I Steal the Ancestors' Sacrifices to Nourish Myself-Chapter 30 - 1: The Origins of Witchcraft and Ideas for Reform
After sending the Clan Leader away, Shen Can heaved a sigh of relief.
As an Ancestral Temple Keeper, why not enjoy a large share and hide in the ancestral temple as an elder, instead of dealing with the exhausting duties of a clan leader?
It’s just that there hasn’t been a sacrifice for the ancestors lately.
It’s not that people don’t respect the ancestors, but frankly even the tribes in the wilderness have been emptied, and wild beasts are even less conceivable.
The plague insects treat humans and beasts equally.
"Acan, you don’t want to be the Clan Leader?"
Shen Can got up, walked to the fire pit, and poured a bowl of medicine for Huo Xian.
"Master, what’s good about being the Clan Leader? Just look at Uncle Huo Chang, he’s exhausted. I’d rather help him from behind the scenes."
After the plague, Huo Xian’s health deteriorated, and he often coughed.
"Atang is indeed quite exhausted." Huo Xian nodded, "This plague has drained him too, though he did not show it in front of the clan members."
Not to mention Huo Chang, Huo Xian himself, who has lived for decades, was also terrified by this plague.
Having never experienced it before, and with no inherited experience to follow, he spent the days anxiously, praying countless times to the ancestors for protection.
Watching Huo Xian finish his medicine and fall asleep, Shen Can held the beast hide scrolls and returned to his own cave.
There were too many beast hide scrolls sent back by Huo Shan, and he needed to go through them one by one. He had already perused over half but hadn’t found any descriptions related to witchcraft.
Shen Can wasn’t disappointed, as he had discussed it with Huo Xian.
The Blazing Flame Tribe and nearby divisions were essentially remnants and wild men banding together.
Much like the present flood and plague, nearby divisions were decimated.
The surviving inhabitants would congregate post-plague, forming new tribes that would reclaim this vacant territory.
The emergence of the Blazing Flame Tribe three hundred years ago might have been very similar to this scenario.
Such tribes lack depth; even if they manage to persist for another three hundred years, survival would only be borderline possible.
Scroll after scroll of beast hide passed in front of Shen Can.
Near dawn, Shen Can grabbed a similarly dull and hairless remnant scroll, his eyes lit up, and he finally found it.
Although not witchcraft, it recorded related things.
Witchcraft and martial dao both originated from wild beasts, particularly powerful exotic wild beasts.
Exotic wild beasts possess miraculous powers, similar to the Plague Bird that had been vanquished earlier, whose body emitted a pale light capable of dispersing the force of thrown spears. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
These miracles seem to be related to certain mysteries of heaven and earth.
Human Race predecessors, through contemplating exotic wild beasts and adding the mysteries of heaven and earth, might more accurately have depicted these naturally existing ’Witch Runes’ in the form of characters rather than creating them.
Witch Runes are the basic characters that can form various witchcraft spells.
Additionally, the inheritance of witchcraft is somewhat different from what Shen Can previously imagined.
Unlike the martial dao’s Kui Ox Fist, which could be practiced by many tribes due to diverse exotic wild beasts being observed, different tribes have considerable secrecy in the witchcraft they inherit.
More akin to historical novels from the Eastern Han Dynasty, where families like Runan Yuan Clan passed down the ’Meng Family’s Yi’ and mastered the ’Minister’s Records,’ while Hongnong Yang Clan was proficient in ’Minister Ouyang’s Books.’
Similarly, in the present Great Wilderness, using the Lingyu Tribe as an example, they specialize in the ’Lingyu Water Control Book,’ while unknown large tribes might be masters of the ’Kui Ox Thunder Control Book.’
While there might be overlapping witchcraft inheritance among major tribes, each tribe has its fundamental witchcraft path essential for its formation.
The foundation on which a tribe is established guarantees the tribe’s inheritance for millennia, naturally not easily divulged.
They continue to explore, refine, and supplement, gradually enhancing the power of witchcraft.
No wonder smaller tribes have little exposure to witchcraft.
After storing away the beast hide scroll, Shen Can stretched out.
The cultivation of the witchcraft path is indeed arduous; smaller tribes generally have no access to the initial Witch Runes, and even if accessed, there’s no one to guide them in literacy.
The inheritance obstacles are overwhelmingly restrictive.
What can be concluded now is that there should be a plethora of foundational Witch Talismans.
