Shao Xuan tested it a few times. Although the duck was still cautious of him, if there were any dangerous creatures around, it would immediately run towards Shao Xuan, quacking as it ran.
Should he really bring it back to the tribe? Or should he just eat it?
Shao Xuan thought about it carefully. This duck had a special constitution. If he could tame it, he could bring it back to the tribe. However, Shao Xuan observed its tail feathers. It was most likely a male duck. It couldn't lay eggs if he brought it back. Should he just eat it? Plus, there were no female ducks in the tribe.
After some consideration, Shao Xuan decided to continue watching. If the duck could follow him back to the tribe, he would just keep it there. He would just treat it as an experiment to raise a bird.
After resting in Heng's house for a few days, Shao Xuan set off again.
This time, Shao Xuan did not walk through the shallow swamps. Instead, he took a longer route to see what the other areas were like. It was to enrich the map.
The duck continued to follow him. It seemed to have become a habit. Seeing that Shao Xuan had not eaten or beaten it, and had even helped it a few times, it followed even closer.
Seeing the familiar forest again, Shao Xuan's heart relaxed a little, and he shouted faster.
There were other movements in the forest. Shao Xuan heard human voices. The tribesmen were hunting.
Swoosh!
An arrow shot out from the forest, aimed at the duck following Shao Xuan closely. It could not be helped. The duck was too conspicuous in this forest. When it flew, it was like a live target. It would be fine if the hunters did not care for such a prey, but if they did, it would be hard for the duck to escape. After all, the duck's stamina had decreased greatly after following them for such a long time. It was not as fast as it had been at the start. It would be difficult for it to dodge the arrows that suddenly came at it.
Shao Xuan noticed it and blocked it with his sword, deflecting the arrow behind him.
"Who's there?!" A shout came from the forest, and several figures rushed over.
It was Tao Zheng and Yu. This area belonged to their hunting group. The first thing that came to their mind was that someone from another tribe had entered their hunting grounds.
However, after seeing Shao Xuan, their vigilance immediately faded.
"Shao Xuan!"
"Elder!"
"You're back?!"
Shao Xuan had left the tribe for some time. It was said that he had something important to do. Some people knew the reason, while others didn't. They only knew that after Shao Xuan left, the chief and the others had been very worried. Every time the hunting team went out to hunt, the chief would remind them to be careful. If Shao Xuan came back, they should immediately send someone to inform him.
"Should I go back and inform the leader?" Tao Zheng asked.
Shao Xuan waved his hand. "No need. I can go back by myself. You guys continue hunting."
"Elder Shao Xuan, what is that behind you? Is it your prey? "A young man in the group asked. He was the one who shot the arrow, and now he was embarrassed to face Shao Xuan. He felt like he had stolen the elder's prey.
Shao Xuan looked at the fat duck resting on a tree not far behind him, and said to Tao Zheng and the others, "I guess so."
Shao Xuan was also carrying a big package wrapped with animal skins and vines. Everyone in the hunting group glanced at the package curiously.
"What's inside?" Tao Zheng asked with interest.
"Metal," Shao Xuan said.
Hearing this, the others were curious, but now was not the time to chat. They could only suppress their curiosity and continue hunting.
After bidding farewell to Tao Zheng and the others, Shao Xuan hunted two more prey, and then went back to the tribe.
In the tribe, the shamaness and chief Zheng Luo heard that Shao Xuan had returned, and personally went down the mountain to welcome him.
"Eh? That bird … "In front of the man-made river around the tribe, someone pointed at a bird resting on a tree on the other side of the river and shouted.
The fat duck was cautiously looking at the Yanjiao people.
"That bird, as long as it doesn't attack or cause trouble for the tribe, don't bother with it," Shao Xuan said to the people at the foot of the mountain.
So it belonged to the elder! The people at the foot of the mountain immediately nodded solemnly, promising not to kill it.
Shao Xuan wanted to explain, but the shamaness dragged him up the mountain, as if she had a lot of questions. Shao Xuan didn't bother to explain, and decided to come back when things were settled.
They went up the mountain and threw the prey at the door. Seeing that Shao Xuan was busy, some people volunteered to help Shao Xuan take care of the prey. After thanking them, Shao Xuan went to the shamaness and briefly told them what happened.
When they heard Shao Xuan say that outsiders could not enter Gongjia Mountain, the shamaness and chief felt it was a pity. However, when they saw what Shao Xuan took out from the animal skin scroll, their eyes lit up and they forgot about their regret.
Zheng Luo hurriedly took out a piece of animal skin and picked out a few key points to copy again. He could not wait to discuss it with the tribe's blacksmith. Zheng Luo's interest in forging weapons was no less than the tribe's blacksmiths, but he could not find the key points of the technique. After all, the tribes who knew a little about forging would keep it a secret and not let others learn it.
