The day after the market day is the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, commonly known as the Little New Year. On this day, every household begins to worship the Kitchen God and their ancestors.
In the morning, An Moxue got up early to practice martial arts. After breakfast, she took the two little ones and disappeared into the forest behind the mountain.
Along the way, when they saw prey, they skillfully nocked their bows and shot arrows, and then the two little ones quickly went to retrieve the prey. With such tacit cooperation, the one person and the two wolves made their way to the Nalan family cemetery, and they had a full harvest.
In the cemetery, An Moxue recalled Old Ma's story about being trapped in a maze of ghosts and still found it incredibly magical. She reminded herself that she must study hard; after all, she had transmigrated and been reborn, and had even met her ancestors, so what was impossible for her?
Moreover, the road ahead is fraught with difficulties. He doesn't even know who wants to deal with him, nor how strong they are. Furthermore, according to Old Ma, the Nalan family has always been coveted by others, and he hasn't yet revealed that he is a descendant of the Nalan family. If this identity is revealed one day, he will likely face considerable trouble.
And that map with the little fox totem—where it is and what it hides remains unknown.
These problems, one after another, seem beyond my current strength and power to handle. I urgently need to grow, to gain power, and to have my own strength to deal with these unknown troubles, instead of just passively defending and taking hits. If things go wrong, I might just be killed.
In the cemetery, An Moxue began placing offerings and burning paper money in the earliest graves until the last one was completed. Next to it, she placed a large pile of paper money, a whole braised pig, roasted fish, and fruit in an open area. She drew a circle around it and burned paper money and poured wine inside, chanting, "Dear ancestors of the Nalan family, may you eat and drink well. Whether you are in this time or another, please bless me with peace and safety. Please don't let me be harmed. I am the only one left in the Nalan family, please bless me! Don't worry, I will definitely find out who coveted and killed you, and make them pay for their crimes in blood. Especially the ancestors who cultivated immortality, please bless me with good luck and keep bad luck at bay. These past six months have been truly exciting and thrilling. I cherish my life and will be grateful to all my ancestors. As long as time permits, I will definitely come to pay my respects and burn lots of money for you."
Even as she burned the last piece of paper money, An Moxue kept muttering, "Ancestors, please bless me with peace and health!"
Finally, I kowtowed three times before getting up, thus completing this ritual.
What An Moxue didn't know was that after she finished worshipping her ancestors, the ancestors from another time and space received her worship, and several ancestors were gathered together drinking tea and chatting!
"This girl is somewhat well-behaved, but she has too many demands." This was said by the handsome middle-aged man.
"I wonder if this girl can change her fate. She's our only son!" This was the beautiful ancestor dressed in animal skin.
"Man proposes, God disposes. You're overthinking it, just wait and see." This was the beautiful ancestor who wore a tree bark dress.
"You too, you gave her the wooden plaque but didn't tell her how to use it. What if she forgets it and can't remember it when her life is in danger? If we weren't facing internal and external troubles right now, I really wanted to keep her."
"Why should we stay? We don't have the strength or the time to cultivate. Are we just going to throw our lives away here? We'd have a better chance of surviving over there. That girl is cunning, no need to worry. Besides, didn't you bless her with good fortune and protection during your ritual? These extraterrestrial insect demons are a bunch of shameless invaders, always thinking about getting something for nothing!" the middle-aged handsome man said angrily.
“Yes, right now we should think of a way to block the wormhole and prevent them from getting in. It’s much better to keep the battlefield outside the domain than inside. Maybe if we win this battle, we’ll have a chance to see that girl again. I hope this war can end within a hundred years,” said the beautiful ancestor in tree bark.
"I hope so!" said the beautiful ancestor dressed in animal skin.
......
An Moxue glanced at her watch; it was past midnight. It had taken quite some time to burn all the paper money in the cart.
Next year we'll be going to a training camp, and I don't know when I'll be able to come here again. An Moxue set up a pot and stove and started braising meat and stewing fish, but the two little ones had already run away and disappeared without a trace.
An Moxue was busy for another two hours.
The fish and meat were cooked, and the two little ones returned, each carrying a prey in its mouth.
An Moxue chuckled, "Did you grow long noses and follow the scent back here?"
The two little ones put down their prey and circled around An Moxue, howling incessantly.
"Alright, stop whining. Come here, here's some food. After you finish eating, go hunt some more game, a lot more. Do you hear me? It's almost New Year's, and your sister has to deliver gifts."
An Moxue lifted the lid of the pot and picked out some braised meat and fish for the two little ones, placing them on the ground. They happily ate, occasionally letting out a "woof" to express their joy and satisfaction.
An Moxue set up a picnic table and chairs, served some braised meat and a piece of fish, took a plate of fruit, poured a cup of hot milk tea, and began to eat slowly.
An Moxue wasn't in a hurry to go back. She ate while enjoying the scenery of the lake and mountains, occasionally tossing a piece or two of fruit to the two little ones. The two wolves and one person ate comfortably and happily.
The two little ones finished eating first, and then disappeared into the woods.
After finishing her meal and resting for a while, An Moxue started packing her things. Once she was done, she whistled a few times.
A moment later, the two little ones returned, each carrying a roe deer in its mouth. An Moxue was overjoyed and praised them generously: "You little darlings are amazing! You can even hunt large prey!" She then gave them a thumbs up.
The two little ones sullenly let out two "woofs," as if to say, "Didn't you say you were going to give gifts? How could we possibly have enough?"
"My darlings, let's go home. Don't let any prey we see on the way go to waste, the more the merrier, understand?"
After saying that, he led the two little ones into the black pine forest, and didn't miss a single prey along the way.
When An Moxue led the two little ones home, it was getting dark, the northwest wind was getting colder, and snowflakes were already falling.
While tending the fire, An Moxue cleaned the roe deer. After finishing, she divided the roe deer meat into two-pound pieces, planning to deliver them as New Year's gifts when she went to the county tomorrow.
After cleaning up the game, An Moxue saw that it was already completely dark. She took a basket, put in half of the roe deer meat and all the internal organs, and went out into the wind and snow.
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