Chapter 209 – Meeting Yan Shuo again (2/2)

During winter there were few people on both riverbanks. Rowing the boat on the river along the way they occasionally saw one or two people. They were members of some small tribes living near the riverbanks.

They had finally left the central region.

When the river began to freeze again and heavy snow started to fall, Shao Xuan led Yan Zhi and the others to the shore, having arrived at a place where both wanderers and slaves lived.

Few boats went past there, probably because it was winter now. There were few people to be seen on the banks. Slaves were called back to do other work, and only some wanderers went out to look for food.

A few wanderers were at the banks, trembling, intending to go back home. Their harvest was little these days, because few travelers went past this place in the winter. Undoubtedly they earned much less.

While walking, one of them suddenly saw a boat docking.

“Hey, there!” The man said to his leader at once.

Several people turned around and felt surprised.

“Let’s go and have a look!” The leader said.

The so-called “have a look” meant that they should look for an opportunity. If couldn’t mess with those people, they would show a better attitude to them. But if not, they could risk it and try to rob them.

It snowed more and more heavily, so they couldn’t see them clearly.

They were still shivering. They ran over with their hands covered, in their sleeves they were hiding some thin stone tools and other weapons. To seize the opportunity, of course they needed to act first.

They knew there were only five people there, and four of them looked very tired, taking heavy steps. Among them, there was also a woman, and each of them carried several bags made of animal skins! Maybe there were many good things! They felt excited.

“Boss, how about we just…” A man said and made a gesture of cutting the throat.

“Let’s wait and see.”

The five people came ashore and got closer. The leader had the intention to kill and rob them. But as he displayed a mocking smile and was about to say something, among the five people who came ashore, the man walking in the front turned around to look at them.

The leader: “...”

The mocking smile froze on his face, his whole body shivered, he turned around and ran away.

“Hey, boss, why’re you runni-...” One of them was still confused, but after seeing Shao Xuan, he ran faster than his boss.

Seeing them come towards them and then quickly run away, Jiao Wu was confused and wondered, “Why are they running?”

Yan Zhi guessed the reason, but didn’t say anything. As a man who lived in the wanderer area since birth, he naturally knew they were also wanderers, but with sinister intentions.

“Come on.” Shao Xuan led Yan Zhi and the others towards Yan Shuo’s house.

Thanks to Shao Xuan’s warning, over the past six months, no one had confronted with Yan Shuo. The slave owner didn’t cause any trouble, as if nothing had happened.

Yan Shuo had led a much better life since then. Because of the sudden emergence of the totem patterns before winter, Yan Shuo found his strength increased again, and sometimes he could walk in the mountains and hunt some satisfying prey.

Currently, Yan Shuo was inside the house, and his family was sitting around the fire eating barbecue. Fish soup was boiled in the jar, the fish was caught when it was still sunny.

Looking at his wife and children with rosy cheeks, Yan Shuo thought if they could return to the Flaming Horns tribe, it would be even better.

Thinking about that, Yan Shuo heard someone knocking at the door.

Judging from the rhythm and strength of knocking at the door, he or she was not one of those living in the wanderer area.

Yan Shuo indicated his wife to take the children and hide in the back room. Although no one had caused him trouble since Shao Xuan left, but to protect themselves, he was very cautious.

“Who is it?” Yan Shuo shouted, and carried a knife as he walked close to the door.

“Me, Shao Xuan.”

Hearing the voice outside the door, Yan Shuo threw the knife away wildly and removed the thick wooden boards.

Seeing Shao Xuan, Yan Shuo was very excited.

“快进来，外面冷！”炎烁让妻子将冻存着的鱼肉等都拿出来，然后准备跟邵玄说点什么，就见到跟在邵玄身后进门的四个人。

“Come in. Hurry up. It is cold outside!” Yan Shuo told his wife to bring out the frozen fish. Then he was about to say something to Shao Xuan, but at this moment he saw four people entering the house behind Shao Xuan.

“Who are they?” Yan Shuo looked at the four men. He felt they seemed familiar, although he saw them for the first time. He guessed the possible answer.

“They are also wanderers.” Shao Xuan briefly introduced Yan Zhi and the other three. On the way, he had already introduced Yan Shuo and his family to them.

Although Yan Shuo’s house had been expanded, it was crowded because another five people came in. They also felt much warmer in the house.

Drinking some hot soup, they sat around the fire and chatted. Gradually, they became more familiar with each other.

Yan Zhi and the other three were alert to others, includingthe decendants of the Flaming Horns tribe, but they trusted Shao Xuan. So, they also trusted Yan Shuo, who would go back to the tribe with them.

“As soon as the winter ends, we will leave.” Shao Xuan told his own plan.

Shao Xuan planned to go to the Drumming tribe with them first. In that tribe, they would be protected. Any other place, they would get into a lot of trouble.

The members of the Drumming tribe looked vicious and aggressive, but they were good men. They would also need their help.

“We all listen to you.” Yan Shuo said.

“Yes, we follow you.” Yan Zhi also said.

“In the Drumming tribe, are there many crocodiles?” Jiao Wu asked with doubt.

“Yes.”

“...Crocodiles are very dangerous.”

In the Longboat tribe, Yan Zhi and the other three had seen the crocodiles brought back by the boats, which were hunted during their voyage. They had just glanced at it from a distance, and had only seen a crocodile bite and crush a wooden beam the width of an arm.

“But in the Drumming tribe, as long as you behave and do as what I ask you to do, those crocodiles are actually very helpful.”

Shao Xuan told them about that tribe, as well as his experiences there.

“However, before going to the he Drumming tribe, I plan to go to the Pu tribe to look for a person. The Pu tribe isn’t far from there, so we will pass the Pu tribe on the way.” Shao Xuan said.

When he had left the traveling team, Shao Xuan had told Yu that if he could catch up with them, they would meet in a certain place. But the Pu tribe’s team arrived at that place and stayed for two days, they still didn’t see Shao Xuan. The people of the Pu tribe then went back soon after, they couldn’t keep on waiting for Shao Xuan. Yu couldn’t change it, so they finally left.

But Yu didn’t worry about him, because he knew Shao Xuan was stronger than he looked, and there was an eagle which always helped him. When Shao Xuan left, he told him if he didn’t arrive there in time, the traveling team of the Pu tribe could first go. And he would go to Pu tribe later to visit them.

Having left the travel team of the Pu tribe for such a long time, Shao Xuan planned to visit Yu and a few other people in the team who had helped him before returning to his tribe. Along the way, he could also get some frog poison from the Pu tribe. Perhaps it would be useful on their journey back to the tribe.

The winter here lasted as long as the other side of the river, but the weather here was not as bad.