The Fourth Clan Ancestor

A muffled thud rang out as the massive fist slammed heavily into Han Li's back.

The large man felt a surge of satisfaction at first, but his expression twisted in shock an instant later.

A flash of azure light, and the large man was sent hurtling backward as if struck by a giant hammer.

The middle-aged Confucian scholar's face changed color, then settled into bewilderment.

Because just as the large man's bulky frame shot in front of him, it abruptly slowed, and the man landed lightly on both feet, seemingly completely unharmed.

"Brother Li! Are you all right? Any internal injuries?" the scholar asked with concern. Though he was a frail intellectual with no martial strength, his frequent contact with the large man surnamed Li had taught him that Jianghu experts had many ways to injure a person without leaving visible traces.

"I'm fine. No injuries. That man's skill is unfathomable, but he doesn't seem hostile," the large man surnamed Li said in a hushed voice after taking a deep breath and confirming his body was completely unharmed, his expression one of startled uncertainty.

Hearing this, the scholar relaxed slightly. He nodded, then turned to look at Han Li.

"Sir, I am Han Tianxiao, head of the Han Clan. May I ask if you came here specifically waiting for me?" the scholar said calmly, his composure unshaken.

"Head of the Han Clan."

Han Li slowly turned around.

"Ah, you—"

"Impossible!"

"Hmph! What is the meaning of this, sir?"

Before Han Li could speak, the scholar and the large man both cried out in shock the moment they saw his features. But then, as if recalling something, the scholar's face darkened.

After a start, the large man also showed a look of understanding, his expression turning hostile.

"You recognize me?" Han Li asked with a frown, sweeping his gaze over the two of them, searching for any trace of a familiar face. Yet after a bitter, silent laugh, he found none.

"Is the gentleman feigning ignorance? Since you've disguised yourself to look like our Fourth Clan Ancestor based on the portrait, why not openly admit it?" the scholar said, staring at Han Li, enunciating each word.

"Fourth Clan Ancestor?" Han Li wore an expression caught between a smile and a frown. Back then, he had been the fourth child in the family, so this "Fourth Clan Ancestor" naturally referred to him.

What he didn't understand, however, was that he had never met any of his close relatives face-to-face after coming of age. How could these descendants of the Han Clan know what he looked like?

"Oh? When did I ever say I was your Fourth Clan Ancestor? Can't I simply have been born with this face?" Han Li said with a faint smile.

"There are indeed many people in the world who share similar features. But someone who looks exactly like our ancestor and appears at our Han Clan Ancestral Hall—you are the only one," the scholar said coldly, his anger quickly subsiding.

"Not a bad response. Fitting for a court official. Your generation has indeed contributed greatly to the prosperity of the Han Clan today," Han Li said, his expression softening as he offered a word of praise.

"Does the gentleman truly intend to impersonate our ancestor?" the scholar said, a flash of cold malice in his eyes as he grew somewhat angry again.

"Impersonate? I am him—why would I need to impersonate? Tell me first, how do you know my face? As I recall, I left home as a child; my family should not have known my appearance. Did the Seven Mysteries Sect draw a portrait for you? And you, surnamed Li—what relation are you to the Li Feiyu of those days?" Han Li's gaze shifted to the bearded man, his eyes narrowing slightly. He finally felt a trace of familiarity in the man's brow.

"You… how do you know my ancestor's name? So you even know the affairs of our Li family this clearly," the large man said, equally shocked and angry after a moment of stunned silence.

Han Li smiled faintly at this, saying nothing in response.

"Since you insist on calling yourself our Fourth Clan Ancestor, you must know that this ancestor left home as a child and was never heard from again. So many years have passed. Are you saying, sir, that you are over two hundred years old? I fail to see how you could look so young," the scholar said, his heart now uneasy after hearing Han Li casually mention the "Seven Mysteries Sect" and "Li Feiyu."

After all, he himself had only learned of the former relations between the Han and Li families from a personal journal he had recently discovered. The man before them knew so much—had he already read that journal?

With this thought, the scholar's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the table holding the memorial tablets. There was a hidden compartment there where he had placed that journal.

Noticing the strange look in the scholar's eyes, Han Li extended his spiritual sense along the man's gaze to that table, and the journal in the hidden compartment fell within his perception.

Without ceremony, Han Li raised a hand and made a casual gesture toward the table.

The large man and the scholar watched, dumbfounded.

Light flashed on the table, and a ball of soft, hazy azure radiance lifted a yellowed booklet from its surface, floating it gently toward Han Li.

Han Li caught the booklet with one hand. The light dissipated with a shake. Then, unhurriedly, he began flipping through the journal.

