Duo Kang looked at Shao Xuan, and when he saw Shao Xuan nod, he went over to count.
Shao Xuan also took out the five crystals. "In that case, these things are naturally yours."
An Yan smiled, and the anxious atmosphere from before dissipated.
Letting people take the crystals away, An Yan also let people drag the cauldron that was standing crookedly on the ground. "This cauldron is a gift to you as an apology."
Although the cauldron was a failure, it was still bronze after all. If it was not satisfactory as a weapon, it could be used to make other things. Even Black Bear felt that this gift was good.
Duo Kang naturally felt that this gift was very cost-effective, but it also depended on Shao Xuan's thoughts. Young people were, after all, impetuous. Sometimes, in order to fight, it was understandable that they did not want the benefits in their hands.
Unexpectedly, Shao Xuan smiled and did not refuse. "Thank you."
After the two sides completed the transaction, An Yan left with his people, and the trading point returned to its previous state. However, those who wanted to take advantage of the situation were quite disappointed. They regretted that they did not fight.
The people of the Yanjiao tribe packed up their things and left amidst the discussion of the people around them. The people of the Taihe tribe also left. This was something they had arranged long ago.
On the other side, the people around Black Bear watched the Yanjiao people leave. They raised their thick fingers and pointed in the direction the Yanjiao people left. "Boss, should we follow them?"
"Of course! I don't believe that's all they have. "Black Bear grinned.
The people of the Yanjiao and Taihe skillfully left Anba City, took care of a group of followers, and then quickly left along the road they came from.
Originally, Duo Kang planned to go another way. This was what they did every time. When they came, they would take one road and when they went back, they would take another road. It was safer this way. However, Shao Xuan suggested that they go along the original road for a while, and then change. Anyway, the two roads were not far from each other at the beginning, so it was not too late to change. There wasn't much cover around this section of the road, so if there was anyone, they would be able to discover it in advance.
At first, the people from Taihe were against Shao Xuan's decision, but fortunately, they would still change their route when the time came. After thinking about it, they reluctantly accepted it. However, it was natural for them to have their own opinions, so they didn't give him any face.
The large cauldron had already been wrapped in a green-gray cloth, so it wasn't as conspicuous as before. The Yanjiao people were strong, so it wasn't that strenuous for them to carry it. After a while, they would switch to another person to carry it one by one, so it wouldn't take too much time.
The journey back was much more dangerous. There were quite a few robberies. Previously, when they saw the Yanjiao people picking up good stuff, there were already quite a few groups who wanted to rob them. This time, no one held back. Those who needed to be killed were killed.
Sou sou —
A slight sound was heard.
More robbers?
Everyone was on high alert.
Shao Xuan smiled when he saw the approaching figure.
"They're finally here," Shao Xuan said.
"You knew we were coming?" Black Bear asked doubtfully.
"I guessed." Shao Xuan didn't say anything else. He had only noticed Black Bear's gaze when he was leaving, and based on other people's evaluation of Black Bear, he had made a final guess. That was why he had everyone follow the original path. The danger level of this journey was not high, and if no one came after this journey, they would switch to another path.
Black Bear's thick eyebrows twitched, then he laughed loudly. "You Yanjiao people are really interesting!" If they could guess that he was coming, then they could definitely guess something else. The Yanjiao people were smarter than he thought.
Seeing that it was Black Bear, the others relaxed slightly. Duo Kang walked up and asked, "Could it be that you still want to trade with us?"
They had left in a hurry, so they still had some things that they hadn't sold. There were even more people from Taihe left. Hearing this, they looked at Black Bear expectantly.
"That's right," Black Bear said in a rough voice. "I know you still have those glowing crystals. I'll trade with you at the same price as An Yan. How about that?"
Seeing Shao Xuan nod, Duo Kang was happy. When he heard that Black Bear would buy all of their remaining goods, Duo Kang's eyes narrowed into slits. The people from Taihe were no longer angry. In fact, they were quite grateful for Shao Xuan's decision. Now that they had sold all of their goods, it would be easier for them to go back.
After letting his men complete the trade, Black Bear asked Shao Xuan about the use of the glowing crystals. After Shao Xuan finished, Black Bear touched the thick leather hat on his head, took out a piece of bone engraved with a bear pattern, and handed it to Shao Xuan. "If you have such goods in the future, you can come to us directly. I'll still eat the animal skin and other goods. Oh, and that stone carving of yours, if you have it, I also want it. It's best if it's a giant bear, but if there's no giant bear, other things are fine too."
Black Bear also mentioned their base in Anba City. Coupled with the bone plate, if Black Bear wasn't in Anba City, they could still trade as usual. The Yanjiao people didn't have to worry about being cheated.
Cooperation?
The Taihe people were a little surprised. Black Bear's reputation was indeed good, but he didn't always have a fixed partner. They had trading forces everywhere, so they didn't have to be afraid of the people of Anba City. Even if they were enemies of Anba City, they would still trade with them, not to mention the Yanjiao people who only had a little friction with them. But even so, the Taihe people were still surprised that Black Bear would find Yanjiao people to cooperate. Could it be that he really took a fancy to Yanjiao's crystals?
After the trade was completed, Black Bear added, "Don't believe the people of Anba City, especially when they mention 'rules'. Because in the hearts of the Anba people of the six tribes, what they say is the rules!"
The people of Anba City never had fixed rules. In the past, when the Yanjiao people went to Anba City to trade, it wasn't conspicuous, and there weren't many things that they really valued. But this time was different. The Yanjiao people not only beat the people of Anba City, but also took out things that would cause trouble.
