Cecilia Gu was stunned when she heard this and looked at Jason Cheung in surprise.
It was already strange enough that she looked exactly like Nora Yun, but now she even resembled Helen Yun, the legendary ancestor of the Yun Family?
Curious, Cecilia took the phone and stared at the picture. She was instantly taken aback.
Honestly, they really did look quite similar.
But the woman in the painting was dressed in a long red gown, her proud demeanor unmistakable, with an air of commanding the world that couldn't be ignored.
Since she had this free time, why not go check out the Han Ancestral Hall?
"She's an ancestor of the Yun Family," Jason replied simply. "Grandpa said that three hundred seventy years ago, Helen Yun—our benefactor—saved Yuanshan Village. Helen Yun agreed to marry a powerful prince, securing a century of peace for Yuanshan Village. Oh, my dad's coming over."
Jason quickly snatched the phone back and stuffed it into his pocket.
Cecilia was left stunned, unable to recover for a long moment.
How could it... be such a coincidence?
"Earlier, Jason told me that the woman in this painting was from when the Qing court entered the region and established rule. She agreed to marry a powerful prince in exchange for the safety of the five ethnic groups." Cecilia explained softly. "She was the young lady of the Yun Family—now considered the ancestor of the Yun Family, Helen Yun."
Every ancestral hall had a portrait of the Yun Family's ancestor. If there was no connection, that would be impossible!
These portraits were clearly very old, sealed inside glass frames to prevent oxidation.
When Cecilia found the portrait of the woman, she gazed at it intently.
She, Nora Yun, and the woman in the portrait all shared nearly identical features. Yet whether it was the woman in the painting or Nora Yun, both were once-in-a-century prodigies of the Yun Family.
The woman in the portrait seemed to come alive, her eyes sparkling, looking at Cecilia with deep emotion.
With that thought in mind, Cecilia immediately smiled and said, "Village Chief, you said I could visit the ancestral halls in the village. Were you joking about that?"
The Village Chief was taken aback. He hadn't expected a delicate young lady like Cecilia to be interested in the ancestral halls of Yuanshan Village.
"Most of the other ancestral halls are pretty much the same. But... every one of the six halls has this portrait hanging inside. It's really strange!" Charles Yin mused. "Who exactly was this woman? Looks like I'll have to go back to the Yun Family and ask Dad and Mom."
The woman in the portrait wore a striking red dress, her gaze dazzling and proud, as if she looked down upon the world. Clearly, she was a bold and formidable figure—only someone so untamed could win the heart of a prince who conquered the land on horseback.
But the Village Chief was mistaken—Cecilia hadn't always been a pampered young lady; she used to live at the very bottom.
Since Cecilia asked, the Village Chief couldn't refuse. He nodded and said, "I'll go notify the Han Clan Chief. Outsiders aren't allowed in the Ancestral Hall, so as for the people around Miss Gu..."
Cecilia nodded and said, "I understand, I'll go in by myself. I'm just a little curious."
Only then did the Village Chief relax and say, "Alright, I'll go make the arrangements."
The Village Chief made the arrangements quickly.
Or rather, the Six Founding Clans of Yuanshan Village seemed to hold a strange respect for Cecilia, which left her puzzled and curious.
That's why she really wanted to see the Ancestral Hall.
She couldn't shake the feeling that there was some secret hidden there.
In less than half an hour, the Village Chief had taken care of everything, and all the bystanders were ushered away.
Cecilia slowly stepped inside.
The ancestral halls of the six clans were all located together, with each ethnic group's hall having its own unique features.
The Han Family Hall was easy to recognize, since only the Han used Chinese characters; the other ethnic groups had their own scripts in addition to Chinese.
Cecilia stood at the entrance to the Ancestral Hall, leaving her bodyguards and assistant outside, and slowly walked through the main gate.
This Ancestral Hall had been standing for nearly four hundred years, not much younger than the Yun Family's own hall.
It really did have research value.
Every brick and tile here seemed to be telling Cecilia stories of their long history.
Once Cecilia entered, the main doors closed behind her.
The courtyard was spotless, clearly cleaned regularly.
Several trees in the yard were so thick it would take three people holding hands to encircle them.
Clear water trickled through the pond, and the flowers were in full bloom.
The little bridge looked fairly new, clearly built not long ago.
The Ancestral Hall had two courtyards in total.
The outer courtyard was spacious, with plenty of ornamental plants.
The inner courtyard was much smaller, and the main hall was filled with countless memorial tablets.
Only those who made major contributions to the family qualified to have their memorial tablet placed here.
As soon as Cecilia stepped inside, that strange sensation washed over her again.
How odd. That familiar feeling came rushing back.
What was going on here?
Cecilia didn't rush in. Instead, she took three sticks of incense from the table, lit them, bowed a few times, and placed them in the holder before she began to examine the layout of the Ancestral Hall.
The building was impressively tall—over ten meters high—and didn't feel oppressive at all.