As the winter officially ended, some rafts and boats gradually began to appear on the river, but most of them were wanderers and slaves who lived here. The traveling team had not yet come out.
Shao Xuan did not see the slave owner this time. Yan Shuo said that the slave owner named Shi Shu had left before winter. No one knew where he went or when he would come back. However, the slave owner had left several high-level slaves to be in charge here. With them here, the slaves did not dare to be lazy at all. These days, the slaves could be seen everywhere.
Shao Xuan, Yan Zhi and the others repaired the boat that was docked on the shore.
The boat was left here. There were no slaves guarding it, but it had not been stolen. When it snowed, no one was willing to go out. And when it stopped snowing, those who wanted to go out would give up when they saw Shao Xuan.
"We'll leave tomorrow." After repairing the boat, Shao Xuan said.
"Okay, I'm ready." Yan Shuo said excitedly.
Yan Shuo and his family would leave with Shao Xuan, and their house would be left to their friends here. Since Shao Xuan came here last year and shocked a group of people, plus his improved strength, Yan Shuo had gathered a group of wanderers and formed a small group. Among these people, there were a few who were close to Yan Shuo, but these people could not leave with him.
Therefore, Yan Shuo left his house to his brother who had gone through hardships with him, and then told them under Shao Xuan's instructions that the Yanjiao tribe would move to the central region. At that time, they could go together and live around the Yanjiao tribe.
The people who were originally depressed because of Yan Shuo's departure were very happy after hearing Yan Shuo's words. This was very good news for them. With hope, they had more motivation to live.
Wasn't it just a few more years? Maybe after one or two years, they would receive the news.
After taking care of everything, Shao Xuan handed the prey thrown down by Chacha to Yan Shuo. "Have a good rest tonight and leave tomorrow."
At night, because of the end of winter, some nocturnal animals came out to be active, so the wanderers did not dare to go out. They all stayed at home.
"Shao Xuan, what are you looking at?" Jiao Wu asked while eating a piece of barbecue.
Shao Xuan withdrew his gaze from the window, closed the window and said, "If I'm not wrong, tonight should be the tribe's annual sacrifice time."
Hearing Shao Xuan's words, no matter who was eating meat or drinking soup, they all stopped what they were doing and looked at Shao Xuan.
"Sacrifice … sacrifice, what is it like?" Yan Zhi restrained his excitement and asked.
"On this day, everyone in the tribe will go to the fire pit to participate in the sacrificial ceremony. The totem warriors will wear clothes and accessories made from the best prey they have hunted. They will also draw the tribe's totem patterns on their faces …"
Shao Xuan told them about the annual sacrifice.
Everyone around the bonfire listened attentively. Their eyes reflected the light from the bonfire, shining brightly. Even Little Naughty, who was being held by Yan Shuo, listened attentively. It was unknown how much he understood.
While talking, Shao Xuan suddenly felt the totem tattoo change in his mind.
"Three Flames of the Fire Pit, the first Flame has started." Shao Xuan pointed to his face and rolled up the sleeves of his animal skin coat, revealing the totem tattoo.
Not only Shao Xuan, but also the faces of the other five people here, except for Yan Shuo's wife and children, all had totem tattoo on their faces. They were not as clear as Shao Xuan's, but they did have totem tattoo. This was something that had never happened before.
"Every year on this day, the children in the tribe who meet the requirements will awaken their totem. When we go back, little Yan Nian will also have to experience it. "Shao Xuan said.
Yan Nian was Yan Shuo's daughter, but she was not as beautiful as the children in the tribe. But it didn't matter. When they went back, they would gradually recover.
He said to have a good rest tonight, but no one could sleep early. Yan Shuo and Yan Zhi even thought about Shao Xuan's words for the whole night. They didn't know if it was because they were too excited or too excited, but they couldn't fall asleep even after closing their eyes for a long time. When they woke up the next day, they were still very energetic.
Yan Shuo was about to leave. His friends in the wanderer area came to see him off.
Yan Shuo carried the child onto the boat and looked back at the people standing on the shore, "Let's go back. Everyone, wait for the good news."
Taking the wooden oar from Yan Zhi, Yan Shuo rowed while looking at the place where he had lived for many years.
These years, there were more and more houses in the territory of the slave owners, and they were getting bigger and bigger. This year, many wanderers went there, dreaming that one day, they could be promoted from the lowest slave to an important position with a title. The wanderer area was still the same. Some people left, and some people came in. Some houses collapsed, and some new ones were built.
And in the river next to the wanderer area and the slave territory, there were countless corpses of wanderers and slaves. Some died of illness, and some were killed.
