The old madam’s eyes were clouded and cold, like a hawk, staring intently at Sumr Monroe.
Even though Sumr had her back to the old madam, she could still feel her gaze.
She instinctively sensed sothing was off and said to Old Madam Stanton after finishing the incense, "Grandma, I’ll head back to my room after offering the incense. I have to return to school tomorrow and I’ve missed a day of classes, I need to catch up now."
Stella Monroe looked anxiously at the old madam.
Sumr couldn’t leave; if she left, how could this drama continue?
The old madam caught Stella’s gaze, understood her aning, and said to Sumr, "Catching up on lessons won’t take just a mont longer. Wait until the Master finishes the ritual for Clarissa before you go upstairs."
The old madam’s tone was firm; she wasn’t negotiating with Sumr, but commanding her.
Sumr felt even more uneasy.
There’s always sothing strange afoot when things don’t follow the usual pattern. The old madam didn’t even want to see her before, yet now she wanted her to stay?
But the old madam had already commanded her, and she couldn’t openly defy her orders, so she nodded and agreed, "Alright."
Performing a ritual shouldn’t lead to anything major.
Even if it’s a trap, she could handle whatever ca her way.
With this thought, a smile returned to Sumr’s face, and she said, "Then, Grandma, let get you a glass of water."
"No need!" Old Madam Stanton waved her hand, saying, "Just kneel in front of Clarissa’s spirit tablet. We’re all elders, we can’t kneel to her, so you represent us and bid her farewell."
Stella almost burst out laughing.
Having the old madam around was indeed good; she didn’t need any excuse to make things difficult for Sumr, just a direct order would do.
Sumr’s expression froze for a mont, but she quickly regained her composure and went straight to the mat on the floor to kneel.
However, her position was not facing directly towards Clarissa Stanton’s tablet but towards Luna Monroe and the Monroe ancestors.
Neither the old madam nor Stella noticed this detail, just seeing Sumr kneel made them feel a bit better.
At that mont, footsteps sounded from outside the mourning hall.
It was Henry Stanton and that Daoist.
"Master, it’s here, please co in." Henry Stanton gestured politely, allowing the Daoist to enter first.
Sumr turned her head and saw the Master dressed in a black and yellow Daoist robe, with a long grizzled beard. He seed almost a hundred years old, but his vitality was still very strong, his eyes sharp, and his posture upright, truly exuding the aura of an old Daoist sage.
It’s hard to describe such a temperant, but inexplicably, Sumr felt a surge of respect for this Daoist.
Even Sumr, an atheist, felt this way, much less Old Madam Stanton whose eyes lit up.
In their circle, such a person could be classified as a "Demi Immortal," ranked even higher than a "Spiritual Lady."
The old madam imdiately stood up, went to greet the Daoist, and said, "Master, how should we address you?"
The Daoist replied calmly, "I am known as Jonah."
"So it is Master Jonah!" Old Madam Stanton bead, "Master Jonah, please co in."
Jonah nodded slightly, stepping into the mourning hall.
Henry Stanton followed closely, saying, "Thank you, Master, for conducting a ritual for my ill-fated daughter. I’ve heard... when elders send off the young, it’s best not to be present during the ritual, is that true?"
Jonah shook his head, "No, you can just stand by and watch, the ritual will be completed quickly."
"Alright, alright." Henry Stanton nodded repeatedly and didn’t forget to ask, "My wife just found out she’s pregnant today, when you have a mont, could you foresee for us the child in her womb?"
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