In the courtyard, a middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe was stamping his feet, beating his chest, and wailing loudly, “I am guilty! How can I, William Thompson, face my ancestors!”

This heartbroken, sobbing middle-aged man was none other than the clan leader, William Thompson. In just a few hours, the ancestral worship ceremony would begin. The heroic spirits of the ancestors had already gathered, ready to receive the respect of their descendants, but at this very moment, the ancestral hall caught fire. This fire might even burn away the very souls of the ancestors.

William Thompson’s self-blame ran even deeper: the blaze had destroyed the Li clan’s most precious heirloom. If relatives from the capital or from the south came to claim it, how could he possibly produce it?

Beside the clan leader William Thompson stood the trembling George Thompson. He had just explained the cause of the fire to the clan leader, shifting all the blame onto the three mischievous children who had stolen the offerings. But even so, he was still deeply uneasy. He knew very well the consequences of this fire: the ancestral hall could be rebuilt, the spirit tablets could be re-erected, but if the Great Ancestor’s spirit tablet was destroyed, that would be an irreparable disaster.

He really shouldn’t have fled in such a hurry—at the very least, he could have brought out the Great Ancestor’s spirit tablet!

At this moment, David Thompson had already appeared in the backyard. The fire hadn’t reached George Thompson’s residence in the rear courtyard. The clansmen had opened the back door and were standing in the backyard, throwing water toward the main hall. But the clan leader couldn’t see this; everyone had run to the front yard, leaving only three or four people here fighting the fire.

David Thompson had already soaked his clothes in the creek, stuffed a wet cloth over his mouth and nose, and wrapped himself in one of George Thompson’s quilts. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was watching, he took the rosewood spirit tablet from an empty wine jar and hid it close to his body.

“Go! Go! Go! It’s dangerous here, children, get out of the way.”

A clansman spotted David Thompson and rushed over to drive him out, but David Thompson dodged and ran to the other side.

Several clansmen grew angry. “Whose child are you? Why don’t you listen to adults?”

But David Thompson wouldn’t listen to them. This was his only chance—it determined whether he could attend the academy, whether his father’s huge debts could be reduced, and whether his father would no longer be looked down upon by the family.

Seeing that the fire on the east side had subsided, he crouched low and dashed into the flames.

“That child… is possessed!”

Several clansmen were so shocked they didn’t know what to do, crying out, “A child has gone in! Save him, quick!”

Although the fire in the main hall had lessened, thick smoke billowed everywhere, making it impossible to see. David Thompson had once participated in fire safety training and knew how to escape a fire: crawl along the wall. He had already memorized the route, sealed his mouth and nose with the wet cloth, and crawled quickly along the wall toward the front door.

The clansmen fighting the fire in the front yard heard the shouts and looked at each other in shock. A child had rushed into the fire—what was going on? Whose child was it?

Many clansmen glanced anxiously at the group of children by the back gate, afraid it was their own child who had entered the flames.

Moments later, a small figure burst out of the fire, and the crowd erupted in cheers. “He’s out! The child is out!”

David Thompson was choked by the smoke, his face covered in tears and snot. He threw off the quilt, clutched the rosewood spirit tablet tightly, and shouted, “I found it! I found it!”

George Thompson rushed over, grabbing him in surprise. “Qing’er, what are you doing here?”

“Fourth Uncle, I came to help put out the fire too. I found the spirit tablet!” David Thompson held the tablet high.

“Heavens!”

A few clansmen who knew the truth cried out, “It’s the Great Ancestor’s spirit tablet!”

George Thompson was so moved he hugged David Thompson tightly. “Good child, truly a good child!” Tears streamed down his face. As long as this spirit tablet was saved, he, George Thompson, could atone for his sins.

Suddenly, someone nearby shouted, “Get out! The roof is about to collapse!”

Everyone panicked and rushed outside. The main beam of the ancestral hall, burned through, could no longer bear the weight of the tiles and collapsed with a crash.

William Thompson was utterly devastated. He knelt at the main gate, kowtowing heavily, and cried out in grief, “Great Ancestor! Forefathers! This unworthy descendant, William Thompson, is unforgivable!”

At this moment, the chief steward Henry Brooks stepped forward to help William Thompson up, quietly advising, “Clan leader, what’s done is done. Please restrain your grief and accept the change.”

Henry Brooks’s father had been Old Master Li’s page. From a young age, he had been favored by the old master, who adopted him as a godson. When he grew up, he was made chief steward of the Li household.

Relying on the old master’s favor, Henry Brooks often bullied the villagers, acting domineering and violent, making the Li clan members resentful but afraid to speak out.

Although the old master had died last year, Henry Brooks could not change his arrogant and overbearing ways. Like father, like son—his son Frank Brooks had inherited his cruelty and lawlessness, and today had finally caused a catastrophe.

With the ancestral hall burned and the Great Ancestor’s spirit tablet destroyed, William Thompson’s hatred for Henry Brooks ran deep. He shoved him aside and said coldly, “Burning down the ancestral hall is a grave offense in the Li family rules and must be severely punished. The two sons of Li Zhen’s family—I will punish them according to clan law. Your son’s surname is Liu; our clan rules don’t apply to him. You’ll have to deal with him yourself!”

Henry Brooks said in fear, “Master, I will definitely punish that little beast severely!”