In front of the altar, many people got down from the training court and gathered around Yang Shou'an. They sized him up curiously.
Yang Shou'an was a young man in his 20s. He smiled and greeted the crowd around him. Despite his amicable appearance, there was a tinge of cruelty and ferocity in his eyes that made people frown instinctively.
"He looks like a betrayer!"
"Why does the Clan Head want to take him as his adopted son?!"
At this moment, Liu Dongdong also arrived.
Yang Shou'an instantly recognized him. Knowing that Liu Dongdong was the most powerful fighter in the Liu clan at the moment, Yang Shou'an's expression changed slightly. He put on a sycophantic smile and called out to him, "Good morning, Brother Dong!"
Liu Dongdong nodded but didn't say anything.
Then, Liu Liuhai introduced Yang Shou'an to the crowd. He told them about the many contributions this outsider had made for the Liu clan, which greatly improved the family members' impression of him.
Just like the others, Liu Dongdong was surprised that Yang Shou'an was such a competent man.
Yang Shou'an cupped one hand in the other in front of his chest and said humbly, "I couldn't have done all that without the chief commander's wise strategies and excellent leadership."
The flattery made Liu Liuhai shine with happiness. He grew even fonder of Yang Shou'an.
A short while later, Liu Dahai, Liu Sanhai, and Liu Wuhai also arrived. Liu Erhai was absent because he was busy with his matchmaking duty. Liu Erquan, meanwhile, was in seclusion. Except for a few family members who were not at home for other reasons, most of the Liu clan had shown up.
Yang Shou'an observed his surroundings with narrowed eyes…
"The Clan Head Liu Tao is a grand martial arts master, and the Elders are all martial arts masters. All of the clan members here have an intense aura, and there are energy and light lurking in their eyes too. Truly, none of them is weak…"
"There are bound to be secrets about this Liu family. It's enough evidence that their clan now has such great power even though they were originally going downhill."
As Yang Shou'an pondered, he became even more determined to join the Liu clan.
At this moment, the First Elder Liu Dahai walked out of the crowd and climbed onto the nine-story altar.
"Pass me the family booklet, please!" Liu Dahai said loudly.
He would administer the ceremony. Under his command, two men carried a red sandalwood box onto the altar.
Liu Dahai opened the box to reveal the family booklet. All the words inside were written in gold, which gave the booklet a dignified look.
Yang Shou'an was breathing heavily. His eyes were shining.
"Is this the family booklet of the Liu clan?!"
He swallowed his saliva nervously.
Today, his name would be added to that booklet too.
This was a huge disrespect to his own ancestors. The act would bring shame to his family.
But he firmly believed that he had made the right choice, a choice that would change his fate from today onwards.
Standing tall on the altar, Liu Dahai started the ceremony with three solemn questions.
"Yang Shou'an, you shall join our family booklet today and rename yourself to Liu Yanggou. Do you have any objections?"
Yang Shou'an knelt down and answered loudly, "No, I don't!"
"Your children shall bear the surname of Liu and you shall never name them with your original family name Yang. Do you have any objections?"
"No, I don't!" Yang Shou'an answered. His pupils constricted.
"From today onwards, you shall not pay respects to your Yang ancestors. You shall be loyal only to our Liu ancestors. Do you have any objections?"
"No, I don't!" Yang Shou'an replied. His eyes grew distant.
Liu Dahai looked down at Yang Shou'an and said, "One sentence to show your determination in joining our Liu clan!"
Yang Shou'an went silent.
The crowd looked at him, awaiting his answer.
Liu Tao's eyes narrowed as he waited quietly.
The scene had captured Liu Fan's attention too.
It was a trial.
A rule he had set in his days!
Yang Shou'an's name would not be recorded in the family booklet if his answer was not sincere enough to convince every clan member present at the ceremony.
Yang Shou'an knelt in the snow before the altar. He pondered in silence.
He didn't know it was a trial, but he could guess that his future and fate would be decided by this.
A while later, he raised his head.
He answered loudly, "I once let a golden opportunity slip away from before my eyes, only to find myself regretting it when it was too late. Nothing in the world can be as painful as this. But today, I am entrusted with another opportunity, and I will cherish it with all my heart. Here and now, I pledge myself to the noble cause of the Liu clan for eternity!"
The crowd nodded their heads in approval. Liu Tao and the other Elders smiled too.
This answer had a personal touch to it, and it also conveyed Yang Shou'an's well wishes for the future of the clan.
It's excellent.
"You are accepted!" Liu Dahai said. Then, he bowed towards the nine-story tower.
After that, Liu Dahai turned back and said with a serious look on his face, "The secret to our long-lasting history is the blessings from our First Ancestor. He has been watching over us all this time!"
"From this moment onwards, Yang Shou'an shall rename himself to Liu Yanggou and join the family booklet. He shall be a new member of our Liu clan and pay his respects to our ancestors. He shall be protected and blessed by the Great Ancestor."
Overjoyed, Yang Shou'an almost burst into laughter.
