Chapter 009: The Ancestor of Sorcery

After a moment, Wu Mian's expression turned to one of surprise. He released Lin Huo's hand and looked at his flushed face, saying: "I didn't expect you to be so much like me..." As he spoke, a small porcelain bottle appeared in the palm of Wu Mian's hand. He toyed with the bottle while observing the heavily intoxicated Lin Huo, muttering to himself: "Do you dare to take this risk?"

In the village, the first shaman ancestor has emerged, and such a joyous occasion could not end without everyone getting thoroughly drunk. The banquet continued until dawn, by which time no one could stand up from the table. Seizing this opportunity, Wu Mian emerged from his bamboo house and walked over to the drunken Lin Huo, taking his pulse.

What does this mean? Wu Mian did not understand the situation, but he could no longer rely on Lin Huo for an answer. Wu Mian, not paying attention, found that Lin Huo had already raised the incense and moved to the front. This question was still answered by Yang Xiao on behalf of his uncle: "Using the sacred fire of the Witch Ancestor to ignite the incense in their hands, whoever's incense burns the longest will be the next Witch Ancestor."

No wonder the Miao people have gone mad. Just as Wu Mian felt bored and was about to leave, the witch ancestor on the water's surface spoke a few more words. As his voice fell, two or three dozen old men emerged from behind the crowd. Each of these elders held around a hundred incense sticks and, upon seeing the Miao men, offered one stick from their hands to them

Lin Huo held a certain degree of prestige among these individuals. Upon his arrival, several Miao men sitting by the pond stood up one after another, conversing briefly in the Miao language, and surprisingly offered their seats to him. Lin Huo declined a few times, but was instead urged to sit down by the other Miao men, who then took seats at the back.

After returning to his own bamboo house, Wu Mian finally could not understand why he was the first to be eliminated. Could it be because he did not have the bloodline of the Miao people? Or was it because the techniques of his school of sorcery conflicted with witchcraft? Just as Wu Mian was lost in thought, a cacophony of sounds erupted outside. Looking out through the window of the bamboo house, he saw that the outside was brightly lit, and Lin Huo was surrounded by a crowd as he returned to the village. Seeing him smile so broadly, Wu Mian had already guessed to whom the next shaman ancestor would belong.

The location for welcoming the Witch Ancestor was by the pond that Wu Mian encountered before arriving at the Miao village. By the time Wu Mian and his companions arrived, the area was already crowded with a sea of people. It seemed as if a grand gathering was taking place here, with thousands of Miao men surrounding the pond, while hundreds of Miao women sat on the periphery, pointing and laughing at the men in front of them

This sentence ignited the emotions of all the Miao people around, except for Wu Mian, who sat in place with his eyes slanted towards the person coming from the bottom of the water. Everyone, including Lin Huo and Yang Xiao, jumped up from the ground, shouting hoarsely at the person standing on the water's surface.

As the light emitted by the pond grew increasingly bright, a layer of ripples suddenly appeared at the center of the otherwise calm water. Gradually, water splashes began to emerge continuously from the center of the ripples, and soon, like boiling water, the splashes became more and more dense. At that moment, a person slowly surfaced from beneath the water, first revealing his head and then his body. Moments later, he stood fully on the water's surface, loudly calling out a phrase in the Miao language to the crowd at the edge of the pond. At that moment, another person slowly surfaced from beneath the water, first revealing his head and then his body. Moments later, he stood fully on the water's surface, loudly calling out a phrase in the Miao language to the crowd at the edge of the pond.

The young people holding incense stood or sat around, carefully watching the tip of the incense, not daring to breathe, fearing that their breath might hasten the burning process of the incense. After a long while, it finally came to the last person in line, Wu Mian.

The shaman on the water's surface clasped his hands together. After a moment, when he spread his hands apart, a ball of blue flame appeared in his palms. The shaman slowly approached the crowd while cradling this flame, and those who had been pushed to the edge of the pond quickly parted, making way for the elder.

