The Shanghuang Tribe Comes Again

As the tribe's Temple Guardian and successor Witch Doctor, and with the plague appearing now, what Shen Can said was...

Of course, it was "You're sick, so you're sick."

"Yes, it's you who's infected."

"You need to be quarantined."

The tribesmen didn't suspect anything.

In the following days, Shen Can, while patrolling the tribe, carefully examined and quarantined members whose spirits appeared somewhat listless.

He also quarantined their immediate neighbors along with them.

Within just a few days, the number of tribesmen 'infected' by the plague exceeded three hundred.

And the number was still trending upwards.

This was something the tribal chief, Huo Tang, had instructed him to do.

With the number of plague-infected tribesmen increasing so rapidly, the remaining tribesmen naturally became anxious, but Shen Can was still carrying out his task.

He had previously read the tribe's records concerning this plague, and this was nothing compared to that.

According to Huo Tang's instructions, the damage caused by this plague should at least not be much worse than before.

Shen Can followed the chief's orders without any issues.

After a few more days, the number of tribesmen quarantined by Shen Can reached nearly five hundred, almost a quarter of the tribe's total population.

He wasn't idle while rounding people up for quarantine.

After fumigating the vacated caves with witch medicine, he distributed them to the remaining tribesmen to live in, alleviating the overcrowding within the caves.

Next, Shen Can planned to randomly select a few 'infected' individuals every few days to complete the task assigned by the chief.

Glancing at the tribal chief still on the mountaintop, he headed towards the Ancestral Temple.

On the mountaintop, Huo Tang was very satisfied with the scale of the quarantined tribesmen.

He understood instantly; the younger generation of the tribe was quite sharp.

"Pity..." Huo Tang sighed.

Such a bright child had such poor Martial Arts talent. His physique was too weak. Even after practicing the Kui Ox Fist for so long, he was still so frail.

Even with the improved fist techniques, he didn't know if he could become a martial artist.

Being the Temple Guardian was fine. Uncle Huo Xian said he had some talent in Witch Doctoring, and staying in the tribe would allow him to live a stable life.

The reason he called him 'bright' was because when he had mentioned it a few days ago, A-Can had understood his intentions immediately and carried them out diligently, treating the quarantined tribesmen as if they were genuinely infected by the plague.

If he had told those stubborn individuals in the tribe, they would have surely argued with him, protesting if he suggested having more plague-infected tribesmen.

It couldn't be helped. If the effects were too good, other tribes... forget it, if he said it plainly, the Shanghuang Tribe would come to steal.

He worried that Huangshi was still lurking nearby, searching for fragments of the Iron Wood Boat.

"A-Can, come eat."

Returning to the Ancestral Temple, Huo Xian had already cooked the meal.

He hadn't expected Shen Can, after only a few months with him, to be able to handle things independently.

His progress was a bit fast, but he was doing a great job.

After eating, Shen Can returned to his residence and began practicing the Kui Ox Fist. Although he was busy taking care of the tribesmen, his cultivation hadn't fallen much.

After practicing his fist techniques, he lay down on the stone bed.

[Deduce Witchcraft Spell]

This wasn't his first time attempting deduction. He had started having this idea after his Lifespan exceeded a thousand years.

However, the results hadn't been very good.

Inside the small three-legged cauldron, a phantom sat in meditation.

[You spent three years meditating]

[There isn't a single grain of rice in your palm, yet you wish to cook a pot of rice for everyone. Are you trying to get something for nothing, brother?]

[You've been fishing for three years without bait, and you still want the fish? At least throw in some rice.**]

[Invest one hundred years, continue deduction]

[...]

[Deduction failed. You don't understand Witchcraft Spells at all. Returning ninety years of Lifespan.**]

[A rootless tree trying to reach the sky, speaking of seasons with empty words. Please, stop deducing.**]

Shen Can, opening his eyes, spat. This wasn't the first time the sacrificial cauldron had been so sharp-tongued.

He truly didn't know what Witchcraft Spells were. Imagining them out of thin air was completely useless, just as he couldn't imagine how emperors slept in their wine pools and meat forests, with their three palaces and six courtyards, whether they all slept in one big bed.

He looked at mountains, rivers, and the sun, but the mountains were just mountains, the rivers were just rivers; he couldn't comprehend any secret techniques.

"It seems I still need to find some incomplete rubbings, even just a single character or symbol would be fine."

