After a century of worship, I became the ancestor of the tribe.

Chapter 21 Last-Minute Talisman Preparation (Please continue reading)
Shen Can was woken up from his sleep.

Huo Tang stood inside the ancestral temple, reeking of medicinal soup, his face extremely solemn.

"Plague insects that can possess bodies."

"The entire tribe was silent, like walking corpses."

Hearing Huotang's description, Shen Can felt a chill run down his spine.

The plague is over now, isn't it?

The millet seedlings at the foot of the mountain have all turned green.

It's such a vibrant scene, how come it's still not over?

Where is the Fushan tribe?

Shen Can sifted through the map and finally found the location of the tribe.

The area where the Blazing Flame Tribe is located is situated on the southern outskirts of the Giant Mountain Range.

Although it is located on the outer edge of a mountain range, it is actually a mountainous landscape as well.

Outside of Juyue, mountains rise one after another, with relatively flat areas divided into small sections in between.

Looking out, it resembles a vast mountain range.

The nearby tribes had no idea how many miles the Juyue Mountain Range stretched; they simply called it Juyue because of its towering height and east-west orientation.

Along the east-west line of the Juyue Mountains, there are many tribes like the Zhiyan.

The Fushan tribe is located 300 li northeast of the Zhiyan tribe, and is deeper into the Juyue Mountains than the Zhiyan tribe.

"The clan records state that some plague insects can directly control wild beasts, but I've never heard of them controlling people."

Huo Xian smiled bitterly, "Could it be that a powerful wild beast died in the Giant Mountain Range? Otherwise, how could such a plague insect have been bred?"

Three hundred miles isn't really that far. Even without wings, once they break free, they'll eventually reach the Blazing Flame Tribe.

At this moment, Huotang spoke up, "When the heavy rain had just stopped, I sent Huoshan to check on the surrounding tribes. At that time, the Fushan tribe was still doing well."

"In the deep mountains, no one collects the drowned corpses; most of the plague insects come from the mountains."

Huo Xian remained silent, focusing solely on searching through the clan records, hoping to find some inspiration.

However, the tribe's poverty became apparent at a crucial moment.

After some investigation, Huo Xian said disappointedly, "There are no detailed records, only records of plague worms that control the movement of wild beasts."

“Then dig a wide trench outside the tribe, pour in animal oil, put it in a basket, light the oil, and burn it all down.”

Huo Xian offered his own advice.

Digging pits and making traps is also a common hunting tactic.

"Uncle, how many medicinal herbs for treating the plague are left in the clan?"

Without hesitation, Huo Xian replied, "Enough for half a year."

Hearing that the medicine was sufficient, Huotang felt a slight sense of relief.

At this moment, Shen Can spoke up, "Chieftain, if the Fushan tribe is truly infected by the plague, then it will not just be a matter for our tribe alone."

In Shen Can's view, the best solution in this situation is for everyone to unite.

However, Huotang believed that the possibility of the various departments uniting was slim.

Even though the tribe has become much stronger now, he still prefers the tribe to defend itself.

Even if they could unite with others, not to mention that they themselves lacked absolute strength, it would be difficult for them to work together with one heart.

As for seeking help from the Upper Yellow Department, perhaps the Upper Yellow Department would be happy if all departments suffered losses.

Seeing this, Shen Can didn't argue. The clan leader led the people to block the plague-infested insects, and his task was to ensure the survival of the clan members as much as possible.

Protecting the tribe is also protecting himself.

Not long after, Huotang hurriedly went to make arrangements for the clansmen.

Shen Can followed Huo Xian and also started getting busy.

Each dose of the witchcraft medicine was prepared and placed in a wooden frame for later use.

As he worked, Shen Can's mind started to wander.

He's a proper wizard now, though not quite a professional one, but at least he's mastered witchcraft.

To deal with the plague, medicine is only for prevention; witchcraft is the means to eliminate the plague.

The clan record contained only a dozen or so words. In Shen Can's view, the fewer the words, the bigger the matter. He had to think of a solution urgently.

Blazing Flame is his home. If he loses his home, where can he run to with his current strength?

Why abandon the scorching heat to serve as a temple guardian in another tribe?
Don't be ridiculous. Do you think you can be treated like a human being in another tribe?
Despite being all human, in the eyes of many tribes, other human tribes were actually slaves and sacrifices.

If you go, they might be overjoyed, and then they'll love you with all their heart.

In reality, their value is less than that of women and children.

Someone with his physique and less-than-ideal talent probably wouldn't even be worthy of being a sacrifice.

[Deriving the Witchcraft for Curing Plague]

While working, Shen Can began to deduce.

Although you are a mediocre wizard, you have studied witchcraft for over a thousand years, understanding that the key to witchcraft is to capture that glimmer of inspiration.

