Chapter 327: Which Central Plains Person Gave It to You

Ba Tu shivered all over and stared straight at Chief Agu La.

Chief Agu La stood up, his expression solemn, and said, "Great Shaman, since the gods bear witness, I ask you to immediately lead people down into the cellar for inspection!"

I can't go! If I go, I can't guarantee I won't be discovered; then won't I be in danger myself?

"I—" Ba Tu hesitated.

"What?" Qing Qing said coldly, "Is the Great Shaman planning to break his promise in front of the whole tribe?"

Ba Tu looked at the herders, whose eyes were gradually filled with doubt.

If I keep shirking, my position as shaman will surely be at risk.

"Fine!" he gritted his teeth, "I'll lead people down to investigate right now!"

Xiao Ningxun shouted, "Chief, the cellar has already collapsed; it must be fraught with danger inside. If the Great Shaman encounters peril, what then?"

"Perhaps we should all go together, so we can look out for each other."

"No need!" Ba Tu glared at Xiao Ningxun resentfully, "A few of us are enough…"

Tuan Tuan smiled brightly and said, "Third Brother is right! The Fire God said the same!"

Ba Tu roared, "Nonsense! Since when did the Fire God say that?"

Tuan Tuan tilted her head, confidently declaring, "The Fire God likes me! He whispered it to me! Didn't you hear?"

Ba Tu, infuriated, felt dizzy and spat, "You!"

Agu La glanced at Tuan Tuan, then at Ba Tu, and said, "Since the Fire God has spoken, Great Shaman, we'll all go with you."

He looked at the herders, "Disperse now; I'll give you an answer on this matter."

The herders slowly dispersed.

Ba Tu clenched his teeth helplessly, "Yes, Chief."

Xiao Ningxun ran to the altar, lifted his sister, and gently patted her tiny foot with concern.

Tuan Tuan wrapped her arms around his neck and nudged his cheek.

The party followed Agu La and Ba Tu, heading toward the collapsed cellar.

The cellar had originally been a natural cavern, expanded over generations into an interlaced underground warehouse.

At this moment, the main passage entrance had collapsed by more than half, piles of broken stone and wood rose like a mountain, leaving only a narrow gap barely wide enough for a crouching person.

A sharp, pungent odor drifted out from the gap.

Xiao Ningxun set Tuan Tuan down, crouched, pinched a bit of soil between his fingers, brought it to his nose, and frowned, "It smells of saltpeter and sulfur."

"Gunpowder?" Lu Qi's complexion changed.

Ba Tu's face turned grim; the few assistant shamans behind him exchanged a pale glance.

"Go in and see." Harichagai was the first to bend and slip into the gap.

Inside the passage lay a mess; the deeper they went, the stronger the pungent smell became.

Harichagai lifted a torch; its flickering light revealed the collapsed shelves on both sides.

Broken grain sacks and salt jars were scattered across the ground.

The loss was severe.

Xiao Er used his scabbard to pry aside a few stones, exposing a broken wooden stake beneath, "Look at this fracture."

The few gathered close and saw the broken end rotted unnaturally, the wood black and soft, as if corroded by something.

"It's acid."

Xiao Ningxun said gravely, "Someone first used acid to corrode the supporting stake, then a small amount of gunpowder to explode, causing a localized collapse without triggering a massive cave‑in."

"The technique is very seasoned."

Agu La's face turned iron‑blue as he heard, "Who would be so vicious?"

Xiao Ningxun looked at Ba Tu, "Then we must see who benefits from the cellar's collapse."

Ba Tu glared at him, "What do you think I'm doing? The cellar collapsed—what benefit could I have?"

Agu La nodded, "The items in the cellar are the foundation of our Er Dun Tribe and affect the safety of the entire steppe."

"Earlier the Great Shaman was somewhat disrespectful to a few of us, but with the cellar collapsed, it brings him no benefit."

Ba Tu's mind steadied a bit, his expression softened, "At least the Chief understands."

Tuan Tuan looked up at Agu La, "Grandfather, are these scattered items valuable?"

Agu La looked around, "These… are probably worth over a thousand taels of silver."

"Oh," Tuan Tuan understood, "That's a lot… but Grandfather, you needn't worry!"

"Oh?" Agu La chuckled, "Why is that?"

Tuan Tuan raised a finger at Ba Tu, "His family has so much gold; can't we just buy more with his gold?"

Ba Tu's previously settled heart fluttered up again.

His complexion changed abruptly, "Nonsense! Where would my gold come from?"

Tuan Tuan blinked, "It's in the chest under your house! You even count it every night."

Ba Tu's eyes widened in shock.

How does she know what I do every night?

What else does she not know? Is she a demon?

"You!" his voice hoarse, "Where did my gold come from? You little monster, how dare you slander…"

"Whether it's slander, a quick check will tell."

Agu La said slowly, "Go to the Great Shaman's chest and examine it carefully."

"Yes!"

The two attendants took the order and left.

Batu shuddered all over, instinctively wanting to stop him, but the words rose to his lips and he swallowed them back.

He clenched his teeth so hard that veins bulged on his forehead.

Agula looked around at the mess: "Everyone, go wait in my tent."

Having said that, he led the way out of the cellar.

Everyone followed him to the chief's felt tent.

Agula had people bring milk tea and cheese curds to entertain them.

Tuan Tuan was happily munching away, and Xiao Ran patted her little head.

Soon, the two attendants carried a box into the tent.

Upon entering, they set the box on the ground: "Chief, we found it."

One attendant lifted the lid.

Blinding golden light poured out from the box, neat stacks of gold ingots, a whole boxful!

Gold is scarce on the steppe, let alone an entire box of it!

This gold could buy all the cattle and sheep of a whole pasture, hire the fiercest warriors, even shake the foundations of a small tribe.

"Oh, eternal life..." a tribal elder murmured, "I've never seen so much gold in my lifetime!"

Agula looked at Batu: "Grand Shaman, your gains are only livestock and salted tea—where did all this gold come from? Who gave it to you?"

Batu's lips trembled violently, sweat sliding down his paint‑smeared cheeks.

He finally squeezed out a voice: "This is... left behind by generations of shamans."

"Left behind?" Agula cut him off: "The shamanic tradition of the E'erdun Tribe is the bone staff, the holy drum, the scriptures and prayers handed down by ancestors—when has there ever been gold?"

Batu shuddered all over.

Xiao Ningxun rose and walked over, picked up a gold ingot and examined it closely: "The casting of these ingots follows Zhongyuan style; the edge patterns are from the pouring process."

He looked at Batu: "Grand Shaman, which Zhongyuan person gave you this gold?"

Batu pressed his lips shut tight and closed his eyes.

He stopped defending himself, stood rigid: "Chief, do whatever you want—kill or cut, it's all up to you."

Agula furrowed his brows, about to speak.

"Dad——!"

A shrill cry rang out outside the tent: "Chief! I want to see the chief!"