FVN Chapter 26 Sangma Village
Chapter 26 Sangma Village
Fan Zhou carried Sang Muya through the mountains and forests.
"My benefactor, there is a path at the foot of this mountain that leads directly to Sangma Village."
"Miss Sang, you don't need to keep calling me your benefactor."
Fan Zhou coughed twice and casually suggested:
"If you don't mind, you can call me Young Master Fan."
"Young Master Fan," Sang Muya readily agreed.
Fan Zhou chatted with Sang Muya along the way and learned about some things in the vicinity.
According to Sangmuya, there are dozens of villages of varying sizes in the surrounding area.
These villages range in size from a hundred or so people to over a thousand, all under the jurisdiction of Black Wind Village. They must pay tribute to Black Wind Village every so often, or they will be captured and enslaved.
Sangmuya's village, Sangma Village, is a small village with only one or two hundred people. Her father is the leader of Sangma Village.
Fan Zhou asked curiously, "Miss Sang, since your father is the village chief, how could he have been poisoned out of the blue?"
Sang Muya said angrily, "It's all because of Black Wind Village. They forced us to catch ten blood centipedes, each over a foot long, before the New Year as New Year's tribute."
"But it's winter now, where can you find a blood centipede? My father had no choice but to risk going into the Blood Dragon Cave to search for one, but he woke up a large blood centipede that was more than two feet long and it bit his calf."
Sang Muya couldn't help but shed tears again as she spoke:
"Although my father immediately cut off the flesh and took the antidote, the blood centipede had already gained some strength and its internal cold energy was intense. My father managed to get home but then collapsed and has been in a coma ever since."
"The village shaman said that the coldness of the blood centipede cannot be cured by ordinary herbs; only a spiritual medicine can do the trick."
"In order to save my father, I ran away to find a spiritual medicine. I followed the path to the cave where the mountain demon was, and finally found a Wu Yu grass. When the mountain demon returned from hunting, it was furious to see that I had picked the spiritual medicine and immediately scratched me."
"My leg was injured, so I couldn't escape. I could only roll down the mountain. Luckily, I was rescued by my benefactor. Otherwise, I would have been torn to pieces by that mountain demon."
Sang Muya was still a little scared. If Fan Zhou hadn't arrived just in time, she would definitely be dead, and might have been eaten alive by that mountain demon.
After listening to the whole story, Fan Zhou developed a strong interest in the place where Sang Muya's father caught the blood centipedes.
"Miss Sang, what place is this Blood Dragon Cave you mentioned earlier?"
Sang Muya understood Fan Zhou's implied meaning and explained:
"Blood Dragon Cave is an underground karst cave. Every winter, the blood centipedes within a radius of a hundred miles would hide in Blood Dragon Cave to spend the winter."
"It is said that a blood centipede that has lived for hundreds of years is hidden deep in the cave, and all the blood centipedes within a hundred miles are its offspring."
Fan Zhou's eyes lit up when he heard this. According to Sang Muya, wouldn't the Blood Dragon Cave be teeming with blood centipedes?
If we were to catch a whole basin or jar full of them, and then brew them into wine, I wonder how many days it would shorten the "Two Elements and Four Phases Sword"'s essence and blood reserve time.
"Where is the Blood Dragon Cave?" Fan Zhou asked impatiently.
Sang Muya said urgently, "My benefactor, it's not that I don't want to tell you, but the Blood Dragon Cave is filled with countless poisonous insects, some of which are even more dangerous than the mountain demons. It's a true death trap!"
"My father was only searching in the shallow water when he encountered a demonic insect more than two feet long. If he had left even a moment later, he might not have survived."
Fan Zhou felt a warm sensation on his back and knew that Sang Muya was crying, so he immediately comforted her:
"Don't worry too much, I'm just asking, I won't risk my life to do anything foolish."
Sang Muya wiped her face and whispered:
"If my benefactor wants blood centipedes, I still have a few dried blood centipedes that are a foot long in my collection. I will give them to you later. I just hope that you will not act rashly."
