What exactly happened to make Zhuo Ya so flustered!
Could it be that the Kasa tribe had discovered our tracks and come looking for us!
I stood up and walked a few steps to Zhuo Ya, "Zhuo Ya, don't rush. Tell me slowly what happened."
Zhuo Ya gasped for breath a few times before her breathing finally steadied.
She looked at me with a grave expression and said, "I was going back to the cave to get some things today, but I ran into people from the Kasa tribe on the way. I saw them carrying a giant bear in a grand procession, so I secretly followed them. I discovered they were preparing for a sacrifice!"
A sacrifice?
Zhuo Ya's words left me somewhat bewildered. Isn't a sacrifice a normal event for a primitive tribe?
Seeing my confusion, Zhuo Ya explained.
It turned out that Kasa Buno worshipped the sea god Xiye, and they held a grand sacrifice every year to honor Him.
It had been this way since she could remember, unchanging.
There had never been a precedent for holding two sacrifices in one year!
And this year… a sacrifice had already been held!
Zhuo Ya spoke quickly, her expression clearly uneasy, saying that something might have gone wrong with the Kasa tribe.
After hearing her, I found the whole thing rather absurd.
As a modern person living in the 21st century, I found it difficult to comprehend the worship of deities by primitive tribes.
Everything that was happening seemed to me like the uncivilized behavior of savages.
However, if something had indeed happened to the Kasa tribe, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing for me.
On one hand, it could delay their search for us, giving us more time to prepare.
On the other hand, this was a good opportunity for me to get revenge on the Kasa tribe. If possible, disrupting their sacrifice would be a great satisfaction.
I pondered for a moment and then slowly asked Zhuo Ya, "Zhuo Ya, do you know when the people of Kasa Buno hold their sacrifices?"
Zhuo Ya thought for a moment and replied, "Generally, after the offerings are prepared, the sacrifice is held within the next two to three days. Little Ye brother, do you have something in mind?"
Two to three days? That gave me just enough time to prepare.
Should I get involved?
Even setting aside the irreconcilable enmity between me and the Kasa tribe, many of my friends were still enslaved there, living lives worse than death.
If I could take this opportunity to rescue them, it would also strengthen our forces.
I paced back and forth in the cave, weighing the pros and cons.
While the potential gains were immense, the risks were equally high. After all, it was the Kasa tribe's territory. If Zhuo Ya and I made a mistake, we would be doomed.
In the face of a choice that concerned the fate of all of us, I thought long and hard and finally decided to go with Zhuo Ya to witness the Kasa tribe's sacrifice.
Courtesy demands reciprocity.
Since the Kasa tribe had hunted us like animals before, they shouldn't blame me for turning their damn sacrifice upside down today!
Having made up my mind, I stopped pacing and looked at Zhuo Ya.
I said firmly, "The Kasa tribe is making such a fuss, we can't miss this opportunity. Let's go and give them a big gift!"
Zhuo Ya still seemed hesitant when she heard my words, but seeing the determination on my face, she didn't say anything more.
I returned to the cave and explained the situation to Shangguan Yao, asking them to stay put and wait for our return in the next few days. Then, I took my weapons and left with Zhuo Ya.
The Kasa tribe's sacrifice was to be held in a forest on the other side of the mountain. I planned to have Zhuo Ya take me there first to scout and prepare.
As we traveled, I silently calculated my current resources and felt a little worried.
Since I had decided to get revenge on Kasa Buno properly, I had to make a big scene!
But the resources I had at hand seemed rather meager, and I only had two or three days.
Where else could I get more equipment?
Although I had received nine years of compulsory education and knew that gunpowder could be made from saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, I was pressed for time and lacked even the raw materials. A clever cook can't cook without rice.
Just as I was racking my brain to figure out where to get weapons, Zhuo Ya, who had been walking quietly all along, suddenly seemed to make up her mind and said to me, "Little Ye brother, I'll take you somewhere!"
She then led me towards the mountainside.
I was a bit puzzled. Did Zhuo Ya have a secret base?
But at this critical juncture, could her secret base solve any problems?
I followed Zhuo Ya for a while and we arrived at a mountain wall.
Zhuo Ya stepped forward and felt around the mountain wall, searching.
Suddenly, her hand paused. I saw her find a protruding rock and twist it hard. The mountain wall seemed to trigger some mechanism and rumbled open.
I was somewhat stunned by the scene before me.