Chapter Seventy-Eight: Interrogation
Crossing the threshold, a solemn aura suddenly greeted him, and the most sacred place in Qingyun Gate was still as majestic as before, which made people marvel.
On the huge hall, there were many people standing and sitting, but somehow, Zhang Xiaofan's first sight was not these people, but the Sanqing statue in the shadows that was so far away in the deepest part of this hall.
In front of the main hall, the lit incense candles burned silently, and wisps of light smoke floated up.
In the middle of the main hall, above the main seat, the virtuous, crane bone fairy style of Dao Xuan Zhenren sat there, next to his seat, there was a small coffee table, and on the table, it was Zhang Xiaofan's magic weapon burning stick.
On his right-hand side, in a row, was the head of the various veins of Qingyun Sect, and everyone, including Tian Buyi, was sitting there. And the elder disciples of the rest of the Qingyun Sect, sitting or standing, were all behind them. As for Qi Hao, Lin Jingyu and others they were familiar with, they were also present, and Lu Xueqi was also standing silently behind Master Shuiyue at the moment, and next to him stood Wen Min, who was longing for Song Daren, with a pair of bright eyes flowing in his eyes, staring at Zhang Xiaofan's figure.
On the left hand side of Daoxuan Zhenren, there are many people Zhang Xiaofan has never seen, there are kind-looking monks, and there are old people with gloomy faces. Zhang Xiaofan's eyes swept away, and he only saw a few familiar faces in that group of people, among which the Faxiang and Fashan of Tianyin Temple were also there, all standing respectfully behind an old monk sitting at the top, it seems that this kind-looking old monk is probably also a monk of Tianyin Temple.
Chang Jian walked over with Song Daren, Zhang Xiaofan and Tian Ling'er, saluted Dao Xuan Zhenren, and said, "Master, Senior Brother Zhang of Da Zhufeng has arrived. ”
The people around him shook for a while, and their eyes moved over, not only Zhang Xiaofan, but also Song Daren and Tian Ling'er were a little uncomfortable.
Su Ru, who was sitting next to Tian Buyi, frowned and said to them, "You guys stand here." ”
Song Daren and the others breathed a sigh of relief and walked over, and at this time, Cangsong Daoren, who was sitting on top of Tian Buyi, suddenly coughed.
The muscles on Tian Buyi's face moved, and the corners of his eyes twitched slightly, but he finally said coldly: "Old Seven, you stand there, the real person in charge and the seniors have something to ask you." ”
Zhang Xiaofan's footsteps just now seemed to hit a wall, and he stopped, and only after a while did he whisper: "Yes." ”
Song Daren and Tian Ling'er glanced at each other and looked at Zhang Xiaofan, with a look of worry in their eyes, but after all, they knew that this was not the time, so they had to honestly walk behind Tian Buyi and stand.
Dao Xuan Zhenren looked down expressionlessly, only to see a young man standing there alone between the crowd on both sides, with a slight nervousness and fear in his eyes, and even his hands were clenched into fists.
Is this really the orphan with ordinary qualifications in Caomiao Village back then?
He sighed in the depths of his heart.
"Zhang Xiaofan. Dao Xuan Zhenren called out slowly.
Zhang Xiaofan's body seemed to tremble slightly, slowly knelt down, and said in a low voice: "The disciple is here." ”
Dao Xuan Zhenren looked at him and said, "These seniors next to me are all masters in my righteous path, and they are also here for you this time." This is the presiding monk of Tianyin Temple, Puhong Divine Monk, and sitting next to him is the Venerable Pukong, who is also the divine monk of Tianyin Temple, and the Shangguan of Incense Valley......"
Dao Xuan Zhenren couldn't lose his courtesy, so he naturally wanted to say all the names of the famous people in the back, but Zhang Xiaofan didn't have the heart to listen to it. All of a sudden, his eyes fell on the two kind-looking old monks sitting in the front, dressed in a red monk's robe with gold thread, and white eyebrows like snow, who were also looking at him at this moment.
The Puhong Divine Monk is the first of the four great monks of Tianyin Temple, and has always been listed as one of the three masters in the world along with the Daoxuan Zhenren of Qingyunmen and the Valley Lord of Incense Valley, and his status is far from being comparable to others. It was even more difficult for ordinary cultivators to see him, but this time he unexpectedly broke the hundred-year-old precedent and shocked the Supreme Law to drive to Qingyun Mountain.
