Chapter 764: Drink Our Wine, One Dares to Cross the Qing Killing Pass “…These are your role models! From now on, as long as you work well and contribute more to the tribe, you too may, like them, have your slave status lifted and become citizens of the tribe!” Under Han Cheng’s signal, the fifty newly minted Level 2 citizens of the Green Sparrow Tribe — each wearing a wooden ID tag around their neck — lined up in two rows on stage, standing straight and proud before the tribe’s many slaves. Especially when the Divine Child himself stepped down from the stage and gave this passionate closing speech, each of them straightened up even more. They could feel all the honor and glory wrapped around them, along with the ID tags hanging on their necks. The many slaves watching were deeply stirred, clenching their fists secretly, hearts boiling with passion, itching to start working hard right now. They also wanted to stand here, under everyone’s watchful eyes, have the Divine Child personally hang the citizenship plaque on them, have the chief beat the drum for them, and have the shaman lead the way! Han Cheng watched everyone’s reactions and smiled inwardly, feeling very pleased with the effect of today’s grand flag-raising and the award ceremony he had organized. But what shocked and made slaves like Daya from the semi-farming tribe feel envious and regretful did not end here. The Divine Child, the shaman, the chief, and some tribe members then went inside the inner courtyard. Soon, muffled thunder-like drumbeats came from within. The slaves craned their necks, trying to see what the wise Divine Child and others were doing inside. Unfortunately, the thick courtyard walls blocked their view. This made slaves like Daya feel as itchy as if a lamb had licked their feet. After spending some time in the tribe, they had come to understand these thunderous drumbeats a bit better. They knew such instruments were not lightly beaten — once sounded, it meant something important was happening. After an anxious wait, the drumbeats gradually became clearer and louder, seeming to come outward. Unable to wait any longer, the crowd turned its gaze toward the source. Moments later, the scene inside was revealed. At the front, the most respected Divine Child was beating the drum, followed by the shaman wearing a feathered crown and holding a bone staff, looking solemn but moving energetically. Behind the shaman, the chief and several others carried an aged stone pillar carved with simple lines — the most striking being the Green Sparrow bird symbol in the center. Amid the rumbling drumbeats, the senior brothers carried and placed the totem pole near the back center of the stage. In front of the totem pole stood a log table bearing fish, chicken, pork, and some fruits. In front of the table, a fire was lit. Han Cheng, who had been drumming, handed the drumsticks back to the eldest senior Brother and stood behind the table, alongside the totem pole. The shaman with the feather crown and bone staff looked vigorous and lively, hopping and jumping in front of the crowd. Yuan, the hand warmer, stood amid the crowd, full of shock and once again deeply admiring the wisdom of the Divine Child and others. Why hadn’t she thought of these things before? Such a grand and large-scale ritual far surpassed the shaky prayers she had performed before in the tribe — it was much more impressive. Accordingly, it was also more convincing. After a moment of admiration and shock, Yuan’s gaze fell on the energetic shaman, and amid her awe, another thought crept in: If he’s so energetic now, why does he always say he’s tired when on the kang (heated bed) at night? Looks like he could still be put to more work… The shaman suddenly felt a strange pain in his waist while jumping around performing the ritual. He thought his movements were too big and planned to reduce his range of motion. Before he could do so, the pain vanished as if it had been an illusion. He shook his head, ignored it, and continued his duties. Finally, having jumped enough, the shaman placed the bone staff on his chest and bowed respectfully toward the flaming totem pole, praising the Sky God aloud. The Green Sparrow tribe’s citizens, having seen such ceremonies multiple times, imitated the shaman and bowed, chanting praises to the Sky God. The newly joined slaves from the semi-farming tribe had not been specially instructed before, but, overwhelmed by the grandeur of the scene, instinctively imitated the Green Sparrow tribe’s people. Though clumsy and uneven, they bowed awkwardly and loudly shouted, “Sky God!” Their voices were not perfectly synchronized, but the chaotic sound still carried solemnity. When all voices quieted down, the shaman deeply bowed toward Han Cheng beside the totem pole, praising the Divine Child aloud. Even the shaman himself did not realize that he bowed lower and praised louder to Han Cheng than to the totem pole. The Green Sparrow tribe’s citizens did so even more obviously. After their deep bows, they loudly and respectfully shouted, “Divine Child!” When shouting “Divine Child,” most of them felt their chests burning hot, an excitement mixed with other emotions surging up. The shout of “Divine Child” was deafening and synchronized. The donkeys in the pen were startled, opening their mouths to make choking sounds, “Gong~ ah, gong~ ah…” The slaves from the semi-farming tribe, having learned from the previous experience and affected by this grand, deeply moving shout, also shouted “Divine Child” much more loudly and in better unison this time. Moreover, when shouting “Divine Child,” they sounded less unfamiliar. This was because, after entering the Green Sparrow Tribe and becoming slaves there, the first word they were officially taught was “Divine Child.” Listening to the deafening shout and feeling the genuine respect and love from everyone, even Han Cheng couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion. “Please, Green Sparrow God! Bring out the Green Sparrow wine!” Han Cheng calmed his stirring emotions, looked at the now quiet crowd, and raised his