Chapter 199 – The Longboat tribe (2/2)

Shao Xuan made a response and left soon. He didn’t believe that Yang Sui would be killed if he was left alone for he had been travelling around for such a long time.

Chacha was seeking food in the surrounding forest, and Shao Xuan didn’t worry about him. He knew Chacha would feel uncomfortable if he stayed in the Longboat tribe, so it was better to let him stay outside to hunt animals.

After leaving the boat, Shao Xuan looked back at the big boat on the bank. He had carefully analyzed and found that although the boat wasn’t exquisite, it was strong enough to house many people.

Shao Xuan looked away and continued to move in one direction. He had asked about that place, and knew the wanderers lived over there.

The patrol team of the Longboat tribe eyed every strange travelers alertly in the surrounding area. As long as the traveler crossed the border, they would kill him or her mercilessly. Crossing the border meant entering the habitat of the Longboat tribe or arbitrarily boarding their boats.

When Shao Xuan walked past, they stared at him. But they probably thought he posed no threat and didn’t dress well so they paid no more attention to him. As long as he didn’t cross the line they drew, they would no longer look at him.

Snow was falling more quickly than just now but not heavily.

Shao Xuan was walking on the land without any cover, so the snow was falling on his body.

Many of the Longboat tribe spent most of the time on board. Even when they came back to the tribe, they still lived on the boat. They were accustomed to the life on board, so they felt uncomfortable if they lived on the land. So on his way, Shao Xuan found almost no one far away from the river bank, which was close to the forest. Many people stayed on the boats moored near the banks. There were endless sounds of eating and drinking. Their laughter was heard.

Near the bank it was almost full of moored boats. Most of the tea,s returned, and the boats squeezed on the wide river. The mooring boats formed a big group. Shao Xuan had walked for more than ten minutes and didn’t see the end of the group. That was really a boat river.

After passing by some big boats, Shao Xuan came to an empty area.

Here was the border between the Longboat tribe and the living area of the wanderers.

Shao Xuan went over to look. Compared with the lively atmosphere in the boats of the Longboat tribe, the wanderers living area was more deserted. Although some were talking, laughing and roaring loudly, the atmosphere was different. It was like a slum in a dark corner of a bustling city.

There were also houses on the land. The wanderers had limited space because they were not allowed to enter the area of the Longboat tribe. They couldn’t enter the forest and there wasn’t a small number of wanderers, so their living area expanded not horizontally, but vertically. As a result, a narrow area for the visitors to live took shape.

Near the river bank, there were also many boats moored. But compared to the boats of the Longboat tribe, the boats here were very small, and much simpler.

In some small boats with the length of four to five meters, a simple shed was built where some people lived. They also spent winter in the boats.

Sometimes, if there was strong wind, those boats would shake badly. If the boats had not been tied firmly to the stakes on the bank, they probably would have been blown away.

People here worked for the Longboat tribe. They carried wood, chopped trees, and delivered other things. They did all the dirty work, and they worked in exchange for the permission of living here and also for little money if the employers were pleased. Otherwise, they got nothing.

Yang Sui had told Shao Xuan about this but perhaps the reality was much harsher.

Shao Xuan just came here to try looking for some wanderers from the Flaming Horns tribe, but he was not sure whether he could find any.

How to find them? Should he write a sign here, or shout all over the place?

Thinking about how to find those people, as Shao Xuan walked, he paid attention to the situation on his sides.

In a place, Shao Xuan heard some arguing in a wooden house as well as the sound of wood breaking.

“Jiao Wu, stop!” Somebody shouted.

Jiao?

Yan Shuo had told Shao Xuan that some wanderers of the Flaming Horns tribe added “Yan” or “Jiao” to their names and the names of their descendants. Many of those with “Yan” or “Jiao” in their names might not be members of his tribe, but Shao Xuan would still ask them if he met any of them. He was disappointed for most of the time and now he planned to ask someone else. [Yan Jiao meaning Flaming Horns.]

Just going there, Shao Xuan saw a man taller and stronger than the average striding out of a wooden house. His animal skin coat was not thick and was ragged, and the fur on the coat was torn. This coat was worn out. The man had a beard, but if you looked at him carefully, you could find he was still very young, not much older than Shao Xuan.

The man was angry, his face was flushed because of anger or the cold wind. A man chased after him and shouted “Jiao Wu”. But the man in front didn’t look back, but sped up to get away.

“Oh, why so angry?” A man said.

“Don’t ask. Oh, that guy became even more powerful.” Someone in the house said.

Hearing their dialogue, Shao Xuan looked at the men going further away, and sped up to chase after them.

“Hey, you guys.” Shao Xuan shouted.

The men in the front did not stop, but left faster.

“Jiao Wu!”