Chapter 22: Seeing the Light
Chapter 22: Seeing the Light
Shan Yan smiled as he looked at Gao Jing, then patted his little granddaughter’s head.
He slowly took the ebony walking stick and twisted its top.
It actually pulled out into a huge pipe!
Reaching into his waist pouch, the old shaman of the Shan Yue Tribe pulled out some dry leaves, rolled them up, and stuffed them into the pipe bowl.
His bony finger rubbed along the pipe’s rim.
A flame appeared out of nowhere, instantly lighting the yellow-brown tobacco.
A wisp of blue smoke curled upwards.
“Grandpa.”
Shan Guoer spoke immediately: “Let me rub your back for you.”
“Mhm.”
The old shaman bit down on the pipe stem and nodded happily.
Shan Guoer quickly brought a stool over behind the old shaman and hopped onto it.
She made her hands into fists and thumped skillfully on the old shaman’s shoulders and back. Thump, thump, thump.
What an obedient little girl!
Gao Jing completely ignored her unusual size. He only felt the scene before him was very warm.
The sky steadily darkened.
The old shaman lit the oil lamp on the table. While smoking, he talked to Gao Jing, telling him many things.
His Shan Yue Tribe was a very ancient clan. They had lived and multiplied in the Great Wilderness for thousands of years.
A year ago, the Shan Yue Tribe had just migrated here from the swamp lands over a thousand miles away.
They built a new village fort.
Currently, the tribe had over seven hundred people and possessed several Totem Warriors.
Since Gao Jing could understand but not speak the Dahuang Language, even though he still had many questions and things he needed to understand, for now, he could only obediently listen.
After talking about his tribe, the old shaman was still in the mood to chat. He told Gao Jing stories about traveling in his youth.
And Gao Jing still listened with deep interest.
His memory was very strong now. Although he couldn’t remember every word the old shaman said, he could definitely remember the important points.
But as the old shaman kept talking, his eyes lost their clear brightness. His eyelids grew heavy and constantly fought to close, his head drooping forward now and then. He stopped smoking his pipe.
His words started to get fuzzy and jumbled.
Gao Jing was completely confused.
“Grandpa.”
Shan Guoer, standing nearby, finally couldn’t take it anymore. She reached out and nudged her grandfather.
“Ah.”
The old shaman jerked awake as if from a dream.
He looked around dazedly for a moment, his gaze finally refocusing on Gao Jing.
“Er, what was I just saying?”
Gao Jing shrugged.
He hadn’t understood what the other had just been saying anyway.
Shan Guoer pouted. “Grandpa, the moon is already out. It’s time for you to rest.”
“Oh, ah.”
The old shaman nodded. “I need to go to sleep.”
He slid the pipe back into the walking stick, stood up, and started heading towards the door.
“Oh!”
After two steps, the old shaman stopped.
He patted his bald head in dismay and turned back to Gao Jing. “Look at my memory. Oh yes. Oh, right. Guest from the Abyss, you can stay here tonight.”
“This place is safe. Without my permission, no one else from the tribe will barge in.”
“Also…”
The old shaman instructed his granddaughter: “Shan Guoer, go and get some food for our guest.”
“No need for trouble.”
Gao Jing waved a hand to stop her. He opened his backpack, pulled out a large package of dry rations, and showed them. “I have my own food.”
Even though his Copper Anchor Storage Space was convenient, accessing items required consuming Power of Faith. So usually, Gao Jing still kept some daily necessities, including food and drinks, stored in his backpack.
He hadn’t seen any sign that they had prepared dinner; they might have eaten already. So he didn’t want to trouble the little girl further.
Besides, if the food didn’t suit his taste, eating it would be unpleasant, and not eating it would be rude.
So he politely declined.
“Alright then,” the old shaman agreed readily. “Shan Guoer, walk Grandpa back to rest first.”
“Mhm.”
Shan Guoer nodded earnestly and took his withered hand.
The old shaman bid farewell to Gao Jing: “You’ll have to excuse me.”
Gao Jing hurriedly bowed respectfully.
Holding the old shaman’s hand and with the Little Yellow Dog following, Shan Guoer left the wooden house.
The old shaman’s home was right next door.
Another wooden house.
Once inside the room, she said softly to her grandfather, “Grandpa, that tiny person is a bit strange, isn’t he?”
Even though Gao Jing seemed pathetically weak – even her Little Yellow Dog could beat ten of him – the little girl just felt that something was off.
The old shaman lit the oil lamp and sat down on the wooden bed.
He held his granddaughter’s hand. Wisdom glinted in his eyes as he said meaningfully, “Shan Guoer, everyone has their own secrets.”