Don't say that Zhang Xiaofan was stunned, even Qingyunmen, who got the news, was also surprised, which shows how much attention Tianyin Temple attaches to the unexpected appearance of the "Great Brahma Prajna" true law transmission!
Above the main hall, Dao Xuan Zhenren's voice stopped at some point, and there was silence, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the figure kneeling on the ground.
Zhang Xiaofan slowly lowered his head, stared at the green bricks on the ground in front of him, and suddenly thought faintly in his heart: Are these monks the same people as Puzhi back then?
In the distance, the burning stick lying quietly on the coffee table next to Dao Xuan Zhenren seemed to sense the master's thoughts, and a faint flash of green light flashed slightly.
"Zhang Xiaofan," Dao Xuan Zhenren said slowly, "Now I ask you a few things, and you have to answer honestly." ”
Zhang Xiaofan said in a low voice: "Yes." ”
Dao Xuan Zhenren seemed to be considering the sentence, and after a while, he said slowly: "On this trip to Liubo Mountain in the East China Sea, some Taoist friends of Tianyin Temple pointed out that the Taoist method you used when you fought with the strange beast Kui Niu was actually the 'Great Brahma Prajna' true method that Tianyin Temple never transmitted, but is there such a thing?"
Zhang Xiaofan didn't speak, and suddenly the atmosphere in the Yuqing Hall seemed to be slightly nervous. Tian Buyi turned his head uncomfortably, only to find that everyone was staring at Zhang Xiaofan silently.
There seemed to be something invisible in the air, too, beating gently.
After a while, Zhang Xiaofan's voice said slowly: "Yes." ”
"What?"
Suddenly, there was an uproar in the main hall, although he had expected this answer, but after Zhang Xiaofan said it, the monks of Tianyin Temple still looked excited, only Puhong and Pukong who were sitting in front, including the Fa Xiang standing behind them, their faces remained unchanged at all, and they were silent.
And here in Qingyunmen, Tian Buyi's face became more and more ugly, and the faces of Tian Ling'er and the others were also extremely pale. In the midst of consternation, only Lu Xueqi looked at the silent figure and said nothing.
Dao Xuan Zhenren frowned, and glanced slightly at the Puhong Divine Monk of Tianyin Temple, but saw that in the excited looks of the people, the Venerable Puhong slowly closed his eyes, making it clear that he would not speak for the time being.
Dao Xuan Zhenren snorted coldly in his heart, turned to face Zhang Xiaofan, raised his hand and signaled to the noisy crowd to be quiet.
After all, his identity is not trivial, and soon both Qingyun Sect and other faction figures quieted down, only to hear Dao Xuan Zhenren say slowly: "In addition, some people say that this burning stick in your hand," he said, he reached out and picked up the black stick, and continued: "There is a demon sect's evil blood devouring bead, but is it true?"
There was silence again, and Zhang Xiaofan said in a low voice: "Yes." ”
This time, however, the crowd was surprisingly silent. Blood Devouring Bead, this word full of bloody evil, would actually appear on the body of a Qingyunmen disciple!
Dao Xuan Zhenren's face gradually became gloomy, and he said, "Do you have anything to say?"
Although he had already thought of facing today's situation, Zhang Xiaofan's heart was still blank at the moment, and the fear of unknown and possible punishment made his body tremble slightly.
"I, I, I ......"
Like a desperate but still struggling boat in the sea, he said simple words blankly, but he didn't know what he was going to say?
Dao Xuan Zhenren's face was grim, and he said, "How did this blood devouring bead come from?"
The voice suddenly rose at the end, and the tone turned sharp, Zhang Xiaofan was drunk by him, and there was a buzz in his mind, and there was a sudden chaos, and he finally spoke, at the beginning, the following words naturally followed: From being played by the monkey Xiaoshen when he was a child, to later chasing him to the back mountain valley with Tian Ling'er, the blood-devouring beads and the black monster stick suddenly fought, and finally changed into this shape......
Above the main hall, everyone looked at each other, even Daoxuan Zhenren, Puhong and Pukong, including the old man Shangguan in the Incense Valley, frowned. The fact that the blood-devouring beads and the soul dementor are smelted with blood is the first time that they, the masters of the Dao, have heard of it, which shows that the world is so big, and there are really no wonders.