Shen Can pondered for a moment before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

He decided not to think about it for now. He'd search slowly after the plague passed. Ji Ding's words were spot on; if he didn't understand any witchcraft spells, it was like fishing in a place with no fish.

If there were a pile of witchcraft spells in front of him, he could study them however he pleased.

He hadn't reached the point where he could create something out of nothing yet.

Just then, he suddenly opened his eyes.

[Deducing witchcraft spells through the path of Witch Doctors]

[...Deduction failed, Lifespan reverted]

Shen Can flipped over and went straight to sleep. He had his limits.

Unable to conjure witchcraft spells from thin air, Shen Can had no choice but to diligently work as a Witch Doctor.

The improved witch medicine formulas were very effective. Most of the tribesmen who truly had symptoms stabilized their conditions with the help of the medicinal soup, medicinal baths, and medicinal fumigation.

Only the very elderly tribesmen couldn't make it through.

The deceased elderly tribesmen were cremated directly in the cave, and their residences were thoroughly burned by the fierce flames.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

The Ancestral Temple gained over thirty new divine seats.

After the new divine seats appeared, some of the divine seats on the main altar were moved to the side tables of the secondary altar.

On the Blazing Flame Tribe's main altar, besides the divine seat with no characters and the ancestors from when the tribe was founded, even the tribal chief would be moved to the secondary altar over time.

As for more elaborate sacrificial rules, they had not yet appeared in the Blazing Flame Tribe.

During this month, Shen Can had not given up on deducing witchcraft spells. He stubbornly held onto the tribe's Witch Doctor heritage as a starting point.

Both Witch Doctors and witchcraft spells had the character "witch" in them; he refused to believe he couldn't deduce anything.

He tried repeatedly and failed repeatedly.

One day, Shen Can emerged from the isolation cave. Beast roars echoed from afar again. He squinted and looked.

It was the same guy from last time.

Riding a tall, great Mountain-Cleaving Kui, he rumbled towards the tribal territory.

Huo Tang went to meet him from a distance.

"If the Shanghuang Tribe intends to attack my tribe during the plague, don't blame me for fighting to the bitter end."

Huo Tang's gaze was sharp as he blocked Huo Xian.

Huo Xian, riding the Mountain-Cleaving Kui, had been observing the Blazing Flame Tribe since he arrived from afar, particularly casting several glances towards the small mountain where the isolation cave was located.

He understood that the common folk were infected, and the losses would be significant if he were to annex them.

"The Blazing Flame Tribe is quite lucky to have avoided a plague tide."

"We are fortunate to have the blessings of our ancestors," Huo Tang replied indifferently, his vigilance still evident on his face.

"Huo Tang, don't be so tense. We all make a living in the surrounding mountains and wilds. My Shanghuang Tribe is not the kind to take advantage of others' misfortune."

Regardless of whether Huo Tang believed him, Huo Xian continued, "I've come about the same matter as last time. Has your Blazing Flame Tribe truly not obtained any fragments of the Iron Wood Boat?"

"Didn't you already inspect it last time? Do you want to inspect it again?"

"The floodwaters have long receded, and vegetation is already sprouting in the mountains. It looks like the plague is nearing its end, and the various tribes will soon resume hunting and farming."

Huo Xian didn't dismount from his mount as he spoke. "It doesn't matter if the Blazing Flame Tribe found any Iron Wood Boat fragments during the previous mountain flood.

Going forward, if you find fragments while hunting outside, you can still come to my Shanghuang Tribe to exchange them.

Huo Tang, I'm here to inform you that if your tribe finds any fragments and hides them, and my Shanghuang Tribe finds out, don't blame us for being impolite.

The Iron Wood Boat is something my Shanghuang Tribe must obtain. Anyone who hides it will face our displeasure, regardless of past relations.

Can your Blazing Flame Tribe afford to lose a Celestial Meridian Realm martial artist?"

"Farewell!"

With that, he controlled his mount, the Mountain-Cleaving Kui, and departed.

Shen Can watched the Shanghuang Tribe martial artist depart. He didn't hear any talk of beneficial exchanges in the visitor's tone.

Instead, it was more like coercion and arrogance.

So you have a mount, does that make you special? I'll stab you to death sooner or later.

"Broken boat!"

At this moment, Shen Can also suddenly realized that the Shanghuang Tribe guy's return had reminded him.

He remembered that when the fragments were collected, they were engraved with beast patterns.

Did the boat, made of third-tier Iron Wood, have anything related to witchcraft spells left on it?