voice. After he spoke, the senior Brothers left the stage and returned to the inner courtyard. Soon, they came back carrying a Green Sparrow statue wrapped in red hemp cloth. The second senior Brother followed behind, placing wine jars and pottery bowls in front of the Green Sparrow statue, then returned to their positions. Han Cheng personally uncovered the red cloth, revealing an abstract Green Sparrow statue. Then he removed the mud seal, scooped wine with a bamboo ladle, and poured it into the open mouth of the Green Sparrow statue. The somewhat cloudy wine swirled inside the statue, then from its toes flowed out as a crystal-clear water column, falling into a pottery bowl held by the shaman… Bowls of Green Sparrow wine — each representing one tribe member — were passed to the fifty newly minted Level 2 citizens wearing wooden ID tags, to the original Yang tribe people, and to Yuan. “Drink this bowl of Green Sparrow wine, and from now on, you are a member of the tribe. Anyone who betrays the tribe or harms it will be branded with the crow’s hat and beheaded!” Han Cheng said solemnly to these new citizens, his gaze lingering on Yuan’s face for a moment. These words were for the newly made citizens and also a warning to the tribe’s old citizens — to remind them never to harbor treacherous thoughts. Han Cheng’s authoritative gaze swept across the faces of those about to drink the Green Sparrow wine. Seeing that no one dared to meet his eyes, he loudly shouted, “Drink!” At the shout, the already excited people holding their bowls raised them to their mouths and began swallowing greedily. Yuan, formerly a female priestess of the semi-farming tribe, also raised her head without hesitation and drank the Green Sparrow wine. “Drink our wine, and you’ll breathe freely without coughing! Drink our wine, and no one dares to pass the Qing Killing Pass alone!…” Watching everyone drink the Green Sparrow wine in unison, Han Cheng suddenly recalled the priest’s scene in the movie Red Sorghum. If it weren’t such a solemn occasion, he might have shouted out a few lines. After drinking the Green Sparrow wine, Old Yang, Cao Gen, and others held empty bowls, their expressions excited and smiles broad. After this bowl of wine, they were truly and completely members of the Green Sparrow Tribe! The grand award and “joining” ceremony ended, and the tribe suddenly became much quieter. But the impact of this ceremony did not fade, especially for slaves like Daya who had just joined Green Sparrow. Seeing such an inspiring scene for the first time, they were enveloped by an indescribable yet overwhelmingly positive emotion. In the snowy fields, Daya, as if injected with adrenaline, kept loading stones onto the sled tirelessly; most others did the same. At this moment, fatigue, unfairness, and cold were all thrown out of their minds. Everyone worked with great enthusiasm; the amount of stone mined and transported in one day was nearly double what it used to be in two days! Han Cheng saw this and smiled slightly — indeed, people needed some spirit and vigor. In the carpenter’s workshop, Yuan looked somewhat dazed as she hammered and worked. The recent events had touched her deeply — after all, she was formerly a female priestess of the semi-farming tribe, and her work was somewhat similar to the shaman’s. Because she stood on a higher level, her perspective on problems was quite different. Ordinary slaves like Daya saw hope in this event — a living example that working hard leads to rewards. But Yuan saw a different method of managing the tribe’s people. Through this method, the new slaves joining the tribe could be motivated to work hard without developing rebellious hearts. This was far cleverer than her previous approach of beating slaves harshly and watching them work under armed supervision. The distribution of Green Sparrow wine and the so-called ID cards had many impressive benefits. The more Yuan pondered the essence of this event, the more she appreciated its cleverness and profundity. Her previous pride in her own wisdom felt insignificant compared to the Divine Child’s! Her old tribe had been thoroughly surpassed in every aspect by the Green Sparrow Tribe! After a while of this daze, Yuan suddenly became cheerful, realizing she had learned a lot from this event all at once… Under the blanket of snow, time passed moment by moment. In the blink of an eye, the end of the year approached. Both adults and children of the Green Sparrow Tribe grew joyful, their joy mixed with eager anticipation, as more and more people mentioned a word called “Nian” (the New Year). This made the curious and studious Yuan very intrigued. Because she had been with the tribe for some time, but had never seen the tribe so excited and expectant. What was this “Nian” that stirred such passion and hope? At night, while lying on the warm kang with the shaman, Yuan voiced her doubts. The shaman, who had just been pretending to be tired with eyes closed, suddenly became alert and began telling Yuan about “Nian.” As the shaman spoke, Yuan became enchanted. Was “Nian” really as wonderful as the shaman said? Even knowing the shaman wouldn’t lie, Yuan found it hard to believe, because what he described was so astonishing! Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, tinged red by the firelight. Firecrackers exploded occasionally, sending brilliant sparks into the air. The big drum thumped loudly, people laughing and dancing around the fire, their laughter mixed with the rolling drumbeats spreading far and wide. Stuffed and content, Yuan looked around dazedly, her gaze falling on countless bright smiling faces in the firelight. Everything the shaman had told her about “Nian” was true; the real “Nian” was even more breathtaking than what he said. It was all so beautiful, like a dream. No, even in dreams, Yuan had never imagined such a comforting scene. No wonder the tribe so eagerly awaited the arrival of “Nian.” Such a beautiful moment — if she had known earlier, she too would have looked forward to it! Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝕟𝕖𝕥