Chapter 6: The prayer for transferring disease using the loom requires the joint participation of a shaman...

The prayer to send away the poison and transfer the disease requires the joint efforts of a shaman and a sorcerer. Qi is not yet a sorcerer, so this time the prayer was presided over by Lin Fengzhi, with Qi assisting from the side.

After a few days of recuperation, Qi had fully recovered. When he saw Lin Fengzhi again, he was once again a lively and energetic young man. He knew quite a lot, and as Lin Fengzhi pointed out what needed to be prepared, he added to her suggestions.

"Yarrow, tortoise shell, pheasant feathers, cinnabar, mugwort..."

“Mugwort has been used a lot lately, I wonder if we have enough stock,” Lin Fengzhi reminded him, noticing Qi’s excited and admiring gaze, she felt a little embarrassed.

Artemisia argyi and Astragalus membranaceus have already been used on members of our tribe suffering from schistosomiasis, resulting in considerable consumption. Fortunately, they are effective in relieving pain. However, with current medical technology, a complete cure is impossible, and those who are ill must be extra careful about their diet and other aspects of care in the future.

Lin Fengzhi had no choice but to try her best to alleviate their suffering.

Qi nodded. The young man had already heard in the clan about Lin Fengzhi's feat of finding the source of the disease, which had solved the problem that had troubled Ke Luo for months. Therefore, he greatly admired Lin Fengzhi.

He deeply felt that there was a reason why the gods chose her to become a witch.

"Have you prepared the attire for the sacrificial ceremony?"

Lin Fengzhi saved him because she wanted to train him to be her deputy, and she is now seriously implementing that principle.

In the past few days, while some members of the tribe were busy exterminating snails at the Gold Rush River, Lin Fengzhi was also keeping busy. The tribe finally had a shaman recognized by the gods, and some Keluo people came to Lin Fengzhi to ask for divination and good fortune regarding all their long-standing questions.

Lin Fengzhi usually told people to go back first and come back the next day for the answers. In reality, she had practically worn out the bamboo slips and her memories.

Many aspects of shamanism are common to all practitioners, and Qi has diligently studied them for over a decade, so he can recite the relevant content fluently. Unlike Lin Fengzhi, who is only a dabbler in these areas, she is determined to train Qi to replace her.

Ever since Lin Fengzhi discovered that she might be in the Warring States period, her mind has been racing. She's been thinking about going out to see what the world is like now. She remembers that she time-traveled to the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor; perhaps the mausoleum holds the secret to her return. If she really is in the Warring States period, she'll have to find a way to get to the Qin state.

Based on the living conditions and beliefs of the Keluo people, she deduced that she must be in the State of Chu.

But Yong's frequent trips to the "county" made her somewhat doubtful whether it was really the Warring States period. She herself was still thinking of finding an opportunity to go to the county to find out for herself, and she was unwilling to have her time and energy completely taken up by the affairs of the shaman.

Qi scratched his head: "I rarely participate in sacrificial rites; they used to preside over them."

The implication is that it's gone.

His expression darkened when he spoke of the moon.

The moon was one of the people Qi and the original owner had participated in the selection of a shaman. Without exception, they, like the original owner, died on the eve of becoming shamans. In fact, the weather they faced was even worse than the original owner's, so they naturally died even faster.

Since learning that she was from a thousand years ago, Lin Fengzhi's mindset has changed again.

She wanted to leave something behind in this world. She wanted to change something.

Perhaps it was to enable the people of Keluo to live better lives, so that when their granaries were full, they would know etiquette and no longer believe in so-called gods.

Perhaps there are even deeper and better wishes...

“Our clan can only produce two bolts of cloth with phoenix patterns each month. Before, because there was no shaman in the clan, we had to bow to the Qu clan on many matters, and many good things were forcibly taken from us. We needed their help and dared not resist. Now only An has one bolt.” Qi glanced at Lin Fengzhi’s face: “If it’s for the shaman to make sacrificial clothes, An will definitely give it to you.”

