Seeing Gui Ze walk in, the child in the stone tank grinned at Gui Ze. However, because her face was also festering, she looked even scarier than the Drumming tribesmen when they smiled. Only her eyes were still bright, like the reflection of Yang Guang on the surface of the sea.
As for Shao Xuan, he was like a backdrop. The child called Dian Dian only glanced at him casually and didn't look at him anymore. She looked at him the same way she looked at everyone else.
"How do you feel today?" Gui Ze went over to take a closer look at Dian Dian in the stone tank.
"I'm much better!"
Her young voice didn't change because of her illness. If you only heard her voice, you wouldn't think that her illness was so serious.
He Bian and the others looked at Gui Ze nervously. When the child lowered her head to look at the fish in the stone tank, Gui Ze shook his head at them.
He Bian and the others' expectant gazes immediately dimmed. They were filled with disappointment and sorrow. The shamaness told them to come here to find a solution, but if they couldn't find a cure even here, where could they go to find an answer? Or was the place the shamaness was talking about not here, but somewhere else upstream?
They heard that Yanjiao's stone bridge was built after they moved here. It didn't originally exist on the Flaming River. If it wasn't for this stone bridge, they wouldn't have been stopped and this wouldn't be the end.
The Di tribesmen who came here had a private discussion about whether they should stay or leave. They still couldn't come to a conclusion. Some said that this was definitely not the place the shamaness was talking about. They shouldn't waste time here and should continue upstream. However, the other half thought this was the place. After all, the Yanjiao people said there would be fewer tribes upstream. Plus, Yanjiao was the strongest tribe in this area.
He Bian was frustrated. He couldn't decide. After all, no matter what they chose, if they made the wrong choice, they wouldn't have the chance to regret it. They might even be wiped out by the Di tribe.
Maybe he should ask Dian Dian?
He Bian looked over at the stone vat. Diandian was still playing with the three fishes in the stone vat. From time to time, it would answer Gui Ze's questions.
Although Dian Dian said that she was much better, it was only compared to the torment she felt when she was in the shell during the long journey. Soaking in the stone vat and being able to move freely was of course much better than being in the shell. However, if one were to look at her body, they would find that her festering condition had worsened compared to when she had just come out of the shell.
Shao Xuan squatted down so that he was at eye level with the person inside. "I have a few questions to ask."
After he finished speaking, Shao Xuan looked at He Bian and the others at the door. Dozens of pairs of eyes stared at Shao Xuan cautiously. They could allow the shaman Gui Ze to talk to Dian Dian alone, but they couldn't allow anyone else to do so. Moreover, Shao Xuan was a man. Who knew what would happen if they left him here?
Shao Xuan wasn't in a hurry. He waited for the person in the stone vat to make a decision. He knew that this child actually knew everything.
In the stone vat, Dian Dian's movements slowed down. She lowered her head and seemed to be thinking seriously. After a while, she raised her head and looked at He Bian and the others. "He Bian, stay here. The rest of you, leave."
The Di Mountain people didn't seem to think that there was anything wrong with calling He Bian by his name. She didn't have the respect that other tribesmen had for their chief. It wasn't hard to imagine how important this child was to the Di Mountain people. Even if she was only going to be the next shaman, and even if her condition was serious, it didn't affect her status.
He Bian wanted to persuade her again, but he knew that once the person in the stone vat made a decision, it would be hard to change her mind. He could only wave his hand and signal for the others to leave and not eavesdrop.
When there were only four people left in the room, He Bian closed the doors and windows. When Yanjiao built houses, they used wood that was more soundproof. For this reason, they compared many different types of wood and finally settled on this one. It was also a type of wood that grew in the mountains and forests of Yanjiao.
The noise outside faded away, and the room quieted down.
"Dian Dian, you have two totemic powers in your body. That's why you're sick. This also means that the Di Mountain tribe has two fire seeds."
In the quiet room, Shao Xuan's calm voice was like a bolt of lightning. He Bian froze on the spot.
