Chapter 50
The Pool

The preparations for the water sacrificial site were complete. At this moment, Duogaluo and other leaders stood outside the market with some men in the stone square, waiting for the remaining people from their villages to gather.

According to tradition, all the men were naked, with only simple decorations made of animal teeth or bird feathers on their necks and heads. However, there was an exception. Standing at the edge of the crowd with his head lowered, unlike the men who had wiped off their golden patterns to expose their dark, muscular torsos, Hamoyin was still fully clothed, covering himself from the neck down despite the sweltering weather.

“Hamoyin, you came,” Duogaluo squeezed through the crowd towards the ‘outsider’ standing alone. “I was worried you wouldn’t come.”

“The chief ordered me to be present.” Hamoyin stared at the ground, avoiding Duogaluo’s gaze.

“It’s good that you’re here this time.” Duogaluo lowered his voice so the men nearby couldn’t hear. “Did Nagu tell you about our plan?”

Thinking about his tail, Hamoyin felt irritated. “Yes.”

“That’s good.” Duogaluo looked at Hamoyin a bit longer. “Speaking of… what do you plan to do about Azuran deceiving you?”

“I don’t have any plans for now. Nagu doesn’t want me to take risks.”

“So you’re just going to listen to her?”

“Yes.”

Duogaluo was genuinely puzzled about how Nagu managed to persuade this stone-like man. “If you have any issues later, you can come to me for advice.”

This was already a hint, and Hamoyin naturally understood Duogaluo’s meaning. “Have you talked to Gongduo?”

“No, he still thinks I don’t know.”

Hamoyin squinted slightly, believing Duogaluo wasn’t lying. “So.”

“So, if you’re willing, we can discuss Azuran together.” Duogaluo’s lips curved slightly, as usual. “Of course, Gongduo also needs to be dealt with.”

“You don’t need to involve me in these matters.” Hamoyin now understood that Duogaluo had another plan. He chose not to help Gongduo but to deal with both Gongduo and Azuran, the unstable factors. “Your human power struggles have nothing to do with me.”

“I think they do.”

Hamoyin looked at Duogaluo expressionlessly. “What do you mean?”

“You can come to me later, and we can talk privately.” Dogaro pointed to the open shallow beach in front of the market. “The women have arrived, and I need to prepare to welcome their sacrifice.”

Hamoyin watched Duogaluo walk away with a gloomy expression. He instinctively thought Duogaluo would use Nagu to threaten him. If Duogaluo had really said that, Hamoyin would have pulled out his intestines while he slept tonight.

At this moment, due to the women’s arrival, the crowd quietly waiting in front of the market finally became lively. The leaders, led by Azuran, stood on a stone platform decorated with animal skulls, scattering some spice-mixed mineral powder. The witches knelt on the ground, chanting softly, and as the procession from the shallow beach approached, the witches’ voices grew louder.

Hamoyin hid further back in the crowd. He was not used to crowded places, and in the past, no matter what Azuran said, he wouldn’t have come. But now, because of Nagu, he had to stay in this place.

After the witches finished chanting, the procession of women finally entered the market, making the small place instantly crowded. Hamoyin squinted his eyes, constantly searching for Nagu among the naked women decorated with flowers and vines. It didn’t take long for him to spot the conspicuous-skinned girl. She was next to Momoli in the center, also naked, with her originally short hair tied into a bun at the back of her head.

Moreover, Nagu’s posture seemed a bit strange, hunched over. Was it because she wasn’t used to exposing her body like this?

While Hamoyin was thinking, the women and leaders had already started walking towards the stone gate leading to the underground water sacrificial site. Nagu’s figure was soon obscured by others.

Hamoyin felt something was wrong when he noticed two men in Azuran’s group whispering to each other after seeing Nagu. Originally planning to follow at the back of the procession into the sacrificial site, Hamoyin changed his mind and squeezed into the crowd, moving closer to those men.

“Seems like… I’ve seen her before.”

“Where?”

“She looks familiar.”

With hearing several times better than ordinary people, Hamoyin successfully eavesdropped on their whispers. “…”

Indeed, some people remembered Nagu. Different ethnicities were too conspicuous and memorable here. Hamoyin’s gaze at those two men gradually became dangerous. However, there was no opportunity to act now; he would wait until they were inside the sacrificial site.

“As promised, I have prepared the necessary offerings for you as compensation for the medicine.” Azuran looked at Duogaluo, who was pursing his lips beside him. “I’m very sorry for what happened.”

Duogaluo glanced at Azuran, whose face was full of remorse. This man always spoke with utmost sincerity. “Capturing monsters alive is too dangerous. Don’t do it again.”

“I know.” Azuran sighed. “We had already strengthened the guards, but the second one still managed to escape.”

Duogaluo didn’t speak, but another leader beside him was very dissatisfied. “You should have thought of that earlier.”

“Yes, this time, it’s all my fault. After the sacrifice, I will properly repent.” As he spoke, Azuran looked at Duogaluo. “We are all brothers. If you want to scold me, don’t hold back. Many people in your village died because of my mistake. You must be very angry with my decision.”

