"Dad, did you say that's an altar?" Charles Yin's expression turned sour.
He'd considered so many possibilities, but never this one!
Mr. Yun noticed Charles Yin's troubled look and immediately pressed, "Did something happen to Cici and Molly?"
He really nailed it.
But right now, Charles Yin absolutely couldn't admit it.
"Dad, that's not it at all," Charles Yin denied instantly. "Cici is still at Hans' base, keeping the kids company. I'm just here for the show! Since I'm not familiar with this place, I was worried about breaking some taboo, so I came to ask you!"
Hearing this, Mr. Yun finally relaxed.
Now that both daughters had been found, his old heart really couldn't take another blow.
Mr. Yun carefully watched the video Charles Yin sent and said, "I'll check the records first and get back to you in half an hour."
He hung up the video call.
Charles Yin took a deep breath and said to Eric Jiang, "You heard what Dad just said, right?"
Although Charles Yin and Eric Jiang were cousins, they were also brothers-in-law in name.
After all, Molly Yun was adopted by the Yun family too.
So, Charles Yin and Eric Jiang were not only cousins, but also brothers-in-law.
Yep, it's just that complicated.
Eric Jiang also had to call Mr. Yun 'father-in-law.'
But just now, Eric Jiang was too nervous to video call his father-in-law. He was afraid he'd lose control of his facial expressions and give himself away.
After hanging up, Eric Jiang finally relaxed and said, "I heard it. How could something like an altar show up here? I don't know much about tribal culture, so I probably can't help much."
"Me neither," Charles Yin said with a bitter smile. "As heirs to our families, all we learned growing up was how to run companies, manage businesses, build wealth, and pass things on to the next generation. No one ever taught us any of this. Honestly, the Yun family is the strongest—so much knowledge stored up."
"Yeah, every time Nora talks about this stuff, she just lights up. She's so beautiful like that," Eric Jiang blurted out.
Charles Yin shot him a glare.
Heh, showing off your love, huh?
Go ahead, who's afraid of who?
Cici's the same way—she loves chatting about this stuff with me. I remember she even saved Grandpa Mo once by playing the piano!
Eric Jiang: "..."
Cousin, you're getting less cute!
How can we hurt each other like this?
Half an hour later, Mr. Yun really did start a video call with Charles Yin right on time.
As soon as Charles Yin picked up, he saw Mr. Yun standing in front of a huge whiteboard, as if giving a remote lecture. He started talking nonstop: "Charles, you guys really lucked out, finding such meaningful writing and an altar. I just checked some books on rituals and actually found something. This is a tribe that worships the Raven God. This tribe is semi-connected to the outside world. That means only certain people interact with outsiders, while most remain hidden in their own community, never meeting anyone from outside their whole lives. The tribe is called 'Dye.' It's existed for thousands of years, and strangely, even with such low productivity, it hasn't disappeared."
Mr. Yun drew a totem on the board: "Take a close look and see if you spot this totem. It's the Dye tribe's guardian totem. The highest status in the tribe belongs to their High Priest. The High Priest's position is hereditary, and legend says they can communicate with heaven and earth. Of course, that's just a legend—I don't buy it. If the High Priest was really that powerful, they'd have left the jungle ages ago."
"When I was young, I once took part in an excavation of a hidden civilization and met the High Priest of this tribe. He was an extremely old man, pale-faced. They use their own blood to communicate with the gods. In the Dye tribe, the High Priest's blood is considered sacred—said to be descended from the gods. Of course, that's just a legend. The tribe holds ritual ceremonies at intervals, and the most important part is offering sacrifices to the gods. The sacrifice is pretty bloody—usually the blood of beautiful young girls..."
Charles Yin and Eric Jiang felt a chill run down their spines.
Cici and Molly Yun's looks...
But Cici is already a mother of two—why would they want to capture her?
Mr. Yun really deserves his reputation as the top academic—he just kept talking, barely pausing for breath.
But Charles Yin, the student, just grew more and more anxious as he listened.
If things really were as his father-in-law described, then weren't Cici and Molly Yun in the tiger's den?
After finally hanging up the video call, Charles Yin couldn't stand still anymore—he rallied the team to start searching.
