Chapter 4

"Hey ha!"

"Hey ha!"

Fang Luoya soon arrived at the source of the sounds. He saw a large, flat, earthy square, about ten zhang wide, where thirty to forty children, aged from eight to thirteen, were holding wooden sticks, standing in two rows, and practicing spear techniques with extremely standard postures.

In front of them, a tall, thin middle-aged man with a slight limp was walking slowly around the field, his hands behind his back, looking at the children with a stern expression. He shouted in a deep voice, "Your postures must be standard. Always remember your spear movements. Only by forming a habit can you unleash your strongest attack at any time, delivering a fatal blow to the enemy!"

After confirming that the children's postures were all quite standard, the middle-aged man turned to look at a few others nearby.

At this moment, in another corner of the playground, a dozen or so teenagers, around fifteen or sixteen years old, were holding short wooden sticks and sparring with each other. The sound of wooden sticks clashing, "bang bang bang," echoed continuously in the field.

"Ah..." Suddenly, one of the teenagers grunted, clutching his stomach and sitting down on the ground. Another teenager slowly retracted his wooden stick and looked at the fallen one with a smug expression.

"Kapin... your reaction is too slow... When Kangru struck at your head, you should have been prepared for the next attack..."

The middle-aged man with the limp walked over in large strides, dodged the wooden stick in Kapin's hand, and assumed a posture, saying in a deep voice, "When Kangru struck, you should have seen that he could attack you from three angles!"

"What you should have done was not to retreat, but to advance forcefully with a full attack, forcing him to abandon his next move to block you... Only then could you take the initiative!"

"Do you understand?"

Hearing the middle-aged man's stern criticism, Kapin's face turned red. He got up from the ground, took the wooden stick offered by the middle-aged man, and responded in a hoarse voice, "Yes, Uncle Gang!"

"Continue!" Uncle Gang nodded, then turned to look at the children practicing spear techniques. However, he happened to see Fang Luoya standing not far from the playground.

His gaze paused for a moment, and then he limped over to Fang Luoya.

Seeing Uncle Gang approaching, Fang Luoya was taken aback, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

"Are you the new kid from Muyong's family?" Uncle Gang frowned, looking Fang Luoya up and down. "Come here!"

"Ah..." Fang Luoya was stunned for a moment, confirming that the man was indeed calling him. He hesitated slightly, then walked over.

"Hello..."

Before Fang Luoya could steady himself, Uncle Gang pulled him over and began to feel him all over.

"Uh... this... what are you doing?" Being touched by a grown man, Fang Luoya felt a mix of surprise and awkwardness.

"Hmph... What's going on? Your body is so loose and weak, not only lacking in witch power, but also in physical strength..."

Uncle Gang released Fang Luoya, his face displeased, and frowned as he looked at him. "Have you not undergone the witch initiation?"

"Uh... witch initiation? No!" Fang Luoya was taken aback and quickly shook his head.

This was the second time he had heard the term "witch initiation," but he didn't know what it meant. Was it not just a simple ceremony? Did it have some other special function?

Seeing Fang Luoya's seemingly genuine expression, Uncle Gang sighed helplessly, then glanced at his jeans and T-shirt, shaking his head lightly. "Alright... forget it. Where did you come from, kid? Go find the witch. Since you're now part of our tribe, the witch will have some arrangements for you..."

"However, you're already so old. Even if the initiation is successful, the increase in strength will be limited... sigh..."

As he spoke, Uncle Gang shook his head and turned back to the playground.

Seeing Uncle Gang leave with a disappointed shake of his head, Fang Luoya opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.

Although he didn't really understand what "witch initiation" was, he now confirmed that it was not what he had thought. Moreover, seeing the other man's obvious lack of confidence in him, Fang Luoya couldn't help but feel worried.

He had already confirmed that he had traveled to another world, and it seemed unlikely that he could return. The tribe mainly relied on hunting for survival. Thinking of the leopard he had seen a few days ago, which was far more terrifying than anything in his world, Fang Luoya felt a chill run down his spine. It would be extremely difficult to survive in this world.

His physical condition was already better than most people in his world, but in a world where hunting was the primary means of obtaining food, his physical condition was far from sufficient.

Thinking of the women's strength far exceeding his own, and seeing a teenager being kicked several meters away and immediately jumping up unharmed, it was clear that their bodies were far from ordinary.

The "witch initiation" might be a crucial method for every witch villager to gain strength.

He seemed to need to go through the initiation to become strong; otherwise, it would be very difficult to survive in this world. However, he was fortunate that Uncle Yong could protect him before he became strong.