There are a lot of people who may be suspicious, but seeing Zhang Xiaofan's eyes slightly dull and his expression lost, it doesn't look like he is lying.
Dao Xuan Zhenren pondered for a moment, then looked at Zhang Xiaofan, and said: "Okay, I will believe your theory of accidental smelting, but before this, the Blood Devouring Bead was already on you, you are a little child, how can you have such an evil thing? Also, the Blood Devouring Bead has always sucked the essence blood of living creatures, and at that time, it was not smelted with the Dementor, how could you be safe?"
Zhang Xiaofan was speechless, the real reason for the matter was naturally that Pu Zhi used the true method of Buddhism to temporarily ban the blood devouring beads, and that day Pu Zhi also told him to find an uninhabited and remote cliff to throw away, but Zhang Xiaofan himself put away the beads as a souvenir.
And speaking of Puzhi at this moment is naturally equivalent to saying everything, but this is what Zhang Xiaofan is deeply unwilling to say in his heart.
The kind old monk and himself actually only had a one-night fate, and he just called him the only "master" when he ran out of oil and the lamp dried up, but after many years, he couldn't forget that person anyway.
In an instant, it seemed that the eyes and voices of the people around him had become so distant, and the scenery in front of him seemed to have returned to many years ago, facing the old monk, the little boy said to him stubbornly and firmly: "I know, I won't say anything if I die!"
Don't say anything about death!
I don't say anything about death...... I don't say anything about death...... I don't say anything about death......
"Say!"
There was a loud shout, and the sound shook around, but it was Tian Buyi who frowned tightly and stood up angrily, startling everyone. I saw that his face was extremely grim, but the worry in his eyes became more and more serious, at this moment Zhang Xiaofan had already admitted that it was a big violation of Qingyunmen and the righteous path, if it was common sense, I was afraid that I would have to die.
Tian Buyi was shocked and angry in his heart, but he saw that this little apprentice didn't seem to know that his life was at stake, especially the people from Tianyin Temple and Incense Valley were here, Qingyunmen was willing to maintain it, and there was nothing to be done, if it went on like this, I was afraid that Zhang Xiaofan's life would really be difficult to protect!
Helplessly, Zhang Xiaofan was like an evil at the moment, slowly lowered his head, and said nothing, the others were okay, Su Ru and other people from Dazhufeng watched him grow up, and they were all dumbfounded for a while, Zhang Xiaofan's temperament has always been silent and tenacious, and at this critical moment, it seems that he is ignoring everything and not saying anything.
Tian Buyi Huo Ran took a step, but before he could say anything or do anything, the presiding monk Puhong of Tianyin Temple, who had been silent, suddenly opened his eyes and said: "Master Tian, let's discuss something slowly, don't be rude." ”
Tian Buyi was stunned, he didn't expect Master Puhong to suddenly speak for Zhang Xiaofan, but Puhong Divine Monk was highly respected, and even the head of Qingyunmen like him didn't dare to disrespect his intentions, so he had to snort and sit back.
Dao Xuan Zhenren glanced at Pu Hong lightly, frowned slightly, as if he was thinking, and then said to Zhang Xiaofan: "Also, where did you learn the Great Brahman Prajna True Law on your body?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone immediately became nervous, the key to this is vaguely involved in the undercurrent of the private background of the two major factions of the righteous path today, this answer must be earth-shattering!
But Zhang Xiaofan still knelt there silently and didn't say a word for a long time.
Dao Xuan Zhenren's pupils contracted, and he said coldly: "You still don't tell the truth?"
From beginning to end, he had been staring at Zhang Xiaofan's appearance, and suddenly lowered his head and stopped looking at him, it was Puhong Pukong, who was sitting in front of him, who also glanced at each other at this moment, and there was a faint light flashing in his eyes, and he didn't know what he was thinking?
The world around him was silent, but it seemed to turn into a boundless and huge invisible wall, sandwiching itself in the middle, squeezing coldly.
Zhang Xiaofan slowly felt out of breath, but he still didn't speak.
Perhaps, even he doesn't know what he's insisting on, right?
"Bang!"