Though the scholar had weathered the treacherous currents of officialdom and long prided himself on his unshakeable composure, he now involuntarily swallowed dryly, casting a panicked glance at the large man.

The large man's expression was no better. His face was a mix of shock and an unreadable emotion that could have been joy or fear.

Just as the scholar was feeling perplexed, the bearded man clasped his hands in a respectful salute and bowed deeply to Han Li. Hesitantly, he said:

"May I ask, sir, are you perhaps a legendary cultivator? If so, with a transcendent status like yours, there would indeed be no reason to scheme against mere mortals like us. However, does the elder have any token to confirm his identity? After all, this is too important. My brother Han and I cannot simply trust your words so easily."

Hearing this, the scholar's mind was briefly stunned. Then, recalling certain rumors, he drew a sharp breath and looked at Han Li with a newfound reverence.

"Oh? You know about cultivators. That's not common. From this journal, it seems you truly are Li Feiyu's descendant. Unbelievable. That Li Feiyu's children and our Han family would form such a close bond—I would never have imagined it back then. A token, you say? That's difficult. I was wholeheartedly pursuing the Dao back then and left home hastily. I had no token with me. I didn't even say goodbye to Brother Li back then. All I left behind were a note and a few bottles of pills," Han Li said casually.

"Pills. Could it be that the few medicine bottles our Li family has been enshrining in the ancestral hall were left by you, elder?" the large man said, a look of sudden realization on his face.

"Back then, your ancestor was so desperate to perfect his martial arts that he didn't hesitate to take that Marrow-Extracting Pill. Even with the pills I left behind, I'm afraid he couldn't have lived out his natural lifespan," Han Li said with a melancholy sigh.

"Of these things you speak, I know nothing. But my father is still alive. Perhaps he knows something of our ancestor. After all, some secrets can only be known to the successive heads of the clan. If the elder permits, I will send a letter to inquire about this matter," the bearded man said cautiously after a moment of deliberation.

By now, he was already more than half convinced. The founder who had left the Li family such a grand legacy had indeed been short-lived, dying young.

"No need. I didn't intend to disturb anyone on this visit. I only wanted to see the last matter weighing on my heart in the mortal world and thus put an end to my worldly entanglements. Now that I see the descendants of the Han family and my old friend are safe, I am at ease," Han Li said with a dismissive wave of his hand, a tone of weary detachment in his voice.

Hearing this, the bearded man actually grew anxious, and he urgently signaled the scholar with his eyes.

They both understood perfectly what having a true cultivator as an ancestor would mean for the Han and Li families.

The large man grasped the implications, and the scholar understood them even more clearly. After a moment of pondering, he spoke respectfully:

"If you truly are my Fourth Clan Ancestor, I have another way to immediately verify your identity. Our Han Clan Ancestral Hall has preserved a number of old items used by the early ancestors. If you can identify these items one by one, I will naturally believe your words. Only the successive heads of the Han Clan have been qualified to personally clean and enshrine these items. No one else could possibly distinguish them."

"Old items. Bring them out, then. I left home relatively early, so I'm not sure how many I can recognize," Han Li said indifferently.

If it wasn't too much trouble, he didn't mind acknowledging these descendants.

"Please rest assured, elder. Many of these items are mementos preserved by the early ancestors from when they were impoverished. You should recognize them. I will fetch them at once." The scholar bowed to Han Li and then went downstairs.

A faint rustling sound came from below.

Moments later, the scholar returned, carrying a tray covered with a red cloth. He presented it respectfully before Han Li.

Han Li pulled off the red cloth, revealing several small, worn-out items.

"Oh? It's these things. I never imagined I would see them again in this life," Han Li said, a flicker of surprise and delight in his voice.

"Does the elder recognize them all?" the scholar asked cautiously, his expression slightly tense.

"Mostly old possessions, naturally I know them. Two or three of the others were added after I left home. I wouldn't know whose they are. This slingshot and small bow belonged to my second brother, Han Zhu—he loved playing with these things when he was young. This wooden hairpin was my mother's favorite. And this tobacco pipe…" Han Li murmured softly as he picked up each item, reciting them as if counting his own treasures.

By the time Han Li was halfway through his recitation, the scholar was already fully convinced.

So, before Han Li had finished speaking, he immediately pulled the large man into a formal, respectful kowtow.

"Your unfilial descendant, Han Tianxiao, pays respects to the Fourth Clan Ancestor. If I have committed any unfilial acts earlier, I beg the ancestor's forgiveness." Having said this, the scholar did not dare to meet Han Li's gaze, his face full of shame and unease.

The large man was equally solemn and deferential.