Before long, the sky gradually darkened. The originally noisy sounds became quiet, and only the sound of the waterfall could be heard. The surroundings were pitch black, and no one was seen lighting candles. After a while, suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd, and then it was observed that the flowing waterfall emitted a faint glow.

After seeing Wu Mian's appearance up close, Wu Zu was momentarily taken aback. Taking advantage of the time while he was lighting incense, Wu Zu whispered something in Miao language. Unfortunately, Wu Mian had no idea what was being said, and after casually nodding at Wu Zu, he turned and left.

At this moment, Wu Mian could see clearly that the person standing on the water's surface was in his sixties or seventies, completely soaked, emanating a glow similar to that of the pool water. The old man standing on the water must be the protagonist of the night—Wu Zu. He extended his hands and pressed down a few times, and the crowd's shouts instantly ceased.

After a while, all the Miao men at the edge of the pond, including Wu Mian, each held a thin incense stick in their hands. The people at the back began to move closer to the pond, and as more and more gathered, the front row of people had their calves submerged in the water.

The shaman spoke a few words in the Miao language to the crowd, and the faces of the Miao people around the water pool changed color. Wu Mian was truly puzzled about what had happened, so he went to ask Lin Huo, but Lin Huo stood there like a wooden statue, completely unable to hear Wu Mian's questions, only repeatedly reciting what the shaman had said. In the end, it was Yang Xiao, who could speak a few words of Mandarin, that answered Wu Mian's question on behalf of his uncle: "The shaman is to select a successor ... ... "

Wu Mian, Lin Huo, and Lin Huo's nephew Yang Xiao were sitting together. Lin Huo, fearing that Wu Mian would not understand the Miao language and feel constrained, engaged in conversation with him, speaking intermittently. Little did he know that the more he did this, the more bored Wu Mian felt.

Wu Mian smiled thoughtfully and said to himself, "Is there still a need to choose the Witch Ancestor? Whoever stands last will be the next Witch Ancestor." Fortunately, those around him could not understand what he was saying. Yang Xiao pretended not to hear and blended into the large group, moving forward step by step.

Just as he had taken only a few steps, a sudden flash of fire erupted from his hand, and the long incense stick in his grasp burned away completely, as if it were a firework from years past. While Wu Mian was still in a daze, the old man who had just delivered the incense approached from behind, pointing outside the water pool and speaking incessantly. It was clear without translation that he was urging him to leave this place. Among the thousands of people selecting the shaman ancestor, Wu Mian was the first to be eliminated. Amidst the laughter of the Miao people, Wu Mian left the water pool in confusion, leaving behind a shaman ancestor who was equally perplexed, gazing at the back of this white-haired young man with an expression of disbelief.

After the shaman stepped out of the pond, he uttered something. The Miao people beside him began to form a line, walking in order to stand before the shaman, using the blue fireball in his hand to light their incense.

Wu Mian originally intended to throw away the incense and leave, but upon seeing the grand procession of incense bearers, he had a change of heart and walked to the end of the line, swaying slightly as he moved forward

As the waterfall cascaded into the pool, a layer of faint luminescence emanated from the entire surface of the water. With the continuous flow of this glowing waterfall into the pool, the luminescence became increasingly pronounced, even reflecting the features of the people seated in the front row. Except for Wu Mian, everyone present had witnessed such a scene more than once. At that moment, no one expressed any surprise.

Although it was already midnight, no one seemed inclined to rest. The village elder was busy preparing to slaughter pigs and steam buns, getting ready for the next shaman. By the light of the torches, everyone set up tables in the village square, and once the food and drink were laid out, a long banquet commenced. At this moment, naturally, no one remembered Wu Mian, who had just been eliminated first.

Wu Mian did not expect such an outcome. Based on his earlier thoughts, with his qualifications, even if he could not become the next Witch Ancestor, he should still be able to attract the attention of this Witch Ancestor. The Witch Ancestor has undergone countless generations of inheritance, and it should not be difficult to inquire about the location on the map from his mouth. However, who would have thought that he would be the first to be eliminated like this