[You dare to think and act, using witchcraft medicine to boil and mix with animal blood to make ink, and using the witchcraft script within the Lingyu Water Control Technique as the framework, to fuse these into a practical witchcraft talisman]

You spent three years drawing talismans, but all your attempts failed.

Stubborn people never lose heart.

Starting with the materials used to carry the talisman, after seven years you discovered that the best material is the skin of the Kui tree that splits the mountain.

You repeatedly adhered to your own ideas, trying to integrate the mysterious spiritual light in the shamanic texts with shamanic medicine.

After countless failures and attempts, you finally fused a spell mark and a magic ink together. The moment the spell mark took shape, it flashed with a red light, and a burst of medicinal energy surged out before immediately receding.

Only then do you realize that a hundred years have passed.

Congratulations! You have successfully deduced your first witchcraft talisman, the Plague Repelling Talisman.

……

Inside the ear canal, Huo Xian looked at the dazed Shen Can, got up and draped a hemp robe over him.

"Wow!"

Suddenly, Shen Can's hand trembled, and the medicinal herbs he was holding fell to the ground.

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

"Ah Chan, what are you doing?"

“Master, I suddenly have a flash of inspiration.”

Shen Can poured a prepared potion into a ceramic bowl, placed it on the stove, and started cooking it.

Amid Huo Xian's astonished gaze, he poured the boiling medicinal soup into the animal blood to mix with ink, then obtained a piece of Kui skin from outside, dipped it in the medicinal ink, and began to write.

"This……"

Huo Xian was a little confused.

Actually, he had done the same thing as Shen Can before.

Everyone has been young. When you're young, you have many ideas and you act without thinking things through.

Looking back now, it must have been more than forty years ago. At that time, he was still learning witchcraft and medicine from the previous generation of temple masters.

At that time, he thought that since the so-called talismans were written down, why couldn't he try it?

What if I'm a genius?

Tried it.

It turned out not to be.

The talent point was allocated to the Medicine Dumpling.

Huo Xian didn't disturb Shen Can, and even his movements in preparing the medicinal herbs became a little lighter.

Shen Can finished writing the incantation and put down his pen, releasing a medicinal fragrance from the words beneath his pen.

"Master, please take a look?"

Huo Xian glanced at it and found it quite mysterious.

Could it be that Ah-chan really has a talent for talismanic arts?

"Why don't you give it a try, sir?" Shen Can handed the pen to Huo Xian.

Seeing Shen Can's eager gaze, Huo Xian grabbed a pen and began to write.

Ink mixed with witchcraft and animal blood will leave a medicinal smell and a stench of wild beasts in the ink, no matter who writes with it.

But to write something truly extraordinary depends on the writer.

After Huo Xian finished sketching, he noticed that while the sketch did have a medicinal smell, it only resembled Shen Can's sketch in form, lacking the true spirit of the subject.

Its aura was indeed similar to that of the medicinal dumplings in his group.

"I'm old."

Huo Xian put down his pen. "It seems that your talent in witchcraft, Ah Can, is much better than I imagined."

Although I don't recognize what this is, it seems to possess a certain charm, and perhaps it really will have an effect.

"May our ancestors protect us."

Shen Can could tell that Huo Xian didn't think the witch's talisman was really that powerful, but he still encouraged him.

Come to think of it, if you just draw a random talisman and claim it's real, who would believe you?

No tribe has this kind of heritage.

Could it be that your ancestors have bestowed blessings upon you?

Shen Can went out and selected a piece of high-quality Kui skin from the cracked mountain, cut it into pieces with a knife, and used the prepared medicinal ink to draw a talisman to ward off the plague.

Seeing Shen Can's actions, Huo Xian didn't stop him. He thought Shen Can's talisman was similar to the medicine dumpling.

It's just a matter of preparing the medicine; he could do it with or without Shen Can's help. He also doesn't want to discourage Shen Can's ideas.

The ear piercing quieted down, with the occasional crackling sound of a burning lamp wick.

After drawing five pictures in a row, Shen Can felt a wave of dizziness and stopped drawing, rubbing his head.

He realized that he must have been mentally exhausted.

"Go and rest if you're tired. The medicine can't be prepared in a day."

……

a few days later.

Shen Can received more definitive information.

The entire Fushan area is finished.

The volcano discovered the skeletons of more than a dozen wild beasts in its tribe.

They came from the Juyue Mountains, and along the way, rotting flesh corroded the soil and rocks, leaving behind traces of decay and stench.

As for why the Fushan tribe did not notice, no one knows.

After the plague insects devoured the wild beasts, they turned the entire Fushan tribe into a new breeding ground.

After a period of gestation, the possessing plague worms split into several groups and began to leave from the back mountain, one of which was heading towards the Blazing Flame Tribe.

(End of this chapter)