“I just hope there won’t be a next time.” Duogaluo didn’t avoid Azulan’s gaze. “Chief.”

“Of course.”

A slight smile appeared on Azuran’s face. “Now, let’s pray to the Mother Goddess.”

As he spoke, people were already coming down the side stairs of the stone cave one after another. They gathered around the deep pool emitting a silver-blue glow. Men and women with requests crawled in the shallow water with their cloth bags, while the rest surrounded the eerie statues.

Duogaluo’s eyes scanned the crowd several times before he finally found Nagu mixed in with the people. Because the leaders stood in the most prominent position, she was staring at him in a panic.

At this moment, Nagu was trying hard not to look at Duogaluo’s lower body. She had seen too many things she shouldn’t have on the way here. And, maybe because of, uh, ethnic differences, it seemed like everyone was quite large. These weren’t the main issues. Don’t think about it anymore. Nagu steadied her thoughts and fixed her gaze firmly on Duogaluo’s face, not letting her eyes wander. Just then, she saw Duogaluo mouthing words to her.

“Come over.”

“Move closer to my position.”

Following the instructions, Nagu quietly retreated to the back row and walked towards Duogaluo. When she got close enough, she stopped, but Duogaluo no longer looked at her. Instead, he and the other leaders began to slowly walk towards the center of the deep pool, with the witches carrying baskets full of offerings behind them. The baskets contained pieces of the monster’s corpse.

What are they doing?

Nagu watched the group, who seemed like they were about to drown themselves, thinking it was supposed to be a sacrifice.

But soon, Nagu had no room left in her mind to think. The moment the witches poured the offerings into the lake, an incredibly piercing sound erupted throughout the cave, causing Nagu’s head to ache terribly. The sound was long and rhythmic but so piercing that it felt like it was stripping someone’s flesh and bones.

After pouring the monster’s remains into the pool, the witches returned to the shore while Duogaluo, Azuran, and the other leaders, along with more than a dozen men, continued to walk toward the center of the pool. Nagu noticed that she seemed to be the only one in the sacrificial site who was not used to the piercing sound. Everyone else was devout and reverent, submitting to the annoying sound.

“Damn, are they all deaf?” Nagu looked at the men in the pool with discomfort. The water had already reached their waists, but they continued walking slowly. Finally, Nagu watched as Duogaluo and the other men disappeared into the pool’s depths; at that moment, the piercing sound gradually faded from the cave.

The witches began chanting softly by the water’s edge, but it was too faint to hear clearly. No one in the cave dared to make a sound; they all just stared at the center of the pool until the water’s color slowly darkened, turning from a bluish-green to an ugly dark green.

At this moment, the people on the shore suddenly began to shout the name of the Mother Goddess excitedly, loudly praising and praying. Nagu had no idea what was happening and felt like she was witnessing some kind of cult worship. To avoid looking out of place, she knelt by the shore with her head down, following the others.

The cheering continued for about ten minutes until there was some movement in the cave. Bubbles started to rise from the center of the pool. The witches noticed and loudly stopped the people’s cheering. They raised animal skulls in their hands and struck the stones by the pool, calling out the names of the men who had entered the pool.

After a series of thick bubbles, the first person emerged from the water—Azuran. Then came two other men Nagu didn’t recognize. Duogaluo was the fifth to emerge. When the eighth person surfaced, the bubbling stopped, and the witches, now pale, stopped calling out names.

Twenty young, strong men had entered the pool, but only eight came out.
Nagu watched the wet men return to the shore with a complex expression. Duogaluo’s face darkened when he saw that only a few of them had emerged, but he said nothing and went straight to talk to the witches from his village.

At this moment, Azuran stood on a high, smooth stone, and everyone’s eyes focused on the chief.

“This time, we have suffered significant losses.”

Azuran’s voice was steady but filled with infinite sorrow. “I am deeply saddened for my compatriots, but I also thank the Mother Goddess for granting us greater strength.”

“I will use this power wisely, as will we all, for the more prosperous future of our tribe… Great Tuwa, may she always be in our sight.”

Everyone followed Azuran in mourning, but Nagu noticed that some people seemed unwilling to follow his words. Most of these were Duogaluo’s men and a few others from villages closely allied with him.

“Those who need to request medicine, please go to the witches under Duogaluo. The rest, follow Hanla to the side of the pool.” After the mourning, Azuran began to arrange other matters. “The Mother Goddess has been very generous this time. I believe our offerings pleased her, so please do not hesitate to praise and thank her.”

It was time to request medicine. Nagu looked at Duogaluo, who was still talking to the witches not far away, and he happened to look back at her.
Initially, Nagu thought Duogaluo would come to get the scales himself, but it was the witch he was talking to who came to collect them.

“Give them to me.” The witch knelt beside Nagu, adjusting the vines wrapped around her chest. To outsiders, it looked like a normal conversation, but everyone was busy lining up to ask the Mother Goddess for something, so no one paid attention to them.

Nagu looked around, suspiciously confirming that no one was watching them, then put her hand to her mouth and spat out eight scales covered in saliva.

