I Steal the Ancestors' Sacrifices to Nourish Myself-Chapter 26: The Situation and Founding the City

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: The Situation and Founding the City

"Acan, what brings you here?"

Seeing Shen Can visiting directly for the first time, Huo Chang was quite pleased.

In the past, Acan would only come when invited, always appearing somewhat aloof.

"Clan Leader, what’s the situation outside?"

"It’s not good."

"Huo Shan has relayed the news from the Jishi Tribe, and the situation is similar to Yanshan."

"It will take time for the more distant tribes.

But within the nearby area, aside from the Upper Huang Division, the strength of the other divisions is actually quite similar; they are neither particularly strong nor very weak.

Fushan, Jishi, and Yanshan are all unable to hold on, and other tribes are likely the same. Next, the parasitic plague insects will sweep the surroundings on a large scale."

Huo Chang’s expression was serious. Don’t be fooled by the fact that the Blazing Flame Division resisted the plague insects.

Once the surrounding area becomes a plague zone, it will stand out like a beacon at night.

What Huo Chang thought was also the concern of Shen Can; otherwise, he wouldn’t have sought out Huo Chang.

The upcoming crisis for the Blazing Flame Division is significant.

If the infected Human Race besiege the Blazing Flame Division, relying solely on the Witch Talisman wouldn’t be safe.

"I’ve already sent Huo Kui near Yanshan. After the plague insects leave, they will retrieve Yanshan Division’s resources."

"Clan Leader, let’s build a city."

"Carve the mountain into towers, construct stone walls."

"Dig moats outside the walls for rivers."

Outside Giant Peak Mountain, small hills stood like a vast array of mountains.

It’s easy to build a city, using the clan land’s mountain as the center, with four surrounding mountains forming the corners; a moat between them would serve as a city defense."

The Blazing Flame and other tribes can carve mountains and dig caves, gathering stone to build houses. Why haven’t they built city walls around the area?

The primary reason is that the city walls serve little purpose.

A single wild beast could easily shatter city walls.

Months of relentless mountain floods could wash them away directly.

However, towering mountains, deeply rooted beneath the earth, remain stable and secure.

The last time the parasitic plague insects attacked, although those they possessed could fly, Shen Can had observed clearly that except for the plague birds, the others didn’t fly over five zhang, seeming more like they were gliding and diving.

As for whether city walls can withstand wild beasts or martial artists, that’s a problem for the future.

Once my control over the Witch Talismans is more comprehensive, I can directly inscribe them on the city walls.

In any case, the plague insects won’t gnaw at the city walls; they’ll be enough to keep the possessed Human Race out.

"Acan, why don’t you become the Clan Leader?"

Awaiting Huo Chang’s decision, Shen Can was startled by Huo Chang’s sudden suggestion.

He stepped back repeatedly in surprise.

He had indeed expected this.

Being Clan Leader, he wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Floods, plagues, within a year, encountering two disasters, who knows what could come next?

The position of Clan Leader would surely drain his lifespan.

While he could afford to waste the life of wild beasts, he couldn’t afford to waste his own.

"Well, as the Ancestral Temple Keeper, what I desire most in this life is to serve our ancestors well, nothing more."

Watching Shen Can decline hastily, Huo Chang felt a bit disappointed.

"Also, take out all the stored meat from the clan and the meat from Fushan and other divisions as resources for cultivation."

"What do we do when it’s all eaten? You have no idea how much the clan members can eat."

Huo Chang thought of the clan’s big eaters. If not for the tradition of storing grain,

the clan members would eat everything clean if left unchecked.

"Clan Leader, you’re being too conservative."

Shen Can spoke, "I’ve never heard of any tribe in the Great Wilderness where a martial artist starves."

"Look at Fushan Division; they didn’t finish their meat, but the people are gone."

"Survive the plague first; how can a martial artist starve?"

Huo Chang wasn’t stingy; it was just a habit formed over many years that hadn’t changed.

For both the clan members and himself, the most ingrained thought was to hoard food, meat, and medicine in good times to prepare for natural disasters and man-made calamities.

In Shen Can’s view, Huo Chang was also ambitious.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent Huo Shan to spy on other tribes after the flood receded.

Not to mention hunting down the few remaining wild beasts in the hunting ranges of other tribes while they were hiding from plague insects.

Previously, Shen Can had considered whether the Upper Huang Division might come because they noticed witchcraft. But just now, after his thoughts changed, his perspective shifted too.

Once the plague passes, if the Upper Huang Division comes, he may not fear them as he once did.

"Clan Leader, after all the beast blood has been moved, just how many clan members have advanced to the Mountain Opening Realm?"

Though Shen Can had seen many clan members display their strength during the fight against the parasitic plague insects, the Mountain Opening and Stone-Breaking were not distinctly separated. Without careful inspection, it wasn’t clear.

