I Steal the Ancestors' Sacrifices to Nourish Myself-Chapter 21: Sharpening Talismans at the Last Minute

Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Sharpening Talismans at the Last Minute

Shen Can was awakened from his sleep.

Huo Chang stood in the Ancestral Temple, reeking of medicinal soup, his face extremely grave.

"Plague insects that can possess bodies."

"The whole tribe is silent, like walking corpses."

Hearing Huo Chang’s description made Shen Can’s scalp tingle.

Wasn’t the epidemic over?

The millet seedlings at the foot of the mountain had turned green.

A scene full of vitality, how is it not over yet?

"Where is the Fushan Tribe?"

Shen Can combed through the map and finally found the tribe’s location.

The area where the Blazing Flame Tribe was founded lies on the outer southern side of the Giant Mountain Range.

Don’t be misled by the term "outer," it’s still all mountainous terrain.

The mountains outside the Giant Mountain are continuous, with small relatively flat areas in between.

Looking around, it resembles the sprawling landscape of a vast mountain range.

The nearby tribes couldn’t get clear on the extent of the Giant Mountain Range, because the mountains are grand and towering, stretching east and west, hence called Giant Mountain.

Along the east-west line of the Giant Mountain Range, there are many tribes like the Blazing Flame.

The Fushan Tribe is three hundred miles northeast of the Blazing Flame Tribe, deeper into the Giant Mountain Range.

"According to the tribal records, some plague insects can directly control wild beasts, but I’ve never heard of them controlling humans."

Huo Xian smiled wryly, "Could it be that a powerful wild beast died in the Giant Mountain Range, otherwise how could such plague insects be nurtured?"

Three hundred miles isn’t really far; even without wings, once they emerge, sooner or later they will arrive at the Blazing Flame Tribe.

At this point, Huo Chang spoke, "I sent Huo Shan to check on surrounding tribes after the heavy rain stopped, and at that time, the Fushan Tribe was still normal.

No one was collecting waterlogged corpses deep in the mountains; the plague insects likely came from the mountains."

Huo Xian remained silent and began rummaging through the tribal records, hoping to find some insight.

But the tribe’s impoverishment was evident at critical moments.

After checking, Huo Xian spoke disappointedly, "No detailed records, only notes about plague insects that control wild beasts."

"Then let’s dig a wide trench outside the tribe, pour beast oil into it, trap them and then set the beast oil on fire to cleanse everything."

Huo Xian offered his suggestion.

Digging pits to create traps is also a common hunting method.

"Old Clan Uncle, how much plague medicine is left in the tribe?"

Huo Xian answered without hesitation, "Enough for six months."

Hearing that the medicine was sufficient, Huo Chang’s heart eased slightly.

At this moment, Shen Can spoke, "Clan leader, if the Fushan Tribe is truly infested by plague insects, then it’s not just our tribe’s problem."

In Shen Can’s view, in such a situation, it’s best for everyone to unite.

But to Huo Chang, the likelihood of various tribes uniting is low.

Even though tribal strength has increased considerably now, he still favors tribal self-preservation.

Uniting others, not to mention lacking absolute strength, even if united, it’s hard to achieve solidarity.

As for seeking help from the Upper Huang Division, perhaps the Upper Huang Division would wish for various tribes to be harmed.

Seeing this, Shen Can did not argue further; the clan leader was tasked with blocking the possessing plague insects, while his task was to ensure the survival of the tribe members as much as possible.

Protecting the tribe also means protecting himself.

Not long after, Huo Chang hurried off to organize the tribe members.

Shen Can followed Huo Xian and began to busy himself.

Batch after batch of witch medicine was prepared, placed in the wooden frames beside them for use.

While working, Shen Can’s thoughts began to drift.

He now was indeed a proper wizard, though still unranked, but at least he had mastered witchcraft.

To deal with plague insects, witch medicine was only preventative; witchcraft was the means to eliminate plague insects.

There were only a few words in the tribal records, and in Shen Can’s view, the fewer the words, the bigger the issue; he needed to think of a solution urgently.

Blazing Flame is his home; if his home is gone, where can he go with his current strength?

Leave Blazing Flame and become an Ancestral Temple Keeper in another tribe?

Don’t kid yourself; in another tribe, you think you can be accepted?

Even though they are all of the Human Race, in many tribes’ eyes, people from other tribes are actually slaves and offerings.

Once you arrive, people may indeed be gleeful, next they’ll cherish you.

But in reality, your value is lesser than that of women and children. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

With his physique and talent not being ideal, he probably doesn’t even qualify as a sacrificial offering.

[Inference and Deduction Witchcraft for Treating Epidemics]

While working, Shen Can began deducing.

[Though you are an unranked wizard, you have studied witchcraft for over a thousand years, understanding that the crucial element of witchcraft is capturing that ray of spiritual light.]

