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

Chapter 16, Shanghuang Department Returns (Please Read On)
As the successor of the tribe's temple and shaman, and with a plague breaking out, what is Shen Can's mouth?
Of course, if I say you're sick, then you're sick.

Yes, it's you who's infected.

Quarantine is required.

None of the clansmen suspected anything.

In the following days, during his inspection of the tribe, Shen Can carefully examined and isolated some tribesmen who appeared somewhat listless.

Along with them, the neighboring clansmen were also isolated.

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

Moreover, the number continues to increase.

This was something the clan leader, Huotang, ordered him to do.

With so many more clansmen infected by the plague suddenly appearing, the remaining clansmen naturally panicked, but Shen Can continued his actions.

He had read records of plagues within the tribe before, so this was nothing.

As instructed by Huotang, the damage caused by this plague should at least not be much worse than before.

Shen Can followed the clan chief's instructions without any problems.

A few days later, the number of tribesmen isolated by Shen Can had reached nearly five hundred, almost a quarter of the tribe's total population.

He wasn't idle while people were being quarantined.

After fumigating the empty cave with witchcraft, it was distributed to the remaining tribespeople to alleviate the overcrowding inside.

Next, Shen Can planned to randomly grab a few 'infected' individuals every few days to complete the tasks given by the clan leader.

He glanced at the clan leader who was still on the mountaintop, then headed towards the ancestral temple.

On the hilltop, Huotang was very satisfied with the number and scale of the isolated tribesmen.

They grasped it immediately; the younger generation in the clan is quite intelligent.

Unfortunately… Huotang sighed.

Such a bright child has such poor martial arts talent; his physical condition is too weak. He has practiced Kui Niu Fist for so long, yet his physique is still so frail.

Even with improved boxing techniques, it's uncertain whether one can become a martial artist.

Whether he becomes a temple priest or not, Uncle Huo Xian said he has some talent in witch medicine, and he can live a peaceful life in the tribe.

The reason I say it's brilliant is because a few days ago, as soon as he mentioned it, Ah-chan understood his idea and took it seriously, treating the quarantined tribesmen as if they were truly infected with the plague.

If it were one of the stubborn ones in the tribe, and he said that more tribesmen would be infected with the plague, they would definitely jump up and argue with him.

There's no way around it. If it works well, other tribes... well, let's just say the Upper Yellow Tribe will come and steal it.

He worried that the sulfur stone was still lurking nearby, searching for fragments of the ironwood boat.

……

"Ah Chan, come and eat."

Back at the ancestral temple, Huo Xian had already cooked the rice.

He never expected that Shen Can would be able to stand on his own after only a few months with him.

It was a bit fast, but it was really well done.

After finishing his meal, Shen Can returned to his residence and began practicing Kui Niu Fist. Although he was busy taking care of the tribe members, his cultivation had not fallen behind.

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

[Divination of Witchcraft]

This was not the first time he had started to deduce; he had been thinking about it ever since his lifespan exceeded a thousand years.

However, the effect was not very good.

Inside the three-legged cauldron, a phantom sat quietly.

You spent three years meditating.

[You have not a single grain of rice in your palm, yet you want to cook a pot of food for a hundred families. Are you trying to get something for nothing, brother?]

[If you haven't baited your hook for three years and still want to catch fish, at least give me some bait.]

[Invest a hundred years and continue to develop]

【…】

[The deduction failed; you don't understand witchcraft at all. Your lifespan is reduced to ninety years.]

[A tree without roots cannot reach the sky; empty words cannot express profound truths. Please, stop pushing this away.]

Shen Can opened his eyes and spat. This wasn't the first time Ji Ding had been so sarcastic.

He truly didn't know what witchcraft was, and imagining it out of thin air was completely useless, just like he couldn't imagine the emperor's wine pools and meat forests, how his three palaces and six courtyards slept together, or whether they would sleep together under the same quilt.

You look at mountains, water, and the sun, but mountains are just mountains, and water is just water; you can't grasp any secrets.

"It seems we still need to find some incomplete rubbings, even just a single character or symbol."

