Chapter 400 (1/2)

Forgotten

On this day, Shao Xuan had returned from a hunt and received news that there were people from the Taihe tribe here.

There were occasional squabbles between both tribes but also meetings too. Since the trade excursion last year, the relationship has improved. There had been no fights since then- at least not between the leaders.

“Why are the people from the Taihe tribe here?” asked Shao Xuan.

“I heard it was about the farm. They’re over at the fields.” The person speaking was obviously unhappy.

The Taihe tribe were better at farming than them, this was something even they had to admit. They didn’t just plant food, they planted herbs too. The herbs they brought for the trades last year were planted by them. The fields in the Taihe tribal lands were vast- agriculture was very important to them.

Why was everyone unhappy they were here? That was because the Taihe people had a superiority complex in agriculture, they often looked for reasons to point out mistakes in their practices because they thought they were better. There had been many fights due to this.

However, as a whole, the shamaness was still happy to see an exchange of knowledge. Although there were fights, it was still worth it as they learned.

When he thought of the grains with Qi Qi, Shao Xuan went to the paddy field.

Shao Xuan had not told Qi Qi to keep the Thousand Grain Gold a secret. She had once asked him if they should hide it if the Taihe people came.

He had said no. It could be even better if the Taihe people had useful advice for it. So far, there was no need to worry about them playing tricks.

After asking around, Shao Xuan came to the middle of the hill. There were many people here. He remembered there were grains planted here too.

Qi Qi was in a good mood today. In the past, whenever the Taihe people visited, they would ‘give advice’ in a very rude manner, often nitpicking. Of course they would not pass up a chance to insult the Flaming Horn people. However, although today started off the same, the Taihe tribesmen were distracted by Thousand Grain Gold and the plow.

When Shao Xuan walked over, there were two Taihe people discussing something, standing around the plow. The other few were with Qi Qi, standing next to a fenced plot of land with a few seedlings in the middle. The people were staring at the seedlings with brightened eyes.

When Shao Xuan came over, Qi Qi bowed and then introduced the people from Taihe. She reported the day’s events, her tone seemed to imply-- look at these idiots, they’ve never seen a plow!

After the mockery, the people of Taihe had a stiff expression on their faces. It was rare that they did not retaliate, instead of putting on a friendly smile. One of them coughed lightly and stepped forward. “Quan Bai of Taihe tribe. We are here today to trade with you, Elder Shao Xuan.”

They were hoping to talk to other people if Shao Xuan wasn’t here. However, Shao Xuan had just returned from his hunt today.

“You want the water sun stone? Sure,” said Shao Xuan. “What do you have to trade?”

“What would you like, Elder Shao Xuan?” asked Quan Bai.

The trade between two tribes rarely involved bronze, they usually traded animal hide or other things. Since Taihe had more herbs, they thought Shao Xuan would request for some rare herbs.

However, after some thought, he said, “How are the skills of the craftsmen in Taihe?”

Quan Bai frowned, he didn’t understand why Shao Xuan would ask about that. Did he not like their current craftsmen? So he needed to hire Taihe craftsmen to make something?

The Taihe people did have very good craftsmen.

When he thought of this, Quan Bai was even more delighted. “Our craftsmen are very experienced. Although they’re not as good as the Great Six, compared to…”

Quan Bai wanted to say ‘compared to Flaming Horn, we’re better’ but when he met Shao Xuan’s eyes, he thought about how he was also requesting something, so he diverted the topic.

“Compared to tribes like the Fox tribe and the rest, we’re better.” As for what he meant by ‘the rest’, he did not elaborate.

Shao Xuan hummed in response, then asked again, “In Taihe, have your craftsmanship knowledge been passed down for a thousand years?”

Quan Bai’s heart clenched. Did the kid want to steal their knowledge? Absolutely not!

While he was cautious, it did not show on his face. “BEfore the Flaming Horn people settled here, we Taihe tribe had already started making our own tools. But we’re still very far from what the Great Six has achieved.”

“Can I talk to the craftsmen of your tribe? I have some questions?” When he saw the guarded expressions, he said, “Don’t worry, I won’t ask about their skills. I have other questions.”