[You dare to think and act, boiling witch medicine and mixing it with beast blood to create ink; using the Witch Rune within the Lingyu Water Control Technique as the skeleton, thus fusing it into a practical witch talisman]

[You spent three years drawing talismans, all failed.

Persistent people never lose heart.

Starting with the materials carrying the witch talisman, over seven years you discovered the Mountain-Splitting Kui Hide is the best carrier.]

Time and again, you adhered to your own ideas, attempting to merge the mysterious spiritual light and witch medicine in the witch runes.

Time and again, failing and trying, you finally fused a witch rune and witch medicine ink into one.

This witch talisman, upon its formation, instantly flashed a red light, and a surge of medicinal qi emerged and quickly retracted.

At this moment, you finally realized that a hundred years had passed.

Congratulations, you have deduced your first witch talisman: Witch Plague Dispersal Talisman.

...

In the earthen hole, Huo Xian looked at the dazed Shen Can, got up, and draped him with a hemp robe.

"Clang!"

Suddenly, Shen Can’s hand shook, and the herbs he was holding scattered.

Just as Huo Xian was about to speak, he saw Shen Can quickly get up and walk out, bringing back his own clay bowl and blood vase.

"Acan, what are you doing?"

"Master, I suddenly had a spiritual insight."

Shen Can poured a prepared witch medicine into the clay bowl, and started cooking it over the stove.

Under the suspicious gaze of Huo Xian, the boiling medicinal soup was mixed with beast blood ink, and then he brought a piece of Kui hide from outside, and started writing with the medicinal ink.

"This..."

Huo Xian was a bit dumbfounded.

Actually, Shen Can’s current behavior, he had done it too before.

Everyone has been young, with many ideas when young, doing things without thinking twice.

Looking back now, it was about forty years ago, back when he was studying witch doctor skill with the previous Ancestral Temple Keeper.

At that time, he thought if witch talismans were to be written out, why couldn’t he try it?

What if he was a genius?

He tried.

The result was negative.

The talent point was in making medicine balls.

Huo Xian didn’t disturb Shen Can, even his actions of configuring herbs were lighter.

Shen Can finished writing the witch rune and lifted his pen, a fragrance of medicine released from the written words.

"Master, take a look?"

Huo Xian glanced at it, feeling quite mysterious.

Could it be Acan truly has a talent for the talisman Dao?

"You try it, elder?" Shen Can handed the pen to Huo Xian.

Seeing Shen Can’s eager eyes, Huo Xian grasped the pen and started writing.

Ink mixed with witch medicine and beast blood, whoever writes releases the scent of medicine and the raw smell of desolate beast blood.

But to write something magical, it’s about the person.

Huo Xian raised the pen and sketched, found the scent was there, but compared with what Shen Can sketched, the shape was similar, yet it lacked a lot of the spiritual charm.

The aura was truly akin to his medicine balls.

"Old, old."

Huo Xian set down the pen, "Looks like Acan’s talent on the witchcraft path is beyond my imagination."

Though the old man didn’t recognize what it was, he felt it had a real spiritual charm, and it might truly be effective.

"Blessings of the ancestors."

Shen Can could tell that Huo Xian didn’t truly believe in the power of the witch talisman, yet he encouraged him.

Thinking about it, you just draw a random talisman and claim it’s real, who would believe?

The tribe has no inheritance in this aspect.

Could it be the ancestors appeared in spirit to bestow knowledge upon you?

Shen Can went out and chose a well-graded piece of Mountain-Splitting Kui hide, cut it into pieces with a knife, and dipped it in the prepared medicinal ink to paint Witch Plague Dispersal Talismans.

Watching Shen Can’s actions, Huo Xian didn’t stop him; he felt Shen Can’s witch talisman was similar to medicine balls.

Making medicine balls is just configuring medicine; he could complete it even without Shen Can’s help. Shen Can has ideas, and he was reluctant to discourage him.

The earthen hole settled into silence, occasionally interrupted by the crackling sound of burning lamp wicks.

After drawing five in a row, Shen Can felt a wave of dizziness emerging, he put down the pen and rubbed his head.

He realized it was likely due to intense mental exhaustion.

"If tired, just go rest; medicine isn’t something that can be completed in a day."

...

Several days later.

Shen Can received more definitive news.

The Fushan Division, entirely gone.

Huo Shan found over a dozen desolate beast skeletons in the tribe.

They came from the Giant Mountain Range, and along the way, the rotting flesh corroded the soil and stones, leaving traces of putrid odor.

As for why the Fushan Tribe wasn’t aware, no one knows anymore.

The plague insects gnawed the desolate beasts dry, turning the entire Fushan Division into a new breeding ground.

After some nurturing, the attached plague insects split from the Fushan Division into several pathways to travel, among them one heading towards the Blazing Flame Tribe.