Free Web NovelChapter 2133: Chapter 1553: Wait! I’ll Go Dig Up My Grandpa’s Grave..._2
Talking about these deeply engraved tribal past events, Aguda, who was born a Wild Man Jurchen, was very excited, even his weathered tiger-like face showed lament. Before meeting his brother-in-law Ah Zu, wasn’t it the same for his Maha tribe? Sometimes, when they were extremely hungry and unable to catch food, they had to... eat themselves...
So, among the Wild Man tribes pushed southward by hunger and cold waves, where would there be any old people? Look at the life of the Wild Man Jurchens, then look at the life of those Shushu Jurchen tribes in the south! How could they not be ruthless, desperately killing, desperately robbing, desperately eating?!
"Aguda, have you ever eaten the mushrooms in these mountains? Have you ever encountered those very peculiar mushrooms, the kind that can communicate with the Divine Spirit...?"
"You mean those fungi? Hmm... The ordinary tribespeople don’t eat such things. What you eat is what comes out, they don’t fill you at all! If you don’t cook the mushrooms, you can easily get poisoned, if you do cook them, it’s a waste of firewood! Only those Shaman with heritage from certain tribes would use peculiar mushrooms to invite gods or heal... but during my migrations, I rarely encountered Shamans. After all, Shamans are usually old, unable to migrate, and most likely died on the road!"
Maha Aguda shook his head, he still held great respect for the tribe’s Shamans and Priests. The Tungusic tribes have always been in a harsh and desolate environment, their awe for nature is heartfelt. A Shaman with heritage not only represents the will of the natural spirits but also possesses much experience and knowledge. Therefore, tribes with a Shaman tend to survive and thrive more easily!
But likewise, the stubborn Shaman heritage of the Tungusic tribes, fitting their natural environment, has also become a symbol of resistance against the Sinicization by the Ming Dynasty. When heading south from the territories of the Wild Man Jurchens, reaching the territories of those Shushu Jurchen tribes in Haixi and Jianzhou, tribe Shamans are truly abundant. An old Shaman in a tribe often has the power to rival the Chieftain, that status is truly high!
"Chief Divine! These barbaric and distressed Shengshu Jurchen tribes... If only the Kingdom’s Priest could bring potatoes and completely change their lives, allowing their tribes to continue and grow stronger... Surely the faith in the Chief Divine could truly take root in the hearts of these beast-like fierce tribes!"
Zuwaro listened to these forest tribe survival experiences, watching those dirty tribeswomen and children, and the wild vegetable mush in their wooden bowls, feeling genuinely stirred. Their group was heading west to buy horses, needing to carry lots of trade salt goods, and the dry food carried was limited, requiring careful use, and hunting along the way for supplementation. He couldn’t even ensure that all of the more than a hundred people in the Du’erbi tribe each have a meal of potato mush, and neither would the tribe’s rules allow it. In practice, only the strong, hunting, and fighting thirty or forty warriors have the right to share this meal of ’delicacy’!
"Oh dear! It’s so fragrant! Where did you dig up this white mud? I’ll also bring people to dig some, bring it back to eat... It feels tastier than barnyard grass and acorn!"
"Chief Divine bless! Wu Xiong, this ’white mud’ is not dug up, it’s grown! Yes, planted in spring and dug up in autumn, there’ll be many more later... Next spring, I’ll send a Shaman to help you plant ’white mud’, so your tribe can fill their bellies!"
"Ah! A Shaman is coming? We can fill our bellies!... Great! Great, that’s truly fantastic!"
Hearing this, Wu Xiong threw the emptied but unbreakable "large bowl" in delight. He passionately and excitedly patted Zuwaro’s shoulder with his fan-sized palms, causing Ah Zu to stagger. Hu Nu glared at him and pushed him away, but Wu Xiong didn’t mind, he only laughed heartily like a bear.
"Hahaha! Filling up! Eating white mud! Just thinking about it makes me very happy!"
