Chapter 162: The Witch Tribe High Priestess...

Chapter 162: The Witch Tribe's Female Priest...

After settling down in the village, He Chang'an's first task was to find a way to patch together "fur mosaics" for everyone.

The garments tailored for the naive young women of the Witch Tribe were relatively complex. He had to account for hip circumference, waist circumference, and even make a visual estimation of the bust, which made He Chang'an feel... quite pleased inside.

As for the male blockheads... he simply tossed them half a wolf pelt, letting them wrap it around themselves and secure it with a leather cord.

A bunch of grown men, several centuries old, walking around with nothing on and not a shred of shame!

They picked up the pelts tossed by He Chang'an, grinned foolishly, made a few casual gestures, and instantly figured out how to wear skirts.

As for the young women of the Witch Tribe, they were initially a bit reserved around He Chang'an, hesitating and reluctant to wear the mosaics. But once the first few put on their fur skirts and fur straps, things quickly livened up.

For their very first time wearing clothes, they were quite picky. Either they complained the hip circumference was too small, or they grumbled the bust was too large...

The most troublesome part was their endless fussing over the patterns of the wild animal pelts, leaving He Chang'an speechless.

The village was not large, numbering around two or three hundred people, and subsisted entirely on hunting.

The settlement was built against a mountain, backed by a giant peak, with a gentle slope stretching out in front, offering an exceptionally wide view. At the foot of the mountain, a small river flowed quietly, its banks littered with massive boulders.

Those stones were round and white, resembling silent lambs, enduring through eternity.

A group of half-grown boys were splashing around in the water naked, catching fish and having the time of their lives.

Having finished sewing the clothes, He Chang'an sat on the slope and watched the youngsters, muttering to himself: "These fellows look about the size of seven or eight-year-old human children, but based on the Witch Tribe's lifespan, roughly...

Even the youngest little squirt among them should be thirty or forty years old, right?"

The Witch Tribe was a remarkably unique entity. He Chang'an recalled from ancient texts that during prime antiquity, the Witches were the most ferocious race on this land.

It was said that apart from winged creatures in the skies like phoenixes, peacocks, and three-legged golden crows, for which the naive Witches truly had no good countermeasure, there were no sacred or auspicious beasts—be they dragons, flood dragons, demons, or qilin—that the Witches dared not eat...

Judging from what he saw now, the Witch folk, regardless of gender, all possessed abundant vitality and blood energy.

However, perhaps due to centuries of seclusion, this branch of the Witch Tribe had somewhat degenerated. They did not tower two or three zhang in height as recorded in ancient books.

Especially the naive women of the Witch Tribe; their regression was quite severe. Judging by their limbs and rippling muscles, their physical vitality was probably just a tiny bit higher than his own as a martial artist...

A-Tie, A-Jiu's older brother, told He Chang'an that despite the presence of chieftains and village heads in the village, the Witch Tribe had historically practiced a matrilineal kinship system—a fact that caught He Chang'an quite by surprise.

Of course, to an illiterate person like him, many things were worthy of his surprise.

"He Chang'an, once you marry my sister A-Jiu later on, you'll have to learn to build your own house, hunt your own game, and provide for her and their mother." A-Tie squatted beside He Chang'an and said with a foolish grin.

"Why should I marry... ahem, she's my sister too, you know," He Chang'an said awkwardly.

How should he put it regarding A-Jiu? It seemed he had always just treated her as one of the guys...

"It's fine. If you're willing, you can marry a few more times," A-Tie laughed stupidly, his eyes darting mischievously toward a few Witch maidens in the distance who were busy curing preserved meat.

"We won't look down on you just because you've been married once!"

He Chang'an had no idea which particular maiden this two-and-a-half-century-old 'brother-in-law' of his was eyeing...

Because this fellow was rather picky when looking at girls, glancing here and there with a decidedly improper gaze.

"A-Tie, tell me about your sister A-Jiu. How did she end up being 'stolen' away?" He Chang'an asked casually, clearing his throat.

"She was stolen by my dad and my mom," A-Tie said, growing indignant as the topic turned to A-Jiu. "My dad is utterly outrageous. Tricking my mom away was one thing, but when he left the village, he actually stole my sister too.

The village head said what my dad did was wrong."

He Chang'an: "..."

That 'father-in-law' of his really lacked a sense of honor.

"Wasn't your dad a Witch?" He Chang'an asked with a hint of gossip.

