Chapter 26: The Paper Effigy's Wrath
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Because of Ironstone’s explanation, everyone exchanged glances and fell silent.
That was indeed how matters stood.
Ironstone turned his head again. “High Priest, how are things with the Bear God?”
“The Bear God will not interfere in the tribe’s decisions. The deity has said that so long as the temple remains at the center and suffers no damage, no evil entity will detect our presence and track us. The god will also suppress any evil entities that attempt to enter the tribe.”
After a pause, the High Priest spoke in a lowered voice. “However, once the bowstring is drawn, there is no turning back. Once the relocation begins, no one can say what we may encounter along the way.”
Ironstone stared outside for a moment before saying gravely, “If we continue waiting, the Youxiong Tribe will be no different from a frog slowly boiled alive... Pass the word down. In fifteen minutes, the tribe will begin its migration!”
The others nodded faintly and dispersed.
Ironstone turned his head toward Zhao Yu with a smile. “Brother Zhao, should we encounter any danger that we cannot handle, I fear we will have to trouble you.”
His confidence, of course, came from Zhao Yu’s presence.
By Ironstone’s estimate, Zhao Yu’s combat strength was very likely a level above even the Bear God’s!
And even if Zhao Yu could not deal with something, did his family not still have a sister-in-law whose cultivation was unknown?
They were safe!
Zhao Yu raised his hatchet. “Don’t worry. If it’s something I can handle, I certainly won’t shy away from the trouble.”
If it was something he could not handle, he would absolutely be the first to run.
The two exchanged smiles, each appearing sincere and forthright.
Fifteen minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
The instant the time was up, Ironstone leaped into the air and shouted, “Raise the formation!”
“Rumble...”
As the earth shook and the mountains trembled, all the buildings of the Youxiong Tribe rose from the ground, floating half a foot above it!
Nearly three thousand tribespeople watched Ironstone, some excited, some calm, and others tense.
Ironstone swept his gaze across the ground and spoke solemnly. “The Bear God and I will ward off every danger outside the tribe. People of the tribe, even if unforeseen changes occur, remember that you must not lose your heads! If you remain calm, every one of us in the Youxiong Tribe will surely reach our destination safely!”
“This journey may require us to stop at any moment. To ensure that no one loses their composure, your homes will serve as your reference points. While traveling, make certain that you remain near your homes at all times.”
Countless voices answered in unison, “Chief, we will remember!”
Ironstone swept his gaze over them once more, slowly exhaled, and called out, “The migration begins!”
The temple at the very center of the tribe erupted in waves of divine radiance.
The buildings, floating at low altitude and enclosed within their “earthen tortoise shells,” began to drift slowly toward the distant horizon. They moved neither quickly nor erratically, but with unwavering stability.
Most of the people walked along the ground, their expressions tense.
Some, however, did not leave the buildings. They remained inside them as though riding in carriages, allowing the structures to carry them as they “flew” into the distance.
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Zhao Yu, of course, was still in the attic.
He was looking down at the ground. “So this is the power of cultivators. I’m jealous...”
Buildings that did not even have “faces” and should, by all rights, have been eliminated could actually be controlled and made to fly in great numbers...
He was becoming more and more eager to become a cultivator.
As he thought about it, Zhao Yu glanced at Ironstone flying through the sky, his face filled with conflict.
After spending several days together, Zhao Yu had discovered that Ironstone seemed to follow some crooked and unorthodox path...
Because Ironstone really had no tentacles! Nor had he grown any extra arms or legs!
His good friend was actually not a proper cultivator?
If Zhao Yu stayed with this fellow for too long, would he catch it from him?
He was tempted to sever all ties, yet he was reluctant to give up the privilege of enjoying free meals whenever he pleased.
“What a dilemma...” With a melancholy sigh, Zhao Yu silently began to daydream.
Ironstone, high in the sky, was also growing solemn in secret.
“Brother Zhao is actually this troubled. This journey must be fraught with danger... I never imagined that, in an age when people’s hearts are so restless, there could still be someone as loyal and devoted as Brother Zhao.”
The luckiest thing that had happened in this life was surely meeting Zhao Yu at first sight and immediately becoming kindred spirits.
The Temple
The temple radiated divine light. The closer one came to it, the more peaceful one felt in both mind and spirit.
Inside the temple,
a lifelike bear statue stood at its very center, roaring toward the heavens.
The High Priest approached the statue and bowed slightly before asking, “Bear God, the migration has begun. Have the wandering evil entities outside started converging on us?”
“Everything remains as usual. For now, there is no cause for concern.”
A divine voice came from somewhere unknown.
The High Priest immediately let out a breath of relief.
“Everything remains as usual” meant that the evil entities had not gathered around them, and that this migration should proceed more smoothly than expected.
Before long, the High Priest spoke again. “God, have you found the supreme treasure?”
This time, the High Priest received no answer.
He did not ask again. Instead, he walked to the entrance and gazed at the slowly “moving” earth, a thousand thoughts stirring within him.
There was a treasure nearby—a supreme treasure that only the god could sense.
According to a remark the Bear God had once made, the treasure possessed the resonance of the Great Dao. It was certainly a peerless treasure. If it were in the Great Qian Empire, its appearance would be enough to plunge the entire empire into a bloody struggle.
As for where the treasure was, no one knew.
The only certainty was that the Bear God could often sense its presence, sometimes near and sometimes far, though always indistinct.
Precisely because the sensation was so vague, they had no idea in which direction the treasure lay... The Youxiong Tribe had remained in the same place for many years. Apart from the place that could turn evil entities into rabbits, it was difficult to say whether this “treasure” was another reason they had never relocated.
“If we could obtain that treasure, we would no longer need to fear the evil entities outside... Where could it be?”
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...
A dozen or so miles from the tribe
In the grass,
a paper effigy that looked part clay sculpture and part metal stood crookedly, watching the tribe begin its migration in the distance.
The paper effigy stared at the tortoise-shell buildings as they began to “move.” Confusion flashed through its eyes, followed by sudden realization.
Once it saw the direction in which the cluster of buildings was traveling, its paper head turned to glance behind it...
That was the direction of Zhao Yu’s home.
The paper effigy’s scarlet eyes immediately filled with fury.
“No... They cannot be allowed to go...”
With a hoarse, incomprehensible mutter, the paper effigy instinctively sprang forward.
But the moment it leaped, it stopped.
Its gaze fixed on the “earthen tortoise shell.” Its scarlet eyes pierced through the walls and saw one of the buildings within the tribe.
It saw Zhao Yu sitting atop it, lost in thought.
The instant it caught sight of him, the paper effigy instinctively drew its head back, then turned and drifted away.
At the same time,
Zhao Yu, who was still daydreaming, suddenly looked around. “Was someone spying on me just now?”
He saw nothing. There were only the tribespeople of the Youxiong Tribe still walking along the ground.
From time to time, some of them cast envious glances at Zhao Yu... They were all among those walking on foot.
If they could remain inside the buildings, who would be willing to rely on their own legs to travel hundreds of miles?
Zhao Yu withdrew his gaze and muttered, “With flying buildings to ride in, I’d have to be an idiot to walk on the ground.”
So it really had been those fellows spying on him.
Soon, Zhao Yu turned his back.
He bent his finger and tapped the blade of his hatchet. “Hatchet, hatchet.”
“What do you want?” the hatchet asked irritably, its voice echoing in Zhao Yu’s mind.
Zhao Yu lowered his voice. “Why haven’t you spoken to me these past few days?”
“You don’t trust me. I don’t feel like talking.”
The hatchet’s voice had grown desolate.