"..."
Ali finally saw a chance, bending down to pick up the iron-made "helmet bowl". He turned it over, examined it thoroughly, knocked on it forcefully, couldn’t help frowning, and muttered quietly to himself.
"It really is a Commander’s helmet, forged from refined iron. Despite the rust and unknown years passed, it is still quite sturdy... The Turuting Mountain Guard is a Great Wei Guard with a thousand people, it used to be ranked among the great tribes! With such a sturdy Guard Station Mountain Castle, and the Commander’s helmet, there should be some token left behind, right? How come this guard station’s Jurchen tribe has only a bit over a hundred people left, and nothing indicates a Hanized Shushu Jurchen at all, instead they look entirely like Wild Men?"
"East Sea Chief Divine! Something must have been left behind here! Especially something made of iron, of copper... Yes! Most importantly, the official seal copper plate enfeoffed by Emperor Taizong, capable of southern tribute... Where has the official seal of the Turuting Mountain Guard gone?"
Ali pondered for a moment, turning his head to look at Wu Xiong. He tried hard to squeeze out a smile and asked the simple bear.
"Wu Xiong, I’m asking you... Have you ever seen a square and shiny copper seal? About this big, one end has a sharp copper handle, the other side has many characters... Hmm, lots of square patterns?"
"? I don’t understand. What are you asking about again? Are you trying to steal my things? My things are mine, not yours! Wait till there’s no one around, and see if I don’t smash you with a hammer... uh!"
Wu Xiong glared fiercely at Ali, uttering threats. Ali opened his mouth and instinctively took a half step back. Aguda raised an eyebrow, took a step forward, heavily slapped Wu Xiong on the head. Given Wu Xiong’s towering stature, among the crowd, only Aguda could reach him—with Zuwaro, even if he stood on tiptoes, it would still be slightly difficult.
"You big silly bear, what’s with the random threats?! Just answer what’s asked! Did you hear?!"
"Uh!..."
"Did you hear?!"
"Ah! Your word is law, Master."
Wu Xiong retracted his neck, the fierce look on his face dissipated with that yell and slap. As a Jurchen Chief who only acknowledges force, only Aguda could hold him in check, not Ali or Zuwaro. He looked fearfully at Aguda, muttering something under his breath. Aguda glared at him with tiger eyes, pondered, and then rewarded him with a pat and a date.
"You think long and hard! That thing is very important! It can be exchanged for good stuff in the south... Find it, and I’ll reward you with two bags of white mud potatoes! And a bag of pickled fish!"
"Ah! Two bags of white mud, one bag of pickled fish!"
Wu Xiong was instantly overjoyed. He widened his eyes, tugged at his thick hair, and truly began to rack his brains.
"Square... one end sharp?... the other end with patterns... bright looking thing?"
"Think about it! Did your Amma pass down any other sturdy things? It shouldn’t just be a big bowl... Think about your dwelling place, Amma’s dwelling place, and your Grandpa Mafa’s dwelling place?"
"Ah? My dwelling place? It definitely doesn’t. Amma’s dwelling place? Isn’t that where I live? I even took care of his remains... My Mafa’s dwelling place? He died long ago, Amma didn’t even remember him, who knows where he lived before he died?... Bright thing? Grandpa Mafa... Hmm, I think I do have an impression, truly an impression!"
Wu Xiong blinked like a bear, showing an untouched clearness in his eyes. His world was just that small, his mind was very clear, all his memories were vivid, just like his twenty-something age... a moment later, he suddenly slapped his bear leg, turned and ran out of the mountain castle.
"Aha! Bright thing, Mafa’s thing... I remember! I recall where I’ve seen it!"
"Ah?! Wu Xiong, what did you remember? Where are you running?!"
"I’m going to the forest on the opposite mountain, where my Mafa lives now!... Wait a bit! I’ll be right back... I’m going to dig up my Grandpa Mafa’s grave!"
"???"
"!!!"
