157: Chapter 157: Ancestral Worship in the Ancestral Hall, Ritualistic Procedures

"Why would I lie to you?" Lynx chimed in from the side. "The people of the Su Family look kind, but every single one of them is a hidden master of martial arts. Last time we sparred with the youngsters of the clan, we almost lost."

This remark made everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

Xiao Budian pulled Su Han's hand and pointed at the group of children practicing boxing, shouting excitedly, "Sisters! Look, they're practicing 'Su Family Boxing'! I know how to do it too!"

As she spoke, she let go of Su Han's hand and ran to an open space, starting to perform the boxing moves with proper form.

Although her moves were immature, her posture was full of confidence. As she threw punches, she shouted "Ha! Hey!" in her babyish voice, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Black Panther also joined in the fun, circling around Xiao Budian and occasionally pawing at the corner of her clothes as if he were her sparring partner.

Su Han watched this lively scene with a smile playing on his lips.

As the sun rose higher, the noise in Su Family Village reached a fever pitch.

The flow of cars at the village entrance already stretched two kilometers back. Villagers held banners that read "Welcome the Hero," their faces filled with a sense of shared pride.

Su Bowen checked the time, whispered a few instructions to the clan elders beside him, and turned to walk toward Su Han.

"Third Uncle, it's about time," he said solemnly. "According to the old rules, for military merit this significant, we must first go to the ancestral hall to kowtow to the ancestors and tell them about it."

Su Han's heart skipped a beat, and the smile on his face froze for half a second.

What he feared most were these tedious ancestral worship rituals of the Su Family.

The last time he presided over Su Lingxue's wedding, the kneeling posture, the angle of the incense, and the tone for reading the sacrificial text were corrected by the clan elders no less than a hundred times.

In the end, his knees went numb and his voice went hoarse before he barely passed their "assessment."

"Is it absolutely necessary?" Su Han tried to bargain. "Can't it wait until after the award ceremony? There are so many guests waiting outside..."

"How could that be allowed!" The oldest clan elder walked over leaning on a cane, huffing and glaring. "The ancestors are watching from the heavens! You've achieved such great merit; if you don't tell them first, are you trying to invite their blame?"

Su Bowen also chimed in, "Third Uncle, this is the clan's rule. Back when your grandfather earned a second-class merit fighting the Japanese, as soon as the news arrived, the clan went to the ancestral hall to comfort the ancestors. You have two first-class merits; we definitely can't be lax!"

Seeing the serious expressions of the elders, Su Han knew he couldn't escape. He could only sigh in resignation. "Fine, let's go then."

He turned to Wang Yuanchao and the members of the War Eagle Squad, smiling bitterly. "Captain Wang, you guys take a walk around the village first. Let Su Wu accompany you. I'll be back soon."

"Go ahead, go ahead," Wang Yuanchao waved his hand, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "The Su Family's rules are strict, we understand. It's good for these young rascals to learn about someone else's clan culture, so they don't just think about fighting all day."

Monkey immediately spoke up, "Don't worry, Chief Instructor! we promise not to embarrass you! By the time you get back, maybe we'll have all learned Su Family Boxing!"

Su Han glared at him before being ushered toward the ancestral hall by Su Bowen and several clan elders.

Watching his back, which looked as if he were heading toward a heroic martyrdom, the members of the War Eagle Squad couldn't help but snicker.

"It seems the Chief Instructor has things he's afraid of too," Zhang Meng rubbed her chin. "I thought he was fearless."

Zhou Mo shook his head helplessly. "The Su Family's clan rituals are indeed strict. Last time I accompanied him to the wedding, I watched him practice how to accept tea from the younger generation for an entire afternoon."

"So what do we do now?" Big Bear scratched his head, his eyes drifting toward the clansmen practicing boxing nearby, clearly intrigued.

Just as he finished speaking, a burst of cheerful voices came from the Women's Special Operations Team.

Su Qingcheng pulled Zhang Meng and Lin Yu over and said excitedly, "Sisters, my home is just in that alley ahead. I just ran into my mom. She said she just steamed some glutinous rice cakes; do you want to go try some? I can also tell you some interesting stories about the village!"

"Yes, yes!" Li Xue's eyes lit up. "I've wanted to see the old houses in Su Family Village for a long time. I heard they're all Ming and Qing dynasty architecture?"

"You bet!" Su Qingcheng lifted her chin proudly. "In my courtyard, the carvings on the door frames were personally carved by my Great-grandfather! Come on, I'll take you there!"

The six female soldiers walked into the village with Su Qingcheng, chatting and laughing, leaving the men of the War Eagle Squad looking at each other.

"What about us?" Monkey looked at Su Wu. "We can't just stand here, can we?"

Before Su Wu could answer, Xiao Budian suddenly raised her small hand and shouted, "I know! I'll take you to the back mountain to play! There are swings there! And lots of fun things. I've secretly hidden a lot of beef jerky!"

As she spoke, she grabbed Monkey's hand and ran toward the back of the village. "Uncle Monkey, hurry up! If we're late, Black Panther will finish all the jerky!"

Black Panther seemed to understand, immediately letting out a "Woof" and following her with his tail wagging.

"This little girl is even more of a handful than her Great-grandfather." Zhou Mo watched the figures running off and shook his head helplessly. "Let's follow them, so she doesn't lead Little Black to chase the village chickens all over the place."

The members of the War Eagle Squad laughed and followed. The area around the originally solemn ancestral hall was instantly filled with the clamor of young people.

Meanwhile, inside the ancestral hall, the atmosphere was solemn to the point of being heavy.

Su Han was wearing a dark robe specially prepared by Su Bowen. Standing before the family tree, he listened to the clan elders explain the process of the ancestral ritual word by word.

"When you offer incense later, use your right hand to hold the incense and your left hand to protect the outside. This is called 'Respect with the Left, Hold with the Right.' It is a sign of respect for the ancestors."

"This is different from when you presided over the wedding."

"When kneeling, your forehead must touch the ground. You cannot raise your head. You must silently recite your achievements in your heart so the ancestors can hear them clearly."

"The most critical part is reading the sacrificial text. The speed must be slow, and every word must be articulated clearly. Especially the four words 'Protect the Country, Defend the Home'—you must read them with momentum!"

The elders spoke one after another, making Su Han's head spin.

In his past life, he had carried out countless life-and-death missions in the military and remained unfazed in the face of a hail of bullets. But every time he returned to the Su Family to deal with these rituals, he felt more exhausted than crossing a minefield.

...

There will be another update at midnight tonight!