When he regained his senses, He Bian couldn't help but refute, "How can there be two fire seeds?! You're lying! "
Previously, when Shao Xuan asked him this question, He Bian thought it was ridiculous. He didn't have any common sense and was just spouting nonsense. But now …
After He Bian shouted, he realized that Dian Dian was still silent. She didn't refute him.
He looked back and forth between the person in the stone vat and Shao Xuan and Gui Ze. He Bian's jaw dropped. He couldn't hide the shock on his face.
When he saw that the person in the stone vat didn't say anything, Shao Xuan continued. "The other fire seed is the Di Fish, right?"
On the other side, He Bian, who was already standing there in shock, jumped up when he heard this news. However, he didn't shout this time. Instead, he looked at the person in the stone vat.
The person in the stone vat finally raised her head and looked at Shao Xuan. Her eyes were filled with shock. She didn't expect Shao Xuan to know about this.
She was silent, but she didn't refute him.
"It's … it's … it's true?!" He Bian's lips trembled. His tanned face turned grey. Although he knew some things that others didn't and his feelings towards the Di Fish were complicated, he didn't expect it to be like this.
The Di Fish had a fire seed?!
Why didn't they notice it before?
Where was the fire seed?!
This was unbelievable. It was completely beyond their knowledge.
Shao Xuan had told Gui Ze about this before they came. Gui Ze was also shocked for a long time. Now that he saw Dian Dian's reaction, Shao Xuan's guess was proven to be true.
Dian Dian looked at the water in the stone vat again and reached out to the fish. "A long, long time ago, the ancestors of the Di Mountain came to Di Mountain with the help of the Di Fish and established the Di Mountain tribe. At the same time, they treated the Di Fish as a gift from the gods. The descendants of the Di Mountain tribe also treated the Di Fish with respect. If any of the Di Mountain tribesmen died, the ancestors would pass their bodies to the Di Fish. The ancestors said that the Di Fish would bring the tribesmen to a better place."
Yes, this was a story passed down from generation to generation. He Bian had been brainwashed by this story since he was young. They never doubted anything because the Di Fish would indeed help them. When they ran out of food, the Di Fish would bring fish back from the sea and throw them ashore. If the Di Mountain tribesmen were in danger in the sea, the Di Fish would also help. The Di Mountain tribesmen would also help the Di Fish. When the Di Fish was in trouble, the Di Mountain tribesmen would do their best to help them.
This seemed to be a mutually beneficial relationship.
However, after He Bian took over the position of chief, he saw different ideas in the notes of the previous chiefs. Most of the notes were from the last few hundred years. They all had different ideas, but they could be summed up in one sentence. They had to be wary of the Di Fish. Otherwise, the Di Mountain tribe would be wiped out.
Actually, a similar illness had appeared in the tribe a long time ago. Perhaps it was at that time that the Di Mountain tribe's ancestors felt that something was wrong. However, the only person who knew the key to this was the shamaness. He Bian didn't know why the shamaness kept this from him. Maybe she was suspicious and felt that this idea was disrespectful. Or maybe there were other reasons.
After all, the chief wasn't the shamaness. In the Di Mountain tribe, a chief like He Bian didn't know much. He didn't know the truth.
Now, more and more people were falling sick, but most of the Di Mountain tribesmen didn't link this illness to the Di Fish. But now, what was this Yanjiao Head Elder saying?
The Di Fish was the cause of this strange illness in their tribe?!
The person in the stone tank didn't look at the reactions of the other three people in the room. She continued to play with the three fish in the water. "Seven hundred years ago, the first person in the Di Mountain tribe fell sick. He couldn't be cured, so he jumped into the sea where the Di Fish lived. However, the Di Fish pushed him ashore. According to the ancestral notes, the Di Fish surrounded that person. After they pushed him ashore, they didn't leave for a long time. It wasn't until that person passed away that the Di Fish took him and sank into the sea."
