Chapter 169 – Slaves (1/2)

Translated by Joycelyn

The travel team left from another river of the Pu tribe from the same waterway.

There were not many lotus leaves in this river. On each of the rafts stood someone.

Shao Xuan and Yu took the same raft. Shao Xuan was listening to the discussions that the surrounding people were telling Yu.

In the sky above the raft team followed Chacha. This matter had only been told to the team leader, Fan Ning.

At that time, Fan Ning had still wanted to ask for another water moonstone for Chacha, but was rejected by Shao Xuan. Chacha could keep a lookout in the sky and warn them if there were any dangerous encounters, with such good advantages, he still had wanted to receive payment? The economy was not that great at the present times, but these poeple already had the potential to be profiteers.

In the end, Fan Ning was left with a black face but he also did not insist.

Since this was a far travel, naturally it would not be over within a day or two, sometimes it could even go on for a few hundred days.

Probably because there were more human tribes in this area, it was not like the dangerous hunting area near the river. There would be times where they would meet with incidents from the river or harassment from other tribes, but generally it was still safe and calm.

Due to their frequent travels outside, The Pu tribe knew clearly which waterway was safer and easier. Shao Xuan had also silently remembered these ways in his mind. When he is free, he would record them onto beast skin scrolls, thus completing his map slowly. Let’s say that if one day, the Flaming Horns tribe returned here, they would need a map too.

Close to after a thousand years, the changes were drastic. This place was no longer what the ancestors had recorded.

Moving along, the river flow became wider. Close to the flowing river, there would always be traces of human activities. Listening to the people at the side talk, apparently there was a small tribe not far ahead. But that small tribe did not like having contact with outsiders. They were also eccentric, whenever they see people outside their tribe, they would avoid or throw stone spears or the sort. The Pu tribe was very unpleased about it, but they would also not delay their travel speed because of them.

“Pay attention.” Advised a person with rich experience.

There were some women wearing beast skin washing their stuff on a shore ahead. They immediately packed up their stuff and ran away after they saw the travel group. Also, when the travel group passed through, an arrow was shot from the hillside forest.

This kind of strength to Shao Xuan, or even the Flaming Horns tribe warriors, was nothing. He could easily catch it and break it. If there were a lot of these arrows then that would make people frustrated.

If the opponent was a big tribe, then the Pu tribe could still step back and exchange conversations with them. But this kind of small tribe, The Pu tribe’s members couldn’t be bothered to attend to these strange people.

The speed of the rafts was pretty fast, by the time they got out of that area, the arrows stopped too.

In fact, those hiding in the forest did not really want to shoot the passer-by’s to death, but merely wanted to scare them off. If they really had any killing intent, they would have used much more forceful methods instead of these wooden arrows.

There were many small tribes in the surrounding, their existence was quite low. Mostly, there would be only a few hundred members in their tribe, they did not have much fighting prowess as well. Their birth and death rate went by quite fast too. The Pu tribe would not pay too much attention to them.

The Pu tribe members around Shao Xuan did not say much either, they were people who only cared of their own interest and profits.

Two days later.

“The fork is right ahead. We will stay there for two days.” The person at the side looked at the colour of the sky and said.

In front, The river split into two, forming a ‘Y’ shape. There were some other tribes also heading towards the central tribes before them. Many of the Pu tribe were on familiar terms with several of them. Sometimes they would continue ahead in cooperation, forming an even larger team. This way it was also safer.

There were many strong people in the central tribes. They could only use numbers to counter them.

Shao Xuan looked over.

The two sides of the river no longer had any mountains, no thick woods. It was all flat, and there many houses constructed. There were huts, stone houses, their architectural style diversified: oval, triangular, the flat roof type or even the steeple thatched kind…. based on this, you could see they were not a tribe.

Now, looking at the people, although their features were not as obvious as their houses, but anybody who saw this would have the same thought: These people were too messy. Just like a plate of scattered sand, each grain came from a different drainage area, and were then gathered here.

Although there were many people, but you could see their condition was not very good. Some were as skinny as matches, some had no life within their eyes. Whether they were kids or adults, they were all the same. The children might be in a slightly better condition, excluding their body condition, some would still smile a little, but as for the adults, most were dazed and depressed.

What exactly had they encountered, these people, how did they become like that?

“These people are?” Shao Xuan asked some people at the side who had more experiences.

“You’re talking about them.” Some of the Pu tribe members looked over, a few sighed, the others didn’t care, “They are ‘wanderers’.”