At this moment, in front of the main gate of The Brooks Family, a white mourning tent had already been erected. Soul-summoning banners fluttered noisily in the wind, and white cloths swayed and billowed.

Several women, dressed entirely in mourning white and looking utterly grief-stricken, knelt before a brazier, burning paper money, their choked sobs rising and falling.

A pair of black-and-white mourning couplets hung on either side of the mountain gate.

The inscription read:

With deep sorrow, the virtuous soul rides the crane and departs; the sound of mourning echoes through the heavens.

The ancestral virtue shines on future generations; the family tradition endures in the world.

Beside the mourning tent stood several men clad in hempen mourning clothes and white headbands.

At the forefront was a burly, gray-templed elder, appearing about sixty or seventy years old. He was none other than the young clan leader of Cangyi The Brooks Family, Brian Brooks.

At this moment, he looked exhausted, his face sallow, and his eyes filled with deep grief.

It was clear that the death of his father, Ethan Brooks, had dealt him a tremendous blow.

Yet even so, seeing people coming up the mountain to pay their respects, he still forced himself to greet the guests with his clansmen, bowing deeply to the visitors. His throat moved twice, but he was too choked with emotion to speak.

“How could we trouble Senior Brian Foster to come greet us in person?”

Among the guests, an elderly man with an immortal air hurriedly returned the deep bow.

The other guests, too, all looked anxious and flustered, hastily returning the gesture as if overwhelmed by the honor.

“The departed is gone; we hope Elder Brian Foster can restrain his grief.”

“May Elder Ethan have a smooth journey!”

“Wuwuwu~ Elder Ethan…”

The guests who came to pay their respects each expressed their sorrow for the passing of Senior Ethan Brooks in their own ways.

Just then—

A brilliant streak of fire suddenly tore across the sky, like a meteor chasing the moon, falling straight to the mountain gate of the The Brooks Family main residence.

The firelight gradually faded, transforming into a crimson talisman that floated down amidst thin flames, finally landing steadily in the palm of a dignified elder. This elder was burly, with red hair and red eyebrows, hands clasped behind his back, eyes sharp as torches, exuding an air of authority with every glance.

All the guests fell silent at the sight of the newcomer, though their hearts were filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

This was the Elder Reed of the [Lingbei The Carter Family].

Wasn’t he always at odds with Elder Ethan? And now he had come in person to pay his respects?

Brian Brooks saw this and quickly cupped his hands to the guests: “Honored guests, Brooks must excuse himself for a moment and cannot accompany you further.”

He then turned and solemnly instructed a middle-aged man behind him, “Alan, take good care of the guests and do not neglect proper etiquette.”

“Yes, Father.” The well-mannered and refined Alan Brooks replied respectfully, then exchanged a few polite words with the guests before leading them through the mountain gate, summoning branch family servants to ensure they were well attended.

Meanwhile—

Brian Brooks went to greet the Elder Reed of the The Carter Family, bowing politely: “Many thanks, Brother Carter, for coming in person to see my father off on his final journey.”

Elder Reed’s expression was somewhat complicated. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally let out a soft sigh: “Ah~ Brother Brian Foster, please accept my condolences.” Whether in scheming or in strength, that old ghost Ethan had overshadowed him all his life.

In private, he had often cursed that old ghost Ethan, wishing he would ascend to heaven sooner.

But now, seeing Ethan Brooks truly gone, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow, like the fox mourning the rabbit.

It wouldn’t be more than twenty or thirty years before their own illustrious generation would all fade away.

Just as Brian Brooks was entertaining the distinguished guests, a black-canopied boat appeared in the clear sky.

It broke through the clouds and slowly drifted down to the mountain gate of The Brooks Family.

The curtain of the boat was lifted, and out stepped an elegantly dressed elder of extraordinary bearing, followed by several younger members.

“Even Old Grant has come in person to pay his respects?” Elder Reed narrowed his eyes slightly.

Within a thousand-mile radius of the five southern guards of Hedong Commandery, the three great cultivation families were currently [Cangyi The Brooks Family], [Lingbei The Carter Family], and [Nanyue The Harris Family].

Of these, [Cangyi The Brooks Family] had the shallowest foundation, yet had risen the most rapidly and powerfully.

The three great families and the cultivation sect [Yunyang Sect] were all intricately connected, so while they competed with each other, they also inevitably formed alliances in various ways, making their relationships rather complex.

Seeing this, Brian Brooks immediately apologized to Elder Reed and hurried to greet Elder Grant of [Nanyue The Harris Family].

Soon after, guests from all directions arrived one after another to pay their respects, including several renowned Foundation Establishment cultivators.

On the third day—

A flying carriage drawn by a third-rank spirit bird appeared in the sky, and it turned out that [Yunyang Sect] had sent the well-known inner sect steward, David Martin, to pay his respects, showing how much the sect valued the death of Ethan Brooks.

Thus, the entire The Brooks Family clan was kept busy for several more days.

By the sixth day of mourning, the various guests and relatives who had come to pay their respects gradually departed.

However, the members of The Brooks Family still could not rest.

Not until the seventh day.

＊＊＊＊

Ancestral Hall.

As the family ancestral hall of The Brooks Family, it was located at the very back of the main residence, surrounded by pines and cypresses, with a faint scent of sandalwood wafting through the air, creating a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.

Since the rise of Cangyi The Brooks Family had only been a few decades, Ethan Brooks himself was the founding patriarch of The Brooks Family.

Thus, although the ancestral hall was built grand and imposing, the main hall’s spirit tablets were still rather sparse.