Chapter 2: The Military God Heliang
"I didn't expect that you yourself were an excellent innate talent for practicing thunder system techniques. I unknowingly used you as a sacrifice, and what was summoned wasn't heavenly thunder, but the even more powerful mysterious thunder. It's like wanting to control fire, but using a piece of wood that's extremely easy to burn instead - not only can it not serve as a medium to control the flames, but it would also easily set itself on fire! The power of the mysterious thunder was something I couldn't withstand at the time, so although I managed to barely use the power of thunder to open the door back to the other realm, I paid the painful price of losing my physical body. And as for you... one can't help but say that you little brat got incredibly lucky - not only did you not die, but your entire body was also infused with pure mysterious thunder energy! The great benefit I'm talking about is that what's flowing through your veins now isn't the red blood of ordinary people, but rather the purple power of mysterious thunder. The power of mysterious thunder has become your blood! In the future, if you practice thunder system techniques, your speed will be countless times faster than an ordinary person's - isn't this a tremendous benefit?!" Gong Sun Ran looked at Sun Liao with a puffed-up chest and a smug expression, as if to say "you little brat got incredibly lucky".
When Sun Liao heard Gong Sun's words, he couldn't help but look at the fine blood vessels on his own plump arm that were almost invisible. However, he couldn't see anything special. Just as he was feeling awkward about his blood no longer being red, the door of the small house where Sun Liao was staying creaked open. Sun Liao twisted his neck with force and finally saw the newcomer: an old man with a purple robe, robust build, and majestic demeanor, exuding an air of authority in every gesture. Behind him stood a woman in elegant attire, without makeup, yet possessing a natural aura of elegance and nobility. It seemed that the old monk was right; Sun Liao had indeed been reborn into a wealthy family.
The old man stopped in front of the cradle, looked down at the small bed where his grandson was lying, and the woman in fine clothes hurriedly stepped forward half a step. She carefully picked up the small Xun Liao from the cradle and gently handed him over to the old man. Looking at the tender baby in his arms, the old man's face, which had been stern and majestic, finally revealed a hint of a warm smile. The old man gently pinched Xun Liao's small face with his big hand, and Xun Liao cooperated by making a naive smile. The old man was overjoyed and excitedly said to the woman, "He is indeed the flesh and blood of my He Lian family! Unlike other people's children who cry and whine from birth, my He Lian family's descendants are much stronger than ordinary people from a young age! However, it has been half a year since you gave birth, but Zhan Er is still in the southern border and cannot return. You have suffered!" After finishing speaking, the old man looked at the woman with kindness, and his words revealed a hint of apology.
The woman called Yue'er hastily replied, "Father, why say such a thing? Warlang is in the southern border, and every day he has countless battles to attend to. Compared to this great matter of the country, what does this small matter of mine amount to? I won't have any complaints, but the child is already over half a year old. Originally, we wanted to wait for Warlang to return from the southern border before holding the ancestral worship and naming ceremony. Now it seems that's not possible. Please, Father, act on behalf of Warlang in granting the name."
"The moon is right, the war in Southern Xinjiang will not subside in the short term. This naming ceremony cannot be delayed any longer. Let's hold the ancestral worship and naming ceremony for the child half a month later. Since Warson is not here, I'll preside over it as his father." The old man slowly handed Sun Liao to the woman, sighing and responding.
"Let father take charge of everything."
The sun rises and the moon sets, the stars change. In the blink of an eye, half a month has passed, and the old man's half-month period has arrived. Today is Sun Liao's first major ceremony in this world: the naming ceremony.
The magnificent and spacious He Lian Fu was even more bustling today, from the early morning, all the servants in the mansion had begun their busy preparations. Little Sun Liao was bathed with fragrant water by the maid, and changed into a big red festive dress. Usually careless Sun Liao was unusually well-behaved and solemn today. After all, he had already prepared to accept his identity in this world, and he looked forward to getting the name that would accompany him for life today.
The old monk in his mind surprisingly didn't make a fuss today, apparently as a native of this world, he knew more than Sun Liao about how important the naming ceremony was for a child of a large family. Sometimes, a surname is far from just a simple code name, it represents a status, represents a person's roots.
As it approached noon, the sound of firecrackers echoed outside. The maid carefully picked up Sun Liao and stepped out, where everything in sight was red. She gently placed him on a small chair that had been prepared earlier, positioning him to sit up straight, and secured him with soft silk ribbons to prevent him from falling over. Four children with clear brows and bright eyes carefully lifted the chair and proceeded slowly along the red carpet. Before long, they arrived in front of a grand and solemn great hall. From afar, Sun Liao had already seen the figures of his mother and grandfather, who both smiled lovingly as the chair approached.
The small chair was finally carried into the grand hall, Sun Liao's grandfather stood up from the chair, took over the small chair and gently placed it in the center of the grand hall, nodding slightly to the old steward beside him.
The housekeeper hastened to the center of the grand hall, pulled out a large red silk scroll with golden characters from his sleeve, and slowly unrolled it. In a loud voice, he read: "In the 929th year of the Great Demon Continent, under the protection of the gods and the blessings of our ancestors, the 23rd generation descendant of the He Lian family has been born. The current head of the family, He Lian Zong Heng, along with his wife Nan Huang Yue, is holding an ancestral worship ceremony at the He Lian ancestral temple to bestow a name upon their son. Please let the head of the 21st generation, He Lian Zong Heng, come forward and offer incense!"
"It turned out that his surname was He Lian, and his grandfather's name was He Lian Zong Heng. His grandfather called his father Zhan Er, so his father's name was He Lian Zhan. His mother's name was Nan Huang Yue. Sun Liao finally figured out the names of his family members, but he didn't know what name would be given to him, as long as it wasn't too feminine."
