Nan listened, the more angry he became. Abruptly, he said, "Cease your words! What Zhu Ding said that day was merely empty talk, why must you take it to heart? You are supremely intelligent, how can you be so stubborn about this point?"

Qingyan uttering such inauspicious words made Yang Nan's heart leap fiercely, surging with a deeply uncomfortable sensation. His expression instantly turned ashen, and for reasons unknown, a nameless fire abruptly rose from the depths of his heart!

The couple had been perfectly fine until Yang Nan suddenly wore an expression of anger. Yang Jin and the others, accompanying them from afar, exchanged glances in silence, not daring to utter a sound. The lady of the house had been wedded right here in this spirit hall—which man of the Yang family did not secretly admire her for it?

Though she was being reprimanded by Yang Nan, how could outsiders dare to meddle in such matters between husband and wife?

Spats between couples were commonplace, but for Yang Nan, who was always gentle and detached, to fly into a rage only made Yang Jin and the others all the more curious. However, since Yang Nan was now the head of the Yang clan, how could they dare to utter another word?

Blurted out in a moment of anxiety, Yang Nan saw his beloved wife's deeply dejected expression and felt a wave of remorse in his heart: 'Where has my usual mental cultivation gone? Qingyan is so deeply affectionate, yet I couldn't even maintain the clarity of my dao heart?'

The trial of love is like a vast sea, with no boat to cross!

Only when facing this situation did Yang Nan realize that, without his knowing, he had planted deep roots of affection for this young wife, unable to untangle himself.

Although this was a major taboo for practitioners of the Tao, Yang Nan could not care about such things for the moment. Fang Qingyan blamed herself for failing to pass down the incense fire, but how could Yang Nan be without blame?

The two had been married for eight or nine years, yet the days spent together amounted to barely half a year. Yang Nan usually kept away from female company, and the joys of the boudoir were virtually nonexistent. Knowing that his heart was entirely set upon the Dao, Fang Qingyan had never harbored any resentment, only choosing to blame herself.

Lowering her eyes, Fang Qingyan said softly, "Husband, calm your anger. This wife will never speak such words again..."

Composing his mind, Yang Nan helped Fang Qingyan up and said solemnly, "Qingyan, rest assured. This matter will surely fulfill your wish; it is only a matter of time. Although I am untalented, I am not someone destined to be without descendants. Once I achieve the status of a revered master, we can discuss children then."

His young wife's obsession with the family lineage left Yang Nan both sighing with emotion and feeling a sense of pity. With Qingyan's peerless appearance, harboring such an obsession would make transcendence in the future all the more difficult.

Seeing that her husband had been angry and blaming herself for her careless words, Fang Qingyan immediately spoke in a gentle tone: "This wife was unseemly and angered my husband. I beg my lord's forgiveness. My husband harbors lofty ambitions; you need not expend effort on such trivial matters."

Yang Nan nodded. Looking back at the spacious main hall of the ancestral hall, he sighed gloomily, "Qingyan, back then at the tender age of thirteen, you held the spirit tablet and married me here. Though I did not witness it personally, it is as vivid in my mind as if it happened yesterday! What kind of person am I, Yang Nan? How could I not know of this profound affection of yours as deep as the sea?

If you truly value the depth of our marital bond, you should let go of your obsession and wholeheartedly pursue the Dao. You must know that although Grandfather's dying wish carries heavy weight, it is not an impossible task; why must you be in such a hurry?" Recalling the circumstances of that day, his sense of guilt toward his wife increased by another fraction.

Though Fang Qingyan smiled on the surface, she sighed inwardly. Her husband had always been distant from women, remaining unmoved even while possessing peerless beauty under heaven, and casually brushing aside suggestions of taking concubines. How could it be possible to make him set aside his pursuit of the Dao to focus on the family line? With her husband feeling no burning urgency, how could she, a mere woman, force this matter?

Yang Nan was not unfeeling; he merely hoped to bring along those by his side to jointly experience the great Dao. In the mortal world, everyone had their own aspirations, and they could never be forced.

"Husband, I understand. To achieve the status of a revered master is to live for hundreds or thousands of years. What you strive for is not the fleeting dawn and dusk, but eternity. Though untalented, this wife is willing to follow by my husband's side to serve you forever." Fang Qingyan let go of her own thoughts and offered Yang Nan a tender smile.

No matter what, her husband was her heaven and her everything. Brilliant and stunning though she was, Fang Qingyan possessed a gentle and compliant nature, and she would never quarrel excessively with her husband.

The couple turned their anger into joy, temporarily setting aside the topic. Gently holding his wife's hand, Yang Nan wandered casually through the main hall while asking about the circumstances of his grandfather's dying wish that day. Fang Qingyan recounted everything from that day without holding anything back, and as they spoke of the key points, both could not help but feel deep emotional stirnings.

Having poured his heart and soul into arranging his affairs for the sake of his grandson, Yang Yangpu naturally anticipated Yang Nan's situation after retreating to Mount Qingming. Fang Qingyan—intelligent, resolute, and renowned throughout the world for her literary talent—was the ideal granddaughter-in-law he had selected for him!

Written in his own hand with a jade brush and accompanied by earnest admonitions, the old man's ultimate expectations fell upon a woman deeply influenced by worldly codes of conduct, naturally giving rise to the unyielding obsession that never faded within Fang Qingyan's heart!