There was a loud noise, everyone was taken aback, Zhang Xiaofan also looked up, but saw that it was Dao Xuan Zhenren who slapped the burning stick on the coffee table, Huo Ran stood up, frowned, obviously moved really angry, and shouted: "Evil obstacle! Don't think that if you don't open your mouth, I can't do anything about you!"
Zhang Xiaofan's body trembled, and the expression on his face was extremely complicated, but he didn't open his mouth after all.
Dao Xuan was even more angry, laughed angrily, and said, "Okay, good, good, you evil obstacle, I'll let you ...... today."
"Boss's anger!"
Suddenly, a shout came out from among the disciples of Qingyun Gate, and suddenly there was a stir in Qingyun Gate, and everyone lost color. Dao Xuan Zhenren has been sitting in Qingyun for a hundred years, and no one has ever dared to be powerful, but today someone dared to stop him, and even Zhang Xiaofan turned his head to look at it at this time.
In the midst of the uproar, I saw Lu Xueqi resolutely come out of the crowd, walked to the middle, stood beside Zhang Xiaofan, and knelt down.
Dao Xuan Zhenren was stunned for a while, and Master Shuiyue was also extremely surprised, stood up, and said hurriedly: "Qi'er, are you crazy?
Lu Xueqi's face was slightly pale, but she knelt beside Zhang Xiaofan, without the slightest intention of retreating, on top of her peerless beautiful face, her snow-white teeth gently bit her faint lower lip, and said quietly: "Master of the family, Lu Xueqi, a disciple of Xiaozhufeng, has something to say." ”
Shui Yue frowned and shouted: "Qi'er, Zhang Xiaofan is a disciple of Da Zhufeng, he has committed a serious crime, and the head of the family has his own decision, don't talk too much, come back quickly!"
The corners of Lu Xueqi's mouth seemed to twitch, and Zhang Xiaofan, who was beside her, clearly heard her sudden heavy breathing at this moment, obviously in front of everyone, kneeling beside him at this moment, the pressure was definitely extraordinary.
It's just that on this solemn and solemn hall, in the eyes of everyone's strange eyes, this beautiful woman still never retreated.
The mountain wind outside the Yuqing Hall blew in at some point.
Brushing up a few strands of her hair, fluttering gently.
Zhang Xiaofan stared at the woman beside him and did not speak.
"Master Master, please allow the disciple to say a few words. ”
Dao Xuan Zhenren glanced around, only to see the eyes of those fellow Daoists of other sects, so he had to say coldly: "Okay, you can say it." ”
Lu Xueqi nodded and said, "Thank you, master." Master and uncle, I have no deep friendship with Senior Brother Zhang Xiaofan, but after the Seven Veins Martial Arts, I also went down the mountain with him, and on the Ten Thousand Bat Ancient Caves of Kongsang Mountain and Liubo Mountain in the East China Sea, I saw Senior Brother Zhang fighting to the death with the remnants of the Demon Sect, and he was definitely not a mole of the Demon Sect. At this moment, outsiders are present, Senior Brother Zhang may have something unspeakable, please think twice, don't ......"
"Wait!"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted Lu Xueqi's words. Everyone looked, but it was sitting under the two monks of Tianyin Temple, the old man surnamed Shangguan in the Incense Valley, Zhang Xiaofan's attention was focused on the two monks of Tianyin Temple just now, and he didn't pay attention to him.
"Most of the outsiders this girl is talking about are me, as well as Brother Puhong Dao, Brother Pukong Dao and all the fellow Daoists, right? Hehe, there is such a thing in Qingyunmen, and you still claim to be the authentic sect in the world, don't you even let us see an explanation?"
The faces of Dao Xuan Zhenren and the other elders of the first veins suddenly became ugly, and the Cangsong Dao man sitting next to him said coldly: "Brother Shangguan Ce, since our head of the sect has decided to try this person in front of you today, it is to give you an explanation!"
Shangguan Ce sneered twice, and said in a dark voice: "Cangsong Daoist, there are too many hidden secrets in your Qingyunmen, a disciple named Zhang Xiaofan, in addition to carrying demonic cults, he actually knows the non-fax method of Tianyin Temple, and most of them are inseparable from the supreme artifact Xuanhuo Jian in our Incense Valley. Speaking of this, he paused, turned his gaze to Dao Xuan Zhenren, and said, "My words are put in front of me first, Xuanhuo Jian is the treasure of my Incense Burning Valley, we must find it back!"
