On the day of Jiang Ai's coming-of-age ceremony, she still didn't have much to do.

She changed into a new set of clothes, made by the men of the tribe who had stayed up several nights to make them. The clothes were mainly made of animal hide, with patterns sewn on them with fine stitches.

Her long hair was finally free to be left tied up, and could be left loosely draped. A few leaves and grass roots clung to her hair, making it look a little messy, but her relatives didn't mind this minor issue.

After she had slept enough, her mothers took her to the riverbank.

The coming-of-age ceremony will be held on the riverbank.

Neatly chopped logs were tied together with long blades of grass to form a small altar for the coming-of-age ceremony. Three bonfires were lit around the altar, representing the Mother Goddess who bestowed abundance upon them, the Fire God who drove away wild beasts, and the tangible Mother who brought the children into the world.

The mother is ranked alongside God.

Three bonfires burned brightly.

Jiang Ai's relatives all stood guard around the wooden platform.

They watched with delight as Jiang Ai, protected by her mother, walked onto the wooden platform. Jiang Ai stood in the center of the platform, her dark eyes calmly scanning the women standing below.

The women standing below the wooden platform smiled proudly. They whispered about the girl they had watched grow up, speaking with pride about what they had taught her.

The chieftain, now adorned with even more feathers and animal hides, walked quietly and steadily onto the wooden platform.

She stopped in front of Jiang Ai.

Jiang Ai looked up at the elderly woman who was already somewhat hunched over.

The clan chief said, "Today you are ten years old." She spoke slowly, her aged voice carrying powerfully to the ears of every woman on and off the wooden platform.

Jiang Ai listened attentively to what she was saying.

The clan chief smiled as she looked at her beloved descendant and said, "The coming-of-age ceremony of the Jiang clan is to shave one's head." She paused slightly, and seeing that Jiang Ai did not immediately protest, she felt even more satisfied. "Before you become an adult, you are raised by your mother. After you become an adult, you will have to support yourself."

“Shaving off the old hair is firstly to express gratitude to the Mother Goddess and the nurturing grace of one’s mother, and secondly to erase one’s lifespan.”

"When your hair grows longer, whether you want to keep it long or cut it off is your own business."

The clan chief handed the short knife he always carried to Jiang Ai.

This short knife was made using the finest craftsmanship of the Jiang tribe. Its short scabbard is inlaid with sparkling gems, the kind that are only occasionally found in riverbeds. The blade itself is forged from a single piece of pure black material, harder than stone.

Jiang Ai took the short knife.

She had heard about the coming-of-age ceremony from her mother.

So she knew—every woman in the Jiang clan had once taken up this knife.

They had all used this knife to cut off their hair, which they had kept for ten years.

The women standing below the wooden platform had both long and short hair. Most of them had short hair—long hair required more time to maintain, so only the men who didn't need to hunt had the time to do so.

While they say they have long hair, in reality, women's "long hair" is only relatively long. Only girls under the age of ten who haven't yet gone through their coming-of-age ceremony have long hair; the longest hair women have only reaches their shoulders.

Jiang Ai's eyes lit up as she drew her dagger. In the glint of the blade, she saw her own face—a face smeared with the blood of her prey, a face radiating triumph.

Without hesitation, she grabbed her long hair. Her hair was long and thick, like a dark forest. She grasped the roots and cut them off cleanly with her other hand.

The first strand of hair fell onto the wooden platform.

The women in the audience cheered—the woman with short hair, who looked like a fluffy hedgehog, shouted proudly, "She's our daughter!"

The women laughed.

Under their smiling gazes, Jiang Ai cut off the second long strand of hair. She cut with some impatience, but still carefully worked on this part of her body. Her hair quickly broke off under the knife—she felt her head becoming lighter and lighter.

Heavy, long hair that might have tripped her fell to her feet.

She painstakingly cut half of her hair, her arm aching from holding it up.

But under the chieftain's smiling, loving, encouraging gaze, she continued cutting the remaining hair. She cut off most of it, but a few stray strands still clung to her.

The clan chief smiled and stepped over the long hair that was scattered on the ground, leading Jiang Ai to the water's edge, where she could see the smooth, mirror-like surface of the water.

Jiang Ai looked at her reflection in the water and used the knife to cut her hair even shorter.

Now she's a fluffy little hedgehog too.

After the hair was cut, the chieftain continued, "Next, you must wash your body clean in this river and return the part of your body that the Mother Goddess gave you to her."

The men were already waiting by the river. They were carrying a new set of clothes—more splendid than the one they had given Jiang Ai that morning.

Jiang Ai estimated the height of the wooden platform, then climbed over it and jumped directly into the river.

She could feel tiny prickles on her skin, but she didn't care. She took off her clothes in the river and threw them to the men waiting on the bank; then she stood in the river and washed herself with the flowing water.

Her muscular body shimmered in the water.

The little boy standing by the river blushed. He hid behind the man, but was spotted by the sharp-eyed women. Another round of teasing ensued.

"Is that enough?"

A ball of light floating in consciousness asked.

"Just get through this time the same way as before—is that enough?"

The mugwort standing in the water paused for a moment. She splashed some water, which condensed into glistening droplets on her short hair. Larger amounts of water flowed down her cheeks and back into the river.

The water carried away the stray hairs, some long and some short.

She had thought about it for many years, hoping to experience her own or someone else's coming-of-age ceremony again. Many years later, she prepared a coming-of-age ceremony for herself, just like the one she had experienced before.

But after actually experiencing the coming-of-age ceremony again, she suddenly realized why she cared so much about it.

She plunged into the river.

The summer sun warmed the river. Even though she was completely immersed in the water, she didn't feel cold. Instead of going ashore, she returned the way she came to the wooden platform.

Her bare feet were covered in her own hair.

She stood before the clan chief.

She was completely naked, while the clan chief was fully wrapped up.

She was short, and the clan chief was gradually becoming hunched over.

She was just a little girl, and the elderly clan chief was with her.

The chieftain smiled and said, "The men have brought you new clothes."

She didn't care about Jiang Ai's minor act of rebellion, because women are always like that. In her years as clan leader, she had seen all sorts of women.

However, Jiang Ai did not return here to rebel.

Jiang Ai said, "I want the Jiang family to rule the world."

The little boy surnamed Ji, standing by the river, almost dropped the gorgeous robe he was holding tightly.

He stared blankly at the naked woman standing on the wooden platform, thinking: She wants the world, but what about him?