Acan, Maybe You Should Be the Clan Leader (Asking for Follow-Through Reads)

The Blazing Flame Tribe was bustling with activity. The meat, grain, witch medicine, and animal hides brought back by Huo Shan and his group attracted the attention of the tribespeople.

However, in Shen Can's view, every time Huo Shan returned with supplies, it signified a dead silence outside the tribe, proving that the Blazing Flames were the sole survivors in this stretch of wilderness.

Oh, that wasn't quite right. Perhaps there were still a few scattered survivors who had managed to live through the plague.

While transporting the supplies, Huo Shan also took the opportunity to scout for signs of Plague Worms.

The parasitic Plague Worms were gone, and the winged Plague Worms were also gone, as if they had vanished into thin air.

This was just like the records within the tribe: the Plague Worms would disappear without a trace at a certain moment, as if they had been collected.

Of course, Shen Can speculated that it was also possible the Plague Worms had simply moved on, and the people of small tribes, unable to explore further, subconsciously felt they had disappeared instantly.

He stood outside the cave of the Ancestral Temple and looked down, not joining the commotion. He turned and walked into the adjacent cave.

Compared to the supplies Huo Shan brought back, the animal hide scrolls collected from various tribes were what he truly desired.

This cave, adjacent to the Ancestral Temple cave, had been converted into a library cave.

A strong scent of witch medicine permeated the cave. Although the plague had subsided, these animal hide scrolls had still been fumigated with burning witch medicine when they were brought to the tribe.

The same applied to the supplies Huo Shan brought back.

Inside the cave, Huo Xian's eyes never left the animal hide scrolls displayed on the shelves, filled with joy.

"Cough cough..."

"Master, you should rest."

Hearing the cough, Shen Can urged Huo Xian to leave again. Huo Xian didn't respond, clamped a scroll under his arm, and headed back.

The animal hide scrolls in the cave numbered over three thousand, and their numbers were still increasing as Huo Shan ventured out.

These scrolls, collected by the tribe, could be broadly categorized into medicinal recipes and medical experiences, maps, legends, steps for crafting weapons and armor, planting and land reclamation, and illustrated guides to medicinal herbs.

Although the categories seemed numerous, the content was actually quite scarce.

Many of the descriptions were unclear and disorganized, lacking coherence.

The so-called experiential accounts offered conflicting descriptions of the same events, making them difficult to believe.

However, it was still evident that despite their primitive ways, the various tribes were striving to survive, wanting to record their knowledge and pass it down to future generations as experience.

"Marquis sacrificed to the Great River at Mang, throwing ten thousand slaves into the great waters with jade gui..."

Shen Can held a smooth, hairless animal hide scroll. Although many of the characters were blurred, it had been preserved thanks to the durability of the hide.

Unfortunately, this was only a small portion of the hide.

He remembered that when he first entered the Ancestral Temple, his master had mentioned that humans had once offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, and to Disaster Beasts. This had happened a long time ago.

After all, the practice had shifted from sacrificing to heaven and earth to sacrificing to ancestors, indicating a considerable passage of time.

The material of the scrolls was from a second-tier beast hide, likely not from the era of sacrificing to heaven and earth. It was probably recorded by later generations, but it should still be quite old.

"Mang should be a place name. And 'Marquis,' does it mean a king or a noble?"

Shen Can mused, then placed the scroll back on the wooden shelf and proceeded to examine the remaining scrolls.

What he was looking for was information related to witchcraft.

These legendary tales were only entertaining for now.

While reviewing these hides, Shen Can also began organizing the content, categorizing it.

After the plague had passed, his main focus had shifted to this.

Within the tribe, the supplies brought back by Huo Shan were being stored.

At a high point in the southeast corner of the tribal city, Huo Tang, who had been sleeping soundly for several days, opened his eyes. Without getting up, he turned and looked down at the scene within the tribe.

His eyes were still bloodshot, and his expression showed no joy, even though the plague had passed and the tribespeople had reaped rewards.

To have led the tribe to survive the plague intact was a feat no less significant than that of the founding ancestors.

It was enough to be proud of.

Yet, Huo Tang's face held no trace of pride.

He gazed silently at the tribe, waiting until nightfall.

Huo Tang suddenly got up and walked straight into the Ancestral Temple.

Inside the Ancestral Temple.

Shen Can, by the lamplight, had over a dozen scrolls piled before him, still searching for what he wanted amidst the scattered hides.

Until Huo Tang's massive figure blocked the lamplight.

"A-Can, why don't you take over as tribal chief?"

Huo Tang's words startled Shen Can so much that he almost threw the scroll in his hand at Huo Tang's face.

Huo Xian, standing nearby, was also taken aback. He didn't seem to mind; he had no objections to A-Can becoming tribal chief.

Shen Can looked at Huo Tang's bloodshot, red eyes and his very serious demeanor, feeling a bit bewildered.

The plague disaster had passed, and the tribe was recovering. This should have been a cause for celebration.

What was he having a delusion about?

The plague had just passed, could this be another disaster?

