His whole life, Li Mo hated going to the family altar. Though that was a sacred place where they would pay homage to the heroic spirit of their ancestors, there was just something about it that he disliked greatly.
“Today isn’t memorial day, so why would father…” Li Mo knitted his eyebrows and asked.
The mustachioed man kept a stern face. “The master already knows.”
Li Mo was stunned, the color of his face instantly draining.
“Young master, the ship is already waiting for you on the roof,” the mustachioed man said.
Li Mo gritted his teeth. He quickly changed out to a black formalwear then boarded the small warship and flew off.
….
It was already a dream of a lifetime for any average citizen of the Pan-Human Alliance to save up enough to buy a small house in the capital ring, but someone of Li Mo’s background would not be worried over something like that. Not only did his family have plenty of assets out in the capital, their ancestral burial grounds could even be placed there, allowing the deceased to share in their wealth.
A spaceship slowly descended in a bamboo forest. The green and lush bamboo was being blown by the occasional winds, swaying like ripples in a sea of green, making for quite a spectacular sight, but no matter how great the scenery was, Li Mo could not find it in him to be happy. It was with heavy footsteps and heart that he walked deeper into the bamboo forest.
…
Passing through a small and gloomy path appeared an extraordinary altar. The white stone slab was gigantic as it shone. A triangular monument tower rose into the clouds, creating quite a solemn and severe atmosphere.
Walking into a building, the lighting immediately turned gloomy. The sparse white light illuminated the long corridor. Li Mo’s footsteps were crisp, like the sound of water dripping from stalactites in a lonely cave, echoing with each and every step he took.
This corridor was long, and it took Li Mo twenty minutes before he reached the outside of the altar hall. Two bodyguards wearing shades opened the heavy door and let Li Mo in.
*Sha sha sha…*
A very strange sound could be heard coming from the main hall. All he saw was the three antelope carcasses placed upon the central altar, with two of the three already skinned, revealing their red flesh beneath. Most of the blood had already flowed down and away through the drain around that stone altar, but some had solidified atop the altar.
Li Guan was holding a half a palm-size semicircular knife, very deftly skinning that third antelope. Anyone who was well versed in Alliance history would be able to tell that this semicircular knife that he was holding was a specialized tool that butchers had relied on a long time ago.
The knife did not look pretty in its appearance, and it was hardly as handy as a double-edged knife when used, but the advantages of this knife would very gradually show after training for a long time with it; not only could it very quickly skin animals, it was also able to avoid stabbing into the skin, so the fur of an animal could be kept completely intact when it was used.
Li Guan was wearing a leather apron often used by butchers, his expensive leather shoes were completely drenched in blood. He had rolled up his sleeves high and was sweating profusely as he worked on the carcass.
With deft skills, that knife in his hand made beautiful arcs as he dexterously parted skin from flesh, not at all damaging the meat or fur in the process.
In the technologically advanced Pan-Human Alliance, they had already successfully come up with an automated de-skinner and the profession of butchery had long since become a lost art. Nobody would have imagined that one of the richest men in the Alliance, Li Guan, could actually skin with such professionalism, and from the look of determination he showed, it was not hard to tell that he really enjoyed doing this work.
The smell of spilt blood made Li Mo queasy. He pursed his lips as he used his hand to cover his nose and mouth, bearing a look of derision as he watched.
*Clank*
Li Guan dropped the knife on the stone altar, stopping what he was doing to turn and stare at his son icily.
He casually picked up a piece of blood-soaked cloth from the stone altar to wipe his hand with as he asked, “What? Do you have so much disdain for the skills that your ancestors have passed down to us?”
Li Mo avoided his father’s gaze, not answering the question.
“Get your g*dd*mn hand off your face and smell the blood!” Li Guan shouted out loud.
Li Mo very unwillingly moved his palm from his mouth and released his fingers pinching his nose.
“You must forever remember that, though our Li family is no longer a household of butchers who survived by slaughtering animals back in the day, it is with our ancestors walking the streets to help people skin and butcher meat, scrimping every penny that birthed our family’s business.”
“Don’t think that just because we had switched over to finance and obtained such levels of wealth that we could forget about our ancestors’ hard work. Let me tell you: Even if we do become the top in the whole Alliance, we can’t forget our roots,” Li Guan lectured as he glared at his son.
“Have you failed yet again?”
Li Mo nodded, mute.
“Hmph! While it is true that our ancestral precept reads, ‘Return the favor tenfold after suffering a loss’, who told you to fail twice in a row? Don’t think I was unaware; I was merely seeing how you’d go about doing the deed. What a shame that I’d still overestimated you.”
Li Mo wanted to try and explain, but he did not know just how to do so. He had not been shoddy with what he had originally planned, keeping it tightly under wraps and with the appropriate level of viciousness to boot, yet Xia Fei had managed to escape twice; Li Mo was left scratching his head, wondering just what could be the reason.
“From the start till now, there hasn’t been a need for you to intervene. You ought to have just run along and fulfilled your leisurely hobby and be done with this.” Li Guan turned his back away and continued to skin that antelope, his tone bearing a measure of disappointment.
“Father, this has all been an accident. You need to believe me; I will surely be able to succeed!” Li Mo anxiously cried out. He bore a deep hatred for Xia Fei, and asking him to just let this go at this point was not something Li Mo could tolerate.
“I really wish I can believe you, but I can’t. You may still be my good son when we’re outside, but I can’t lie in front of our ancestors here before the ancestral altar,” Li Guan said coldly.
Li Mo’s face paled. He was unable to control his shaking fists as he gritted his clenched teeth. “Father, I will surely succeed this time.”
Li Guan once more stopped what he was doing. He strode over to the left side of the hall and carried an antelope over. The animal had already been tightly bound, its mouths already tape sealed. Animals all had an innate sensitivity, knowing fully well that death was inevitable, yet it continued to struggle. The fear it felt could be seen in its eyes.
Li Guan tossed that antelope, which weighed over one hundred catties, onto the stone altar and then threw the semicircular knife to Li Mo.
“Show me.”
The sharp skinning knife came flying toward Li Mo. The young man did not dare to grab it with his own hands, so he could only dodge to the side and let it fly off.
*Clink clank!*
The knife struck the wall before landing inertly on the ground, metallic sound echoing in that hall.
Li Mo hesitated for a good while before his hatred for Xia Fei won over his fear of killing an animal.
With tightened jaws, he picked up that bloody silver knife and angrily walked over to the stone altar. He took off his coat and threw it to the ground spitefully. With a still shaking hand, he raised the knife. His eyes were filled with killing intent.
A second.
Two.
Three seconds.
Five seconds passed, yet Li Mo had yet to strike down with the knife. The shaking of his arms had also intensified.
“Let me teach you.”
There was a flash, and a cut sliced across the arteries and throat of that antelope.
Fresh blood came spurting out, splashing over Li Mo’s face.
Li Mo could only feel his vision go red, feeling a warm liquid wash over his face. The smell of blood incited his stomach as he stood there completely frozen.
“Remember: Our ancestors were all butchers during that savage era; not only did they eat animals, they would also eat humans if the need arose.
“Anyone who dares challenge the Li family must be returned the favor, tenfold.” Li Guan’s eyes shone ominously.