He Bian's eyelids twitched. He had heard these stories before. Every time his elders and the people around him talked about this story, they would express their gratitude and say that the Di Fish really protected them. Even when they were sick and couldn't see the person's face, they still wouldn't bring them into the sea. The Di Fish really treated the Di Mountain tribesmen well.
But now, when he heard Dian Dian talk about it, he felt a chill down his spine. He Bian felt a chill down his spine. The bad feeling was getting stronger and stronger.
"After that, the same illness would appear in the tribe every few decades. The children who had just awakened their totemic powers couldn't be cured and died soon after. The longest they could live was two years. Later on, the illness appeared more frequently and more people fell sick. This time, it reached its peak. The shamaness said that the Di Fish had started to act. Their fire seed was strong enough … "
"Why didn't they kill them when they knew the cause?! Kill them! " He Bian was agitated. The muscles on his face were trembling. His eyes were filled with hatred and madness. His expression was ferocious.
"It's too late. It's hard to separate the two fire seeds now. If we act rashly, the Di Fish might attack us. After all, the Di Fish can come ashore. Also, if we fight them directly, the Di Mountain fire seed will be severely damaged. Before we came out this time, the shamaness said that we don't have enough time. Either we win or we die. But before we reach the end, the shamaness hopes that there will be another solution. "The person in the stone tank lowered her head and stared at the fish inside.
He Bian thought of the ancestors of the Di Mountain. They had been listening to their ancestors since they were young and had been instilled with their thoughts. Even if they were shamans, not every generation had the same thoughts. Even if they noticed the abnormality, they would hesitate and hesitate for a long time. By the time they finally made a decision, it was already too late.
"For almost a hundred years, the shamaness of the Di Mountain had been looking for a solution, but it was to no avail. This time, the shamaness said that she finally found a solution. She said that she had to follow the river that connected the tribe to the sea until she couldn't go any further. "
Dian Dian looked at He Bian. "Do you know how the Di Mountain's totem came about?"
He Bian looked like he was about to break down. He shook his head.
Dian Dian looked at Shao Xuan and He Bian. "Can I borrow a brush?"
Shao Xuan took out the brush and a blank piece of cloth that he always carried with him. The brush holder was already filled with paint. This was Shao Xuan's homemade brush, so he could directly write after pulling out the cap.
Dian Dian looked at the brush in her hand. Then, she leaned against the side of the stone tank and let He Bian hold the cloth.
"When the Di Mountain was first built, their totem looked like this." Dian Dian drew a strange human face on He Bian's left palm. However, it was different from the face that Shao Xuan saw. It looked like a pair of glasses.
As Dian Dian continued to draw, Shao Xuan noticed more differences. The fins and tails around the human face were much smaller than the rest of the human face.
After she finished drawing, Dian Dian continued drawing on He Bian's right palm. "Now, the Di Mountain's totem looks like this."
The second drawing was similar to He Bian's. It was also what Shao Xuan saw on the big shell. The human face was smaller. There were more lines on the face. It looked even weirder. The fins and tails were bigger. Also, there were a few more strokes on the other side of the human face.
If they didn't see the first drawing, it would be hard to notice the difference in the second drawing. Every generation of Di Mountain people only recognized the totem during the ceremony. Most of the time, they saw it in the fire pit. They thought that it was what they needed to remember. If they remembered it wrongly, they would correct it.
Dian Dian didn't stop there. She pulled the cloth and continued to draw after the second drawing. "If this continues, the future totem will look like this."
As she drew the third drawing, He Bian's hands trembled even more.
On the third totem painting, the proportion of the human face was not much different from the second totem. However, on the other side of the human face, Shao Xuan felt that there were a few extra strokes, and now it was all filled up.
It was a fish mouth.
On one side of the human face was a fish tail. On the other side was a fish mouth. It looked like it was swallowing the human face.
"The Di Mountain tribe's totem has changed from the 'combine' totem to the 'swallow' totem!"
He Bian's expression turned even uglier. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. His voice trembled as he said, "They … are swallowing the Di Mountain's fire seed!"
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