Why is it happening again? Can't we have two peaceful days?

Becoming chieftain is impossible for me. It's too tiring. Isn't it better to hide behind and be an ancestor?

Seeing Huo Tang staring at him, Shen Can thought for a moment and said, "Chieftain, I truly have no intention of replacing you. Please stop testing me."

As it turned out, Shen Can had overthought things. His experience from his past life was useless here. Huo Tang genuinely wanted him to be the chieftain.

"A-Can, I truly feel old."

Watching Huo Tang plop down opposite him, Shen Can finally confirmed that the chieftain had gotten himself into a rut.

They say one gets into a rut after facing setbacks, but Huo Tang's situation seemed a bit off.

The tribe had emerged unscathed from the flood and plague disasters and was now consolidating resources from nearby tribes, showing clear signs of great prosperity.

At this time, he should be full of ambition, so why did Huo Tang look so dejected?

After a conversation, Shen Can finally understood why Huo Tang felt this way.

It turned out Huo Tang felt his abilities were insufficient to lead the tribe. If not for the improved witch medicine and witch runes, the Blazing Flame Tribe would likely have been wiped out during this plague.

As chieftain, he hadn't actually played a significant role.

Furthermore, Huo Tang felt his vision was lacking. For example, when the plague worms attached themselves to other tribes, he immediately dispatched tribesmen to scavenge for resources, which he considered short-sighted.

If the Huo Shan expedition party had encountered any danger, the tribe's majority combat strength would have been lost outside, dealing a severe blow to the tribe.

Huo Tang was simply scared in hindsight.

"Chieftain, we're not like the great Ling Yu tribe, living day by day. When there are benefits right in front of us, of course, we should seize them.

This isn't short-sightedness, it's practicality. Only after we've survived the disaster can we afford to think about long-term matters."

Shen Can was trying to guide Huo Tang.

Although Huo Tang was a Heavenly Meridian, this was the first time in the tribe's three hundred years of existence that they had encountered such a severe plague.

Who could have imagined that after the flood had passed for over a month, the plague worms, which seemed to have dispersed, would return in full force?

It was completely normal for Huo Tang to send people out to gather resources at that time. If it were Shen Can, he would have done the same.

If you have the first opportunity, why wouldn't you seize it, instead of waiting for everyone else to react and fight for it?

Who is a god to predict that the seemingly dispersed plague worms would turn back and deliver a surprise attack, causing plague miasma to fill the mountains and wilderness, making people afraid to venture out?

In the face of natural disasters, everyone is just a pawn.

No matter how far-sighted you are, you still have to face them passively.

"Chieftain, think about it. If you hadn't arranged for people to bring back witch medicine from several tribes, what would we have used to resist the plague worms' harassment for the next month, and how would we have treated our tribesmen?"

The arrangements during the plague were somewhat chaotic, but they ended up being fortuitous.

They boiled and burned bags of witch medicine every day. If they hadn't relocated from other tribes, they wouldn't have been able to hold on.

Now, it seems that if not for Huo Tang's arrangements, the tribe wouldn't have an additional five hundred or so women, at least enough to pair up the single men in the tribe.

And now, according to Huo Shan's reconnaissance, the areas near the tribe are almost completely deserted.

Listening to Shen Can's counsel, Huo Tang's expression finally relaxed considerably.

Seeing that Huo Tang still hadn't given up the idea of him becoming chieftain, Shen Can felt he needed to find something for Huo Tang to do.

As more and more resources were transported back from the annihilated tribes, they couldn't all be stored. If there's meat, it should be consumed.

Earlier, he had said he wanted everyone to eat meat heartily and had discussed it with Huo Tang.

At that time, he hadn't expected the subsequent plague to spread so severely. He had planned to cultivate while waiting for the tribe to clear out other tribes affected by the plague worms.

However, the entire tribe was then affected by the plague, and their food consumption naturally decreased.

Now that the plague had subsided, it was time to improve the overall martial arts level of the tribe under the current conditions.

He also wanted to pass down the Superior Kui Ox Fist.

"Chieftain, look at all the meat we have in the tribe. I was thinking, perhaps we could select a portion of the tribesmen, exempt them from tedious tasks like hunting and gathering, and have them focus on improving their martial arts for a period of time?"

The benefits from the Intermediate Kui Ox Fist and the neutralizing witch medicine had been exhausted. He planned to reignite them.

Shen Can's method was intensive training.

Of course, such a term didn't exist in the Great Wilderness. He described it to Huo Tang as concentrated martial arts cultivation.

"As for who to choose, the chieftain knows the tribe best. We need the chieftain to provide a specific list."

I've been working on the outline for the follow-up chapters these past two days, and I've been reading everyone's comments.

Earlier, a reader asked why I didn't deduce an insect-killing medicine. The main reason is that the author never thought about insect-killing medicine from the beginning.

As I get older, my brain capacity is limited, and when it comes to plot design, I sometimes really can't think of things. My perspective is often one-sided, and even if I try my best, I sometimes can't come up with ideas.