Chapter 24 (1/2)
The rising sun shines on the Yunbi peak, and the ancestral temple of the Shen family is shining in the sun. On the open space in front of the ancestral temple, several five or six-year-old children lined up as if waiting for something.
One of the children pulled the sleeves of the adults next to him,
”Dad, what spiritual root do you think I am? If only I were a heavenly spiritual root.” The child said naively, because he heard that tianlinggen was the most powerful.
The adults on one side couldn't help laughing and scolding lovingly:
”What do you think tianlinggen is? Let alone the Shen family, even Qingyun gate doesn't have it. There has been no tianlinggen in Lingnan for thousands of years. Your boy can daydream! ”
”Maybe?” The child said a little wronged.
”Well, our family chi'er is a heavenly spirit root. Cultivate into a great monk and protect the family, okay?” The man said lovingly.
”Good!” The child smiled happily.
……
The door of the ancestral temple finally opened. The child watched other children go in one by one and then come out. He was very curious about what was going on in the ancestral temple. Would it take so long to measure the spiritual root?
The child looked anxious,
”Why isn't it my turn?”
Finally it was his turn. He ran inside happily, but when he thought of what adults said, there was no noise and rudeness in front of the ancestral temple. He immediately slowed down and walked in slowly.
When he entered the ancestral temple, he saw a row of wooden signboards dedicated there, from high down, with candles lit next to them. He saw an old man sitting in front of the memorial tablet looking at himself.
”What's the little guy looking at? He hasn't come yet.” The old man looked at him lovingly.
”Oh.”
The child went to the old man and saw his white hair and wrinkles on his face, but his temperament was so approachable that he couldn't help leaning over.
”Put your hands here and let me see.”
The child obediently put it up and thought:
”This is the spirit root. I don't know if my spirit root is a heavenly spirit root?”
The old man held the child's wrist, injected a spiritual force into it, and began to explore his spiritual root.
After a while, the old man looked happy and said:
”Good!”
Then a spiritual force was injected into it, and the child dared not speak when he looked at the old man. After a while, the old man finally let go of the child's wrist and laughed:
”Yes! Good! Heaven will never die, my Shen family! Ha ha... ”
I saw the old man's smile on his face and laughed wildly to the sky.
The child was too frightened to look at the old man in front of him.
After laughing, the old man noticed the child, looked excited and asked:
”What's your name?”
”My name is Shen Chi.”
”Shen Chi, Shen Chi... Gallop around the world, good, good.”
Then he opened a black book and wrote, ”Shen huanchi”.
”Come here.” Said to the child.
Pointing to the newly written words, he said to the child:
”This is your new name, Shen huanchi.”
The child saw that it was full of names,
”Shen Yucang, Wang Lingwen, Shen Wen...” but these names are blood red.
Finally, I found my name below. The names of myself and several others are black.
”Drop a drop of blood.” The old man said, picked up the child's hand, and a drop of blood dropped on the name. The three words immediately seemed to be alive and more flexible.
The child pointed to his name and the red name on it and asked:
”Why is mine black?”
The old man was silent for a moment, pointed to the only black name in the upper row and said:
”Because we're still alive.”
The child looked at the name he pointed to, Shen Wenhong.
The child nodded vaguely.
”Come with me.”
Come to the throne,
”Kneel down and kowtow three times.”
Just as he kowtowed, a solemn voice came,
”Shen huanchi, the third generation of Shen's descendants, listen. I hope you can practice hard and uphold the ancestral teachings to ensure that our Shen family will continue to inherit.”
The child was shocked and couldn't help saying
”Yes.”
Everything returned to calm, and the old man looked at him with indescribable joy.