But he mustn't be so insolent in the current situation. He must cry out of heartfelt gratitude.
People were watching him!
Hence, he hurriedly rocked his nostrils and eyes with physical energy. In the next instant, he was crying with tears streaming down his face. He looked as if he was dying from excitement and appreciation.
Liu Liuhai strode towards him and helped him get up. He even wiped away Yang Shou'an's tears out of kindness. Then, he announced to the crowd that Yang Shou'an had officially become Liu Tao's adopted son.
The crowd congratulated Liu Tao and Yang Shou'an.
Yang Shou'an knelt before Liu Tao and called him "Father" for the first time.
Liu Tao smiled in gratification. He exercised his energy and forced tears to his eyes too. He patted Yang Shou'an's shoulder and said, "Keep it up. I believe in you!"
After that, he signaled Liu Wuhai to bring him a long box.
He opened the box to reveal a curved knife.
Its blade looked like a crescent moon, but it didn't have a sheath.
There was nothing masking its sharpness!
"It's a gift for you!" Liu Tao said.
When Yang Shou'an received the weapon, he noticed that there was something strange in the way Liu Tao was looking at him.
Alarmed, he said immediately, "The sheath hides the sharpness of the blade. Father is telling me that I have to be decisive and straightforward!"
"I am Father's sharp blade from this moment onwards. I will kill whomever Father wants dead!"
Liu Tao smiled in satisfaction.
As expected, Yang Shou'an was a good knife!
Regrettably, he wasn't strong enough. He had only achieved the peak of the Fish Dive State, which was similar to Liu Dongdong. He had to improve more before he could become useful.
"Go pick a knife style from the Martial Arts Library!" Liu Tao said and ordered his subordinate to lead the way for Yang Shou'an.
Yang Shou'an rejoiced.
He knew that the Liu family had taken many secret cultivation methods from the other clans of Black Street after the raid. Now, all of them were stored in the newly built Martial Arts Library. Yang Shou'an had been coveting them for a long time, and he finally got the chance to read all of them today.
"It's said that the Liu clan has a mysterious pill that enables one to make a breakthrough in no time, and that they have superior physical cultivation techniques created more than 1000 years ago. I wonder if I can get my hands on those too…"
Yang Shou'an's eyes were shining as he pondered. He picked up his pace as he walked.
People of the Liu clan had returned to their training after the ceremony.
Liu Dahai and Liu Sanhai came to see Liu Tao before the altar.
"I am impressed by Liu Yanggou's various achievements. He is indeed a rare genius and also a suitable candidate for the Silent Shadow Army. Do you think we could send Liu Yanggou to assist the Third Elder with Silent Shadow Army matters?"
Liu Tao frowned. He wanted to get rid of Liu Sanhai due to his slouchy attitude. However, Liu Dahai had seen through his intention and made a move first.
"Liu Yanggou is cunning and clever. It's hard to gauge his sincerity. We will hold a high-level clan meeting tomorrow after I bring him to our ancestor. Then, we'll decide on what to do next," Liu Tao said.
He had rejected Liu Dahai's proposal.
Liu Dahai was disappointed. At his side, Liu Sanhai lowered his head nervously.
According to the military order Liu Sanhai had made in front of the ancestor a month ago, he would be stripped of his command over the Silent Shadow Army and feed the pigs with Liu Daquan should he fail to meet the deadline.
'Pigs stink!' he thought.
He opened his mouth and tried to persuade Liu Tao to give him another chance.
But Liu Tao stopped him. Without another word, he turned and walked towards the ancestral temple.
Liu Liuhai was talking to Liu Dongdong in the temple. They both looked serious when Liu Tao entered.
Liu Dongdong understood that the Clan Head wanted to discuss serious matters with the Sixth Elder. Hence, he excused himself at once.
"Based on the information gathered by Yang Shou'an, the Living Dead Clan wants to steal the Ancestor's body and bury him with their founding ancestor. That way, they will be able to unlock the treasures of their clan."
Liu Liuhai continued, "I've confirmed with other sources, and it seems very likely to be the case. Besides, some of their greatest fighters have already infiltrated our clan."
Liu Tao's eyes went cold. He said in a solemn voice, "The Ancestor's body has cultivation techniques unique to our clan. We must not allow any outsider to lay their hands on him."
"We can't sit here and wait. We must be proactive!"
"What do you suggest, Sixth Elder?"
"Kill! We can send Liu Erquan to the Living Dead Clan and destroy their founding ancestor's body. Then, he'll slaughter their clan to put an end to their fantasies!" Liu Liuhai said unfeelingly.
Liu Tao squinted at him. Then, he said, "Yang Shou'an was the one who gave us this information. But is he really reliable?!…"
Liu Liuhai hesitated and frowned.
"We'll bring Yang Shou'an to the ancestral temple tomorrow!" Liu Tao said with a mysterious smile. He turned to Liu Fan's spirit tablet and said thoughtfully, "No man or ghost can hide their true self under the witness of the Ancestor!"