Tian Buyi became more and more angry the more he listened, sneered, and said: "Brother Shangguan Dao, since this treasure is so important, why don't you Burning Incense Valley take care of it, and throw it around, you will actually have a relationship with my apprentice?
Shangguan Ce was furious, Huo Di stood up, Tian Buyi did not show weakness, and he also stood up, and the atmosphere in the field was suddenly tense to the point of saber rattling.
Dao Xuan shouted, "Senior Brother Tian, what are you doing?"
Tian Buyi glared at Shangguan Ce fiercely, but after all, he didn't dare to disobey the head in public, so he had to sit down slowly. Dao Xuan turned his head to Shangguan Ce and said, "Brother Shangguan Dao, we will naturally give you an explanation, you can rest assured." ”
Shangguan Ce sneered and sat back.
Shui Yue next to her said slightly angrily: "Qi'er, you haven't come back yet!"
Unexpectedly, Lu Xueqi, who was obedient to his master in the past and obedient to him, looked up and said to Dao Xuan today as if he had changed his head: "Master Master, no matter what mistakes Senior Brother Zhang makes, I implore Master Master Zhang to inquire carefully, but he is definitely not a traitor who infiltrated my Qingyun Sect!"
She looked ahead, her face was dignified, as if she had no fear of the whole world, and said resolutely: "Disciple Lu Xueqi, I am willing to guarantee with my life!"
Everyone was stunned for a moment!
Even Zhang Xiaofan himself opened his mouth slightly, looking at the woman kneeling with him in a daze, on the snow-white skin, in the frosty face, suddenly, there seemed to be a faint tenderness.
"Disciple Lin Jingyu is also willing to vouch for Zhang Xiaofan with his life!"
Almost at the same time as Lu Xueqi finished saying this, Lin Jingyu couldn't bear it anymore, and resolutely rushed out, knelt on the top of the main hall, and didn't look at Master Cangsong Daoren's face that suddenly turned into a pig's liver, and said loudly: "Senior Brother Zhang was born and died for Qingyun, he will definitely not be a traitor from a foreign faction, the disciple grew up with him since he was a child, and he knows that there is no such thing, please think twice!"
Dao Xuan Zhenren's complexion at this moment is so ugly and ugly, but at this moment, as if he was stimulated by something, there was a sudden commotion among the Qingyun disciples, and in a moment, the disciples of Fenghui Peak, the disciples of Longshou Peak and the disciples of Dazhu Peak, at the same time, someone ran out, knelt down together, and said loudly: "The disciple is also willing to vouch for Senior Brother Zhang with his life!"
Everyone lost their color, and when they looked at it, these three people were Zeng Shushu, Qi Hao and Tian Ling'er, at this moment, in addition to Tian Buyi and his wife, the first Cangsong Dao man of Longshou Peak and Zeng Shuchang, the first seat of Fenghui Peak, all stood up at the same time, extremely shocked.
At this moment, above the main hall, the situation was chaotic, and Dao Xuan Zhenren was full of anger in his heart, and his heart Dao Could these disobedient disciples be going to rebel today? He, the head of Qingyunmen, really lost face, and his anger rushed to his chest this time, but he didn't know what to do all of a sudden?
At this time, I suddenly heard a person behind me coughing lightly, but it was his disciple Xiao Yicai, who said softly: "Master, do you want to go back and rest for a while, and then come back to deal with it later?"
Dao Xuan Zhenren immediately came to his senses, snorted heavily, and slammed the table, and suddenly the chaotic Qingyun disciples quieted down, and their eyes all looked here.
Dao Xuan Zhenren didn't say a word, strode towards the inner hall, everyone looked at each other, only Xiao Yi stood up with a smile, and said to everyone: "Well, there was an urgent matter in the back mountain just now, and it needs to be dealt with by my teacher, please wait for a while." ”
Shangguan Ce's face was sarcastic, and said: "Senior nephew Xiao, I have long heard that the rules of your Qingyunmen are big, and when I see it today, it is really extraordinary!"
Xiao Yicai's eyes flashed with anger, but then he smiled and said, "The senior said that he was laughing." As he spoke, he turned around, coughed lightly, walked to the Cangsong Dao people and the other vein heads, and said in a low voice: "Uncles, don't you tell them to get up?"
