Shao Xuan knew that the Jing shaman and his son must have seen something, but they didn't want to talk about it.
Soon, it was the day of the full moon. There wasn't much difference between night and day. Even at night, it was still bright because of the moon.
The change between night and day, the rotation of the sun and the moon. Anything related to the sun and the moon would change on this day. Just like how the Drumming tribe used to harvest water moon stones on this day, the Jing people were also very busy because the ground eyes would be very active on this day. They would even float above the quagmire.
The Jing people were already waiting by the quagmire early in the morning. Some of them were holding tightly woven nets, while others were holding tools made from horns and bones.
At first, they were just waiting by the quagmire with long tools. If they saw a ground eye coming out of the quagmire, they would immediately attack. Those who were fast enough would use the long scoop to scoop up the ground eye the moment it appeared. This was the only day they could use this method to catch a ground eye quickly.
Shao Xuan saw a Jing warrior shout excitedly after he scooped up the ground eye. He poured out the thing in the scoop far away from the quagmire. A spindle-shaped object about the length of a palm was poured out along with the muddy water. As it spun, the muddy water was flung out quickly, revealing a dark grey shell on its body. That was the ground eye.
Seeing it trying to drill into the ground, the Jing warrior quickly used a bone knife to push it to the side, then threw a rock at it.
Their attacks were very accurate. The rock landed on one side of the ground eye, not in the middle of the ground eye's body. If they didn't use the right amount of force, the spindle-shaped ground eye would fly out. But if they used the right amount of force, the rock would only make the spinning ground eye half dead. The ground eye would also stop spinning. That way, the ground eye would lose its ability to move. They could just put it aside or cut it open.
Shao Xuan saw that person cut open the ground eye they just caught. Under the dark grey shell, the flesh was white.
When the flesh was cut open, they would see the round ball in the middle of the ground eye's body. That was the ground eye stone.
Because there were too many people gathered here, Shao Xuan couldn't see the quality of the stone inside the ground eye that person cut open. But from the cheers in the crowd, he knew that it was a good stone.
Every year at this time, the person who caught the most ground eyes with the best quality would be recorded in the Jing tribe's history book. It would be passed down to the next generation along with the shaman's notes.
This was an honor that every Jing person yearned for. To the Jing people, this was a winner in life. Not only would their name be recorded in history, but their status in the tribe would also rise. No wonder everyone in the Jing tribe was so excited.
With the first person to catch a ground eye today, the others didn't want to be left behind. Around the outer circle of the quagmire, you could see the Jing people running around. The children who didn't have the ability to catch a ground eye were watching from the sidelines. Once they heard that someone had caught a ground eye, they would run over to watch the show and guess who would be the winner this year.
Inside the shaman's house, the father and son were talking about this year's full moon's' night.
Miu could now walk with the help of others, but he couldn't walk for long distances yet. Proper exercise could reduce the side effects of being bedridden for a year, but too much was as bad as not enough. If he rushed for results, he would only get half the result with twice the effort. Not only would he not be able to recover quickly, but it would also increase the burden on his body before he fully recovered.
The shaman helped Miu walk around the house a few times and then sat down to rest.
"If you weren't injured, you would've definitely gotten first place this year." The shaman's words carried a hint of regret.
Miu didn't feel any regret, "It's okay. Next year is fine too. It's just a year late."
"That's true. You're already very lucky to be able to recover."
"Oh yeah, dad, are you going to find the True Eye for that person in Yanjiao tonight?" Miu asked.
"Of course. It'll be best if you can find it. If not, I'll probably have to wait another year. After all, the chances of finding the True Eye at other times are too low. Don't worry. Even if you can't find it this year, that person won't blame me. "The shaman comforted him.
Miu's brows didn't relax because of the shaman's words. "Dad, who's behind that person? Is it one of Yanjiao's ancestors? "
"… Maybe."
"Those who have the ancestors' protection are always very lucky. Maybe we'll really find the True Eye this year. Speaking of which, when I saw it, I was so scared that I almost opened my eyes. "Miu's heart was still pounding." At that time, I felt a piercing pain in my eyes. They haven't completely healed yet. "
Hearing this, the shaman immediately became nervous, "Your eyes are injured? Let me see! "
Totemic patterns appeared on Miu's body. Because his injuries hadn't completely healed, he carefully controlled the totemic patterns to only circulate above his torso when he used his totemic power. The greenish-black meridians protruded and mixed with the totemic patterns that appeared, looking very scary. At the same time, a crack appeared between Miu's eyebrows. Just like how the shaman opened his third eye when he was searching for the True Eye for Shao Xuan, the third eye that appeared between Miu's eyebrows also opened.
In the entire Jing tribe, other than the shaman, no one else knew that Miu had a third eye. His third eye appeared the year he awakened his totemic power. At that time, the shaman was quite shocked. After asking around, he analyzed the reason for Miu's current condition. It might be because he ate a ground eye that didn't have a ground eye stone before he awakened his totemic power.
