Chapter 168 – Travel team
Translated by Team Lesyt
In the end, Yu did not go to sleep. The old man had just headed back home, and the Drumming tribe’s people were leaving tomorrow, but who knew if someone from the Drumming tribe would arrive at his house for something else?
Yu had done very intensive research on frogs, but he would sleep most of the time he was in the tribe. He sometimes went to the river to find a suitable place to rest on the lotus leaves, and other times he would go into the woods to sleep on the branches. His family now consisted only of his grandfather and himself, but he was not interested in trading. He wanted to play in the tribe, but the old man didn’t allow him.
Shao Xuan did not care about the pottery and rough linen. He simply walked past them and inquired about the poisonous frogs. Since Yu was very knowledgeable on frog poison, he naturally understood how to use it properly. It seemed like that was a chance for further improvement on Shao Xuan’s traps.
Anyways, since he was always bored, Yu stayed up to chat with Shao Xuan.
Like the majority of the Pu tribe, Yu felt that the people from the Drumming tribe were rather foolish. Besides stone tools and others, they also loved buying impractical things.
“If I had that many water moonstones, I would go and trade it for lots of food, or for some high-end material tools. When I’m hungry I can eat, and when I’m full I can go out to play.” Yu said.
Yu also used frog poison to make traps for beasts. He was in need of some
wood and stone and other sturdy materials that the Pu tribe did not have around. Only by trading with external tribes could he have the chance to get some.
After listening to Yu’s story, Shao Xuan really felt that the Flaming Horns tribe’s people and these people’s lives were just too different.
The Drumming tribe people did not have to worry too much about food since there was lots of fish in the river. There were also some beasts near the mountains. If there wasn’t enough meat they could use the river to go to other tribes. The only thing they needed to worry about was the annual production of the water moonstones and the attacks that they encountered for them. Of course, not every year would there be such a brutal attack from the other tribes.
As for the Pu tribe, most of them did not like hunting for prey. Compared to the risks involved in hunting, trading allowed them to get more resources: food, as well as other daily necessities. Since their ancestors had been really fortunate, their children and grandchildren had had good lives too. That continued to the present day, as in the Pu tribe’s people’s minds, trading had become an indispensable thing in their daily life.
Other than the members of the tribe that travelled to trade, the majority remained in their tribe’s region. They could wait for other tribes to come to them to trade, and did not need to experience cold and dry hardships. They could also avoid the risk of fighting with ferocious beasts.
A lot of the surrounding tribes also did not like going outside of their territories, so they relied on the Pu tribe’s travel team to trade.
There weren’t many ferocious beasts where they lived. The mountains were not as dangerous as at the Flaming Horns tribe. It did not take half a day to travel from the Drumming tribe to the Pu tribe. If it was the Flaming Horns hunting team, they wouldn’t even take half a day.
There was a gathering of humans on this side of the world. They did not really fear the threats of ferocious beasts, as there were mainly tribal disputes between them.
Each tribe had their own favorite way of life. In that case, the people from the Pu tribe were more like businessmen, as they were talented in trading.
“Where does the travel team generally go to? The central tribes?” Shao Xuan asked.
“Yeah, most of the times. Why, do you want to go?”
“Yes. I originally came out to gain experience.” Shao Xuan answered.
Yu suddenly felt envious. He also wanted to go out, as did many other young people. The tribe’s travel team consisted mainly of young adults. Every time he saw someone of the same age going out with their parents, he wished he could as well. Unfortunately, his parents were dead, and that year’s travel team had suffered heavy losses. More than seventy percent of the group who went out did not come back. The old man did not allow Yu to go out precisely because of this.
“In fact, being in the travel team can sometimes be dangerous. Not every venture is, though.” Yu said.
In the Pu tribe, the leader Guang Hou was also in high favor of the youths joining the team.
This was not a peaceful era, there were no laws or regulations, murder wasn’t rare. Within the travel team, everyone needed to protect themselves.
“Ugh, unfortunately, the old man won’t let me go!” Yu felt his troubles were endless. He had studied frog poison because he had interest in it, but it was also to prepare for the trip.
“When does your tribe’s travel team leave?” Shao Xuan asked.
Just now, Yu had said that a travel team had left for their two-month trip and would not come back for several days. One would come back every now and again in order to drop off what they had bought and refill on water moonstones.
After chatting with Yu a bit more, Shao Xuan went to find Fu Shi. Tonight, the Drumming tribe’s people were staying within the Pu tribe, only to leave tomorrow morning.
Shao Xuan went around to inquire about the Pu tribe travel team. It turned out they could bring people from other tribes along, but it cost water moonstones. This matter did not bother Shao Xuan. As he was now in a new-and-unknown-to-him area, following the Pu tribe team seemed like the best option.
Shao Xuan went and found the team’s leader, paid the three pieces of water moonstones and took the frog brand. The travel team would be starting in a few days. Shao Xuan only needed to show this brand and he would be allowed to go with the Pu tribe’s travel team when they left.
