“Stop! Hurry up and stop them!”
Chief Hang Mang shouted and rushed towards there.
Hang Mang was intending to stand by as an onlooker, staying far away from the altar of sacrifice, but when he saw Yang Sui’s party, he bitterly regretted his initial decision.
Rather than to humiliate him, the new Chief, Yang Sui’s behavior was nothing short of offending ancestors and the Gods!
However, thinking it over, it seemed…perhaps…as if the ancestors didn’t appoint such special kinds of people as the shamaness.
But such behavior of Yang Sui was indeed a provocation to their ancestors. In his eyes, it was ominous.
The new Chief Hang Mang called someone to stop them, but Yang Sui and his party had already ascended the steps of the altar for the rain-praying ceremony.
Once setting foot on the altar, it meant the sacrifice to pray for rain had started.
Hang Mang chased after them and got close to the altar. His fist clenched tightly, Hang Mang was so angry that he nearly vomited blood. He suppressed his anger with great effort and stopped short of slashing Yang Sui. If Yang Sui had not stepped on the altar, he would have killed all the people of the group on the spot, and no one in the tribe would doubt it. But the party moved too quickly and he was a little late.
Hang Mang glared at the group of nine people who ascended the altar step by step, his gaze was like that of an envenomed sword. He stepped back, moving farther away from the fire pit in case it got stained with the misfortune. He couldn’t do it now, but as soon as the ceremony was over…Yang Sui, wait and die! I’ll sacrifice your blood to the Gods!
Yang Sui didn’t turn around to look at the reaction of the other Rain people, but judging from their words that were heard from below, his destined for doom. At the moment, he regretted it again that perhaps, he should have given up earlier so as not to make the Rain people enraged like that. What Yang Sui felt most concerned about was his companions – his friends and relatives.
Wlehi thinking, unconsciously, Yang Sui became somewhat hesitant and his pace slowed down.
At that time, Yang Sui heard some words from his back.
Original translation from wangmamaread.
“Since we came this far, there is no turning back. Go ahead!” This was the voice of Yang Sui’s mother.
“We stand with you and we have no intention of turning back.” This was Mi Xu’s mother.
“Don’t worry, we’re with you.” This was Mi Xu.
Yang Sui listened to the footsteps close behind him and then knew the decision of others who didn’t voice it out.
Yang Sui held the oxtail with great force so that the blue veins bulged on the back of his hands. After a short pause, he kept on walking up towards the altar.
The tribe had already prepared sacrificial utensils, decorations, ceremonial scepters and some other things on the top of the altar for the rain-praying ceremony. In addition, praying for rain also required special dance and necessary “mantra”. Except for these two things, the sacrificial music was also an essential part, so naturally, there was a need for people who will play it.
Originally, Yang Sui had invited people with a lot of shell coins to play the instrument, but when Yang Sui stepped on the high platform, he found that his father, uncle, and his grandfather with a stoop… were all there.
Noticing a shocked Yang Sui, Yang Sui’s father held the diabolo used to play the rhythm and smiled at Yang Sui.
Since they had been here, they never planned to withdraw.
Perhaps, the people of the tribe would set up firewood under this high platform and ignite it before the end of the ceremony.
Yang Sui stood on the high platform and looked at the people around him, giving them a smile, although the smile looked like a cry.
DONG DONG! BANG BANG BANG…
The rhythmic music sounded.
Holding the oxtail in his hand, Yang Sui looked at the rain stone that was as high as a man. He closed his eyes. There had never been such a moment when he yearned for the rain, even just a few drops.
Although he had always suspected the ancestors and questioned the gods. But at the moment, he really hoped that the ancestors and gods could help him, just for once. He was willing to pay any price.
Respectfully, Yang Sui put the oxtail on the rainstone with both hands and swung his sleeves.
Because of the clothing material, the wide sleeves were somewhat hard, not as elegant as the gauze ribbon, but as the hand swung, the wooden nut bells tied to the sleeves swayed with the arms and made a clattering sound.
The hop and the wiggle of the nine dancers’ limbs made the clatter denser, which sounded like the rain was beating the ground.
The praying dance of the Rain tribe had a unique feature, which required dancing with the face towards the sky.
For many tribes, it’s common to dance with the face towards the sky occasionally. However, the Rain tribe was distinct, their sacrifice dance needed the dancers to maintain the posture during the praying. In their faith, the gods of the rain they worshipped were always in heaven, so if they wanted to pray, wish, and state their aspiration, to get the blessings, then they had to look up at the sky religiously.
Meanwhile, Yang Sui took the opportunity to observe the condition of the sky.
Although the sand flew in the sky so that it could get in eyes, Yang Sui could still see the change of the sky, it’s an ability that was peculiar to him. Depending on the unique ability, he could predict the weather.
No rain!
Not even a single sign of rain!
Yang Sui kept pressing on steadfastly. He knew that he differed from other people, which was always the advantage he had been proud of. Maybe, it’s likely that he could find a way out of the stalemate and achieve what the ancestors could never achieve. Try harder! Maybe it’s on the verge of success, just a few raindrops would be OK.
Gradually, he felt that the strength in his body was being taken away and he could feel the change of the inner flame.
Although it still didn’t rain, since the Inner Fire had changed, it was good news!
People of the Rain tribe who were a little far away from the stage couldn’t see the situation clearly, but some people close to the fire pit felt the change in it.
Hang Mang saw the Inner flame in the fire pit, the red color gradually faded. And the surrounding temperature seemed to have dropped a bit.
“This…this…” An old man blinked and unbelievable expression appeared on his face.
The muscles on He Chao’s face twitched. He said, “This has also happened when other shamans prayed for rain, but in the end it did not rain.”
An old man nearby looked at He Chao sharply, which scared him. He had wanted to say something more, but he had to stop talking now. Although there were many people who supported He Chao’s party, there were also people who were neutral. These people didn’t care who the Shaman was. They only cared about whether the Shaman could succeed in praying for rain.
However, after a while, as He Chao had said, the Inner flame with a lighter color and lower temperature began to return to its original state.
The eyes of people who looked forward to success were full of disappointment.
Yang Sui, who was praying for rain, could feel the change of Inner flame even if he couldn’t see it. Although he had imagined the consequences before, he was extremely disappointed when experiencing it.
Just like after a hysterical shouting, you found that the person you wanted to wake up just yawned and continued to sleep.
You cannot accept the result but it was useless.
The dance for praying for rain was almost over.
After the initial fading of the Inner Flame color, the original fire color was restored.
He Chao’s eyes were filled with delight. Looking at the big bundles of firewood not far away from the fire pit, he was so excited that his hands were shaking, and he wanted to laugh out. Now, he only hoped that the ceremony could end soon. As soon as it was over, he would ask someone to set fire to the altar!
At this moment, at the border of the Rain tribe, Shao Xuan, who was staying in the wooden house, was puzzled while observing a new pattern appearing in the egg-shaped “shell” in his mind.
Shao Xuan had seen this pattern before. The pattern was engraved outside the wooden house where they lived.
This was the totem of the Rain tribe!
Just like the totem of the Drumming tribe, it was not as big as the totem of the Flaming Horn tribe, and it only appeared on the side, close to the “egg shell”.
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