Chapter 284
C284 – Asking for Rain (I)
Posted on October 14, 2018 by AzureOrchid92
In the wooden huts area for the Rain tribe’s visitors to rest, the people of the travel team rested for a night. As for how was their sleep, seeing their pale complexion the next day would give an idea.
In Shao Xuan’s eyes, the room was very dark, but, with so many years to form his biological clock, he knew that the time now should have been when the sun has come out.
The huts here were poorly constructed, and the roofs and the surrounding wooden walls have a lot of crevices. If there was any sunshine outside, they could penetrate through the cracks.
However, now, the feeling of the people in the room was like it was just dawn, that the night was still there. There was a little misty light, but it was still mostly black.
“What’s going on?” Lei rose from the hay-covered plank bed, slightly above the ground. He also felt that it was time for the sun to be up, but he did not see the light, feeling a slight gloomy depression.
“Hey?” Tuo screamed in confussion.
Shao Xuan also turned up with his feet on the ground, feeling the soft layer of sand on the room’s floor.
A click followed by a squeak—
The movement of Lei and Tuo allowed the people who were resting inside the other huts to open their windows or doors, and saw what just happened outside.
Shao Xuan did not shoot and just guarded against these other people. There were also some Rain tribe people nearby, not everyone were friendly to them. Just now, someone wanted to come to rob, but saw Shao Xuan stare at them, so they did not shoot.
After Shao Xuan and the other two entered their room, the other warriors took back their stares.
“The people of the Flaming Horns tribe are really…” Inside a room, someone spoke.
It’s really how everyone thinks differently.
Shao Xuan and the others lit a fire inside the house to simply grill the animal meat. Although the meat was not good since there was a lot of sand, it was better than the hard dough.
After eating a little, Shao Xuan went out for another trip.
Lei and Tuo now knew that Shao Xuan was acquainted with the Rain tribe’s current Shaman, so they didn’t say more. After eating, they began to rest. They thought of going outside again after waking up to see if they could catch another one or two.
Against the wind and sand, Shao Xuan went to the small hill yesterday.
Yang Sui still stayed in the cabin, holding an ox’s tail in a daze. He had probably been here for a long time that his body had a layer of ash.
“Why do you use an ox’s tail to call for rain?” Shao Xuan went in and asked.
Hearing Shao Xuan’s question, Yang Sui returned to himself and looked at Shao Xuan, swinging the ox’s tail in his hands. He did not have to hide it, since this was not such an important secret.
“Reportedly, in the early days, the ancestors used a stone for the sacrifice. Those stones are not ordinary stones, but a kind of stone called rain stone. If you dig in the nearby mountains, you can find some. It’s black and cold even on a hot weather. The use of rain stone was almost always the case. When asking for rain, a hand was holding the tail, then used it to whip the rain stone.”
“That was how to call for rain?” Shao Xuan asked.
“There was also a ritual dance, but it’s mostly about support. Whipping the rain stone was indeed the earliest method the ancestors used. But later, I did not know when, the method to call fotmr rain changed. The ancestors said that behind the rain stone, there is a more ancient ancestors spirit, a symbol for favorable weather, the protector of agricultural harvest, can eliminate disease and eliminate disaster. Everyone began to fear the rain stone. Therefore, for the protection of the tribe prosperity, they no longer used the rain stone, otherwise, they will be cursed. The whipping would not be for longevity!”
When Yang Sui said these things, his tone was with a little irony. Not to say that he did not respect the ancestors, but some things he doubted. And these suspicions an average person would be afraid of, but the people with the deepest contact would delve into.
The so-called “whipping not for longevity” was probably because the task of seeking rain was too expensive to inherit, needing to sacrifice some as a price. A slightly weaker person would probably be exhausted after the rain. Plus, as Yang sui said, calling for rain was getting more and more difficult. The Shaman naturally had to bear a great psychological burden. After all, in the Rain tribe, they also burn an incompetent Shaman. Under the dual physiological and psychological pressure, it would be strange if a weak person was asked, and once it rained, their strength would be squeezed dry.
“Then if the whipping of the rain stone was not done anymore, how come you still use tail?” Shao Xuan refered to the ox’s tail in the hand of Yang Sui.
“This is for repenting. We ask the ancestors and beg the gods to forgive our sins. The tail whip is a sacrifice to repay the sin.” Yang Sui shook the tail at random, his eyes flashed with sarcasm, “I heard that there was a shaman who, after asking for rain, was whipped by the gods too.”
Shao Xuan was shocked.
Therefore, when one asked for rain and it didn’t come, they will be whipped. Wasn’t it excessive to beg for a whipping? Were the people of the Rain tribe into S/M games with their gods?
Note: Uh.. I found the last paragraph kinda weird. But since Shao Xuan was from the modern times, I guess that’s how he thinks? ¯_(ツ)_/¯ Actually, mostly, I’m not too sure if I understood the things that were said here. Ha ha ha