Chapter 180 They've Seen the Same Sky

Achan's lips unconsciously curled up, and she leaned forward, her hands braced on the windowsill.

Bai Xiuming readily bent down, letting her lick and bite his lips. He responded lazily, without much intensity.

Even after they parted, Ah Chan, with her eyes crinkling, couldn't resist teasing him: "Lord Bai's words are so sweet."

Bai Xiuming stuck out the tip of his tongue and licked his upper lip, suppressing the desire churning in his eyes: "Is that so? Then try some more?"

Ah Chan shook her head. Although they were both deep in darkness, she was completely unaware of the suppressed emotions in the other's eyes. But her intuition told her that it was best to just take a small bite to satisfy her craving and not push her luck.

"How did you find me?" Achan asked him through the window.

"The High Priest told me." Seeing that he had failed to deceive her, Bai Xiuming was not in a hurry and answered A Chan's question calmly.

Achan didn't believe it: "The High Priest will only tell you that I'm staying out tonight and it's safe. He definitely won't tell you where Granny Yang is staying."

Bai Xiuming raised his hand and touched her face. He couldn't kiss her, but he could at least touch her: "You're so smart."

His thumb gently stroked under Achan's eyes; her eyes were a little swollen, as if she had been crying.

Bai Xiuming's gaze darkened slightly, as if Achan's emotions had been fluctuating greatly since arriving here. The priests of the witch clan were exceptionally kind to her.

His charm was certainly endearing, but for the highly vigilant Wu tribe, this was not a normal phenomenon. He even found himself being favored by others because of his affection for the man.

"Why aren't you asleep yet, it's so late?" Bai Xiuming asked her softly.

Ah Chan tilted her head and rubbed it against his warm palm, her hair falling onto his wrist, causing a tingling sensation: "If I fall asleep, how will I wait for you?"

Bai Xiuming smiled, easily pleased by her coaxing: "Come out, I'll take you to see the stars."

"Where are the stars?" She looked up at the sky, but there was only a shadow.

Bai Xiuming didn't explain to her. He placed his hands under her ribs and gently lifted her up, leaving A Chan suspended in mid-air.

She called out briefly, then remembered that Xue and Grandma Yang's child were in the next room, so she quickly covered her mouth and swallowed the sound.

Bai Xiuming helped the person out of the window, and seeing her pair of fair little feet swinging restlessly, he simply picked her up and held her in his arms.

"Where should we go to see the stars?" Achan wasn't very interested in stargazing, but she liked the feeling of leaning against Bai Xiuming's chest.

She didn't know when it started, but smelling his scent made her feel at ease.

"above."

Before he could finish speaking, Bai Xiuming had already leaped out of the ancient tree's lush canopy with her in his arms, landing at the very top of the tree.

The ancient tree's canopy was so large that it blocked out the sun during the day and also blocked out the darkness at night.

Bai Xiuming held A Chan in his arms, standing on the treetop, feeling light and airy, as if he hadn't used any force at all, yet his feet remained firmly planted.

He found a flat spot, picked up Achan and sat down. Achan wrapped her arms around his neck, sat sideways on his lap and looked up at the sky.

The moonlight tonight is not bright, but the entire night sky is filled with countless stars, their light stretching out like a celestial river hanging upside down on earth, twinkling and dazzling.

Ah Chan could hardly take her eyes off it. She leaned back, looking at the starry sky above, and murmured, "It's so beautiful."

The starry sky here is so beautiful. Many years ago, did my parents also see such a beautiful night sky together?

Now, I and they have seen the same night sky.

"Mm," Bai Xiuming responded.

He wasn't looking at the starry sky, but at Achan in his arms.

Her eyes were filled with tiny, sparkling stars. For some reason, she carried a sense of melancholy.

"Shooting star," Achan suddenly said, pointing in a direction.

Bai Xiuming looked up and saw two shooting stars streak across the sky.

"Make a wish," he said.

Achan instinctively wanted to shake her head; no one could fulfill her wish for her.

But in the end, she closed her eyes and made a wish. Her father and mother were no longer alive, so she hoped that she could find Amian soon.