"A total of eight people soaked in beast blood, seven succeeded, and one failed."

Huo Chang didn’t hide anything.

The tribe originally had thirteen Mountain-Opening Realm martial artists, of which four were elderly.

Among the four elderly Mountain-Opening Realm, two were about the same age as Huo Xian, currently responsible for taking care of children.

You could say they only have the reputation of being in the Mountain Opening.

Excluding the four elderly tribesmen, there are currently sixteen vigorous Mountain-Opening Realm individuals.

"The number of Stone-Breaking Realm martial artists has increased to one hundred eighty-nine."

"Thanks to ancestral blessing, with improved fist techniques and prescriptions, the number of martial artists in the tribe has increased so much in a short period."

As he spoke, Huo Chang looked at Shen Can.

The ancestors revealed their spirit, and Acan became a witch, having lived through so much over the decades.

These changes happened after Shen Can entered the ancestral temple.

He couldn’t help but ponder more.

But pondering is one thing; Huo Chang had no intention of digging for more answers.

Some matters cannot be questioned; his years of experience as clan leader told him that one cannot effectively lead the tribe without being a little deaf and dumb.

Otherwise, the small matters of more than two thousand tribe members would crush him.

"It’s time to bring out the meat, those in the tribe with the potential to advance to Mountain Opening have mostly done so.

For those whose Qi strength is still lacking, even soaking in beast blood has a low success rate."

The Blazing Flame Tribe’s foundation isn’t at the point where soaking anyone in beast blood can advance them to Mountain Opening.

The short-term benefits of the improved Kui Ox Fist and prescriptions have probably been exhausted during this period.

Even if the remaining tribesmen have the improved fortunes bestowed upon them, their inherent strength is still lacking, requiring time to mature.

Unfortunately, frequent natural disasters have turned this Great Wilderness into quite a place.

They can only cultivate amid these conditions.

"Clan leader, the women in the tribe are physically strong too, and now unable to go out for gathering, we have gathered resources from Fushan and other divisions, there’s no immediate rush for crafting and repairing.

Since the uncles are busy outside, the aunts can completely step up."

The women of the tribe are strong, something Shen Can truly understands.

In the past, due to shortages in martial cultivation and meat, most resources were inclined towards men.

Shen Can believes that preventing the aunts from hunting outside, they can fully support and defend the tribe.

The root of everything lies in the lack of resources.

Now that the reserves from the Yanshan Tribe are almost moved back, combining the reserves from the Blazing Flame, Fushan, and Yanshan Tribes to nourish the Blazing Flame Race, it’s entirely sufficient for tribe members to eat their fill.

Basic Martial Dao is fundamentally about eating well.

As for what to do after eating up.

If, despite the whole tribe cultivating martial arts, I still can’t get enough to eat, then I would not be happy.

...

On the day of discussion, Huo Chang, as clan leader, had already arranged for the tribe to get started with work in his name.

He even personally handled stone harvesting as a clan leader.

Just five miles southwest of the tribe’s mountain, there is a small hill over fifty zhang high.

With one strike, Huo Chang made the little mountain rumble, cracks sprawling out with rubble rolling down.

For Great Wilderness martial artists, breaking mountains to harvest stone is an easy task; their strength is immense, they simply bulldoze through.

This is one reason why people are reluctant to build cities.

Unless it’s ore, ordinary stones lack sufficient hardness.

However, for defending against invasive Plague Insects, it’s adequate.

As the rubble settled, Shen Can stepped forward but hadn’t moved.

"Temple Keeper, your body is weak; let us handle it."

A robust aunt spoke, about two meters tall, hoisting a large stone as she walked.

Around, there were plenty of healthy women, all getting to work gathering stones.

"Right, Temple Keeper, your frame is small, how could this little task be something for a witch to handle." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Words like ’weak’ and ’small’ echoed constantly, and Shen Can turned to leap onto Ayu’s back.

"Ayu, let’s go."

...

Inside the ancestral temple.

Shen Can’s fists moved like Kui Ox, generating gusts of wind.

With no Plague Insect attacks, even while patrolling the clan division, he never skipped practicing Kui Ox Fist three times a day.

Ayu was beside, also practicing his fist techniques.

He had already taught the Top-Grade Kui Ox Fist to Ayu, though his movements were a bit clumsy, still in the state of newfound learning and realization.

Of course, he taught under the guise of offering pointers, without telling Ayu the specifics.

From what he observed, the effects of the Top-Grade Kui Ox Fist on Ayu had some gap compared to his own, but it was still a significant improvement over the Middle Grade.

This was likely related to the Divine Power of All Transformations Return to One.

Ayu was just beginning, and Shen Can planned to secretly pass down the Top-Grade Kui Ox Fist.

With his current influence within the tribe, doing this didn’t require the ancestors to make an appearance.

The ancestors had it tough too.