"Now that you have all memorized the rules," the steward, who had deliberately waited a moment, continued, "then, please, young masters and young ladies, enter and offer the first incense to the master."
From within the door, the halo of light from the eternal lamp seeped through the cracks, casting twisted streaks of light on the floor.
The steward reached out and pushed open the heavy ancestral temple doors.
"Creak—eeek—"
The grating sound of the door hinges turning was especially piercing in the silence.
Even though the players had experienced many instances and their mental fortitude generally far exceeded that of ordinary people, their hearts couldn't help but tighten slightly at this moment.
The interior scene of the ancestral temple was completely revealed before everyone's eyes as the doors swung open.
The light was even dimmer than expected.
The hall was quite spacious, yet only a few white paper lanterns hung sparsely beneath the high ceiling beams. The candle flames flickered faintly within the lanterns, casting the vast ancestral temple in shifting, indistinct shadows.
At the very back, directly facing the main doors, were rows upon rows of ancestral tablets, layered and stacked, almost disappearing into the shadows. On the long altar table before the tablets, incense smoke swirled, and thick white candles burned slowly.
And directly in front of the altar table, a pitch-black coffin was placed.
On either side of the coffin stood several paper effigies of boy and girl attendants, their faces painted with thick white powder.
In the air, the scents of incense, candles, damp wood, and other odors mixed together, lingering persistently, creating an exceptionally uncomfortable feeling.
What drew their attention even more was that, to one side of the altar table, a slightly smaller incense table had been set up separately.
Not many items were placed on this incense table, only a few plates of pastries.
Holding a lantern, the steward was the first to step into the ancestral temple. He stopped just inside the doorway, his voice dropping even lower. "Young masters and young ladies, please step forward one by one to offer incense to the master."
"The incense is on the right side of the altar table. Three sticks per person. Light them, insert them into the incense burner, and then kneel and bow."
"Remember, the incense... must not fall to the ground, nor may it be interrupted."
With that, he looked at Xing Ge. "Eldest Young Master, you may begin first."
Hearing this, Xu Xi's gaze immediately fell upon the buzz-cut man who had maintained a grim expression from start to finish.
Undoubtedly, the first person to offer incense would bear the greatest unknown risk.
Xing Ge's face, with its cold, hard lines, showed no change in expression. He just gave a heavy "Hmm" and strode inside. The sound of his footsteps echoed clearly in the empty ancestral temple.
He walked to the right side of the altar table. Sure enough, several bundles of unopened incense sticks and an oil lamp with a faint flame were placed there. He pulled out three sticks of incense, lit them from the oil lamp, his movements crisp and efficient, without a trace of hesitation.
Pale blue smoke curled upward.
The other players behind him watched his subsequent actions intently.
Xing Ge held the incense sticks and turned to face the pitch-black coffin.
He paused briefly, as if examining the coffin, then stepped forward and steadily inserted the three sticks of incense into the bronze incense burner in front of the coffin, which was almost overflowing with ash.
Then, he lifted the hem of his mourning garment, knelt on the cushion in front of the incense burner, and bowed his head respectfully three times towards the direction of the coffin. His movements were standard, carrying a rigid, almost military-like precision.
He stood up, took two steps back, turned, and walked back, remaining completely silent throughout.
Nothing happened.
However, Xu Xi noticed that when he returned, the hand hanging at his side seemed to have its fingers slightly curled.
"Young Miss." The steward's gaze shifted to Shi Weiwei.
Shi Weiwei's expression was calm. Her movements were equally composed and unhurried—lighting the incense, offering it, kneeling, bowing—all done in one smooth sequence.
Next were Lin Zuo and Tang Shutong, revealing the players' ranking order.
Until it was finally Xu Xi's turn.
The gazes of the others all focused on this young man with an indifferent expression.
Xu Xi took a breath and stepped into the ancestral temple.
He walked to the altar table, picked up three sticks of incense, brought them close to the oil lamp, and then turned to look closely at the coffin before him.
The coffin lid was tightly sealed. The thick, black-lacquered wooden cover completely enclosed the interior. Only the coffin itself emanated a chilling, cold aura.
Xu Xi shifted his gaze away and inserted the incense into the burner.
Just as he was kneeling and bowing, following the established pattern, an extremely faint sound, like the giggle of a child, suddenly wormed its way into his ear.
"Hehe..."
The sound did not come from the direction of the coffin.
Maintaining his posture, Xu Xi glanced sideways at the paper effigies with the corner of his eye.
...No change.
He stood up expressionlessly and returned to the group.
As the fifth player to offer incense, his actions were still successful.
Next was Yu Hao, who also successfully completed the series of rituals.
Just as they thought things could continue smoothly, the last young man with the earring made their hearts leap into their throats.
Three sticks of incense were inserted crookedly into the incense burner. Although they didn't fall over, one stick was noticeably shorter than the other two, and a bit of ash drifted down.
Hang Ze obviously noticed this too.
He cursed inwardly, quickly knelt on the cushion, and kowtowed three times in rapid succession—*bang bang bang*—so fast it was almost a blur.
Fortunately, when he stood up, the most shallowly inserted, teetering incense stick managed to stabilize.
The other players sighed in relief, and the live stream comments also seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
[Scared me to death, I almost thought we were in for a big one right at the start.]
[Hang Ze, kid, can't you be steadier?!]
Seeing that everyone had finished offering incense, the steward gave a slight nod.
"Young masters and young ladies, you have all worked hard. The first day's worship is complete. The You Hour is nearly over. Please return to your rooms to rest for now. Return at this time tomorrow to offer incense again."
He paused, then abruptly changed the subject, looking at Xing Ge once more.
"However, according to the Shen family's past customs, the children must keep vigil for their father. Eldest Young Master, tonight... you shall be the first to stay."
Xing Ge again.
His status as the "eldest son" had, to some extent, become a disadvantage.
The buzz-cut man remained silent, as if weighing something. After a moment, he asked, "Just me alone?"
The steward bowed slightly in reply. "The following nights will be arranged for the other young masters and young ladies to take turns on duty."
Everyone's expressions shifted slightly.
Meaning each of them would need to keep vigil in the ancestral temple at least once?
Of course, the greatest risk still fell on Xing Ge, as it was the first night—the most unknown and likely the most dangerous.
"Alright." Without any extra words, Xing Ge agreed directly.
Seeing his acceptance, the steward said no more and gestured for the others to leave.
"The manor is not peaceful at night. You have all heard the rules just now. After the Zi Hour, do not leave your rooms."
Hang Ze raised his hand. "Steward, what if I need to... pee—cough, I mean, if I need to relieve myself in the middle of the night?"
He asked sincerely.
The steward replied rigidly, "Fifth Young Master, rest assured. The footmen will prepare chamber pots in each of your rooms. After the Zi Hour, all matters must be resolved within your room. Do not take half a step outside your door."
This was already the second time he had emphasized this point.
Xu Xi found this quite interesting.
He was very curious—what exactly would happen if one stepped outside their room after the Zi Hour?
