A Record of A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Chapter 658: Han Family Ancestral Hall

As soon as Han Li entered the small tavern, a neatly dressed waiter led him inside.

Han Li didn’t head upstairs but instead found a quiet corner on the first floor to sit down casually. He ordered a few small dishes and quietly observed everything inside the tavern without saying a word.

The customers on the first floor came from all walks of life, not much different from other taverns Han Li had seen before. There were porters, laborers, and merchants who had come to the city for small businesses—an assortment of people.

The only somewhat eye-catching group was a table of burly men dressed in tight-fitting clothes.

There were five or six of them, each carrying long rectangular cloth bags several feet in length, placed conveniently by their sides. Han Li didn’t need to scan them with spiritual awareness to guess that the bags contained swords and knives. Judging by their uniform attire, they were likely members of a gang.

But this also stirred a faint feeling of kinship in Han Li, reminding him of the various scenes from the seven mysteries sect back in the day.

Turning his spiritual awareness briefly toward these men, he clearly heard their casual chatter—unsurprisingly, it was about gang fights. After listening for a while, Han Li lost interest and shifted his gaze to others.

Just then, two young scholars walked in from outside the tavern. They chatted animatedly as they leisurely walked forward.

“I heard that this time, Assistant Minister Han is returning home to honor his ancestors. Not only will the prefect personally come to pay respects, but the Fan and Li families will also send representatives. Looks like the Han family is really going all out this time—it won’t be low-key at all.”

“Exactly! I heard that for this ancestor worship ceremony, the Han family has sent out invitations far and wide, summoning branches of the clan from near and far. Even well-known local gentry in Jingzhou are sending people to observe. Seems like the Han family is soon to rank alongside the Fan and Li families as one of the three great families of Jingzhou.”

“Tsk tsk! I heard the Han family only rose to prominence a little over a hundred years ago, yet they’ve gained such influence already. Truly unbelievable!”

“What’s so surprising? The Han family had an external relative who became a top scholar during some generation, and from there, their rise was unstoppable. Subsequent generations repeatedly passed imperial exams. After several generations of accumulation, it’s no wonder they’re so illustrious now. How about we go as well when the time comes...”

The two scholars casually took a seat near Han Li.

“Han family!” Han Li was startled upon hearing this and eagerly tried to listen more. But just then, the two switched topics to discussing the Book of Songs and other literary matters, which left Han Li feeling frustrated.

However, after a moment’s thought, he suddenly rose and approached the two scholars.

“Gentlemen, I am Han Li. May I ask which Han family you were referring to earlier? I have come here in response to a letter to return to my clan for the ancestor worship. But I grew up away from home and know very little about my clan or where the ceremony takes place. I would appreciate your guidance,” Han Li said with a smile as he stood before them.

“Ah, so you are a member of the Han family! Our apologies for not recognizing you. But in this area, which Han family could it be other than the one from Five Li Ditch?” The two scholars were momentarily taken aback, but seeing Han Li’s scholarly appearance and polite manner, they answered without suspicion.

“Five Li Ditch!” This place was the old mountain-side Village by the Mountain where the Han family had once lived. The entire village was nestled in a valley about five or six li wide, which was how it got its rustic name.

It seemed the Han family the scholars spoke of was very likely related to his own.

“If it is Five Li Ditch, then the Han family here is indeed my clan. Could you kindly explain the general situation? I have never attended the clan’s ancestor worship before and don’t want to make a fool of myself,” Han Li said calmly and politely.