"Definitely not a Witch, otherwise why would he run away? The village head and the others said that because my old man had fair and delicate skin and looked untrustworthy from head to toe, several aunties in the village took a fancy to him and kept sneaking outside our house at midnight to meow like cats..."

"After my mom beat him up a few times, he fled."

A-Tie's tone was quite unkind as he recounted these events, filled with grievance—he sounded every bit like an unfilial son.

He Chang'an, however, was left dumbfounded.

Why did a story like this sound somewhat absurd? Weren't the customs and habits of the Witch people rather liberating?

Why on earth was A-Tie and A-Jiu's father in such a panic to run away?

"He Chang'an, I'm going hunting. I'll come find you tonight and treat you to meat," A-Tie stood up like a sturdy, foolish iron pagoda and strode out of the village.

Near the village gate, a dozen young men, each built like a burly black bear, saw He Chang'an and generously waved their fists while spitting on the ground as if greeting him...

Sitting on the hillside, breathing in the scent of fresh grass, He Chang'an felt refreshed and invigorated.

This "lawless zone," which the old Daoist priests of the Daoist sect viewed with deep dread, was truly a blessed sanctuary for him. Merely breathing and cultivating here yielded the purest spiritual Qi, demonic Qi, ghostly Qi, and malevolent Qi—at least two to three times faster than grinding away through bitter meditation outside.

If possible, he might as well settle down here and only leave once his cultivation reached completion!

Having made up his mind, He Chang'an walked back into the stone house and began tidying up.

This house belonged to A-Tie's family and was where A-Jiu's old man and his family had once lived. The bluestone walls were exceptionally sturdy, and the interior was fully equipped with stone tables, stone stools, and a stone bed, requiring no additional furniture.

He Chang'an planned to cut down some timber and do a bit of remodeling.

He still preferred the feel of a small wooden cabin, smelling the fresh scent of pine while reading a few pages of a book after cultivation—that was the life.

In the open space in front of and behind the house, he could raise some chickens, ducks, and geese, plant common vegetables, and clean up the kitchen to cook his own meals every day. Such a lifestyle would be simply marvelous.

Of course, cooking everyday home-cooked meals was unlikely, because everyone in this small Witch village was essentially a carnivore. In many households, finding a single grain of rice was probably impossible...

"Are you He Chang'an?"

In the afternoon, just as He Chang'an was hoeing the ground with a mattock on his shoulder, he suddenly heard a voice from atop the stone wall. Looking up, he saw a robust 'maiden' squatting on the wall, staring at him intently.

"My name is A-Ruo, and I am the priest."

This 'maiden' looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, with an exceptional figure, skin of a healthy wheat tone, large and bright eyes with pale golden rings around her pupils, and an extremely serious expression when she spoke.

"Priest... My Lady?" He Chang'an felt a twinge of nervousness.

A-Tie had warned him that among all the 'maidens' in the village who had never taken a man, if one took a fancy to you and made the first move, it was generally fine.

However, if a woman already had a man, one had to tread carefully and find out beforehand whether one could beat her man in a fight...

Naturally, if your fists were hard enough, all these warnings became meaningless.

Yet there was one person who was extremely dangerous, someone you should never provoke under any circumstances unless you wanted to wake up one day and find your ears or nose missing without knowing who did it.

That person was the priest.

In the entire village, there was a chieftain, a village head, and a priest. It sounded a bit chaotic, but everyone had their distinct duties and important responsibilities.

The chieftain represented the tribe in external communications, battles, and negotiations. This role was typically held by the person with the hardest fists and the most ruthless demeanor—figures like the sword cultivator A-Fei or the sword cultivator Wu Yongliang fit this description.

Generally, chieftains possessed formidable names that struck fear into the hearts of others.

The village head, on the other hand, was usually the oldest, fairest, and most benevolent old man in the village, in charge of daily hunting, defense, foraging, and other communal activities—equivalent to a production team leader.

As for the priest, she had to be the purest, kindest, most mysterious, and most beautiful maiden in the village, responsible for communicating with Goddess Houtu, overseeing all marriages, funerals, and coming-of-age ceremonies, and naming every newborn...

In short, apart from fighting, debating, and hunting—trivial chores like that—everything else in the village fell strictly under the priest's jurisdiction.

"He Chang'an, the fur skirts you made are quite good at covering modesty; I am very satisfied," Priest A-Ruo stared at He Chang'an and said with utter seriousness: "However, those fur pouches you made are no good."