Lin Fengzhi immediately understood; making clothes for Qi meant she might not necessarily give them to him.

Lin Fengzhi pondered. The Keluo people follow a traditional model of men farming and women weaving. The men work in the fields tending to the rice, while the women stay at home weaving and managing household chores.

The original owner of this body rarely worked in the fields and didn't know much about men's work. An was the longest-lived among the Keluo people, and also the one who wove the most beautiful and distinctive cloth patterns. The cloth she wove could often fetch a high price in the county.

In the original owner's memories, when she was about ten years old, An had already stopped weaving because her eyesight was failing, and only taught skillful women in the tribe.

The looms used by the Korlo people were not the jacquard looms that Lin Fengzhi remembered, but rather very primitive and simply constructed waist looms. They had no independent frame; women had to sit on the ground, tie one end of the cloth roll to their waist, and use their feet to brace the warp beams to tension the fabric. It typically took an ordinary person more than half a month to weave a single bolt of cloth on a waist loom.

The last time Lin Fengzhi saw such a simple waist loom weaving was when she visited a scenic spot to learn about the development history of a certain ethnic minority.

"Tell me, what if I could double the speed at which all the women in the tribe weave cloth? Would An still be willing to give you the Phoenix Cloth then?"

"Huh?" Qi was stunned. So the gods not only taught how to cure diseases, but also how to weave cloth?

Immediately, an image flashed in his mind of Xiangjun and her two wives, each wielding a loom, skillfully weaving warp and weft...

The image of the deity, distant and shrouded in mist, suddenly began to crumble in Qi's heart.

Lin Fengzhi urged, "So, is it okay or not?"

Cloth can be bartered, serving as a form of currency. Just one bolt of cloth with a phoenix pattern could double the weaving speed. Qi felt An would definitely agree, but the scene of gods weaving cloth in his mind grew increasingly vivid. Qi weakly said, "It should be alright, ah, it should be alright..."

The clanging sound outside the window pulled Qi from his reverie. He shook his head, stopping himself from thinking about Xiangjun weaving.

But then Yong lifted the curtain and came in.

Yong returned from the county town with a batch of lime, and helped the clansmen unload the goods, still covered in dust. Seeing Lin Fengzhi there, he greeted her cheerfully, "Witch is here too? I managed to gather the medicine the clan didn't have in stock from several pharmacies in the county. An is leading people to transport lime to the Gold Panning River to fill in the water pits where the snails have been. Would you like to go and take a look?"

Lin Fengzhi refused. She had already explained and demonstrated to An how to fill the water pit, and had also earnestly told her how to deal with the snails. The other side of the Gold Rush River didn't need her.

She felt that it was more important to upgrade the looms for the Korlo people now.

After all, cloth can be used as money these days.

Gold mining is ultimately a major hidden danger.

Who in the clan is the best carpenter?

Yong, not understanding why, patted his chest and said, "Me? Which family in our clan didn't make the tables, chairs, and benches? I even sell them at the market."

Lin Fengzhi conscripted men: "Come with me."

Finally, he didn't forget to remind Qi to prepare a good prayer for sending away the Gu and transferring the disease.

From now on, Qi will handle the clan's mundane matters of divination and fortune-telling; she's changing tracks.

whee.

Qi watched helplessly as his elder brother was taken away by Lin Fengzhi. The scene of Xiangjun weaving cloth reappeared in his mind. He sat down weakly, holding the bamboo slips, his heart gradually in turmoil.

Xiangjun, Xiangjun has already woven cloth, does he want some too?

......

Just one day before the prayers began, Lin Fengzhi and Yong finished making the slanted loom.

Yes, after taking into account time, cost, materials and technology, Lin Fengzhi chose the slant loom as the tool to win over An.

The history of the oblique loom can be traced back to the Warring States period, but the oblique loom improved by Lin Fengzhi was a more mature and complex development in later generations. It is a game-changer for modern oblique looms.