Witch: “…”

Dugaluo, standing in the distance, was also speechless as he watched Nagu. No wonder she only nodded and smiled when Momoli whispered to her earlier, without opening her mouth.

“There are more in my hair…” Nagu handed the saliva-covered scales to the witch, then reached into the bun at the back of her head and pulled out five more.

Then she untied a bundle of vines wrapped around her leg and handed it to the witch. The inside of the thicker vine was embedded with the remaining ten scales in order. “That’s all of them.”

The witch took all the scales, nodded, and walked towards Duogaluo. Nagu watched them exchange a few words before the witch took Hamoyin’s scales to join the group of people praying by the water.

“The medicine will seep out from those statues three days after the sacrifice. I’ll come to get it for you then.” Duogaluo finally walked slowly over to Nagu. “Have you seen Hamoyin?”

“No, I didn’t see him on my way here.” Nagu noticed that Duogaluo seemed to have undergone some subtle changes, but she couldn’t pinpoint what they were. Plus, with certain things about Duogaluo being quite exposed, she didn’t dare to look closely. “I thought he didn’t come.”

“I just talked to him outside, but he seemed to disappear as soon as we entered the sacrificial site.” Duogaluo scratched his head in frustration. “I hope he didn’t leave on his own.”

Nagu gave a dry laugh and then looked at the still-dark green pool. “…The others won’t come up anymore?”

“No, they were taken by the Mother Goddess as sacrifices.” Duogaluo’s tone became very stiff when he said this. “But this time, it’s too many. Azuran must have done something.”

“Doesn’t he look younger to you?” Duogaluo nodded towards where Azuran was standing.

Younger, yes, younger… Nagu suddenly realized what looked different about Duogaluo. He seemed a bit more energetic than before, but the change wasn’t drastic. In contrast, Azuran looked noticeably younger.

“Azuran must have colluded with the witches from his village to mix something into the offerings, causing the others to be taken as extra sacrifices, benefiting him.”

“But this kind of trick can’t be used often, right? It would definitely be discovered…” Nagu whispered, lowering her head.

“He doesn’t need to use it all the time. Just once or twice is enough.” Duogaluo’s gaze returned. “When you go back to the village later, don’t look for the witch who helped us just now, and don’t have any contact with her.”

Nagu nodded. “I understand.”

“After this sacrifice, I think things will be calm for a while, which is just right for Hamoyin to recover. You two mustn’t make any extra moves.” Duogaluo knew Hamoyin listened to Nagu, so he reminded her again, “Otherwise, if Gongduo or Azuran finds out, you’ll be in big trouble.”

However, before Nagu could say ‘okay,’ a woman’s cries came from not far away in the cave. Duogaluo and she quickly turned their heads in that direction.

With the faint light from the plants in the cave, they could barely see two men lying on the ground near the statue, silently convulsing.

Duogaluo and the other leaders immediately walked over there. Nagu wanted to follow, but Duogaluo stopped her.

“Venomous snake… venomous snake…” The crying woman pointed to a snake on the ground with its head smashed. “They were bitten.”

Duogaluo looked at the snake. This type often appeared in the cave. These two unlucky guys must have leaned against the statue, not realizing there was a snake coiled inside. One was bitten on the arm, the other on the waist. Those who came to check the injuries sighed. Being bitten by this yellowish-brown snake was almost certain death, so no one dared to suck the venom from the wounds. Similar accidents had happened a few times before, so no one suspected it was deliberate, just bad luck. Soon, the two ‘unlucky’ men died. Since they were under Azuran, he arranged what to do. Duogaluo returned to the pool area, and Nagu was still wide-eyed, waiting for him to explain what had happened.

“A venomous snake bit them.” Duogaluo looked around, then began instructing the adults. “Those who have finished praying, take Momoli and the children outside and wait by the market.”

“Do I have to go out too?” Nagu looked back at Duogaluo. “But…”

“Go out. There are too many people here, which might disturb the snakes. There could be more hiding.” Duogaluo pushed Nagu’s back. “Go play with Momoli outside.”

“Alright…”

Nagu was thus sent out, and as soon as Momoli stepped through the stone door, she started chattering in her ear. No longer needing to maintain the solemnity of the ritual, her voice grew louder. “Did you see Wa? His thing is so big.”

Momoli sat on a large stone by the market, basking in the sun as she spoke. She was completely unaffected by what happened during the sacrifice, still lost in her thoughts. Nagu admired this about her.

“No, I didn’t see…”

“I thought so. After the sacrifice started, didn’t you go towards Duogaluo? You wanted to see him, right?” Momoli patted Nagu’s shoulder. “Did you get a good look?”

“…No.” Nagu stared awkwardly at her fingers. “I didn’t see.”

“You’re lying. You definitely saw!” Momoli laughed. “So, are you really going to choose Duogaluo? He’s quite big too, so I think if he takes things a bit more seriously in bed, it should be good… Ugh, how annoying. Why is that monster here?”

Halfway through her sentence, Momoli looked to the side. Nagu’s heart skipped a beat as she followed Momoli’s gaze and saw Hamoyin sitting by a small animal skin tent. It looked like he had been sitting there for a while. At this moment, he was staring at Nagu with a subtle expression.