Opening her eyes, Achan turned her head and saw that Bai Xiuming had also just opened his eyes. She asked curiously, "What wish did you make?"

"Wishes won't come true if you say them out loud."

"Tell me about it, maybe I can help you achieve it." Achan was really curious.

Bai Xiuming chuckled and whispered in Achan's ear, "My wish is to stay tonight."

Achan immediately turned hostile and pushed his face aside: "This wish won't do, let's choose another one."

Why not?

“If Grandma Yang sees you coming out of my room, she will be frightened.”

Bai Xiuming deliberately retorted: "But I think the priests of the Witch Clan are mentally strong enough that they shouldn't be easily frightened."

Don't even think about it.

Because Achan refused to budge, Bai Xiuming coaxed her out to see the stars, but in the end, she still didn't get the chance to stay overnight.

Back on the ground, Achan climbed back into the house through the window, waving to the people outside: "Be careful on your way back."

"Will I pick you up tomorrow morning?" Bai Xiuming asked.

Achan shook her head and refused again: "I'll go back with Huixue."

Come back soon.

"Okay." Achan reached out and nudged him. "You should go now."

Once Bai Xiuming's figure had completely disappeared from sight, Achan closed the window and jogged back to bed.

She lay in the soft bedding, the faint scent of Bai Xiuming still lingering beside her. She closed her eyes, and instead of the desolate darkness, she was enveloped in a sky full of twinkling stars.

Ah Chan slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Early in the morning, Achan and Shen Huixue had breakfast at Grandma Yang's place before planning to return to the village.

Granny Yang asked Hui Xue to pack up the medicinal herbs she had recently picked and dried, so that she could deliver them to the High Priest when she returned.

Hui Xue was sorting the medicinal herbs as instructed. A Chan wanted to help, but was stopped by Granny Yang.

"You should have already obtained what your father left behind, right?" she suddenly asked.

Achan paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes."

There's a saying among humans: "Think thrice before you act." Whatever decision you make, ask yourself first if you'll regret it.

Ah Chan wanted to say she wouldn't regret it, but she still hesitated last night.

"Achan, don't rush, you have plenty of time to make a decision."

Achan nodded: "I understand."

Although Achan was certain that no one could change her mind, she really shouldn't rush things. It wouldn't be too late to make a decision after everything was ready.

By this time, Huixue had already packed the two large bags of medicinal herbs. She turned around and waved to the two of them, saying, "Grandma Yang, everything is packed."

"Then you should go back to the village. I won't see you off."

"Grandma Yang, we're leaving." Achan said goodbye to Wu Yang, then jogged towards Shen Huixue.

Shen Huixue transformed back into her original form, and Achan sat on her back, turning around to wave at Wu Yang.

Wu Yang watched them leave, a smile always on her face.

In the blink of an eye, Achan and Bai Xiuming had been living in the village for more than ten days. As the sacrificial ceremony approached, the village became increasingly lively.

The day before the sacrifice, the altar at the end of the village was already set up. In the center of the altar was a tall altar. Starting in the morning, the villagers carried out their own offerings from the high priest and piled them around the altar.

Almost every household in the village prepared offerings for this sacrificial ceremony. In addition to the offerings, the altar was covered with freshly picked flowers and leaves.

The villagers were in high spirits, which made Achan look forward to tomorrow's sacrificial ceremony.

On the day of the sacrifice, just after noon, Achan was taken by Shen Huixue to the high priest's residence.

The Wu tribe's sacrificial rites begin at Shen Shi (3-5 PM). Before she can perform the sacrificial dance, she needs to change into her sacrificial attire.

The high priest had prepared a new set of sacrificial robes for Achan: a white sleeveless robe with gold trim, and a belt made of gold thread tied in three knots at the waist, hanging down to the right side.

After changing into the sacrificial robes, Shen Huixue sat behind Achan, braided her long hair, and then took the feather crown that was placed aside and put it on her head.

Achan shook her head, causing the feathers on her crest to tremble. It was a crest made of phoenix feathers, which were multicolored and shimmered in the light.