"Thank you for telling us," Shao Xuan thanked him.
"Even if I didn't tell you, you would still be on guard." Black Bear's eyes swept over a large wooden box next to Shao Xuan. "Can I know what's inside?" Just now, when Shao Xuan moved the box, he heard a little sound. It wasn't the sound of metal, but more like the sound of stones colliding. Could it be that there was still something good that hadn't been taken out?
As a businessman, sometimes his curiosity was still very strong. Otherwise, how could he smell a business opportunity?
"Those are not things for trade." Shao Xuan refused.
With that said, Black Bear was even more curious. He pestered Shao Xuan for a while, promised some other benefits, and took out some small bronze objects as gifts. Only then did he let Shao Xuan open the box. When he saw the things inside, Black Bear was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. Then, in a good mood, he called his men to leave.
The people of the Taihe tribe, because of their angle, did not see what was in Shao Xuan's box. What was inside was not the things that Shao Xuan exchanged with the crystal stones. Naturally, it was something else. What was it?
Ignoring the curious gazes of the people of the Taihe tribe, Shao Xuan packed up his things and planned to set off again. The person he was waiting for had arrived, so it was time to change his route. With Black Bear as a partner, the Yanjiao people would not have to worry about being rejected by the people of Anba City when they brought things to trade.
After taking two steps, Shao Xuan stopped again. He saw that the cloth wrapped around the cauldron had been torn. Guang Yi was letting people wrap it with other cloth.
Although this was a failed cauldron, the material and parts of the cauldron were still very exquisite. The body of the cauldron was heavy and thick, and the engravings and words on it were full of an ancient and fierce sense of mystery.
At that time, when An Yan proposed to give the cauldron as a gift to the Yanjiao people as an apology, the others felt that because the cauldron was a bronze object, it could be re-cast into other objects, or exchanged for more benefits, so the Yanjiao people accepted the gift. But Shao Xuan agreed to accept the cauldron not entirely because of this. The main reason was that he was very interested in the engravings and words on the cauldron.
The people of the Great Six Cities used the cauldron as a ceremonial object. The cauldron symbolized power. Whether it was a major celebration or a reward for people, many times they would record some more special things on the cauldron, representing different meanings. And Shao Xuan was interested in this.
Yes, most of the people here were literate, but the extent of their knowledge was very limited. The words they were familiar with were the words commonly used in daily transactions. As for the more complicated words, there were fewer people who understood them. Some of the more complicated sentences were extremely simple but profound, just like the conclusion used by the tribe in the past. They were even more confusing, so there were even fewer people who cared about them.
Many people made their own weapons, but never added words on it. At most, they added their tribe's totem or name, and nothing else. They felt that it was too troublesome, and were not as particular as the people of the Great Six Cities. Not only did they add words, but they also drew a lot of other patterns that were superfluous to them.
Just like this cauldron, although they knew that there were words on the cauldron, they only felt that it was for decorative purposes and could not understand it. They were also not interested in these things, so naturally they would not look at it.
When the cauldron was wrapped up again, Shao Xuan's gaze moved away from it.
"Let's change our route." Duo Kang called the rest of the people who were still resting, and the group set off again.
On the other side, Black Bear led his people away. There were also people who tried to rob them, but they were all dealt with quickly.
"Boss, you saw that kid from the Yanjiao tribe in the box. What was in it?" One of the people in Black Bear's team pulled a leaf from a nearby tree, wiped the blood on his sword, and asked.
"Something interesting," Black Bear replied.
"What could make you laugh like that?" Everyone was puzzled.
"How many of the people An Yan sent out, do you think will come back?" Black Bear asked.
They had a wide network of people in An City, so they were naturally aware of An Yan's movements. Don't be fooled by An Yan's righteous appearance in front of others. He kept talking about the rules, but in reality, he was ruthless. As soon as the Yanjiao people set off, he sent people to chase after them. He also knew that the Yanjiao people used to take a different route back, so he sent people to chase them in that direction. He did not expect that the Yanjiao people would go back the way they came. However, they would definitely meet the Yanjiao people later on.
Speaking of which, neither route was safe. On one side, there were people from other tribes waiting to ambush them, and on the other, there was An Yan's people chasing after them. If it was before, Black Bear might have sympathized with the Yanjiao people, but now, Black Bear felt that the other side might be the unlucky one.
The others in the group were still discussing Black Bear's words. Seeing Black Bear's gloating face, they could not help but ask, "Boss, how many of An Yan's people do you think will come back? Even if they fail, at least half of them will come back, right? "
"Half? Hey, ten or twenty is more like it. "
"How is that possible?!" The others did not believe it. "Is it a trap? That's impossible. "
It was not that they looked down on the Yanjiao people, but they knew that most tribesmen still cherished weapons. Even if they set up an ambush, they would choose wood, rope, and so on. If that was not enough, they would use all kinds of medicine. As for metal, they were pitifully few, because they were reluctant to use it. The lethality of wood compared to metal was, of course, much smaller. Bone was very restrictive and inconvenient to use, so in the use of many traps, many tribesmen may not be able to compare to the people of the six great cities. Not everyone was as generous as the slave masters of the six great cities.
"In this world, there are not only wood and metal." Black Bear sighed.
Stone tools, this thing that had almost disappeared from the stage of history, he saw in the Yanjiao people. Moreover, they were very meticulously made, as if the maker had already thought about how to use those stone tools. Like a spider perched in a hidden corner, when it pulled out the first silk, it knew what kind of web it was going to weave.
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