Ancestral Grounds

Only when night fell again did they have to stop and rest. With the Ancestral Grounds just ahead, everyone felt much more at ease.

Only Long'er's mother felt no relief at all, nor did she dare lower her guard. She called over Shitou's mother, who had just finished clearing their tracks at the rear of the group, and asked about the situation behind them.

"We cleared away all our tracks and climbed up high to look around. We didn't spot any movement," Shitou's mother said, panting heavily.

Only then did Long'er's mother feel a little reassured. As she told everyone to rest, she still reminded them not to make any noise.

Clearly, she was still treading carefully, hoping to keep them a little safer, not daring to be careless in the slightest. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they collapsed onto the ground and fell asleep without needing to be told.

Long'er led the other children in taking turns keeping watch over the camp and listening for movement nearby.

Fortunately, they made it through another anxious night without incident. At the first faint light of dawn, everyone set off again at Long'er's mother's urging.

They walked and stopped, walked and stopped. After their desperate flight for their lives, the women had exhausted all their strength.

It was evening before they finally reached the vicinity of the Ancestral Grounds, utterly worn out. They could only stop again and rest for another night.

The night passed uneventfully, and dawn came again in the blink of an eye. Everyone woke of their own accord, and the group continued slowly onward.

When they reached the mouth of the valley, they were all dumbfounded. A vast expanse of tangled thorn bushes barred the way, leaving them no way inside.

Long'er's mother took out the map and checked it over and over. After confirming they were in the right place, she could only keep shaking her head. How were they supposed to get in? They had reached the Ancestral Grounds, yet there was no way to enter.

Everyone grew frantic. Long'er's mother could only tell them to rest first while she tried to think of a way.

Once again, Long'er stepped forward and volunteered. "Mother, give us the Dagger. We're small, so it'll be easier for us to get in. We'll clear a path inside for everyone. The grown-ups are all tired. It's better for us to do this."

Long'er's mother could only nod helplessly and agree to their plan. She told them to be very careful; if they could not get through, they would find another way.

Long'er answered and took the other children with him, dividing them into groups as before. When those in front grew tired, the next group took over, and so on.

At first, they made good progress, advancing several meters in one go, but they moved more and more slowly after that. The women who had rested also crawled in to help clear away weeds and open up the path.

Only as the sky began to darken did they finally clear the narrow path inside.

Long'er and the other children had numerous bloody scratches on their hands, feet, and faces, yet not one of them cried out in pain. Tears filled the adults' eyes at the sight, but they had no time to fuss over the children.

They hurriedly used vines to drag the wounded inside one by one, while the adults who could still move crawled in themselves.

Shitou's mother and the few others bringing up the rear hurried to fill the gaps with branches. As they crawled along, they replaced branches behind them all the way.

Only then did everyone grope through the darkness and find a cave. They all settled inside, gathered some dry branches, and lit a fire.

Everyone was utterly exhausted. After hastily eating some dry rations, they fell asleep. Long'er's mother still reminded the children to keep watch through the night.

They had now reached the Ancestral Grounds, but with their safety still uncertain, Long'er's mother could not rest easy.

There was a fire that night. After spending the whole journey gripped by fear, no one had spared a thought for whether they were cold or warm. Only now, with a fire burning, did they feel its warmth, and the adults all slept peacefully.

Only the few children on watch remained at the cave entrance, guarding it even as they nodded off.

They slept until daybreak, then got up to inspect their surroundings. Apart from the few gravely wounded men who could not rise, they discovered that two women had not woken.

The immobile men and the younger children needed care. Someone went over and gave the women a push, only to find that they did not respond at all.

Long'er's mother also realized something was wrong. She went over and touched one of the women, finding her body already ice-cold. Tears instantly spilled from her eyes. We made it to the Ancestral Grounds, yet you couldn't hold on.

Everyone wept. Those women had forced themselves to keep going and carried the men all the way here. Yet they themselves had been too exhausted to hold on, falling into an eternal sleep from which they would never wake.

How could anyone bear it? When they had come inside the night before, everyone had still been fine.

Long'er's mother had even counted everyone more than once, yet by morning, those two women were gone. Far too many people had given their precious lives for this Lineage.