Chapter 80 The old witch left
Inside the bamboo house, the old witch was packing up his things.
He had a lot of stuff, but most of it were herbs, animal skins, pigments, and some commonly used utensils and tools.
The old witch meticulously sorted all the things into animal skin bags, then tied up the bags and placed them aside.
After doing all this, he sat by the fire, looking at the familiar house and then at the dancing flames.
After a long while, the old witch sighed and said, "I've grown old and become less decisive. I haven't lived here for long, so why do I feel reluctant to leave?"
"If you don't want to leave, don't leave!"
Just then, Jiang Xuan and Chi Shao walked in from the door together.
Jiang Xuan first looked at the cleaned-up room, then looked at the old witch sitting by the fire. He sighed inwardly, knowing that the old witch was determined to leave.
The old witch looked up at Jiang Xuan and said, "I originally planned to spend the rest of my life here. I don't have many years left to live anyway."
"Why did you change your mind again?" Jiang Xuan asked puzzledly.
"Because I saw many things in the Black Tooth Tribe's trading goods that I had never seen or even heard of."
"I've told you before that the reason I ran away from the tribe at this age is to see a wider world and learn more things."
The old witch looked at Jiang Xuan and Chi Shao, and said with a firm look in his eyes: "The Southern Wilderness is so big, I want to go and see it again."
Chishao awkwardly tried to persuade him to stay, "But I haven't learned witchcraft yet..."
The old witch smiled kindly and said, "My child, you have great talent, even better than the successor I chose before. In the future, your achievements in witchcraft will definitely surpass mine."
The old witch solemnly took out a bundle of thick animal hide rolls from an animal hide bag he was carrying, then stood up and handed it to Chishao.
"This animal skin scroll contains my records of various treatment processes and experiences. I am giving it to you now. Remember, focus your magic power in your eyes and look carefully."
Chishao took the heavy animal skin scroll, looking a little uneasy, but not knowing what to say.
"I will study hard." Chishao said.
She has never been an eloquent person and prefers to do things quietly.
The old witch said to Jiang Xuan, "After I leave, the animal bones next to the house will be given to you. Keep them to polish some bone tools, or trade them for some useful things."
"This... How can this be so embarrassing..."
After hearing these words, Jiang Xuan felt like a pie had fallen from the sky.
You know, those animal bones are a huge fortune for the tribesmen. The old witch took out a little bit of them and exchanged them for two precious spider silk clothes and some rare herbs from the Black Tooth Tribe.
The old witch laughed and scolded, "Stop pretending. I don't know you. Are you so happy?"
"hey-hey……"
After being exposed, Jiang Xuan didn't feel embarrassed, but just smiled at the old witch.
The old witch looked at the bamboo house where he had lived for some time, then picked up two animal skin bags and said, "I should leave now."
"I'll get it for you."
Jiang Xuan snatched the animal skin bag from the old witch and helped him carry it outside.
Chishao also helped the old witch carry two animal skin bags. She was in a somewhat depressed mood.
They walked to the open space next to the bamboo house, and the giant black eagle was already squatting on the ground waiting.
The old witch shouted, and the giant black eagle immediately lowered its body to the lowest position and stretched out one of its wings diagonally to press against the ground.
Jiang Xuan plucked up his courage, climbed up from the giant eagle's wings, and tied the old witch's animal skin bag firmly to a leather lasso on the giant eagle's back.
Chishao also brought up other animal skin bags and tied them to the noose on the eagle's back.
Afterwards, Jiang Xuan and Chishao returned to the ground.
The old witch looked around for a long time, then resolutely climbed onto the giant eagle's back and sat on it.
The old witch turned around and prepared to leave.
Jiang Xuan shouted: "Old witch, will you come back?"
This was the first time that Jiang Xuan directly called someone "Old Witch". This word was actually a respectful title for the tribesmen.
"If I live long enough, I will probably come back. I hope that by then, your Teng tribe will have grown stronger."
Jiang Xuan shouted again: "Okay, then it's settled, you must come back!"
The old witch smiled and nodded, but he himself didn't know how long he could live or where he would die.
“Let’s go!”
The old witch patted the giant eagle's neck, and the giant eagle immediately flapped its wings, ran forward a short distance, and then flapped its wings and took off into the air.
"Cry!"
The giant eagle circled over the Teng tribe several times, flying higher and higher, and then flew away to the south.
"The old witch is gone."
Chishao was holding a thick animal skin roll, feeling a little depressed and lost.
"Yeah, I don't know when I can come back."
Jiang Xuan looked back at the empty bamboo house and felt a little uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because he knew few people in this world, so every familiar person was important.
The two stood there for a long time, until the shadow of the giant eagle disappeared, and then they withdrew their gaze.
They walked slowly back to the bamboo forest without saying anything along the way.
At night, Uncaria, Stone Loach and Nanxing came back from hunting and were sad to learn that the old witch had passed away.
Nan Xing stroked the bone whistle that had been calibrated by the old witch and murmured, "Why did he leave..."
Nothing happened that night. The next day, everyone got over the mood of parting and continued to work.
Because the environment is so harsh and survival is difficult, there is not much time to be sad.
Ever since Chishao started learning witchcraft, the tools and medicinal herbs she used increased, and the small room could no longer hold them all.
Jiang Xuan discussed it with Chishao, and then he took people to the foot of the stone mountain and spent several days building a brand new bamboo house and a yard for her next to the source of the stream not far from the altar.
Afterwards, Jiang Xuan led people to move all of Chishao's things to the new bamboo house and prepared all the necessary utensils for her.
Not only that, this brand new bamboo house was fully equipped with a bathroom and toilet. Jiang Xuan even used bamboo with knots removed as water pipes to bring stream water into her yard.
From that day on, Chishao began to live alone.
Not only that, in order to allow her to have more time to study things belonging to the witch, Jiang Xuan decided, after discussion, that she no longer needed to lead the team to hunt.
Chishao had no objection to this. She needed a lot of time to study witchcraft and record major events in the tribe with pictures.
In the brand new bamboo house, Chishao stood in front of a heavy "table" and unfolded the animal skin scroll given to her by the old witch.
There are no words on this animal skin scroll, but it is covered with many small pictures. At first glance, these pictures look very abstract and it is impossible to tell what they are specifically.
However, when Chishao followed the old witch's instructions, gathered his witch power in his eyes and looked carefully, the small pictures changed.
They seemed to be alive, wriggling rapidly and turning into concrete pictures with sounds and images, allowing Chishao to memorize all kinds of knowledge in his mind as if he was watching a movie.
This is the witch's method of inheritance. If a person does not have witch power, it will be useless even if he gets this animal skin scroll because he cannot understand it at all.
(End of this chapter)
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