However, because he encountered the Lingyu Tribe’s Beast Pattern Map, and the Lingyu Tribe is familiar with water, the foundational Witch Runes he’s extrapolated are inclined towards the Water Element.
He has currently deduced eighteen foundational Witch Runes from the Lingyu Water Control Book, and it’s just a matter of time before he exhausts the Lingyu Tribe’s witchcraft path.
Having secured the beast hide scroll, Shen Can lay down on the stone bed.
Time for some rest.
...
While Shen Can entered dreamland, Huo Chang was still chewing his pen, with furrowed brows.
Regarding Shen Can’s insights, he harbored no resentment of a junior advising a senior; in the Great Wilderness, only the capable can lead others to survive.
If you’re capable, everyone will accept you.
Selecting a group of people from the tribe to concentrate on martial arts training is genuinely a good idea.
Now that Huo Shan brings resources from other tribes continually, he no longer wishes to act like a miser.
Previously, there was no alternative; one had to be frugal to avoid hunger during times of disaster.
With so many resources from various tribes, and a tribe of fewer than three thousand people, there’s enough to last for many years.
If not utilized and they end up like other tribes, with grain remaining but no people, the loss would be significant.
The clan members’ roster was right in front of him, with simplified portraits attached to the names.
Whether the portraits bore resemblance or not, at least the basic characteristics of each person were described to ensure identification.
"The elderly are out of the question."
Huo Chang pondered the selection criteria.
This plague has once again helped the Blazing Flame Tribe shed some burden by claiming many elderly tribe members.
"Women with babies can’t be selected."
"Huo Yaan..."
Upon seeing the name ’Huo Yaan’ recorded on the beast hide scroll, Huo Chang’s brows furrowed even more.
There were three people named Huo Yaan, aged seventeen, thirty-four, and fifty-three years—representing old, middle-aged, and young generations.
In the entire tribe, the probability of having duplicate names is quite high, as clan members usually name a newborn after whatever they saw nearby at the time of birth.
Being named ’Yaan’ is manageable, but there are more than a dozen named ’Shi,’ covering all generations.
In the tribe, having the same name is easy to manage—just call multiple times, but during emergency hunting expeditions, if someone shouts a duplicate name, it could be problematic.
Now, with the tribe possessing witchcraft, upgraded Kui Ox Fist, and abundant resources, it is poised to prosper.
The old rules, living without much concern, might need some alterations.
Huo Chang set down the pen, leaning back in the stone chair, contemplating deeply.
Change!
Change must occur.
After brief contemplation, he firmly decided.
Aside from this, Huo Chang also considered the chaotic bloodline within the tribe; after three hundred years, everyone was related.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have hurried Huo Shan to venture out before the plague ended, hoping to bring external people in before everyone succumbed.
The truth is, there are too many bachelors in the tribe, lacking external bloodline infusion; though occasionally wild men are included, over time, they become relatives too.
...
The next morning, Shen Can was practicing Kui Ox Fist when he noticed Huo Chang, again appearing with bloodshot eyes.
"Clan Leader, you haven’t slept again."
"Acan, I pondered all night yesterday; I feel that the tribe might be lagging behind and needs some changes."
"The Ancestral Temple may need to cooperate to reduce clan members’ resistance."
Hearing Huo Chang’s words, Shen Can paused.
It scared him a bit, thinking that after his midnight enlightenment, the Clan Leader had fallen back into brooding, but unexpectedly he brought change.
"Clan Leader, speak in detail."
"Change the names."
As the two returned to the cave and sat down, Shen Can listened to Huo Chang’s thoughts.
Huo Chang realized the duplicate names were causing confusion within the tribe.
The former indifference was due to living for survival.
This time the decision for change stems from the belief that the tribe has a foundation for expansion.
About to experience growth, the old ways would only be a hindrance.
Shen Can always knew that Huo Chang had visionary ideas as a Clan Leader.
Otherwise, upon discovering the Lingyu Tribe Ironwood Ship remnants he wouldn’t have immediately hidden them, nor secretly gathered beast blood to clandestinely advance the martial artists.
This all indicates that decades in the Clan Leader position have bestowed him with considerable experience.
Though these small ideas faced a flood of challenges during the subsequent plague.
In terms of ideas, Shen Can believes he has more than Huo Chang, capable of driving the tribe’s transformation from behind the scenes.
In Shen Can’s opinion, Huo Chang’s ideas for change were still somewhat minor; since a decision to change has been made, it should encompass all facets.
