Chapter 59 – Getting out of the mountain
Translated by Sunyancai
Surely the man in the middle was one of the ancestors in the tribe, and it was highly likely that he was one of the members of the first batch of warriors who contributed in establishing the hunting route. This skeleton was so strong that it might even be stronger than the Chief Ao. However, Shao Xuan had not heard about him from Lang Ga.
Shao Xuan wasn’t sure who the other three skeletons were. Perhaps they were also part of the first batch of warriors like the one in the middle, or they might also be from a later generation and got lost in the tunnels.
Whether it was right or wrong, Shao Xuan felt a little baffled seeing the four skeletons here.
So, the direction that the totem led, the so-called intuition, all meant here?
Why did he feel that the ancestors were entrapping their descendants?
The warrior in the middle should be the first skeleton here, while the other three could be with him, or just followed their intuition and came here.
Could those lost ones have found this place following the “intuition” of the totem, and then waited for their death in here?
No, that shouldn’t be the case.
Maybe those people knew it was impossible for them to get out, or they had tried a thousand times but failed in the end, so they came back to this place and decided to stay in the “circle of protection”. Even after hundreds of years, their bodies were not ‘swallowed’ by the mountain.
Shao Xuan had a tingling sensation, thinking that even the oldest batch of warriors with a strong capability did not manage to flee from this place, how could he survive as a junior warrior?
Shao Xuan stepped forward and entered the range protected by that light cover, and immediately felt a sense of warmth, which eased his tensed nerves a little bit. But that was all.
Shao Xuan reached out his hand to the nearest skeleton, and he touched a mummified hand. It was not bones, but air-dried flesh. Even though the warrior was long gone, he could still feel the strength inside the remains.
There was no ugly smell, and Shao Xuan thought, perhaps the stench of death was assimilated by the tunnel.
Shao Xuan also touched the other two warriors in the circle. Like the first one, they were also mummified.
But when he touched the one in the middle, he surprisingly found that this one was only a little bit dry, and his body was in much better condition than the others!
So it was all due to the light ball’s effect.
The light created by the ball could not only protect the things inside from being swallowed by the mountain, but also preserve the remains. Even other creatures living in the mountain would not approach and feast on the bodies.
This must be a treasure of the tribe! Of course, only warriors of high status would be able to have it.
However, now it was not the time for that.
What should he do?
Will he be the fifth corpse kneeling here with them?
Shao Xuan sat on the ground, pretty upset.
Did the others in the tribe know about the totem’s trap?!!
As he was cursing in his mind, Shao Xuan suddenly felt a flame somersault in his mind.
Shao Xuan hesitated, and quickly he calmed down and began to stimulate the totemic power in his body.
This time, it was yet another intuition, telling him that he was able to get out.
An idea flashed in his mind and Shao Xuan jumped up out of excitement when he captured the thought. After pacing back and forth for a bit, Shao Xuan stimulated the other power inside him, and used it to confirm that intuition.
You can walk out…
Can!
Perhaps he should trust the totem for yet another time?
Well, that was the only option, and he had to trust it anyway.
Shao Xuan took a step.
With just one step, the totemic flame in his mind flared, and it flared again as he took another second step.
Unlike when he used his totemic power during the hunt, this time the flame flared up, acting as if it was angry.
Shao Xuan stopped, and looked back at those four skeletons kneeling down within the light cover. Did they have any resentment when they died? After all, they were trapped in here, till death.
For people in the tribe, every time when there’s trouble, they would perform a divination to ask their ancestors, and interpret their guidance through the totemic power and flames. However, the ancestors, the totemic power and the flame, all couldn’t help them to find a way out.
However, when Shao Xuan took another close look at those four skeletons, he found that they were so devout in the gesture, lacking any sort of resentment. It was the highest standard of worship, facing the direction of the tribe…
Shao Xuan took a step back, and the totemic flame did not flare up. It was quite calm.
Yet one step further away from the skeletons, the totemic flame flared up again.
Then one step back, the flame became calm again.
There were quite a few things that Shao Xuan was not able to understand. After all he was not the same as the indigenous people here. But the more time he spent here, the deeper he understood about the fact, that this world was filled with all kinds of mysterious powers, in which you had no other choice, but to believe in.
Shao Xuan stared at the skeletons kneeling inside the circle. Were they expecting him to take them back?
It was a pity that they had been kneeling here for hundreds of years…
Shao Xuan sighed deeply.
After thinking for a while, he kneeled down on one knee with two palms crossed before his forehead, and made four salutes towards these four ancestors, just as when he did during the ritual ceremony.
Shao Xuan walked towards them and pulled out his knife, to dig out the bones which had sunk in the ground.
Originally he was just taking a chance, but unexpectedly he managed to dig the bones out. And judging by the appearance of the bones, they were well preserved.
So Shao Xuan patiently dug out all the bones and all the stoneware that was buried underneath.
He tossed all the small pieces of stoneware inside his animal skin bag, and tied all the big pieces together with a leather rope he carried with him. Those were fine stones, and it would be a big waste just to leave them in here.
As for the four skeletons…no, those four mummies. Shao Xuan used that long antenna of that insect to tie them together.
“I sincerely apologize for this discourtesy from the bottom of my heart!” Shao Xuan whispered.
After he finished doing all that, he carried all the things and the ancestors on his back.
Well, that was heavy!
Unexpectedly, even though the ancestors were all mummified, they were still heavier than stones.
With those four mummies on his back, and all stoneware at hand, Shao Xuan felt that he was like a moving light bulb. The light it created drove away all creatures, it certainly helped Shao Xuan to avoid those insects and worms.
Before Shao Xuan got near to the swarm of small worms, the worms hurriedly diverged and ran away, as if they had encountered something disgusting. Shao Xuan did not even have to whip them away.
Still, he followed his intuition. This time, the intuition was indicating a different way. Not only that, Shao Xuan felt that he was walking through other tunnels, instead of heading to the mountain side.
There was no creature that dared to block his way. Also, those eyeless spiders that he met half way, all fled before Shao Xuan approached them.
Wow, why couldn’t the ancestors manage to find a way out with such a treasure at hand?
So, were they still just lost in the end? And since they could neither defeat the king stone worm, nor split the mountain directly, they were trapped and died inside.
Shao Xuan took two breaks during the journey, and used the breaks to eat some of the meat jerky he had brought. It was quite tiring and he needed to refuel the energy before continuing on the march.
He did not know for how long he had been walking. It could’ve been a few hours or dozens of hours. Shao Xuan’s head was totally messed up, for in here it was impossible for him to calculate the time attentively. The only thing he could do now was follow his intuition.
Finally, Shao Xuan smelled the air of the forest.
After spending so much time in a place filled with the smell of stones, Shao Xuan was delirious with joy because of the fresh air
There’s wind.
The wind came from the path ahead!
Shao Xuan sped up and switched his sight to the normal view. He found that light spot!
It was the light from the outside!
He was getting out of the mountain!
He managed to get out of the mountain!
However, since totemic power could really lead the way, why were the ancestors of the tribe ultimately trapped to death inside the mountain? and could only worship at the direction of the tribe? Even if he ignored the ancestors, why couldn’t the warriors in the tribe now walk into the mountain if they weren’t familiar with the paths yet?
Shao Xuan had no answer for that, and probably the only thing he could think of about his difference with others, was the special ability that he had…