Fang Luoya looked at the dozen or so teenagers nearby, who were pointing and whispering. His heightened hearing allowed him to faintly hear some of their comments and ridicule.

"Is this the one Uncle Yong picked up? Why is he so pale?"

"This pretty boy is even older than us, and he hasn't undergone the initiation yet..."

"Tsk tsk... I could knock him down with one hand just by looking at him!"

"He's definitely a waste. Keeping him around is just wasting food..."

"Exactly, Uncle Yong must have lost his mind to keep him..."

Hearing the commotion, Fang Luoya's face turned red. He took a deep breath. Although the witch had said that as long as Muyong gathered the offerings, he would initiate him in the next few days, he decided to go find the witch.

"I must work hard and become strong! I must not let Uncle Yong down!"

The witch's house was not far from Muyong's, also located on the edge of a cliff, but it was not made of wood. It was entirely constructed from large bluestone blocks.

The house did not face the cliff like Muyong's, but faced the entire village.

At the door, two teenagers about his age were sitting on stone stools at the edge of the earthy square, throwing what seemed to be herbs into a stone mortar and pounding them with a stick.

Hearing footsteps, the two looked up, their eyes showing a hint of surprise at Fang Luoya's strange attire.

"Hello... Is the witch here?"

Hearing Fang Luoya's words, the two exchanged glances, and one of them pointed inside, saying in a deep voice, "The witch is inside. Go in!"

The witch was sitting cross-legged on a grass mat in the stone house, the light dim. Seeing Fang Luoya standing at the door, he smiled slightly and said, "It seems you have recovered faster than I expected..."

"Witch... your medicine is truly miraculous!" Fang Luoya said with heartfelt admiration.

"Ha ha..." The witch smiled slightly at Fang Luoya's words. "It's just that your injuries were minor!"

"Come... sit down!" The witch lightly pointed to the mat beside him.

Fang Luoya nodded respectfully, then walked in and sat down on the mat beside him.

After sitting down, Fang Luoya looked up at the witch, who seemed to be staring blankly at the sky outside the door. Just as he was about to speak, the witch raised his hand to stop him.

"Do you still not remember your origins?" The witch's eyes were clear and distant.

Fang Luoya nodded firmly and said, "I don't remember."

"You have a flame-shaped tattoo on your left chest. This might represent your identity. Do you not remember that either?" The witch continued, looking intently at Fang Luoya.

"Ah..." Fang Luoya subconsciously looked at his chest, then smiled bitterly and shook his head.

Seeing the obvious confusion in Fang Luoya's eyes, the witch nodded slightly and continued, "So, you've decided to stay?"

Looking at the witch's slightly dim profile in the light from the door, Fang Luoya took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes... I will stay."

"Hmm..." The witch nodded, then sighed softly, looking at the blue sky outside the door. "I still don't know where you come from..."

"In all my years, I have never seen anyone like you..."

"Even... these past two nights, while observing the stars, I have not been able to sense the presence of your star..."

"Even the ancestral spirits cannot tell me anything about you..."

At this, the witch's face showed a hint of puzzlement, and he said in a calm voice, "This is the first time I have encountered such a situation since becoming a witch!"

Fang Luoya sat quietly, listening to the witch's words without a word.

He knew that this wise old man had seen through his uniqueness, and perhaps even realized that he did not belong here.

"However, since you have appeared, it must be the will of the heavens... and since you are willing to stay here, it is also the will of the heavens..."

At this, the witch's eyes slowly focused, and he turned to look at Fang Luoya, who was sitting quietly. "If Muyong can gather the offerings, then tomorrow night, I will perform the witch initiation for you..."

"Once the initiation is successful... you will be one of us. Your blood and life will be inseparably linked to our tribe. Do you understand?"

Looking into the witch's eyes, which seemed to be filled with boundless wisdom, Fang Luoya remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "I understand."

Seeing Fang Luoya nod, the witch's face, which had been tense, suddenly relaxed. He patted Fang Luoya's shoulder lightly and smiled. "Good..."

He then took a bone token from a stone table behind him and handed it to Fang Luoya, saying with a smile, "Wear it... from now on, you are a true member of our tribe..."

"Whether or not the initiation is successful, our tribe will protect you!"

"Furthermore, once you have undergone the initiation and succeeded, no matter what happens in the future, you will be a member of our witch tribe, protected by the ancestral spirits and the heavens..."

Hearing the witch's words, Fang Luoya looked down at the grayish-white bone token in his hand, which had a few ancient witch script characters carved on it: Dàyá · Fang Luoya.

Gripping the bone token tightly, Fang Luoya took a deep breath, smiled slowly, and nodded.

"The Dàyá tribe... will be my home from now on..."

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