What Shao Xuan took out was a few key points to the core of the technique. It helped Zheng Luo solve the problem that had been troubling him. Although it wasn't enough to enlighten him, it was very inspiring.
"Take a look at these. You can reforge the rusty ones." Shao Xuan took out the items he took from the robbers and handed them to Zheng Luo.
The quality of the weapons varied. The good ones could be used immediately while the bad ones had to be reforged.
Zheng Luo rubbed his palms and left hurriedly with the items.
Only Shao Xuan and the shamaness were left in the house. Shao Xuan told her about activating the bone ornaments.
"Good! Very good! " The shamaness' smile deepened. "If there's nothing else, you can continue. I'll clear a place for you to practice in the tribe. It's better here than in the forest. You won't have to worry about the threats around you."
Shao Xuan stayed a little longer at the shamaness' place before returning to his own house.
When he returned, the prey had already been taken care of. Qi Qi was already waiting in front of Shao Xuan's house.
When he saw Qi Qi, who could barely hold back her smile, Shao Xuan knew that the planting of the thousand grain gold had been successful.
"Elder Shao Xuan, you're back! The thousand grain gold is growing very well. Come and take a look! "Qi Qi eagerly led Shao Xuan to the backyard.
When Shao Xuan passed by the house, he only saw that the backyard had been widened. The fence had been raised so he couldn't see what was inside.
Now that he was home, he walked to the backyard and saw the three-meter-tall plants in the field. Shao Xuan was stunned.
When he saw the thousand grain gold plants in the wilderness, they weren't like this. They weren't as tall as these.
When Shao Xuan left the tribe, there were thirty-four thousand grain gold plants in the backyard. At that time, each plant wasn't even as tall as Shao Xuan's shoulder. Now, there were only twenty-three plants left but each one was growing very well. Not only were they taller than a person, their leaves were wider and thicker than the ones in Shao Xuan's memory! The stalk was almost as thick as a person's waist.
Most importantly, these thousand grain gold plants were starting to produce grains!
Even if Shao Xuan was an idiot, he knew that the plants in the backyard were growing much better than the ones in the wilderness! He just didn't know what the grains would be like. If they were worth more than what he paid, Shao Xuan would plant the rest of the seeds.
In the yard, the Yanjiao people and the Taihe tribesmen gathered around. They never got tired of staring at the twenty thousand grain gold plants. In the past, they would come to Shao Xuan's house twice a day. Now, they practically slept in this small yard. This was one of the reasons why they expanded the backyard.
"Back then, everyone wanted to stay here but the yard is only so big. It was the shaman who told us to expand it." Qi Qi carefully looked at Shao Xuan's expression. Seeing that Shao Xuan wasn't angry, she felt relieved.
"Thank you all for your hard work!" Shao Xuan thanked them.
"It's not hard at all. It's all worth it!" Qi Qi felt proud and accomplished as she looked at the plants in the field.
When they returned to the tribe, Shao Xuan's tense nerves finally had a chance to rest. He slept especially soundly that night.
In the next few days, Shao Xuan was summoned by Zheng Luo to discuss forging. His status in the tribe aside, Shao Xuan knew the Xia people and had even gone to Gongjia Mountain. The Yanjiao craftsmen believed everything he said. They would ask Shao Xuan if they didn't understand the records he brought back. Shao Xuan also briefed everyone on the development of the core seed and the Xia people so they had a basic understanding.
A few days had passed when Shao Xuan left the mountain again.
On this day, Shao Xuan planned to check on the fat duck.
The people living at the foot of the mountain and the patrolling guards all knew that the fat duck flying around on the other side of the river was Elder Shao Xuan's prey. No one dared to touch it. Some people even threw food at it.
On the first day, the fat duck was uneasy in a foreign place. It was constantly worried and would fly away at the slightest sound. Later, it realised that the people didn't try to kill it and it even got a lot of food. Although it didn't eat much of it, it was still good to get free food so it continued to stay.
On the second day, the fat duck tested the underground water. It swam in the man-made river in front of the Yanjiao tribe but when people passed by, it would immediately fly away and hide in the forest. It would only fly back when there was no one around.
The third day, the fourth day …
When Shao Xuan came to check on it, the fat duck was leisurely paddling in the river in front of the tribe. Occasionally, it would dive into the water. Even when people came close, it only looked at them cautiously but didn't fly away immediately.
This duck didn't want to leave.
Seeing that it was alive and well, Shao Xuan didn't chase it away. He just asked people to keep an eye on it so it wouldn't cause any trouble.
Until one day, Shao Xuan noticed that there were a few female ducks in the river in front of the tribe.
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