Miu had caught that Ground Eye by himself when he was setting up a net under the quagmire. It was quite big, and it had also been a full moon day. After Miu had caught it, it had aroused the curiosity of many people. Everyone had said that they might find a Universal Eye, but who would have thought that after cutting it open, there would be nothing. Not even the most basic Ground Eye!
However, not long after that, after Miu awakened his totemic power, a third eye appeared between his eyebrows.
The shaman guessed that the ground eye that Miu ate probably had a ground eye stone, but its ground eye stone was special. It was hidden and couldn't be touched or seen. Just like the third eye on Miu's body, unless he opened it on his own, there wouldn't be any trace of it. He was no different from the others in the tribe.
The shaman planned to wait until he was old and Miu was strong enough to take over the tribe. Then, he would catch a True Eye to hide it and let the tribesmen know about Miu's third eye. Who knew that the world would change last year, and Miu would almost die in that disaster. The shaman felt that all his hopes had collapsed.
Luckily …
"Work harder this year. Even if you don't find a True Eye, catch a few more Universal Eyes. Treat it as a thank you gift." The shaman still wanted to be on good terms with the Shao Xuan. It had nothing to do with the Yanjiao tribe, but it was because of the blurry figure behind Shao Xuan.
The shaman looked at Miu's third eye carefully and didn't find anything strange.
"Move your eyeball and try to see what's outside. Can you see anything?" the shaman asked.
"Yes." Miu could see through the wooden house's floorboards and the blurry figures in the quagmire. Those were all Ground Eyes. He could even see further outside the house, at the quagmire, the tribesmen who were busy working. He could see the Yanjiao people standing around and watching …
The Shao Xuan, who was watching someone dissect a Ground Eye, suddenly raised his head and looked in a certain direction.
"What's wrong?" Tuo asked.
"Nothing." The Shao Xuan retracted his gaze and continued to look at the Ground Eye that was dissected. It was still a Ground Eye stone, and its quality was decent.
Inside the shaman's house, Miu's eyes were tightly shut as he covered his third eye. His face was pale. "I've been discovered!"
"Did you see Shao Xuan? Didn't I tell you not to test him again? " Although the shaman's words were reproachful, his expression was worried. He quickly looked at Miu's eye again. After confirming that it was just a slight pain and nothing else, he relaxed.
At night, the sun disappeared, but the sky was still bright. The silver moonlight made the ground as bright as day. Above them, a giant round plate hung high in the sky.
When the two moons overlapped, the Jing tribesmen, who had been guarding the quagmire, began to walk into the quagmire.
The quagmire outside the quagmire wasn't deep. Most of the adult Jing tribesmen could still breathe above the surface of the quagmire after they entered. This was calculated when they were digging the quagmire.
There were even more Ground Eyes active in the quagmire. The Shao Xuan heard from the Jing tribesmen that the Ground Eyes from other places had entered the quagmire. After the full moon, most of the Ground Eyes in the quagmire would leave, so they had to take this opportunity to catch more.
The net they threw out was traded from the Drumming tribe. It was sturdier and was custom-made for catching Ground Eyes. The holes were smaller, so it was a type of net within a net. The more they drilled into the net, the tighter it would be. Unless there was a strong impact force that could break the net, they would be trapped in the net.
Pulling the net in the quagmire required a lot of strength. Sometimes, a five meter wide net would require more than ten people to pull it together. The Yanjiao people watched on the side anxiously, but the Jing tribesmen refused to help. They had to catch the Ground Eyes themselves.
The Shao Xuan didn't watch from the outer quagmire. Instead, he went to the central quagmire.
There were ripples on the surface of the quagmire. It didn't stop. Something was moving underneath.
The Shao Xuan heard a sound. It sounded like someone was putting a very thin straw into a cup of water and blowing at it quickly.
"That's the sound from the Universal Eye. It's only on this day that the Universal Eye will make such a sound."
Knowing that there was a Universal Eye under the quagmire, the Jing shaman let out a sigh of relief. Now, even if he didn't see the True Eye, he could at least catch the Universal Eye and comfort himself.
The Jing shaman took off his coat and wrapped a few ropes around his hands. Then, he walked into the quagmire.
The central quagmire was much deeper than the outer quagmires. Once a person fell in, they wouldn't be able to see him at all. However, there were some stone steps that were placed in the quagmire when it was first built. If you couldn't hold your breath anymore, you could step on the stone steps to breathe. But the steps at the bottom of the quagmire couldn't be seen by normal people. Even if you knew where they were, once you entered the quagmire, you would be in complete darkness and lose your sense of direction. It would be difficult to find the steps.
In the entire Jing tribe, the only people who could accurately find the steps under the quagmire were probably the shamans of each generation. This was because they had an eye that could see through the mud.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
