Chapter 453 (2/2)

“It’s not difficult at all. In the future, with more ducks, we’ll get more eggs. The eggs will be more useful than the ducks.”

The duck eggs had many properties, especially in neutralising poison. They had benefited the tribe greatly. However, the rest of the mother ducks were just normal ducks. Once, the patrol team brought back a mother duck who’d been killed by a beast in the forest. After eating it, they did not find any major benefits and it was the same as eating any other bird. That was why the tribe paid a lot of attention to raising the ducklings.

When he left the duck house, Shao Xuan thought about the possible reasons why the duck took so many eggs. How were they different?

Well, it was not a human, it was an animal from nature and they had their own antics. All he could do was wait and see if they hatched.

He walked up the hill. After a long time away, there was a layer of dust in his house. There were people watching his yard though. The Thousand Grain Gold plants were slowly withering but just in case, Qi Qi and the rest did not touch them and left them for observation.

Putting down his stuff, Shao Xuan then looked for the chief and shamaness.

Guang Yi was telling them about what happened at King City. There were other people in the house too, all regular members of important meetings.

When Shao Xuan arrived, Guang Yi was describing the time when Shao Xuan hit Luzong into the air with one hand. Everyone’s faces twitched, trying to imagine the scenario.

Chief Zheng Luo invited Shao Xuan inside to sit with a smile.

Ever since his arrival, there was another seat next to the chief for Shao Xuan. Shao Xuan and the shamaness sat on both the chief’s sides.

Everyone was enlightened with the grains he brought back, plus the weapons given by Gongjia Heng. Of course, they were most impressed by the story of him defeating the Linlu tribe’s chief. They did not care what other people thought of this. They approved of his actions and it was awesome.

“Thank the ancestors.” Shao Xuan took out the bone ornament. “Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

“The ancestors watch over us!” The shamaness almost knelt and prayed immediately.

Everyone else was equally happy to know that the ancestors were guarding them.

“Right, about the salt mines. What happened?” asked Shao Xuan.

The joy in the house disappeared.

Zheng Luo’s smile faded. “Fox and Shen Forest tribe are serious about it.”

Ore Mountain was shared by five tribes, every tribe sent a group of their own men to stand guard there. They would switch members after a set period of time. However, just before the trading team left for Anba city, their guards stationed at Ore Mountain returned with severe injuries. Some of them had been shot with poisoned arrows and on the verge of death. They had been sick in bed for a long time, it was only two days ago they could walk.

“Our guards were forced out, the Taihe tribe too. Thank goodness for the herbs they brought with them, or our people would have died from the poison!” exclaimed Duo Kang in a rage.

“The the beginning, they just aimed to chase everyone out so they did not really kill and so many returned alive. However, Mountain Wind tribe was angered and returned to the mountain to fight. Since then, both Fox and Shen tribe became more violent and many Mountain Wind tribesmen who went died,” explained Zheng Luo to Shao Xuan. “Yesterday, Mountain Win sent us a letter inviting Taihe and us to visit their tribe and discuss. They want revenge but they can’t fight alone. We want the salt mines too, plus we want to investigate why Fox and Shen did this, therefore we have agreed to meet.”

“The sudden change of attitude between Fox and Shen… Why?” Shao Xuan wondered. If it was just to take over the salt mines for themselves, they would not have shown mercy the first time. “Unless… there’s something else in the mines?!”

Zheng Luo nodded. “I think so too but I don’t know what’s inside that’s worth making three tribes as their enemy. If that is true, if it’s something worth betraying three tribes for, it must be very important! And there must be a huge volume of it!”

Zheng Luo’s eyes were ablaze. The Flaming Horn tribe must not miss out! If peace did not work, then they shall take it!

Shao Xuan understood. Perhaps in the beginning, Fox and Shen tribes only discovered the thing and banded together to chase the other three tribes away. Since they didn’t want to offend the other tribes too greatly, they showed restraint in their attacks. That was to give themselves space to turn around. However, perhaps they’d found more of the good stuff and since the Wind Mountain people returned, they chose to kill-- because the stuff in the mines was worth launching war for!

“Fox and Shen talked to other tribes and promised that if they helped, the two tribes would gift them a huge volume of salt. That’s why Wind Mountain is looking to ally with us and Taihe to fight.”

“Tomorrow, I’ll go with you,” said Shao Xuan.

Everyone felt safer with Shao Xuan and Guang Yi back. The presence of two powers was reassuring.

However, before that, Shao Xuan planned to talk to the guards who were at the salt mines to know the details.

The guards, in order to protect their team when they escaped, had gotten shot by multiple arrows. They almost died, hanging on by a thread when they returned. They must still be quite weak now. An injury taking such a long time to heal was enough to make a buff man turn into a matchstick.

Shao Xuan was prepared to see a sickly man but when he went with Zheng Luo, what he saw was completely different from what he imagined. The patient had a rosy glow and had gained weight!