After hearing that Shao Xuan wanted to join the travel team, the Drumming tribe’s members couldn’t help but feel rather confused. They thought waiting here
was more cost-effective. The Pu tribe’s people brought things over and they only needed to take the stones with them. It seemed like Shao Xuan had thrown away three water moonstones for nothing.
But one he thought about it, that Shao Xuan was out to gain experience, Fu Shi became relieved and did not continue to persuade, but his heart still kept to his ideals.
The next day, the Drumming tribesmen got ready to leave, Fu Shi looked happily at his rattan full of things. Which, besides the necessary stones, stone tools, etc…, were also good pottery, and a piece of the central tribe’s linen. Which, after he returns, will probably lead to other people’s envy, right? Thinking of this, Fu Shi could not help but laugh a few times, and think that this was really a worthwhile trip. But for a short while, he will not come here to trade, until the winter, for some food over the winter.
“We’ll be heading back first then. Shao Xuan, if you return, do not forget to come by our Drumming tribe.” Fu Shi said to Shao Xuan as he was standing on the crocodile’s body with his rattan basket.
“Good, I will definitely come back to you again.”
Looking at the Drumming tribesmen leave. Shao Xuan prepared to travel with the Pu tribe’s travel team by talking to more people, hoping to catch more information.
While chatting with people, Shao Xuan saw Yu running over quickly.
“Yu, what is it?” Shao Xuan asked.
Seeing Shao Xuan, Yu’s smile became bigger, spreading his own joy.
“My grandfather agreed! Haha. I just went to see team leader Fan Ning, and I can go with them in a few days!” While talking, Yu completely did not have the sleepy look of yesterday, he was full of energy, like he could not wait to run a few laps around the tribe.
Fan Ning was a team leader of the Pu tribe, he was also the team leader that Shao Xuan talked to.
“Congratulations.” Shao Xuan said.
“He he. No more talking, I need to go back to prepare.” Yu rubbed his hand and narrowed his eyes, like a poison frog excreting venom.
After a few days, Shao Xuan also saw the transactions between the Pu tribe and other tribes; like the “Luo” tribe’s great nets, which were useful not only in the rivers, but also the mountains. You could catch fish with them, but also capture a lot of beasts with them, they never lacked food.
Every time the Luo tribe came, their people would carry large nets with prey, to exchange them with the Pu tribesmen.
Besides the Luo tribe, there were other small tribes. These tribes were not so “rich”, and no tribe caught more food than the Luo tribe. But each tribe had their own survival skills, such as crafting stone tools, or looking for stone and some other rare materials, and some were also good at medicine. Those last ones would exchange prepared medicines or raw medicinal materials.
Having stayed in the Pu tribe for several days, Shao Xuan also exchanged for a lot of good things. Since it was necessary to travel, he would naturally need some good stones. And as he would be carving stone, he exchanged water moonstones for stone carving tools.
Stone tools and herbs. These were all the things he needed to prepare.
Mid and high quality stone, these were not so easy to find here, so Shao Xuan exchanged for some additional ones.
The Pu tribe’s travel team started ten days later.
On the day of departure, Shao Xuan was ready with his preparations.
The team has nearly two hundred people, of which more than 90 percent were from the Pu tribe. The team was currently at the river.
With a large leather bag hanging from his neck, while also carrying a large rattan basket on his back, Yu ran over while panting with the old man behind him.
The rattan basket contained a lot of things, including stone knives, spearheads, etc…, there was a lot of dried meat and baked insects.
The old man gave something to some people he knew in the team, he also stuffed a bottle of frog poison in Shao Xuan’s hand. Yu was joining the team for the first time, the old man hoped the people would take more care of him.
As expected of business men, their brain was flexible, much more than that of the Drumming tribe, Shao Xuan thought.
Looking at him breathing heavily, Shao Xuan took the rattan basket from his back.
“I’ll help you with it, I’ll give it back to you when we are on the boat.”
“Hey, no, you also brought a lot of things, my basket is very heavy, you can not afford to….” Before Yu could finish, he saw Shao Xuan easily holding up the rattan basket in one hand.
Yu and some other surrounding people were looking at the relaxed Shao Xuan, waited for a moment, then asked: “What’s your tribe?”
Yu had not seen people with more strength than the Drumming tribe before.
“Flaming Horns.” Shao Xuan said.
“Oh.” Yu and the surrounding people quietly remembered the name of the tribe.
Shao Xuan smiled, and then jumped together with the others on the boat.
The Shaman gave Shao Xuan some tasks. Back then, because of natural disasters, a split occurred within the Flaming Horns tribe, the one on the other side of the river was just one part of the tribe. Shao Xuan needed to find the other part of the Flaming Horns tribe. But until now, he had not heard anything about the “Flaming Horns tribe”.
The Shaman gave a patterned stone to Shao Xuan, and also painted Chacha’s feet with the tattoo pattern, telling his meaning of not hiding it to Shao Xuan, if the world has forgotten the Flaming Horns tribe, then let everyone remember the name.
Besides, even if he covered up his totem patterns now, if they needed to fight, then the totem patterns would be revealed, there was no need to lie.