On this side, Sun Liao was still thinking wildly, while on the other side, He Lian Zong had already stepped forward with big strides. The servant beside him hurriedly handed over the incense for ancestor worship, and He Lian Zong held it in both hands, tidied up his clothes, and knelt down in front of the ancestral tablet in the center of the hall. The people behind saw this and quickly followed suit, even Sun Liao was picked up from his chair by Nan Huan Yue. The naming ceremony did not allow outsiders to be present, so everyone inside the ancestral hall was a direct or close relative of the He Lian family, including the steward and servants who had been following the family for many years and were granted the surname He Lian. As everyone knelt down, He Lian Zong loudly recited: "The gods are above, our ancestors protect us, the He Lian family has a new third grandson, today the 21st generation of the He Lian family, He Lian Zong, and his sons and grandchildren offer incense to the ancestral hall, hoping that our ancestors will not be stingy with their names, bless this child with peace and wealth, and protect the He Lian family's military fortune forever!" After finishing speaking, He Lian Zong stood up, inserted the incense into the incense burner in front of the ancestral tablet, and stepped aside. The people behind him then took turns to offer incense. When everyone finished offering incense, the steward stepped forward and loudly recited: "The ancestor worship is complete, the naming ceremony begins, please let the elder come forward to bestow a name!"
As soon as the voice fell, a small door on the side of the ancestral hall opened. An old man with a long beard and dressed in sacrificial robes slowly walked out, holding a staff. The old man's age and height were evident from his wrinkles, which told the story of his life's hardships. However, his eyes were not cloudy like those of ordinary elderly people; instead, they were deep and somewhat eerie. Even He Lian Zong Heng slightly bowed to show respect, indicating the old man's high status.
The old man slowly walked to the spirit tablet, bowed, and then turned to face Nan Xiang Yue. Nan Xiang Yue quickly handed over Sun Liao to the old man. Sun Liao curiously looked at the old man, who also lowered his head to examine Sun Liao. Gradually, Sun Liao felt that the old man's eyes were so deep and scary that they seemed to see through everything.
After a long time, the old man finally moved his gaze away and returned Sun Liao to Nan Xiang Yue. He Lian Zong Heng saw this and quickly led everyone in kneeling down, saying: "Please, elder, grant a name, bless this child with peace and prosperity, and bless my military career with no decline!"
The elder's profound eyes slowly swept across the crowd in the hall, and after a long time, he said: "My Helian family has been established for over 500 years since its founding by our ancestors. During this period, many loyal and talented individuals have emerged, and there have been countless capable people. The Helian family was founded on military power, and there have been numerous brave generals. In the 21st generation, the family head Helian Kuang led a million iron cavalry to conquer the four directions, attacking cities and territories countless times, achieving unparalleled achievements. In the 22nd generation, the only son Helian Zhan guarded the southern border for over ten years, during which time the southern barbarians did not dare to invade our Tian Xiang territory even a single step. As for this generation, the eldest grandson of the 23rd generation is brave and unmatched, with the appearance of a great general. He will surely become a talented and brave general who can charge into battle in the future. Therefore, I gave him the name Po, which means 'unbreakable'. The second son of the 23rd generation is elegant and refined, with the talent of a famous general. He will surely operate cleverly and strategically, winning victories thousands of miles away. Therefore, I gave him the name Shuo, which means 'elegant and erudite'. As for this third son, his eyes are firm and resolute, but his facial features and aura are unfavorable, with hints of calamity and hardship. He must experience countless difficulties before he can become a great talent. Only after becoming a good person can he become a great talent. Therefore, I gave him the name Nuo, which means 'to value integrity over wealth'. I hope he will remember our Helian family's ancestral teachings, stand upright, and bring glory to our family!"
Everyone heard the words and bowed their heads in gratitude. The housekeeper read again: "Please ask the elder to carve a He Lian Totem for He Lian's young son." Someone had already prepared silver needles and medicine on the side, Nan Huan Yue gently removed Sun Liao's upper body clothes, and the elder held the silver needle lightly and drew on Sun Liao's small body. After a long time, a blue wolf head appeared on Sun Liao's chest, the wolf head was in a posture of looking up at the sky and howling, vividly lifelike. Perhaps it was because of the elder's special technique, Sun Liao did not feel any pain. After finishing all this, the elder returned by himself, and that small door also closed tightly.
He Lian stood up tall and clear, saying: "The 23rd generation of the He Lian family's third grandson is named He Lian Nuo, bestowed with the Heavenly Wolf Totem, may heaven bless and prosper our He Lian family!"
The rest of the people followed suit and repeated what they had said. On that day, a grand feast was laid out, and many guests were invited. The various lively scenes need not be described in detail.
Sun Liao didn't have the good fortune to participate in the excitement, and was fed and put into his small cradle early on, sent back home. At this moment, he couldn't calm down for a long time. He should be happy about getting a new name that wasn't bad, but the elder's words kept echoing in his mind, predicting that he would have many ups and downs in the future. Sun Liao thought deeply but couldn't understand, so he called out to Gong Sun Yan in his mind to ask what was going on.
"Tell me, what's so hard to understand," Gong Sunjian's lazy voice echoed in Sun Liao's mind, "I really don't know what kind of good fortune you've encountered, to actually join the He Lian family, and enjoy a lifetime of wealth and glory that can't be escaped."
"Is the Helian family really that powerful?" Sun Liao still had some doubts, after all, judging from today's lineup, the Helian family was undoubtedly a large family, but it seemed that they were not yet strong to an unimaginable extent.