Fan Zhou was initially reluctant to take her things, but upon hearing that it was a foot-long giant blood centipede, he fell silent, since he genuinely needed it.
He carried Sangmuya for a while longer, and finally emerged from the hidden path, where a village gate appeared before them.
Upon seeing outsiders, the two villagers guarding the entrance, dressed in wolf-skin coats and wearing brightly colored feathered headdresses, immediately pointed their crude spears at Fan Zhou.
"Who do you think you are?!"
Fan Zhou remained expressionless, while Sang Muya quickly raised her head and shouted to the two guards:
"Don't be rude! This young hero Fan is my benefactor! Put your guns down immediately!"
The two gatekeepers were taken aback when they saw Sang Muya and quickly approached to inquire about the situation.
"Muya, you're finally back! Grandpa Sanggu was so worried!"
"How did you get hurt? Was it this kid who did it?!"
Upon discovering that Sang Muya was injured, the two young men immediately glared fiercely at Fan Zhou.
"Don't misunderstand, I was injured while gathering herbs for my father and was captured by a mountain demon. It was thanks to Young Hero Fan that I was saved," Sang Muya explained.
"I have already found the medicinal herb. Go quickly and inform Grandpa Sanggu to come to my house to treat my father's illness."
Sangmuya gave the two men another instruction, and one of the young men immediately ran towards the village, while the other opened the village gate and invited Fan Zhou in.
"Young Master Fan, my home is over there. Could you please carry me a little further?" Sang Muya pointed in the direction.
"No problem."
Fan Zhou carried her through the village, looking around curiously.
The structure of this village is completely different from that of Hongjia Village. Every wooden house here is supported by wooden stakes, several feet off the ground, and there are stairs to go up and down. Even the roof is a peculiar round shape, like a conical hat.
Moreover, along the way, Fan Zhou saw many blood chickens in the village, many of which were old roosters. Everyone there was also decorated with blood chicken feathers.
Sang Muya noticed Fan Zhou's confusion and explained:
"Our village is very poor. For generations, the villagers have relied on catching blood centipedes to exchange for food with the larger village. Over time, they became afraid of the old blood centipede in the Blood Dragon Cave taking revenge, so they started raising blood chickens to protect the village. They even dared not build their houses on the ground."
She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and said self-deprecatingly:
"Doesn't it seem silly? These things can't possibly stop monsters, yet everyone believes it without question."
Fan Zhou shook his head. "Perhaps it is because of these seemingly silly things that the people in this village are able to live better on this land."
Sang Muya was stunned for a moment because she didn't expect him to say that.
As they were talking, Fan Zhou had already carried Sang Muya to a two-story wooden house. Apart from looking a bit bigger, the house was nothing special.
A tall, thin old man with white hair and prominent joints was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, while a tanned boy was supporting him.
Sang Muya was very happy to see the old man, and took out the Wu Yu grass from her bosom, saying hurriedly:
"Grandpa Sanggu, I have found a plant called Wuyu grass, which can be used to make medicine for my father."
The old man walked closer, took the Wu Yu Cao (a type of herb), examined it, and nodded, saying:
"Very good. Evodia rutaecarpa can dispel cold, reduce swelling and disperse blood stasis; it is a perfect medicine for the condition."
He handed the herbs to the young man beside him and instructed him:
"Abang, hurry up and dry-fry this medicine, but remember not to burn it!"
"Yes, Grandpa." The young man named Abang took the herbs and glanced at Fan Zhou curiously before leaving.
The old man politely bowed to Fan Zhou and said:
"I am Sang Gu, the shaman of Sangma Village. Young friend, you don't seem to be from any nearby village. May I ask where you come from?"
Fan Zhou also bowed his head in politeness and replied:
"My name is Fan Zhou, and I come from Langdang Mountain."
Sang Gu was immediately horrified:
"Wandering Mountain!?"