"You need to remake them."

He Chang'an: "..."

Without a lining, and with the pelts left untanned and stiff as boards, of course they were no good.

"If you flip them inside out and wear them, they work too..." He Chang'an glanced briefly at the female priest's chest. They were... well, acceptable.

"They work inside out?"

Priest A-Ruo frowned slightly, contemplated sideways for a moment, then snatched off her 'halter-top mosaic,' flipped it so the furry side pressed against her skin, gave it a couple of squeezes, and beamed with satisfaction. "Ah, indeed they do, much better than before!"

"Still, this style looks a bit plain. How about... you help me sew another one so I can wear two at once?" Priest A-Ruo suggested.

"That would look... well, how about I find a way to remake them properly?" He Chang'an muttered internally. Wearing two halter-top mosaics simultaneously might look novel, but it was certainly rather bizarre.

"I need to find some saltpeter first to tan all the pelts so they become soft; then I can craft better garments." He Chang'an mused, recalling the methods for curing leather.

"Oh, very well. If you need help, just look for me," Priest A-Ruo smiled. "I'll dispatch a few men to assist you."

He Chang'an readily agreed again and again.

This female priest looked harmless enough, but who knew what formidable methods she might possess? Since he knew nothing about the internal affairs of the Witch Tribe, he had better not play the fool and end up getting casually disposed of.

After interacting with the old scholars and others recently, he had started to feel like he was actually becoming a gentleman through pretense.

To his surprise, the moment he changed environments and arrived in this lawless zone, while continuing to pretend to be an upright man, he also had to keep his guard up while dealing with these 'maidens' who were centuries old.

It truly felt like walking a tightrope.

"Priest My Lady, tanning these rabbit, wolf, and leopard pelts requires sodium sulfate, sodium chloride... Never mind, I'll go search for them nearby myself." As He Chang'an spoke, he felt a bit embarrassed.

In a primitive, blood-drinking Witch tribe, who would know anything about sodium sulfate or sodium chloride...

"The things you mentioned—sodium sulfate and such—are they those whitish crusts found on rock faces?" Priest A-Ruo asked with a frown, tilting her head in concentration.

He Chang'an smiled. "That's pretty much it. However, the type of saltpeter produced varies by location, so I need to check it out myself."

"Right, is there any of that whitish stuff nearby?"

Priest A-Ruo stood up atop the stone wall, pressed an index finger against her tongue, and let out a sharp whistle...

Well, this female priest practically acted like a female bandit.

Before three breaths had passed, a sharp answering whistle echoed from the other end of the village, and two burly Witch blockheads came running all the way over.

As they ran, they shouted loudly, "Priest My Lady, what is your summons?"

"Did this He Chang'an bully you? Shall I go beat him to death first?"

He Chang'an: "..."

"No, you two are going to help He Chang'an carry things," Priest A-Ruo's pretty face flushed, sensing that her two subordinates were making a fool of her, so she said with a cold face:

"Remember, He Chang'an is one of us. You are not allowed to bully him!"

"Eh? He's one of us already?" one blockhead asked in a deep, rumbling voice, rolling his strange, round eyes as he looked He Chang'an up and down with a face full of aggrieved suspicion. "Priest My Lady, none of these human pretty boys are any good. Don't let yourself get taken advantage of."

"Yeah, Priest My Lady! A-Tie's mom was coaxed away by a human pretty boy, and he took A-Jiu with him too."

"Priest My Lady, you mustn't lose your—"

He Chang'an: "..."

Priest A-Ruo: "Scram!!"

The two Witch blockheads immediately scrambled back a dozen paces, only to suddenly snap back to reality, turn around with a start, and ask in booming voices, "Priest My Lady, why did you tell the two of us to scram?"

Their expressions of sheer grievance and innocence left Priest A-Ruo's face turning livid. Her hands trembled for a moment as she took a deep breath.

Suppressing her anger for a long while, she finally let out a turbid sigh, beamed a radiant smile, and said, "Very well, the priest is not telling you to scram anymore. Come, come, I have some fun things here for you two to play with."

With those words, she took a giant stride forward, puffing out her chest with imposing grandeur.

The two blockheads turned pale, shivered all over, and bolted away in a flash.

He Chang'an: "Priest My Lady... who's going to help me dig for saltpeter?"

Priest A-Ruo: "Can't I do it? How annoying!"

He Chang'an: "..."