Rona Muir, who hadn't spoken until now, said gravely, "Hugo brought us here, so let's keep letting Hugo help us search!"
The others nodded in agreement with the suggestion.
Molly Yun gently fanned Cici, helping her sleep a little longer.
She reached out and softly smoothed Cici's hair, tender as a mother.
Seeing Cici's deep, even breathing, Molly Yun finally withdrew her hand and started thinking about her own situation—and how to escape.
She still had no idea how she and Cici ended up in this place.
Something weird was definitely going on.
So, what did they want from the two of them?
Sure, the Yun girls were all pretty, but none of them were drop-dead gorgeous.
So, it probably wasn't about looks.
Besides, right now she looked like Molly Yun—not exactly a great beauty.
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If it wasn't for their looks, could it be for the Yun family's knowledge?
No, that doesn't seem right either.
In a place this backward, even the greatest knowledge would be wasted. They probably don't even have a unified written language, so jumping thousands of years of civilization to modern times is just impossible.
So, if it's not for beauty or knowledge, then what is it?
No matter how hard Molly Yun thought, she kept feeling like she was missing something important.
Just as Molly Yun tossed and turned, unable to sleep, she keenly heard footsteps at the door.
Molly Yun shot upright, instinctively turning to check on Cici. Seeing Cici still sound asleep, she quietly got up, took two steps toward the door, and saw a man in a black raven-feather cloak standing under the moonlight, his gaze icy as he looked at her.
Why did this man feel so oppressive?
Who was he?
"Oh? Awake already?" the man said.
Molly Yun's pupils contracted—the man was speaking Mandarin.
So, even in this primitive tribe, someone was in touch with the outside world!
"Why did you bring us here? What do you want?" Molly Yun asked quietly.
"Heh." The man chuckled, his voice oddly modulated, as if trying hard to adjust his tone: "The two Miss Yun sisters really are impressive! Should I call you Yun Nora or Yun Molly?"
He really does know everything about me!
This guy really did know her secret!
The man glanced at Cici, who was sleeping on the ground, then turned to Molly Yun. "Still playing the protector, I see."
The man glanced at Cici sleeping on the ground and said to Molly Yun, "You're still protecting her."
"You didn't come here just to talk nonsense, did you?" Molly Yun stared at him, unmoving. "Since you know who we are, just tell us what you want!"
"Fine," the man nodded, sitting down on the ground. The huge raven-feather cloak covered half his face, leaving only a pale, gaunt chin exposed.
Instinctively, Molly Yun blocked his line of sight, not letting him see Cici.
"This is the Ran tribe. I am the High Priest of this tribe," the man said, coughing lightly. "Honestly, I never wanted this position, but fate forced my hand. I've devoted many years to this tribe. My mission is almost over, but since no successor has appeared, I can't die yet."
Molly Yun stared at him, waiting for him to continue.
"I've been divining these past days, and I sensed that somewhere in this world, someone like me is trying to defy fate," the man said with a self-deprecating smile. "That's right, my goal is to defy destiny and survive. One soul, two lives—and you both managed to thrive. I have to admit, you two are remarkable."
Molly Yun, being so clever, had already guessed what the High Priest was about to say next.
Sure enough, the High Priest spoke: "Nora, you're so smart—have you ever wondered why, after dying, you were able to live again? And not just live, but inside someone else's body?"
"What are you trying to say?" Molly Yun's hands curled up instinctively. She didn't really want to hear more; she was afraid her suspicions were spot-on.
But the High Priest wasn't about to let her escape.
The High Priest nodded and said, "Because I brought you back to life! You've lived as Molly Yun for three years—it's time you returned what you owe me."
"What did you say!" Molly Yun couldn't control her volume anymore. "You—what exactly did you do!"
Cici, sleeping on the ground, was startled awake by Molly Yun's voice. "Sis? Sis, where are you?"
The High Priest looked at Cici, then said to Molly Yun, "These past three years, you've lived for her, haven't you? Why don't you resent your sister for stealing your life? If not for her, maybe you could've lived well."
Hearing a stranger in the room, Cici snapped awake, sprang to her feet, and rushed to Molly Yun's side, looking warily at the man. "Who are you?"