Beast Taming: My System is Bugged-Chapter 95 - 94: Ancestral Hall

Ever since starting high school, Gu Ming hadn’t spent much time back in his hometown, only returning for family visits during the New Year.

Returning to his hometown, Gu Ming felt a long-lost sense of peace.

He got out of the car, opened the trunk, picked up the large Fish Tank, and walked toward the small country villa that was his old home.

The house was still an old-fashioned building, a very traditional brick-and-tile house with two floors, each with four or five rooms.

This was one of the benefits of living in the countryside: houses could be built large, with more rooms than you could ever use, a large enclosed courtyard, and woods just outside. There were places to roam freely everywhere.

Of course, life in the countryside was not without its dangers.

This was the age of Beastmasters. Ever since the Spiritual Qi Revival sixty years ago, Spirit Beasts had risen, the New Technique had emerged, and Beastmasters could be seen everywhere.

If one were to run into an Evil Cultivator-type Beastmaster, a terrible tragedy could unfold.

Fortunately, however, the vast majority of Beastmasters had professional ethics and wouldn’t attack unarmed civilians.

Only Beastmasters who had contracted Pet Beasts needed to worry about their Pet Beasts being abducted and sold when traveling at night.

As this thought flashed through Gu Ming’s mind, he reached the entrance to his old home.

The lights were still on in the house, and a bright lantern hung by the door.

As the door opened and they walked inside, they heard the lively chatter of family from the courtyard.

Meanwhile, Lu You, who was walking behind, wasn’t as nervous as she had expected.

She walked into the large courtyard, her heart calm. The atmosphere was peaceful. Seeing the old couple and Gu Ming laughing together as they petted the watchdog gave her an inexplicable sense of warmth.

This, in turn, sparked a long-lost feeling of envy in her heart.

’After all, I also long for such a harmonious family atmosphere.’

Hearing the voices in the courtyard, Teacher Zhang and his wife and daughter came out.

A round of greetings ensued.

The old man’s hands trembled as he called out, "Gu Ming."

His face was covered in age spots, and he wore an old tank top and black pants, but he still looked quite hale and hearty.

He placed both hands on Gu Ming’s forehead and sighed, "Ah, my boy. You’ve suffered."

The old couple standing nearby frantically signaled the old man with their eyes.

The old man opened his mouth, looking like he wanted to say something, but ultimately closed it again.

Then, the old man looked at the female classmate behind Gu Ming and said with a kindly smile:

"Ah, you must be Lu You. Teacher Zhang told me you’re his student as well, here for special training. Welcome, welcome! You can keep Cyan Treasure company."

Lu You finally felt a pang of nervousness and just nodded silently, murmuring, "Mm-hmm."

The conversation soon shifted back to Cyan Treasure, and with the attention no longer on her, her anxiety gradually subsided.

’It’s a little strange, but I won’t overthink it. Maybe it’s because of the comfortable environment; I’m not as scared as I thought I’d be.’

"You two go take a shower first. There are bathrooms on the first and second floors. Cyan Treasure, Mouse Treasure, training starts now. Let me see what you’ve got."

The old man tapped his cane on the ground and began the training right there in the courtyard.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it held an undeniable authority. The two Pet Beasts looked at their respective masters, who both nodded in assent.

Gu Ming’s grandfather was no ordinary person. In his youth, he had been around for the Spiritual Qi Revival and had contracted a Pet Beast.

However, his Pet Beast had died of old age before Gu Ming was born, and he had never contracted another one since.

Gu Ming’s parents, on the other hand, had absolutely no talent in this area and had always been ordinary people.

A Beastmaster without a Pet Beast, coupled with the lack of its enhancement for so many years, meant his physical condition was only slightly better than an ordinary person’s.

While Gu Ming went to take a shower, the old man, Teacher Zhang, and the old couple took the Pet Beasts out of the courtyard and began the special training immediately.

Gu Ming took his clothes into the bathroom and glanced at the updated system notifications:

[You return to your hometown after more than thirty years, looking at the dilapidated house, your grandfather’s dust-covered home.]

[Here, you recall your less-than-pleasant childhood, as well as your grandfather’s loving kindness.]

[At this moment, you look at the black-and-white portraits of your deceased grandparents and parents on the wall, and you can’t help but burst into tears.]

[You’ve returned too late.]

[It is also at this moment, after kowtowing several times in the ancestral hall, that you suddenly discover a letter has appeared on the floor.]

[You are puzzled. It seems the letter was placed here long ago, only to be triggered after so many years, as if it was waiting for your return.]

After reading this, Gu Ming, who had been about to take a shower, suddenly lost the desire to.

Gu Ming eagerly came out and headed to the ancestral hall to take a look.

It was worth noting that visiting the ancestral hall had not been part of his original plan when he came back.

After all, he had already paid his respects during the New Year.

However, the system hadn’t been activated back then, so there was no storyline related to his hometown.

But seeing Gu Ming’s hurried expression, as if something was wrong, she subconsciously followed him.

’I can’t quite explain why.’

’Maybe I’m subconsciously relying on him.’

Gu Ming didn’t go far before turning into the ancestral hall on the first floor.

She saw Gu Ming fumbling around on the floor for a few moments, as if looking for the switch to a secret door, but he couldn’t seem to find it.

Gu Ming was, of course, trying to find the letter. If he couldn’t find it, he wouldn’t be able to advance the system’s storyline.

’Do I really have to kowtow?’ Gu Ming thought.

Then, Gu Ming stood before the ancestral tablets and kowtowed solemnly three times, his forehead striking the floor with a BANG, BANG, BANG.

Several seconds passed, but nothing happened inside the ancestral hall.

Gu Ming glanced at the system again. There was still no progress, and he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

’Maybe this is an event that will only happen in the future, something I can’t trigger no matter how hard I try.’

’But is this the end?’

Gu Ming, however, had plenty of experience triggering "bugs" in the system.

’After all, I really want to know what happens in the future timeline.’

’After all, those are all pitfalls I’ve fallen into before. I definitely have to find a way to avoid them.’

’So, would it be possible to forge a letter for myself, pass it off as genuine, and deceive the system?’

With this in mind, Gu Ming turned to Lu You, who had followed him, and said, "Lu You, I’d like to ask you for a favor."

"Write a letter. After I kowtow three times, you hand the letter to me."

Lu You was completely bewildered.

"A letter?"

Gu Ming explained that she should write a letter, and that the contents didn’t matter—she could just write anything, it didn’t need to be taken seriously.

While a normal person would probably have questions, Lu You was different. She had severe social anxiety and didn’t dare ask for the reason.

She did whatever Gu Ming told her to do.

Even if she had doubts in her heart, she wouldn’t voice them.

And so, she returned to her bedroom, picked up a pen and paper, and quietly thought about what to write.

She knew Gu Ming’s actions were strange, and she couldn’t fathom his intentions.

But in this world of Spiritual Qi Revival, where Spirit Beasts roamed freely and Demon Fiends ran rampant, the incense burning in an old family’s ancestral hall might also hold some mysterious power.

’Maybe Gu Ming is doing something important.’