After thinking for a moment, Shen Can closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Let's not think about it for now. We can look for it slowly after the plague is over. Ji Ding is right, he doesn't understand any witchcraft at all. It's like fishing where there are no fish. If there were a bunch of witchcraft in front of him, he could study it however he wanted.

He hasn't reached the point where he can fabricate things out of thin air.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

[The derivation of witchcraft into the practice of shamanic medicine]

[…The deduction failed, and lifespan was reduced.]

He turned over and fell asleep immediately; he had his temper too.

……

Unable to fabricate witchcraft out of thin air, Shen Can had no choice but to honestly become a witch doctor.

The improved shamanic medicine formula was very effective. Those tribespeople who were truly experiencing symptoms had their symptoms stabilized with the help of medicinal decoctions, baths, and fumigation.

Only the very old members of the clan did not survive.

The deceased elders were cremated directly inside the cave, and their dwelling was also severely burned by the flames.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

More than thirty new deity tablets have been added to the ancestral temple.

After the new deities appeared, some of the deities on the main altar were moved to the side altars on the left and right sides of the altar.

On the main altar of the Blazing Flame Tribe, apart from the nameless deity and a few ancestors from the time the tribe was founded, even the tribal chief would be moved to the sacrificial altar over time.

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

During this month, Shen Can did not give up on deducing the nature of witchcraft, clinging to the tribal witch doctor tradition as a starting point.

He believed that the terms "witch doctor" and "witchcraft" both contained the character "witch," and that he couldn't deduce the reason.

He tried again and again, only to fail repeatedly.

……

On this day, Shen Can emerged from the isolated cave and heard the roar of beasts echoing from afar. He squinted and looked in that direction.

It's the same guy who came last time.

Riding on the towering, massive Kui mountain, they thundered towards their tribe's territory.

Huotang went to greet them from afar.

"If the Shanghuang tribe wants to take advantage of the plague epidemic in my tribe, they shouldn't blame me for fighting to the death."

Huo Tang's eyes flashed sharply as he blocked Huang Shi's path.

Huang Shi rode on the Rift Mountain Kui. He had been observing the Blazing Flame Tribe from afar, and he took a few extra glances at the small hill where the isolation cave was located.

They knew in their hearts that it was all ordinary people who were infected, and that the losses would be huge if they were taken over.

"The Blazing Flame Division is quite lucky; they didn't encounter the plague swarm."

"Thanks to the protection of our ancestors," Huo Tang replied indifferently, his wary expression still lingering.

"Huotang, don't be so nervous. We all make a living in the nearby mountains and fields. Our Shanghuang tribe is not a tribe that takes advantage of others in distress."

Regardless of whether Huotang believed him or not, Huangshi continued, "I'm here for the same reason as last time. Did your Blazing Flame Tribe really not obtain the Ironwood Ship fragments?"

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

"Now that the floodwaters have receded for a long time, grass and trees have sprouted in the mountains. It seems that the plague is about to end, and all tribes will resume hunting and farming."

Huang Shi didn't dismount from his mount, and said, "It doesn't matter whether the Blazing Flame Tribe found any fragments of the ironwood boat during the previous flash flood."

Next, if you find it while hunting, you can also exchange it with me at Shanghuang.

Huotang, I'm here to inform you that if your department finds out about any fragments and hides them, don't blame me for being ruthless.

The ironwood boat is something that my Shanghuang Department is determined to obtain. Anyone who tries to keep it for themselves will not be blamed for my Shanghuang Department's disregard for past relationships.

"A Heavenly Vein Realm martial artist, can you, Blazing Flame, afford to lose?"

"Farewell!"

After speaking, he rode away on his mountain-splitting Kui.

……

Shen Can watched the departing warriors from the Upper Yellow Division, but he didn't hear any hint of exchanging benefits in their tone.

Instead, it was more about coercion and bullying.

Having a mount doesn't make you any better; you'll get trampled to death sooner or later.

"A wrecked ship!"

At this moment, Shen Can suddenly realized that the arrival of the guys from the Upper Yellow Division was actually a reminder to him.

I remember when the fragment was recovered, it was decorated with animal patterns.

On the ship built from third-tier ironwood, were there any items related to witchcraft left behind?
(End of this chapter)