"Village Chief, greetings!"
Inside the dilapidated wooden hut, Yang Kai met the village's only shaman. Though old, the village chief had risen quite early and was currently holding a bowl of some paste-like substance, drinking it with relish.
Hearing the voice, the village chief glanced at Yang Kai. Only after finishing his food did he set down the stone bowl and say, "It's A Niu. What do you need?"
"I've come to ask you for some Barbaric God Wine!" Yang Kai got straight to the point.
"Barbaric God Wine..." The village chief paused, then rose to his feet, leaning on his walking stick. "What do you need Barbaric God Wine for?"
"It tastes quite good. I'd like another bowl!" Yang Kai replied.
The village chief's mouth twitched, but soon he seemed to see through something. He looked Yang Kai up and down, and a startling light burst from his murky eyes. His voice trembling, he asked, "Could you... could you have awakened the power of the shamans?"
"What?" Yang Kai was bewildered. The village chief's thoughts had leaped too far ahead for him to follow.
"Give me your hand!" The village chief reached out excitedly toward Yang Kai.
Though suspicious, Yang Kai didn't refuse, allowing the withered hand to grip his wrist. The next moment, he felt a faint force seep into his meridians, traveling up along his arm.
The village chief's trembling intensified. His aged face flushed with ruddy color, as if he had suddenly grown decades younger. He exclaimed in delight, "It truly is the power of the shamans! It truly is the power of the shamans! Our Cangnan Village has a successor!"
"You mean this?" Yang Kai had a thought and channeled the meager amount of Emperor Yuan still within his body, producing a small point of light at his fingertip.
The village chief stared at it intently, nodding rapidly. "That is the power of the shamans! That is the power of the shamans!" As he spoke, he walked out of the wooden hut and dropped to his knees, his face filled with reverence. Pressing his palms together, he said, "Thank the Barbaric God for his blessings! Thank the Barbaric God for his protection!"
Yang Kai frowned slightly and stepped forward to help the old village chief to his feet, lest the old man keel over from sheer excitement.
The village chief took a deep breath and patted Yang Kai's shoulder. "A Niu, from now on you can be considered one of the shamans. I'm very pleased."
Yang Kai said, "But I'm quite confused!"
The village chief chuckled. "No need to be confused. The Barbaric God will guide your path. You sensed this power, didn't you? That's why you came to find me — and that's why you wanted the Barbaric God Wine, correct?"
"That's right!" Yang Kai nodded and craned his neck to peek inside the hut. Though this was the village chief's home, the wooden hut was bare and barren, everything visible at a glance. Yang Kai saw no trace of the Barbaric God Wine.
"There's no more Barbaric God Wine. That bowl yesterday was the last of what the village had," the old village chief explained, apparently having seen through Yang Kai's intentions. "The Barbaric God Wine was originally brewed for our barbarian tribe to awaken the power of the shamans. It requires many ingredients, and the brewing process is extremely complex. That last bowl was leftover from the ceremony held a couple of years ago."
"Ceremony?" Yang Kai frowned.
The village chief said, "Have you forgotten? A couple of years ago, you, A Hu, and the other young people in the village all participated in that ceremony — the ritual to test whether you had shamanic aptitude! Unfortunately, none of you passed at the time."
Yang Kai vaguely understood what he was talking about.
"I never expected you would now possess the power of the shamans." The village chief wore an expression of deepest satisfaction, as if he could die without regret at that very moment.
"There really is no more Barbaric God Wine?" Yang Kai pressed, unwilling to give up.
He had still hoped to verify whether the Barbaric God Wine could restore part of his strength. He hadn't expected this devastating news from the village chief, shattering his plans in an instant.
He had tested it before — circulating the cultivation technique he practiced did not grant him any additional power. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth in this era seemed different from his own, incompatible with everything he had learned.
The village chief shook his head. "There is none. Besides, now that you already possess the power of the shamans, the Barbaric God Wine would have no effect on you."
*Whether it has any effect or not, I'd have to try it to know,* Yang Kai grumbled inwardly.
The village chief suddenly fixed Yang Kai with a smile and asked in a coaxing tone, "A Niu, do you want greater power? Do you want to become a mightier shaman?"
Yang Kai immediately nodded his head like a chick pecking at rice.
The village chief chuckled, looking the part of a teacher whose pupil showed promise, and beckoned. "Come in!"
The two entered the inner room one after another. The village chief rummaged through chests and cabinets for a moment, then quickly produced something that looked like a turtle shell from a corner. He handed it to Yang Kai and said, "Train according to the instructions on this. Given time, you will become a shaman apprentice, then a shaman, and eventually a great shaman! I'm old, but you're still young. The village will be in your hands from now on."
Yang Kai accepted the turtle shell, his expression solemn, carrying the weight of someone thrust into a critical role with the fate of all hanging on his shoulders. The gravity of the moment seemed to cleanse and elevate his very being, making him appear suddenly much taller.
Then he scratched his head and asked, "Village Chief, what is this?"
The village chief stared at him blankly and explained, "This is a shaman cultivation technique."
"What?" Yang Kai was stunned, staring incredulously at the turtle shell in his hands. "This is an ancient barbarian shaman cultivation method?"
"Ancient, schmancient," the village chief shook his head. "Just follow the instructions and train. You'll grow stronger in no time."
"But... I can't read it." Yang Kai looked at the village chief helplessly.
The turtle shell did have some densely packed tiny characters inscribed on it, but they were entirely different from any writing Yang Kai recognized. He couldn't make out a single one.
The village chief's jaw dropped. After a long pause, he sighed and said, "It looks like we'll have to start by teaching you to read."