Hunter of Mysterious Creature

Chapter 723 25: Ancestral Land (Part 2)

"The cave that child spoke of is actually an artificially dug pit. Above the pit, there's a canopy made of wood and mud for shelter against the elements. Outside the canopy, many totems are haphazardly stuck into the ground, with masks of ghosts and beasts painted in white and red on them."

"The herders didn't start the ritual immediately; instead, they set up tents near the pit. That evening, my presence was discovered by two herders patrolling on horseback—I had no means of transportation, and on foot, I couldn't outrun the magnificent horses the herders rode. I was quickly captured and brought before the chief."

"I thought they would kill me... but the chief did not, and the tribe's shaman repeatedly emphasized that killing on the ancestral land is a desecration of the 'sacred object.'" Lin Lun sighed, "They locked me in a tent and left me with plenty of mare's milk and dried lamb... The chief demanded that I not step outside the tent until the ritual was complete."

"But what they didn't know was that with my universal key and some survival tools, that simple door lock couldn't hold me. At midnight, I quietly unlocked it and slipped out of the tent."

"I initially planned to head directly to the pit but noticed that there was still light inside the chief's tent, so I assumed they were preparing for the ritual, and I sneaked over."

"But what I overheard was the chief and the shaman deciding to postpone the ritual... They were convinced that my presence as an outsider would provoke the ancestors' wrath and a divine punishment if the ritual continued... They planned to send the best horse rider in the tribe to escort me back to the mining area the next day and then to move the 'sacred object' from the ancestral land to another undisclosed location."

"I realized tonight might be my last chance."

"What I did next might make you angry, but to me, it was the only choice," Lin Lun said.

"What did you do?" Sun Hang squinted.

"I poisoned the leather sacks they used to store sheep milk... I had observed their living habits earlier; in the morning, the herders gathered to share milk tea... and the milk used to brew the tea was from the sack I poisoned," Lin Lun smirked self-deprecatingly, "They didn't kill me, but I killed their entire tribe."

"It seems the ancestral teachings of these herders were correct," Sun Hang said coldly, "Bringing outsiders into the ancestral land brings disaster to the tribe."

"I had no other choice," Lin Lun said, "No matter what I did, they would certainly stop me... And with my own abilities, to achieve my goal, I had to resort to such despicable means."

"And then?"

"The entire tribe died, except for the blind old shaman... Because his stomach was weak, he seldom drank sheep milk..." Lin Lun said, "I crouched silently in the corner of the tent where they confined me, waiting for the poison to take effect... I heard cries and screams outside the tent, hurried footsteps, and bodies hitting the ground heavily... When all the noise stopped, I unlocked the door once again and walked out."

"The ground was littered with bodies, men, women, old people, and children... I saw the child who told the secret of the ancestral land, collapsed on the ground, clutching tightly the windproof lighter I gave him, his eyes wide open," Lin Lun said, "But his pupils were dilated, foam seeping from the corners of his mouth, trickling down to the grass."

"You certainly are a cold one," Sun Hang commented.

"I don't care about how others view me, and I know from a moral standpoint, I'm the kind of scum who deserves to be executed a hundred times," Lin Lun said, "But to achieve my goals, I'm willing to use any means necessary... Can I ask you a question?"

"What question?"

"If sacrificing this one tribe could save countless people in the future, would you sacrifice them?" Lin Lun asked.

Sun Hang suddenly laughed, "You know, during my hunter's entry assessment, my supervisor also posed this question to me."

"And what was your answer?"

"I wouldn't make any choice," Sun Hang shrugged, "This is a choice for those in power to make, and hunters only need to execute orders."

"Is that the standard answer to the question?" Lin Lun asked again.

"I don't know what the standard answer is, but in any case, after I answered that way, my supervisor told me I passed the assessment."

"Alright..." Lin Lun nodded quietly, "Then I'll continue with my story... After checking all the tents, I found the surviving shaman, who was over ninety years old, and was no match for me strength-wise... Moreover, he didn't seem to hate me."

"You killed their entire tribe, and he doesn't hate you?" Sun Hang's mouth twitched, "Is he a saint?"

"He thinks the person who killed the entire tribe isn't me, but himself and the chief, while I'm just the executor of the ancestors' wrath, a divine punishment," Lin Lun said.

Sun Hang: "Superstition kills."

"I asked him to take me to find the sacred object, and he didn't refuse. But before entering the pit, he took out a cloth strip and asked me to blindfold myself," Lin Lun said, "He told me no one should look directly at the sacred object, or their eyes would be scorched by endless darkness... He also said that in their tribe, to become a shaman, one must blindfold themselves."

"I took the cloth strip but didn't blindfold myself. I deceived him, telling him I did, and had him lead me inside."

"The shaman lit a candle—the cloth strip wasn't thick, and through the fiber gaps, I could see the tiny candlelight in the dark cave. The shaman asked me to follow his candlelight, while he groped the rock walls of the cave, stumbling deeper."

"At the deepest part of the cave, I saw a small sapling, a sapling that seemed made of flesh and blood," Lin Lun whispered, "At the same time, I saw the sorrow and regretful negative emotions on the shaman being drawn out as if by some force, all absorbed by the sapling."

"That's what I'd been searching for all along," Lin Lun pointed to the 'tree' ahead, "And now it's what you're seeing."

"I told the shaman I wanted to take it, but at that moment, the feeble old shaman suddenly extinguished the candle, drew a curved knife from his waist, and lunged at me!"

"His negative emotions were generating uncontrollably, then gushing out, only to be absorbed by the small sapling—if it weren't for us being in the cave, I'm sure, one hundred percent, he would have turned into a grotesque being."

"But unfortunately, there's no 'if.' His negative emotions were all absorbed by the sapling; he didn't turn into a grotesque being, he remained the same frail and sick old man."

"I kicked him away, and he slammed heavily against the rock wall, not moving again."

"I turned on the flashlight and found that his back of the head had hit one of the protuberances on the rock wall."

"I turned to look at the sapling, after absorbing the shaman's massive outpouring of negative emotions, it seemed slightly larger than when I first saw it."