Had Yang Nan died, she would have had no choice but to spend her life guarding his spirit tablet and forget that dying wish. But because Yang Nan lived, as long as she failed to bear a son for the Yang family, she would forever feel a sense of failure toward the ancestors of the Yang clan!

How could this deep sentiment ever be understood by Yang Nan, who had never placed moral teachings in his eyes?

Having lived two lifetimes, Yang Nan naturally took many worldly matters lightly, whereas Fang Qingyan was born and raised right here. How could she dare to forget her responsibility as a wife? The two of them had never harbored any estrangement between them, yet on this particular matter, they were as far apart as the northern and southern extremes...

As for his grandfather's legacy, Yang Nan truly did not know whether to feel moved to tears of gratitude or helpless resignation.

Once one enters the Daoist gate, one becomes a transcendent being detached from the mortal world. Although he had descended the mountain this time to travel, it was only meant to sever mortal ties; once Yang Nan left Mount Qingming, he did not know how many years would pass before he returned. Knowing full well that an immortal's countenance is rare, Yang Jin and the others respectfully requested Yang Nan to leave behind a portrait to serve as a model for sculpting a stone statue, so that future generations of descendants could remember him.

How could a practitioner of the Dao care about such superficial appearances? This worldly sentiment left Yang Nan smiling dumbfoundedly. With a hearty laugh, he nonetheless complied with their wishes. Although his own mastery of painting and calligraphy was somewhat ordinary, Fang Qingyan was a renowned talented woman whose meticulous figure paintings were exceptionally lifelike. With his beloved wife holding the brush, the portrait depicted Yang Nan in a blue Taoist robe, standing beneath a lush green willow tree, gazing up at the bright firmament with a serpentine crescent magical treasure lightly resting beneath his feet, seemingly about to soar into the clouds to survey the boundless heaven and earth.

The transcendent, otherworldly demeanor and immortal bones of a daoist master were vividly and brilliantly rendered from Qingyan's brush!

Seeing this marvelous creation born from Qingyan's flying brush, Yang Nan felt a stir within his heart and retrieved a vermilion brush to paint a companion piece for his beloved wife, titled "Seeking the Dao Beneath the Willows."

In the picture, Fang Qingyan wore a plain skirt, walking gracefully out of the ancestral hall. Seeing the Taoist-robed Yang Nan with a face full of joy, that spontaneous happiness leaped off the paper. It truly captured the bearing of "green robes and plain beauty, illuminating the moral principles of the world."

Putting down their brushes and ink, the two inspected each other's portraits and could not help but exchange a smile, instantly feeling a deep sense of mutual understanding.

The Yang Nan painted by Fang Qingyan remained in the mortal world, lost in deep contemplation of the heavenly dao, while the Fang Qingyan painted by Yang Nan kept her husband and offspring in her thoughts. Their aspirations and characters were both portrayed with extraordinary vividness.

Obtaining these two vivid and expressive portraits from the couple, Yang Jin was overjoyed and smiled, saying, "With the lord leaving behind such masterpieces, when hundreds or thousands of years pass, future generations of descendants will have something to cherish. The Yang family has produced both an elder grand tutor who reached the pinnacle of officialdom and a divine young lord who attained ascension to become an immortal—truly a magnificent tale!"

Yang Nan shook his head. His grandfather had indeed reached the pinnacle of officialdom, but he himself might not necessarily truly become an immortal. Was the path of the immortal dao really that easy to walk?

After receiving the gold, silver, and alchemical pills bestowed by Yang Nan, the villagers were filled with boundless joy. Knowing the principle that "when one gains the Way, even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven," Yang Nan had the old Yang family residence renovated, and even set up several simple formations around the ancestral tombs to serve as protection.

That very day, Yang Jin hosted a banquet within the ancestral residence, inviting Yang Nan and his wife to share some wine. Although Yang Nan had already reached the realm of inition, where he could absorb spiritual energy and go without the food of mortals, he still sat down to converse briefly with them.

"Three uncles, I have left behind ten thousand gold pearls beneath the ancestral residence. If the clan ever faces hardship in the future, take them out and use them. The ancestral hall is the foundation of our Yang family; the luminous pearls and other treasures on the ceiling can also be repurposed for other uses. If the Yang family ever faces the peril of annihilation, the entire clan may take refuge within the ancestral hall. Even if the coming enemy numbers in the tens of thousands of troops, they will be of no consequence!" Yang Nan imparted all these arrangements to the three stewards including Yang Jin. This was not only to pass on the bloodline and continue the incense fire of the Yang family, but also to fulfill the dying wish of his grandfather, Yang Pu.

The ancestral hall of a clan is the foundation of a surname and must never be treated carelessly!

An official can be dismissed and a practitioner can fall, but as long as the clan's bloodline remains, its enduring strength will be inexhaustible!

Having made such thorough arrangements, Yang Nan knew that as long as the Yang village did not provoke cultivation factions, no matter how many mortal soldiers came, they would be completely useless!

Hearing of such immortal means, Yang Jin and the three of them were utterly captivated and spellbound. Hearing Yang Nan's instructions, they nodded repeatedly. Sighing, Yang Nan said, "Unless our Yang family rebels, Mount Qingming remains my permanent dwelling. If future descendants are unfilial and rebel, cast them out of the house and strike their names from the registry! Within the ancestral hall, none other than those bearing the surname Yang may enter; otherwise, a great disaster shall befall them. You must all keep this firmly in your hearts!"