Zeng Shuchang and the others reacted, and immediately stepped forward to call back the disciple, pulled aside and reprimanded him fiercely. Tian Ling'er was pulled back by Su Ru, but she was not scolded, but she was full of grievances, with faint tears in her eyes, and shouted: "Mother......"
Su Ru let out a long sigh, shook her head, and motioned for her not to say anything. Tian Ling'er looked at Tian Buyi, but saw that Tian Buyi's face was pale, his brows were tightly locked, he didn't say a word, and sat on the chair in a sullen voice.
Lu Xueqi was dragged out of the Yuqing Hall by her senior sister Wen Min, and the eyes of the people around her were full of strange eyes, until they came to a secluded corner outside the Yuqing Palace, Wen Min complained in a low voice, but Lu Xueqi lowered her head and said nothing.
After a while, Master Shuiyue slowly walked over.
After all, Wen Min loved her junior sister, greeted her, and said to Shui Yue in a low voice, trying her best to explain, but Shui Yue's face was solemn and she walked straight to Lu Xueqi.
Lu Xueqi didn't dare to look at her, lowered her head, and called softly, "Master." ”
Shui Yue stared at her, her most proud and beautiful disciple, she didn't speak for a long time, and then suddenly sighed, her voice was quite helpless, as if there was still a faint sadness.
Wen Min and Lu Xueqi were taken aback at the same time.
Shui Yue looked away from Lu Xueqi, walked to the railing outside the Yuqing Palace, and looked out, but saw that the mountain peaks entered the sky, and the white clouds were ethereal, and the fairy aura was awe-inspiring.
"Qi'er, you did something wrong today, do you know?"
Lu Xueqi lowered her head and said softly: "Yes, Master, I made it difficult for you, it was the disciple's fault." But that Zhang Xiaofan, he really won't be ......"
Shui Yue suddenly turned her head and stared at her, "Why would you vouch for him with your own life?"
Lu Xueqi's face suddenly turned pale and she couldn't speak.
Shui Yue looked at her for a long time, shook her head and sighed: "Wronged!"
Lu Xueqi said in a low voice: "Master, I, I'm not ......"
Shui Yue suddenly intercepted: "Do you know that I just said that you did something wrong, not that you made me unable to step down?"
Lu Xueqi and Wen Min were taken aback, and Wen Min was surprised: "Master, what did you say?"
Shui Yue smiled slightly bitterly, and looked into the distance again, as if she had also fallen into a long-term memory: "You young people, you don't know the height of the sky, and you are brave for a while, but I am afraid that you will push that Zhang Xiaofan to death!"
Lu Xueqi's face was pale, and she lost her voice and said, "Master?"
Shui Yue's voice gradually deepened, as if she saw the past buried deep in her memory again: "It's been many years, and it's almost a hundred years in a blink of an eye! Back then, there was also a person like him who made a big mistake, but we, we were desperate to intercede for him, but in the end we still ......"
She slowly turned her head, met the eyes of Lu Xueqi and Wen Min, and said softly: "Although the situation of that person back then is not the same as Zhang Xiaofan today, the situation is very similar. But that person has always been the person you hate the most!"
Shui Yue said in a low voice, even with a hint of pain. For the first time in her life, she showed a sad look in front of her disciples.
I think it's because of Wan Jianyi's unruly personality that he travels extensively, and it's likely that he has too close relationships with people in the Demon Cult, such as Mr. Ghost.
And he has no intention of covering it up, ignoring the views of people in the right path, and finally kills himself. All the elders of Qingyun Sect wanted to execute him according to the rules of the sect.
According to the follow-up plot, it can be seen that Dao Xuan and Wan Jianyi have killed their teachers at this time, and Dao Xuan has become the new head.
However, I think that Dao Xuan should want to keep Wan Jianyi deep down (those who have read Zhuxian 1 may feel this way).
However, after all, he was still young, and he was helpless in the face of the angry Qingyun Elders, so he also pretended to be angry
"killed" Wan Jianyi, and also hid it from the eyes of Qingyun everyone. However, Wan Jianyi was so proud, how could he show much gratitude to Dao Xuan because of this, he had gone through the great tribulation, and his heart was like death, so he spent the rest of his life in the ancestral hall.