“Remember this: don’t easily try to dig into someone else’s secrets. Because doing that is a great offense to them.”
How could the old shaman not notice there was something unusual about Gao Jing?
The Ancient Remnant Clan he had seen differed from Gao Jing in many ways.
But the old shaman wouldn’t go out of his way to uncover Gao Jing’s secrets. Not unless Gao Jing showed hostility towards the Shan Yue Tribe.
The Great Wilderness was vast and endless. Over thousands of years, countless tribes had been buried within it.
Besides unavoidable natural disasters, strife among men was also the reason many tribes vanished.
There was a reason the Shan Yue Tribe had survived to this day.
Part of that reason was caution.
Shan Guoer nodded with partial understanding.
At her young age, she couldn’t grasp the wisdom in Grandpa’s words.
But the little girl always listened to her grandpa.
“Go ahead.”
The Elder Shaman’s eyelids began to droop again. “Grandpa needs to sleep. Don’t play too late, go rest early yourself.”
He was so very old.
Old enough that even speaking tired him, making his thoughts slow.
Yet he couldn’t lay down the heavy burden of protecting and guiding their tribe.
“Hmm.”
Shan Guoer helped the Elder Shaman lie down on his bed.
Only after watching Grandpa fall soundly asleep did she quietly blow out the oil lamp. She left the house with the Little Yellow Dog.
Meanwhile, Gao Jing found himself deeply troubled.
He had just witnessed another side of this Great World.
The actual existence of extraordinary power!
The very word “Shaman” alone sparked endless thoughts in him.
His impression of Elder Shaman Shan Yan was like staring into unfathomable depths.
The Yan Xiao Talisman, lighting fire with a finger-snap—these weren’t mere stage tricks, but real magical powers!
Gao Jing couldn’t help but wonder: Could he learn and master such power?
Even the thought excited him.
Creak~
Just as his imagination soared, the door opened again.
Shan Guoer had returned.
With the Little Yellow Dog trotting behind, she carried something large in her hands…
A bird’s nest?
Gao Jing stared, baffled.
The little girl walked straight to him, hopped onto a chair, and placed the enormous nest right in front of himself.
???
Gao Jing’s confusion showed plainly on his face.
It was a real bird’s nest, alright—two meters wide and over half a meter tall. Fixed, it could serve as a bathtub.
Tangled straw and twigs formed the base, scattered with grey feathers. But it was the egg nestled inside that truly stunned Gao Jing.
A blue-green bird’s egg—bigger than a basketball!
Gao Jing was at a complete loss.
He glanced at the nest, then back at Shan Guoer.
What could this possibly mean?
Tilting her head, Shan Guoer suddenly reached into the nest, picked up the giant egg, and brought it to her lips.
Throwing her head back, she cracked the egg forcefully against her teeth.
CRACK!
The shell shattered. Egg white and yolk spilled out messily.
Gulp!
Shan Guoer swallowed every bit of the slimy mixture in one swallow, then licked her lips happily. Tossing the broken shell aside, she watched.
The Little Yellow Dog pounced immediately, crunching the shards loudly until nothing remained.
Finally, pointing at the empty nest, Shan Guoer announced in her little-girl voice, “You sleep here tonight.”
She sounded bossy in a childish way.
Understanding dawned on Gao Jing, leaving him both amused and bewildered. She was worried that he had nowhere to sleep and had brought him this… nest.
While managing to sneak a snack for herself, of course.
Still, for some reason, a tiny warmth bloomed inside Gao Jing.
Thinking for a moment, Gao Jing opened his backpack. He pulled out two chocolate energy bars.
He tore the plastic off one, clamped it between his teeth, and held the other one high up.
Offering it to the little girl.
Shan Guoer froze for a second.
Patiently, Gao Jing kept his hand raised, giving her a warm, friendly smile.
He slowly bit down on the long energy bar in his mouth, chewing steadily.
Shan Guoer understood his meaning.
Hesitating briefly, she carefully stretched out her right hand.
Using just her thumb and forefinger, she ever so gently took hold of the tiny bar Gao Jing offered.
Poof!
The chocolate energy bar instantly turned to dust between her huge fingers.
Gao Jing could only sigh. His energy bar was over ten centimeters long, but for Shan Guoer, it was tiny.
Staring at her chocolate-dusted fingers, Shan Guoer suddenly gave one fingertip an experimental lick.
Her eyes brightened instantly, shining with sudden stars.
Gao Jing swore it.
At that very moment, genuine light bloomed in her eyes. Bright, sparkling, radiant joy!