Yan Zhi suddenly remembered that when he first came to this place, the wanderer who lived next door often sat in a daze outside the door and said something.
That year, the wanderer took a bone knife made by himself, pointed to the river and said to Yan Shuo, "Every day, people died, and then were thrown into the river. They were eaten by fish, and then wanderers caught the fish and ate them. Some people were even more unfortunate. He wanted to be thrown into the river, but unfortunately, he was eaten. His bones were made into bone knives and taken to various places to hunt prey … "
Yan Shuo couldn't remember what the wanderer looked like. He only remembered that the wanderer was seriously injured when he went hunting in the mountains. After he came back, he tied a stone to himself and jumped into the river.
The difficulty of survival and the hardships of life were only understood by those who lived in it.
Yan Shuo looked back at those who were still standing on the shore. They were still looking at the boat. They were envious of Yan Shuo, and at the same time, they were looking forward to the day when they heard the news about the Yanjiao tribe. Perhaps when that day came, it would be their new life.
Forcefully rowing the wooden oar, Yan Shuo looked at those who were standing on the shore and shouted, "Live!"
"Live!" Their voices came from the shore.
Jiao Wu wanted to shout as well, but Yan Zhi stared at him, and he held back the shout that was about to come out of his mouth.
On the green river, the boat carrying nine people moved forward with the sound of rowing.
On the boat, there were some shields made of wood. If someone attacked them from both sides of the river, they could resist for a while.
Yan Shuo's wife and child were protected in the middle.
In the sky, Chacha stared at the movement below. If he found anything unusual, he would inform Shao Xuan.
Shao Xuan still had memories of this waterway. He also remembered that last time when he came here, those experienced travelers had told him about their experiences, such as which section of the river was more urgent and dangerous, and which section of the river had small tribes. Shao Xuan had also told Yan Zhi and the others about these, so that they could be mentally prepared and not be too flustered when the time came.
It was the first time that they left the wanderer area where they grew up. The two children curiously looked at the scenery on both sides, but the adults were not so relaxed. Because of Shao Xuan's warning, they had to be vigilant.
On the third day after leaving the river fork, Shao Xuan saw the symbol of the Pu tribe.
"We've arrived at the Pu tribe." Shao Xuan said, pointing to the totem carved on a protruding rock on the mountain beside the river.
There were also totem warriors patrolling the border area of the Pu tribe. They did not remember Shao Xuan, but when Shao Xuan mentioned something about last year, the patrolling warriors recalled and seemed to have some impression.
Seeing that Shao Xuan and the others did not seem to be a threat, a patrolling warrior said, "Come with me, I will take you to see Fan Ning."
Winter was over, the temperature rose, and the traveling team began to prepare for the first trip of the year. Among the several groups of traveling teams, Fan Ning was letting someone inform his team of the plans for this year's trip. Hearing someone calling him from behind, he turned around and saw Shao Xuan.
Fan Ning remembered Shao Xuan, but he did not have a good face and looked indifferent.
Shao Xuan did not care about Fan Ning's attitude. Anyway, Fan Ning had always been like this.
After chatting with a few familiar faces, Shao Xuan went to find Zhao under the guidance of several people of the Pu tribe.
It was the first time for Yan Zhi and the others to enter a tribe, and it was not their own tribe. They were surrounded by totem warriors, which made them very nervous.
When the people of the Pu tribe saw Yan Zhi and the others, some showed contempt in their eyes, while some ignored them. They knew that Yan Zhi and the others did not have many good things, so they could not make a deal with them. Naturally, they did not have a good attitude. However, those who knew Shao Xuan knew that this guy had a lot of good things, and he came back from the central region.
When there were few people around, Jiao Wu could not help but whisper in his brother's ear, "Their eyes are so big."
He was going to say something, but Yan Zhi stared at him and shut his mouth.
As soon as it warmed up, some frogs began to move in the Pu tribe. Because Shao Xuan had warned them before they came, Yan Zhi and the others were careful not to touch those frogs, although many of them looked very fat and delicious.
"Are we going to start trading in two days?" Shao Xuan looked around the houses and asked the people next to him.
Many people around had already begun to put things out. This was the situation when the people of the Pu tribe were going to start trading.
"Yes, by the way, Shao Xuan, today the people of the Luo tribe will come to trade. You can see what you can get." The man said.
When he saw Zhao's hut, Shao Xuan thanked the man and gave him a piece of jerky, "Thank you."
