"The cave that child spoke of is actually an artificially dug pit. Above the pit, there's a canopy made of wood and mud for shelter against the elements. Outside the canopy, many totems are haphazardly stuck into the ground, with masks of ghosts and beasts painted in white and red on them."
"The herders didn't start the ritual immediately; instead, they set up tents near the pit. That evening, my presence was discovered by two herders patrolling on horseback—I had no means of transportation, and on foot, I couldn't outrun the magnificent horses the herders rode. I was quickly captured and brought before the chief."
"I thought they would kill me... but the chief did not, and the tribe's shaman repeatedly emphasized that killing on the ancestral land is a desecration of the 'sacred object.'" Lin Lun sighed, "They locked me in a tent and left me with plenty of mare's milk and dried lamb... The chief demanded that I not step outside the tent until the ritual was complete."
