Since all these rules and superstitions are outdated, what's wrong with me indulging in some me

He bowed deeply to the old man.

"Grandpa Li, I'm back."

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

The old man, addressed as Grandpa Li, nodded repeatedly, a complex emotion flashing in his cloudy eyes—a mixture of relief and barely perceptible worry.

"Go and see your master... I wipe your master's memorial tablet every day."

"Thank you for your trouble, Grandpa Li," Lu Changsheng said in a low voice.

"Why say all this?"

Grandpa Li waved his hand and picked up the broom again.

"Go inside quickly. It's damp in the mountains. You just got back, so don't catch a cold."

Lu Changsheng said no more, pushed open the two creaking wooden doors, and went inside.

Inside the gate was a small courtyard, paved with bluestone slabs, which looked dilapidated and desolate. In the corner, some farm tools and firewood were piled up, and a tabby cat was curled up and dozing against the wall. When it heard the noise, it just lazily lifted its eyelids.

He didn't stop, but walked straight across the courtyard and headed towards the back of the main hall.

There was a smaller, more inconspicuous wooden door there, and Lu Changsheng reached out and pushed it open.

This was a small ancestral hall. Lu Changsheng's gaze fell on a memorial tablet enshrined alone in the very center of the incense table.

The memorial tablet was very clean and spotless, with the following words written on it in neat regular script:

[The Spirit Tablet of the Late Master Qingweizi]

He walked to the incense table, picked up three sticks of incense, and lit them with the tiny flame of the ever-burning lamp beside him. The wisps of smoke rose straight up, strikingly conspicuous in the dim light.

Lu Changsheng held incense and bowed deeply to the memorial tablet.

Then, he carefully inserted the incense sticks into the incense burner.

Amidst the swirling smoke, he raised his head, looking at his master's memorial tablet, a strange emotion churning in his eyes.

He slowly bent his knees and knelt down properly before the memorial tablet of his master, Qingweizi.

The bluestone ground was cold and hard, the coldness seeping through his thin trousers, but he seemed oblivious to it.

"Master," he began, his voice low but clear in the quiet ancestral hall, filled with solemnity, "I have been unfilial and made this decision on my own. I am willing to bear all the consequences. I hope Master will forgive my willfulness."

He kowtowed heavily, his usually clear voice choked with sobs.

"I have returned with a request... I humbly request Master's permission."

He stood up, looked at the memorial tablet in front of him, paused, as if gathering his courage, or as if organizing his thoughts.

"I humbly request that you, Master, accompany me down the mountain!"

Upon hearing this, the air in the ancestral hall seemed to freeze. Only the faint hissing sound of the three incense sticks burning and the distant sound of the wind outside the window could be heard.

A few seconds later, Lu Changsheng got up and took out a pair of water chestnut cups from his backpack. The water chestnut cups were made of dark brown wood, with smooth and warm edges, and were imbued with the scent of pine.

Lu Changsheng reached out, took the divination cup, and held it in his palm. He prayed softly, his expression extremely devout, "Is it feasible? Can it be granted? I humbly request the Holy Grail to reveal its will."

Having said that, he held his breath and suppressed all his distracting thoughts, then gently tossed the water chestnut cup into the air with both hands.

"Tap, tap."

With two soft sounds, the water chestnut cup fell onto the blue brick floor in front of the incense table.

Lu Changsheng stared intently—one yin and one yang, the Holy Grail!

The first toss of the divination blocks yields the Holy Grail! This is already a clear endorsement.

But he didn't get up immediately. This matter was of great importance, and he needed to confirm it again and again.

With a slight flick of the wrist, the water chestnut cup fell for the second time.

It was still the same crisp "tap, tap" sound.

Yin and Yang, the Holy Grail!

The second time, I still agreed.

The water chestnut cup traced a small arc in the air before landing for the third time.

"despair."

The sound seemed crisper than the previous two times.

Yin and Yang, perfectly balanced, the third time—the Holy Grail!

Three throws of the Holy Grail!

In folk divination, this is the clearest and most undisputed sign of "approval," even carrying a strong sense of "support" and "encouragement."

As Lu Changsheng gazed at the three pairs of Holy Grails lying quietly on the ground, a surge of heat rose in his chest, dispelling the last trace of doubt and unease.

He kowtowed deeply once again.

"Disciple kowtows in gratitude to Master! Thank you so much, Master, for your kindness!"

He stood up without hesitation. First, he carefully picked up and put away the three pairs of chalices one by one. Then, he walked to the incense table, stretched out his hands, and with utmost solemnity and slowness, picked up the black lacquered wooden plaque inscribed with "The Spirit Tablet of the Late Master Qingweizi".

The memorial tablet felt slightly heavy in his hand. Lu Changsheng unbuttoned his outer garment and held the tablet securely against his chest, carefully securing it with his belt.

After doing all this, he took one last look at the empty incense table and the other ancestral tablets standing quietly in the ancestral hall, and whispered:

"Respected Ancestral Masters, I, Lu Changsheng, a disciple of the Qingwei School, have moved the memorial tablet of my revered master today. If the opportunity arises in the future, I will surely return to the sect to offer incense once more."

After saying that, he didn't look back. Instead, he turned around, holding the heavy, warm object in his arms, and strode out of the ancestral hall.

"Lu! Chang! Sheng! You stop right there—!"

He had just stepped out of the mountain gate when an angry voice boomed from the mountain path ahead.

Lu Changsheng stiffened, looked at the person who came, and a strange... guilty look appeared on his face.

A red-haired girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, was seen rushing up the stone steps, panting heavily.

She was wearing a blue skirt, her face flushed red from running and anger, and her almond-shaped eyes were wide open.

"Junior...sister?"

Lu Changsheng suddenly took a few steps back, his eyes darting away.

The red-haired loli in front of him was his junior sister, Aokiji, an orphan whom his master had picked up during his travels in his later years. Lu Changsheng had watched her grow up.

"Huff...huff...you, you—"

Aokiji rushed to Lu Changsheng, one hand on his hip, the other pointing at him, his chest heaving violently, barely able to speak.

"I just went to your house, and no one opened the door for me. I knew you'd come back! Come on! Let's go to the master and get to the bottom of this!"

"Say...say what?"

Lu Changsheng pretended to be stupid.

"Who allowed you to enter the game?!"

Aokiji's little tiger teeth were grinding together, making a crunching sound, and his big eyes glared fiercely at Lu Changsheng.

"What are you saying... I don't want to go in either!" Lu Changsheng poked Aokiji's ahoge (cowlick) which was standing on end in anger, but Aokiji simply shook him off.

"Don't touch my hair!"

Aokiji pouted and stared fiercely at Lu Changsheng, making Lu Changsheng feel uneasy.

The air fell silent. Seconds ticked by, and Aokiji's eyes grew increasingly red.

"If you... if you don't want to... it won't be able to find you at all!"

Aokiji's voice trembled, and her eyes quickly welled up with tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. She just stared at Lu Changsheng with anger, confusion, and an unfathomable fear in her eyes.

"You know perfectly well... you know that thing finds people based on 'will' and 'karma'! If you really don't want to..."

She took a step forward, and her small body suddenly burst forth with an astonishing aura, her red hair seeming to burn in the twilight.

"Lu Changsheng, you can fool others, but you can't fool me!"