I'm involved in poverty alleviation in a primitive tribe.

Fortunately, the children in the tribe were quite sensible. After playing for a while, they started seriously looking for stone snails in the river.

Few people in the tribe used to hunt stone snails, and aquatic animals rarely ventured into the shallow waters, making this area a breeding paradise for stone snails. As a result, the number of stone snails here is quite considerable.

The water along the river is crystal clear. Once you've caught enough and gained experience, you can easily see many stone snails attached to the rocks and sand on the riverbed.

People carefully picked them up one by one and put them into their baskets.

Sometimes, they can also find river shrimp hidden under the rocks. These shrimp are almost transparent and swim nimbly in the water.

The children of the tribe were very excited, and they talked about who had found more stone snails and who had found more river shrimp.

Their laughter and cheers echoed in the air, weaving a beautiful melody with the sound of the river.

With more people around, the snails can be picked up quickly. After scrubbing off the dirt on the surface of the snails, you can see that there may be sticky dirt, seaweed, or mud on the shells.

After they filled all the baskets they had brought, Jiang Ning called everyone to go back with satisfaction.

I found a large water tank that wasn't in use for the time being, poured all the rock snails into it, then added water to cover them, and sprinkled in some salt to make them spit out the sand.

You could also pour in some oil or red finger fruit powder, but the tribe currently only has animal oil, which solidifies when it gets cold. And the stock of red finger fruit is running low, so let's be frugal.

Huo Yun was disappointed to learn that these stone snails needed to be kept alive for several days before they could be eaten.

Just then, the tribe sounded horns again, and another hunting party returned.

Upon hearing the horn, everyone who was free rushed forward to help carry the loads. The children also ran excitedly over, eager to see the hunting party's spoils.

The members of the second hunting team, some carrying their weapons, some carrying their captured prey, and some carrying the fruits and herbs they had gathered, walked back to the tribe one by one.

Unlike the usual lively and cheerful scenes, when the hunting team returned this time, everyone followed silently behind, and no one spoke, creating a somewhat somber atmosphere.

Jiang Ning felt something was off. She looked over there and saw that the members of the hunting team all had heavy expressions on their faces, as if something bad had happened.

A sense of unease began to creep into her heart; she wondered what had happened. She quickly went over to the captain and asked, "Uncle Mo, what happened?"

Mo sighed heavily and slowly said, "We encountered a herd of beasts during this hunt. In order to lure them away, Shui Qing left alone with her celestial wolf. In the end, we only found her stone knife."

Jiang Ning was struck dumb upon hearing this, her mind going completely blank. Shui Qing was a valiant warrior in the hunting party; she was brave and kind, always charging ahead of the group. If she were to die like this…

A man stepped out from the crowd; he was Yun Sheng, Shui Qing's partner. He was also a warrior, but in a hunting party. "She's just missing, isn't she?" His voice was unsteady.

Mo dared not look at him: "We searched all the nearby mountains and forests, but couldn't find her. We can only confirm that she's probably been missing for two days now. We searched for her all day, but still couldn't find her, so we rushed back overnight..."

Yun Sheng listened silently; everyone knew what it meant to be missing alone in the forest for two days.

He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, and continued, "I'll go and fetch the shaman." His voice was filled with boundless grief. The shaman could learn about the missing person's situation through divination; this was his last hope.

"We've already sent someone to invite them." They rushed back overnight to ask the shaman for help, hoping he could provide them with guidance.

Black Wolf arrived at the scene with the shaman. The shaman handed his staff to Jiang Ning, then walked up to Mo and took the stone knife he presented.

The shaman took out a handful of yarrow stalks and began to perform divination.

Divination is divided into two types: "divination by yarrow stalks" and "divination by tortoise shells." "Divination by yarrow stalks" is used for minor matters, while "divination by tortoise shells" is used for major matters.

If you encounter something even bigger, you should use both methods.

The shaman muttered incantations, holding a stone knife in one hand and yarrow stalks in the other, before finally throwing the yarrow stalks into the fire.

Just then, a gust of wind blew in from somewhere, and the ashes of the yarrow were blown up and scattered in the air.

The tribespeople beside them held their breath, as if even their breathing had become lighter. They carefully watched the shaman's every move, not daring to disturb him.

Jiang Ning presented the shaman's staff, and the shaman took the staff and gently tapped it on the ground, scattering the ashes of the yarrow stalks.

The shaman immediately lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the yarrow ash that had fallen to the ground.

In his eyes, these seemingly random patterns and shapes all seem to contain some profound meaning, a code to another world.

He studied the patterns intently, trying to decipher the secrets hidden within. He wasn't a professional diviner, and not an expert in divination, so he dared not overlook any detail.

His eyes widened as he carefully observed every detail, afraid of missing any important clues. His mind raced, pondering the possible meanings of the patterns.

Time passed quietly, and the surrounding air seemed to become mysterious and solemn. People waited silently for the shaman's interpretation, their hearts filled with awe and piety.

Finally, Wu Chang let out a long breath, as if he had deciphered something from these patterns. He slowly stood up, facing Yun Sheng, his eyes showing relaxation.

"Shuiqing is fine. She must have encountered some good things."

Upon hearing the news, Yun Sheng's previously worried face showed obvious relief and joy. His eyes even glistened with tears as he excitedly asked, "Really? Is she really alright?"

He didn't care what good things had happened to her; he just wanted to know if she was safe.

The witch nodded and said with certainty, "Yes, she's alright. These patterns tell me that she went through some difficulties, but ultimately overcame them. Moreover, she will not only be safe and sound, but will also benefit from this experience."

Upon hearing this, Yun Sheng's eyes welled up with tears.

He is Shuiqing's partner, and they already have a child. If Shuiqing goes missing, the child will lose its mother, and he himself will lose his lover and partner.

Hearing the shaman say this, he felt a great weight lifted from his heart.

Seeing Yun Sheng's excited expression, Wu gently patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Yun Sheng, Shui Qing will come back. She is a brave and strong warrior, and she won't give up easily. I'll send someone to meet her and bring her back safely."

Yun Sheng nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, Wu, I want to go too."

“Of course, Hongyue, you take a hunting team to pick up Shuiqing.”

"Yes," Hongyue replied respectfully.

Mo stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly, "Witch, let us go too. We lost Shuiqing, we... we've let the tribe down."

Wu glanced at him, a hint of comfort flashing in his eyes, "Mo, you've been outside for a long time, let them go."

"Yes," Mo replied, but he felt uneasy. Shui Qing was a member of the second hunting team, but she had gone missing because of them, and they couldn't find her, which made him feel deeply guilty.

Seeing this, Hongyue patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry, we will definitely find Shuiqing."

The shaman picked up a leaf from the side, tapped it with his staff, and yarrow ash adhered to the leaf. "Jiang Ning, take this with you; it will guide you."