Nowadays, the Luan bird has not appeared in the world for a long time, and Achan has never seen it in person. Today, she only saw its feathers, which is enough to give her a glimpse of the Luan bird's full appearance.

Such a feathered crown is enough to demonstrate the long history of the Wu tribe.

After changing her clothes, Achan pushed open the door and saw three people standing at the door.

Apart from her, the other three people performing the sacrificial dance were all young men who had just come of age. At this moment, they were shirtless, wearing black trousers, and also had gold belts tied around their waists, but the ropes were tied on the left side.

They wore different white bone headdresses, but their only common feature was their ferocity.

After Achan and the others finally squeezed into the altar and met the high priest, they were immediately assigned to stand at the four corners of the altar. After a while, almost all the villagers had gathered around the altar. Achan even saw Lie Xian's family in the crowd, but she didn't see Bai Xiuming.

Achan was briefly lost in thought when the bone instrument was sounded, its desolate and distant sound resounding through the sky.

The high priestess walked up to the altar with a long staff in her hand. She raised the staff slightly and then put it down with a loud bang. At the same time, the nine fire pits around the altar spontaneously combusted without fire. Various spices in the fire pits ignited and smoke rose into the sky. This was incense offered to the ancestors.

Then, the high priest's voice rang out: "Bow—"

Everyone, like her, faced east, clasped their hands together and pressed them to their foreheads, and then bowed three times.

Worship heaven, earth, and ancestors.

After the three bows, the surroundings quieted down. The high priest recited the sacrificial text in the ancient language of the Wu tribe, which Achan could not understand. Her voice was halting and varied, and although she could not understand it, she could feel the obvious changes in her emotions.

Whenever she was in high spirits, the flames in the fire pit around her would leap and sparks would fly everywhere.

After a long eulogy was read, the drums began to beat.

Two kui-hide drums were struck, their sound spreading in all directions, followed by the mournful lament of a bone-piercing instrument. Accompanied by this music, Achan and the other three walked step by step from the four corners of the altar to the beat of the drums, until they reached the altar itself.

As the drumbeats grew more rapid, the movements of the four dancers on the altar also quickened.

Achan felt as if she had fallen into another space. She could not see the people under the altar, nor could she see the people dancing with her. She was the only one standing in the beam of light, being watched by countless unseen eyes from the sky. She swung her arms and legs, twisted her body, and danced the sacrificial dance over and over again.

Sweat dripped down her chin, but it felt as if a fire was burning inside her, making her feel tireless and even more excited. Every movement of her body was like a release of power, primal and wild.

The fanatical villagers surged towards the foot of the altar, while Bai Xiuming went against the crowd to a place further away from the altar.

From the moment the ritual began, he felt his blood surging within him, and now, as the ritual dance began, his mind and body were almost simultaneously losing control.

Only when he was far away from the altar was he able to control his emotions, which were on the verge of exploding.

Outside the frenzied crowd, Bai Xiuming gazed at A Chan dancing on the altar, his dark, abyss-like eyes burning with what seemed like intense flames. Every movement she made, every turn she made, caused his breathing to quicken.

Those desires that could not be spoken aloud erupted completely at this moment, and could no longer be suppressed.

When Achan emerged from that wondrous state, the rapid drumming abruptly ceased, and the sky turned from light to darkness, as night fell.

As the twelve sacrificial dances came to an end, cheers as loud as a mountain roared and a tsunami erupted from below the altar, and countless wreaths were thrown toward the altar.

Just then, the twelve banners around the altar, covered with shamanic script, moved without wind. Then, a gentle breeze blew by, and a piercing buzzing sound rang out from the center of the altar.

The sound spread outwards, creating a shockwave that reached beyond the village and further outwards.

Beyond sight, in the deep, dark forest near the village, the ferocious beasts that dwelled there seemed to sense the danger, and all left their lair, fleeing to a more distant place.

The Wu tribe worships their ancestors not only to seek their protection, but also to seize a larger territory for survival.

The buzzing continued until the high priest's staff fell to the ground, the buzzing stopped, and everything settled down.

The sacrificial ceremony ended, but the revelry belonging to the shaman clan had only just begun.