Noon the next day.
Hong Sheng Lian General Church.
The hall was packed with people, and there were even two lion dance troupes at the entrance, making it extremely lively.
In fact, the opening of the incense hall and the establishment of the official rank of the gang are very important events. In principle, it is necessary to invite some senior members of the Hongmen or bigwigs from other gangs with good relations to attend the ceremony.
However, He Wenchang already felt somewhat awkward about Yang Sheng's appointment as a Double Flower Red Pole, so he naturally wouldn't make such a big scene. It would be enough for the internal staff to come and get to know the new Red Pole.
After Yang Sheng arrived, Huang Wen sent someone to take him away and change him into a black Tang suit with a red headscarf. Huang Wen then explained the next steps to him.
Although Hong Sheng Lian has declined, it is still a legitimate branch of the Hongmen, so the proper procedures still apply.
When the time came, Yang Sheng walked to the entrance of the hall, where Huang Wen, dressed in a long robe, announced loudly, "Open the altar!"
Yang Sheng had just followed Huang Wen into the back of the main hall when he found himself in a dark, secluded room with only dim candlelight flickering in the shadows.
He Wenchang, Yu Laoqiang, and some bigwigs from Hong Shenglian were already seated in the secret room.
As Huang Wen entered the secret room, two burly men dressed in red and wielding goose-feather sabers crossed their longswords and blocked Yang Sheng's path.
One of them shouted, "Do you know that this is a forbidden area of the Hong Army, heavily guarded and not to be violated!"
Violators will be punished! Military law is merciless!
Yang Sheng said in a deep voice: "I am the Grand Vanguard of the Ming Dynasty, and I have made the greatest contribution to building bridges and roads!"
"When mountains are cleared, roads are built; when cities fall, all know the might of Heaven's Blessing!"
Two strong men sheathed their swords and stepped aside. Yang Sheng strode forward and knelt on one knee in front of a group of shrines and memorial tablets.
The altar is dedicated to:
The five founding fathers of the Hongmen: Yin Hongsheng, Fu Qingzhu, Gu Yanwu, Huang Lizhou, and Wang Chuanshan.
The five branches of the Hongmen: Shi Kefa ("Wen Zong"), Zheng Chenggong ("Wu Zong"), Chen Jinnan ("Xuan Zong"), Wan Yunlong ("Da Zong"), and Su Hongguang ("Wei Zong").
The first five patriarchs: Cai Dezhong, Fang Dahong, Hu Dedi, Ma Chaoxing, and Li Shikai.
The Five Patriarchs of the Middle Ages: Yang Zhangyou, Fang Huicheng, Wu Tiancheng, Lin Dajiang, and Zhang Jingzhi.
The five later patriarchs: Li Shidi, Hong Taisui, Wu Tianyou, Lin Yongchao, and Yao Bida.
The Five Righteous Men: Zheng Junda, Xie Bangheng, Huang Changcheng, Wu Tinggui, and Zhou Hongying.
The Five Heroes: Zheng Daode, Zheng Daofang, Han Long, Han Hu, and Li Changguo.
The Three Heroes: Guo Xiuying, Zheng Yulan, and Zhong Wenjun.
The second division: male strategist Shi Mingjian and female strategist Guan Yuying.
The names on these memorial tablets are all those of contemporary heroes who fought unyieldingly during that dark era when China was sinking and the land was overthrown.
They swore an oath of blood to resist the Qing dynasty, knowing full well that it was futile but still doing it. Though it was like an ant trying to shake a tree, it was both tragic and admirable.
Yang Sheng was initially perfunctory about the ceremony of becoming a Red Pole and didn't take it too seriously.
But when he saw these memorial tablets, he was still moved.
Although Hong Shenglian declined and decayed under He Wenchang's leadership, these Hongmen predecessors throughout the ages were still willing to stand up and fight against foreign enemies with their own flesh and blood when the Manchus trampled the Central Plains and the Japanese invaders were unstoppable. They lived up to the name of Hongmen and the oaths they made.
At this moment, Huang Wen walked up to Yang Sheng and said in a deep voice, "What brings you here?"
Yang Sheng continued, "Let's pay our respects to the Heaven and Earth Society!"
What brings you here?
"Overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming!"
What proof do you have?
"As the poem testifies!"
The ancient city of Fandou was once covered by a dome, but the Qing dynasty forcibly occupied our capital.
"Responding to the world's reverence for teachers, the uprising will rise under the bright moon!"
Huang Wen nodded, picked up an incense stick, lit it, and handed it to Yang Sheng, instructing him to hold it between his palms.
"Please summon the Hongmen Knife!"
He Wenchang stood up, took out three keys, and inserted them one by one into a hidden door in the secret room.
A moment later, he took out a sheathed longsword from the hidden door. The moment Yang Sheng saw the sword, his heart skipped a beat.
As He Wenchang drew his long sword from its sheath, its sharp, smooth blade instantly shone throughout the secret room.
This long sword is about five feet long in total, with a blade of three feet eight inches and a handle of one foot two inches. The blade is slender and shaped like a rice seedling.
The blade still bore a faint crimson hue.
These are clearly bloodstains caused by years of blood staining the blade!
Huang Wen took the Imperial Guard's sword and lashed it across Yang Sheng's back, shouting, "Do you love your brothers and sisters or gold?"
"Love your brothers and sisters!"
After saying that, Yang Sheng knocked the incense stick in his hand to the ground, sparks flying everywhere.
"Drink the blood wine!"
Huang Wen took a glass of wine, pulled Yang Sheng up, and gently ran the blade of the Imperial Guard's saber across Yang Sheng's hand.
Yang Sheng didn't even feel the pain before a drop of blood slid into the cup.
The next moment, Yang Sheng suddenly felt a faint but powerful force that had a strange connection with his spirit, and a series of messages appeared in the void before him.
Name: Imperial Guard
Category: Weapons
Quality: High
Information: The military swords used by Qi Jiguang's army during the Ming Dynasty, since their forging, have served six different masters and have beheaded 284 Japanese pirates.
He was worshipped by the Hongmen from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. He killed more than a thousand bandits and traitors and received incense offerings for more than three hundred years to nourish the soul of the soldiers.
Skill: Strike
After accumulating enough sharpness through fierce battles, it can shatter all weapons of lower quality.
As the battle drags on, the sharpness of the blade becomes more apparent, and it can even cut through rare-quality weapons, but there is a 50% failure rate.
Passive skill: Xin You (辛酉) ? ? ?
Passive skill: Soldier's Soul? ?
Note: You are not its true owner yet and cannot activate all its skills.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