As soon as he smelled the jerky, the man was stunned. He did not expect that he could receive something just by leading the way. He grinned and looked around. When no one noticed, he quickly stuffed the jerky in his hand into the animal skin bag. He did not want others to know that he could get something by leading the way. What if someone robbed him of this job next time?
This time, Zhao did not intend to leave with the traveling team. When Shao Xuan arrived, Zhao was still sleeping in the hut.
Shao Xuan's arrival made Zhao very happy. Knowing that Shao Xuan wanted to trade for frog poison, Zhao made several kinds of frog poison and poisonous stingers on the spot under the curious gaze of Yan Zhi and the others. He also dug out his grandfather's private collection from the ground.
"The old man's things are from last year. It has been too long, so the efficacy of the medicine will decrease. It is a waste to keep them. You can have them." Zhao said without any guilt. He was not worried that the old man would fly into a rage if he knew.
"Thank you."
At this time, there was a commotion not far away.
"It should be the people of the Luo tribe. You can trade for some fishing nets from them. Their fishing nets are very good. I have not seen what they used to make the nets." Zhao suggested.
"OK, I will go and have a look."
After Shao Xuan and the others left, Zhao yawned and planned to continue sleeping.
"Who was here? Hey? Where is my frog poison? I was going to trade for something with the people of the Luo tribe. "The old man came back.
"Grandpa, do you know the Yanjiao tribe?" Zhao asked.
"I don't know. It sounds familiar. Where is my frog poison? "
"Shao Xuan is from the Yanjiao tribe."
"Well, where is my frog poison?"
"Last year, when I was with the traveling team, Shao Xuan fought with a person from the Thousand Masks tribe. He did not lose."
"Oh, I seem to have heard you mention it. Where is my frog poison?"
Once again, the grandfather and grandson began their daily conversation, which was like a chicken talking to a duck.
Shao Xuan still had some impressions of the Luo tribe. The nets of the Luo tribe were indeed very special. The materials they used were very fine, much finer than ordinary grass and vines. It was also strong enough. It should be made after processing some kind of plant.
Shao Xuan exchanged for a fishing net and a few fish skin clothes.
Fish skin clothes were very common in the Luo tribe. It was different from the animal skin clothes of other tribes. Their tribe had three rivers, two of which could be used to catch fish. They used the most primitive tools and the most common materials to make clothes to shelter the body from the wind and rain.
Whether it was the Luo tribe or the Pu tribe, or other tribes, they had experienced countless years of wind and rain. Every tribe had their own unique development history, and through survival and practice, they found more skills. Even if they did not come into contact with the more advanced culture of the central region, they could still step into the threshold of civilization. It just took a longer time.
Civilization and skills were forced out by life.
Compared to the "prices" of the central region, the trade here was very affordable. No wonder the people of the Pu tribe always liked to travel.
Yan Zhi and the others followed Shao Xuan and gained a lot of knowledge.
After spending a night in the Pu tribe, early the next morning, Shao Xuan took Yan Zhi and the others to the Drumming tribe by boat.
The closer they got to the Drumming tribe, the more nervous Yan Zhi and the others were. Although Shao Xuan had told them that the crocodiles of the Drumming tribe were special, they still could not help but be nervous. The cruel scene in their memory kept replaying.
"The Drumming tribe is in front of us." Shao Xuan looked at the river in front of them and said.
Yan Zhi and the others were even more nervous, glancing at the water from time to time.
Hua —
A figure jumped out of the water, and when he landed, he floated on the river.
Soon, Yan Zhi and the others saw a ferocious head covered with hard texture under the man's feet, and a pair of extremely indifferent eyes.
Around the boat, there were many heads, pairs of yellow-brown eyes with vertical pupils, and huge jaws … The boat was surrounded in the middle.
Except for Shao Xuan, the others turned pale.
The other party was a patrolling warrior of the Drumming tribe. Compared with the people of the Pu tribe, the warriors of the Drumming tribe had a much deeper impression of Shao Xuan.
"Oh, it's you." The other party's tone sounded warm and familiar, but the expression on his face made Yan Zhi and the others nervous. They always felt that he was ferocious.
After hearing the purpose of Shao Xuan's visit, the other party enthusiastically led Shao Xuan into the tribe. But when he smiled, the expression on his face looked more ferocious.
While walking, Shao Xuan heard a cry that others could not hear.
It was that little guy. When he saw him last year, he was just a fragile crocodile.
In front of them was a figure with a pair of dark brown eyes. Although the figure was much bigger, Shao Xuan could recognize him at a glance.
"Little Yannian, come here. I will show you the crocodile."
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