My Antique Mirror Is A Portal To Another World-Chapter 567: The Shaman
Lying on his hard bed, Feng Xiyan opened his eyes. He swiftly put on his clothes and armor, grabbed his black sword from the weapon rack, and headed straight for the wall.
Along the way, he encountered Wu Ruizhan and the others. After exchanging nods, Feng Xiyan continued toward the wall, the rest following closely behind.
By the time they reached the garrison wall, the soldiers were already fully prepared for battle.
Seeing Feng Xiyan arrive, the soldier who had first spotted the fire in the distance clasped his fists. "This subordinate greets the Great General."
"What happened?" Feng Xiyan asked.
"Reporting to the Great General. About a quarter of a shichen ago, this subordinate noticed flickering lights in the distance. After observing them, we confirmed they were torches and immediately sounded the war drum."
After listening to the report, Feng Xiyan calmly issued an order. "Turn on the spotlights."
"Yes, Great General."
Following his command, the soldiers activated the spotlights. Instantly, bright beams of light cut through the darkness, illuminating the surroundings and startling the approaching figures into an abrupt halt.
With the help of the spotlights, Feng Xiyan and the others could clearly see the people below.
The moment Tuluo Cheng’s sight fell on their clothing, the color drained from his face, and he staggered backward.
"Be careful!" Zhan Qi quickly caught him before he could fall.
After Tuluo Cheng steadied himself, Zhan Qi looked at his ashen face and asked in surprise, "Military Advisor Tuluo, are you alright?"
Looking at him, Feng Xiyan asked, "Military Advisor Tuluo, are you—?"
But when he saw the flicker of fear in Tuluo Cheng’s eyes, Feng Xiyan’s words caught in his throat. He turned his gaze toward the figures below, clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth.
"The Dizhu Tribe... They are finally here," he said coldly.
Hearing this, Zhan Qi was stunned and hurriedly looked down.
Noticing their tense expressions, Wu Ruizhan asked, "Great General, do you recognize those people down there?"
Knowing that the newly joined generals were unaware of what had happened at the Yurong Border Pass Garrison before his arrival, Feng Xiyan explained, "Yes. They are members of the Dizhu Tribe."
He paused for a second, then added. "I believe General Wu noticed the bloodstains along the road when you came here."
Wu Ruizhan nodded in response to his words.
Feng Xiyan continued, "Those bloodstains were caused by the Dizhu Tribe."
Hearing this, Wu Ruizhan pondered briefly before asking, "Great General, are you saying... those people defeated the thousands of soldiers stationed here with only a few hundred people?"
Feng Xiyan nodded. "That’s right. Not only did they defeat the soldiers guarding the Yurong Border Pass, but they also slaughtered the common people living in the garrison city. These members of the Dizhu Tribe are more terrifying than demons."
Hearing such words from Feng Xiyan left Wu Ruizhan stunned for a while.
He stared at the figures below, observing them carefully. A brief moment later, Wu Ruizhan noticed that the necklaces around their necks were strung with human skulls and bones.
His eyes flickered coldly as he calmly said, "Those people... they are cannibals."
"That’s right," Feng Xiyan confirmed Wu Ruizhan’s guess.
Standing behind them, the other generals, aside from Zhan Qi and Tuluo Cheng, were visibly shocked by this revelation.
Although the Jin Empire was not as wealthy as the Zhou Empire, the generals had never seen people who lived by eating human flesh. Therefore, when Wu Ruizhan uttered these words, the generals all felt fear from the depths of their hearts.
While the generals looked at the Dizhu Tribe in horror, the tribe members below were conversing among themselves.
Speaking in their tribal tongue, the tribe leader called out, "Shaman, come forward."
At his command, the crowd parted, opening a path down the center.
As the crowd parted, an old woman dressed in animal hides bound with colorful cloth stepped out slowly. In her hand was a staff adorned with human skulls and bells.
Cring~! Cring~! Cring~!
With each step she took, the crisp chime of bells echoed through the surrounding silence, turning the eerie atmosphere colder.
Stopping beside the tribe leader, the shaman placed a hand over her chest and bowed slightly. "Tribe Leader."
The tribe leader pointed toward the spotlights hung on the wall and asked, "Those things. Shaman, have you ever seen them before?"
The shaman lifted her gaze and studied the bright lights carefully. After a moment of silence, she replied, "Tribe Leader, I have never seen such objects before."
Hearing this, the tribe leader looked at her in surprise. "There are still things in this world that even you have never seen."
The shaman nodded, and the tribe leader fell into deep thought.
Just as the shaman assumed he had no further questions, the tribe leader spoke again. "Shaman, find out what those things are—and see if we can get food here tonight."
"Yes, Tribe Leader."
After receiving the order, the surrounding tribe members stepped back, clearing a wide space for the shaman.
Standing at the center of the open field, the shaman raised her hands and muttered an incantation under her breath. With her eyes closed, her body began to tremble. When she finished reciting the incantation, she slammed her wooden cane against the ground.
The moment the cane struck the earth, spiritual energy erupted from the wooden cane.
Boom!
As the surge of energy blasted dust into the air, the shaman began her ritual. Waving her cane and striking the ground at intervals, she moved in a slow circle while dancing.
Cring~! Cring~! Cring~!
Thud!
Cring~! Cring~! Cring~!
Thud! Thud!
As the crisp chime of bells and the heavy thudding sounds filled the air, the members of the Dizhu Tribe knelt to the ground at once.
Before long, thunderclouds began to gather above the Yurong Border Pass.
Standing on top of the high wall, Feng Xiyan and the others noticed the change.
"Are they summoning rain?" Zhan Qi asked, doubtful.
