Swallowed Star: Gender-Swapped and Cheating Across the Multiverse
Chapter 23

Great Demon-Subduing Fist

682 words2 min read0 views7d ago
Next

"The two combined are our 'Snow Mountain Survival Guide.' But most children today rely on weather forecasts and don't even know how to judge when snow will fall by observing the stars." Enzo stroked the Maasai Wool Blanket he carried with him, recalling his experience of using the "Big Dipper Migration Pattern" to find water and pasture on the grassland. "Perhaps we could turn the 'Snow Mountain Astral Pattern' into a 'Snow Mountain Astral Classroom'? Just as the Grassland Astral Pattern echoes the order of nomadic life, we could let everyone understand the Tyroleans' wisdom for surviving winter by observing the stars." The suggestion made Heinz's eyes light up, and the "Alpine Snow Mountain Astral Pattern Symbiosis Project" officially began through the fusion of experiences across civilizations: 1. Resonance between martial arts and snow mountain constellations: making patterns "echo the starry sky over the snow mountains." Lin Xiaowu gazed at the "Orion Constellation Pattern"-the spacing of its stars closely matched the "breath rhythm" of the "Heart-Cleansing Formula" in "A Deadly Secret," and also shared the "sense of order" of the Maasai "Astral Migration Steps." Combining it with the Tyroleans' traditional winter herding footwork, he devised the "Snow Mountain Constellation Steps": guided by the "Orion Constellation Pattern," the youngsters had to walk through the snow along the tracks formed by its closely and widely spaced stars. Each time they stepped over a "Snow Cave Pattern," they adjusted their breathing according to the "Heart-Cleansing Formula," while raising both hands to imitate the arrangement of the three stars in Orion's Belt, mimicking the Tyroleans' posture as they "observed the stars to determine when snow would come." Heinz added from beside them, "Our ancestors wove the 'Snow Mountain Astral Pattern' to tell future generations that 'the snow mountains and the starry sky are one.' Every step of this footwork follows the rhythm of the stars, safeguarding the balance of the winter pastures." Karen combined Great Zimbabwe's "Rock-Firm Fist" with the "Winter Herding Pattern" to choreograph the "Snow Mountain Herding Fist." He drew the "Cattle and Sheep Cold-Shelter Pattern" in the snow with a branch: when punching, they had to keep their arms parallel to the snow, imitating cattle and sheep curling up in snow caves to keep warm; when withdrawing their fists, they aimed at the center of the "Fodder Storage Pattern," symbolizing "protecting the source of life of the winter pastures," while he explained "the connection between winter herding and snow mountain ecology." Hans, a fourteen-year-old Tyrolean boy, had originally thought the Snow Mountain Astral Pattern was "too old-fashioned," but while practicing the "Snow Mountain Constellation Steps," he observed how the actual Orion overlapped with the pattern at night and suddenly understood: "So astral patterns aren't just decorations-they're the 'language' the Tyroleans use to 'record' the starry sky!" 2. Modern Expression of Snow Mountains and Craftsmanship: making patterns "tangible and perceptible." Soka and Marco brought innovations in craftsmanship across civilizations: they mixed red earth from the Maasai Grassland with natural mineral pigments from the Alps (white mica powder) to create the "Snow Mountain Astral Pattern Rubbing Kit"-one side was engraved with the "Orion Constellation Pattern" and "Winter Herding Pattern," while the other bore the Maasai "Big Dipper Migration Pattern" and the Maya "Ritual Calendar Pattern." The youngsters could use the rubbing kits to make rubbings on woolen fabric and, through the changes in the patterns under reflected light from the snow by day and starlight by night, observe "the common ground between the Snow Mountain Astral Pattern and the Grassland Astral Pattern" and understand "the unity of winter survival in the snow mountains and astronomical order." While making his rubbing, Hans deliberately overlapped the "Orion Constellation Pattern" with the Maasai "Big Dipper Migration Pattern." "The Alpine astral patterns record the order of the snow mountains, and the Maasai astral patterns record the order of the grasslands. So different civilizations are all recording 'the order of the starry sky'!" These rubbing kits were later made into "Snow Mountain Astral Toolkits," containing rubbing templates, simple star charts, and explanatory manuals with parallel German and Tyrolean dialect text,

End of Chapter
Prev
NovelSummaries
Next
How was this translation?

Explore the wiki

Comments