Lin Fengzhi secretly tested the slanted loom and, finding no problems, invited An to come over.

She greeted them as they operated the slanted loom.

There were quite a few people who came to watch the spectacle. Qi stood on tiptoe, anxiously peering inside, while Yong stood to the side, ready to deal with any unexpected situations. There was also a group of women using waist looms to weave cloth.

They didn't think the machine in front of them was anything special, nor did they believe that the witch could create a loom that could weave twice as fast.

"Wow, really? The witch said that with this slanted loom, weaving speed can be even faster than it is now."

"Need I say more? The gods control the wind and rain, not the speed of weaving. It's mostly a lie. It takes me at least twelve days to weave a bolt of cloth. With a loom made by a shaman, wouldn't it be possible to weave a bolt of cloth in six days?"

“That’s a witch. Without her, my man would die. Just wait and see, the witch definitely didn’t lie.”

"I've never seen one before, so it's probably no good."

There were those who questioned it, and those who trusted it.

Lin Fengzhi smiled slightly and said to An, "Let's begin, Mother."

From the very first moment she started operating the slant loom, An immediately sensed the difference from the waist loom. The waist loom required manual separation of warp and weft threads, which to some extent lengthened the weaving time. The slant loom, on the other hand, allowed her to control the raising and lowering of the heddles via a foot pedal, separating the warp yarns into two layers, freeing her hands to focus on weft insertion and separation.

Moreover, using a shuttle for weft insertion and separation can both increase weaving speed and effectively control the fabric width.

An was conquered by the slanted loom after only a few rows.

She gave Lin Fengzhi a deep look, but said nothing.

As An's weaving speed increased, the woven fabric gradually became longer. The surrounding doubts gradually disappeared, and more and more people began to discuss it enthusiastically.

"Such speed! No need to distinguish longitude, a quick search even shows latitude and longitude."

"Sitting like this doesn't hurt your back as much as it used to, right?"

"Yong, how long does it take to make a slant loom? Can I have one?" someone boldly asked.

Yong scratched his head and looked at Lin Fengzhi: "It was Wu who asked me to do it, so I'm afraid I have to ask Wu's opinion."

The woman was the one who had raised the question earlier. She said frankly, "Witch, I shouldn't have questioned you. I was wrong, you were right."

“Before we achieve any results, your doubts are justified. Anyone from our tribe who wants to make this oblique loom is welcome to do so,” Lin Fengzhi said. Originally, she only wanted to improve the survival skills of the Keluo people, and a few words of doubt were insignificant.

The smiles on everyone's faces became even more genuine.

They chattered excitedly about when the new slant loom would be ready.

After looking around, An finally made a decision: once the snail eradication was over, some members of the tribe would come and learn how to make a slant loom from Yong. Until the new slant loom arrived, the women could practice on the tribe's only slant loom.

Taking advantage of An's good mood, Lin Fengzhi continued, "Grandmother, I also know of an even bigger, better, and faster loom, bigger than a room. But it will take time to make it."

An's breathing quickened, and everyone couldn't help but imagine how big the machine and cloth must be.

An calmed down and said, "There's no need to rush."

"Grandmother, I want everyone to have clothes to wear, and everyone to have enough to eat and good meat to eat." Lin Fengzhi looked around and said sincerely, "I want to devote myself to research. The affairs of the clan's shamans will be temporarily handled by Qi."

An looked at the fabric on the slanted loom; it was no longer just fabric. It was a stable, continuous source of income. They could not only weave and sell cloth, but also sell the machines. Even if the gold from the Gold Rush River ran out, they would still have a means to make a living.

After a thousand thoughts raced through An's mind and weighed the pros and cons, she smiled and said, "Of course that's a good idea."

Most of the things the clan's shamans can do, Qi can also do. If there's something he can't do, then asking Lin Fengzhi is the same.

"Grandmother, Qi doesn't have any sacrificial clothes. Don't you have a piece of cloth with a phoenix pattern? Would you make one for Qi?"