Grasshopper didn't speak much so Zheng Luo and the rest thought he was just a dumb slave of few words. Yi Si had also said that this slave's race wasn't very intelligent but the reason Grasshopper didn't speak much was because he wasn't familiar with the local language.
When Yi Si spoke to Shao Xuan and the rest, he used the local language which he had learned after coming here. It was hard to imagine that he had learned most of the local language in just twenty to thirty days.
"After the disaster last year, things didn't go well over there either, right?" Shao Xuan asked.
"Not only did things not go well, it was terrible." Yi Si's heart bled when he thought of his farm's harvest.
"Actually, the year the Flaming Horn tribe caused such a huge commotion, there was a snowstorm in winter. It was even colder than the previous year. Winter came earlier in King City and it often snowed heavily. My little farm didn't have a good harvest. If it weren't for a batch of grains that was harvested before winter, I'm afraid we wouldn't have anything to eat. The Golden Grain farm wasn't doing too well either. Even though we predicted the winter disaster, we still couldn't avoid losses when it really hit. "
Yi Si smiled mockingly. "But now that the weather has returned to normal, I don't have to rely on the farm anymore. Actually, ever since Yanjiao caused a ruckus, the atmosphere in Royal City has been irritable. Especially the Yi family, many of them couldn't sleep at night. After last year's disaster, there were even more people who became restless. I'm sure you know why. "
"Rock Hill City?" asked Zheng Luo.
"You could say that but to be more precise, the Yi family isn't interested in Mu Han's descendants. Oh, I should say the Shi family of Rock Hill City now. Mu Han has already abandoned his tribe's name. The Yi family of Royal City doesn't care about the Shi family of Rock Hill City. What they care about is the 'bad luck' that year! "
"Bad luck?" Zheng Luo didn't understand what Yi Si meant.
Shao Xuan remembered something he had heard before. "Yi Xiang of the Yi family? The Yi family that came with Mu Han from the Mu family? "
"Not bad." Yi Si's interest was piqued at the mention of this. "Mu Han and Yi Xiang were extremely talented back then. The results of the Yi family's divination are actually starting to come true now."
"You look like you're looking forward to their battle," Shao Xuan said.
Yi Si didn't deny it. "I was also forced away by the Yi family, but I wasn't as pitiful as Yi Xiang was. I didn't have his talent either. Now, the six noble families of the Royal City are starting to recruit tribesmen, just like the Linlu tribe. Most of the money in the hands of us, who have no talent and no future, is being used to recruit people. "
Shao Xuan had seen Yi Si's situation before. Although Yi Si's words made sense, he didn't fully believe them. "Tell me, what's your goal?"
Yi Si's smile faded. "I want to see what the 'bad luck' from back then has done in the past thousand years. I'm afraid you don't know this, but not long after the disaster, the Royal City sent people to guard the borders of the mainland to take a look. In the end, other than two people who were purposely let go, the rest all died. "
After Yanjiao crossed the sea, the Royal City specially sent a group of people to guard the border. Some of the smaller tribes living there were forced to migrate. Because the Yi family's divination predicted a possible danger, most of the people stationed there managed to avoid the disaster. Unfortunately, after crossing the sea, almost all of them died.
Shao Xuan only heard that there were strange movements in the desert. Perhaps Yi Si's words were part of it.
"The two people who were let go said there were monsters. There were a lot of them, and they looked like humans but weren't. Those must be Yi Xiang's work. I'm very curious. Unfortunately, my status in the Yi family isn't high enough so I can't get close to those things. Plus, I was forced to find a way to come here. But as you know, the Yi family isn't the type to fight, so I brought my own slaves. "
Yi Si looked at Shao Xuan and the rest's reactions and continued, "After I came here, I was unfamiliar with the place and my personal strength was limited. I heard about the Flaming River Trading Point in Yanjiao so I came here to join you."
"How did you get here?" Zheng Luo's sharp eyes looked at him. Crossing the sea and crossing the desert was no easy feat. It wasn't that easy to fool them!
Yi Si didn't panic. He explained, "It's a long-winged bird."
The long-winged bird's wings were long and well-developed. It could fly for long distances and was one of the best among flying birds. Its size ranged from half a meter to a few meters long. Some even had a wingspan of ten meters. Not only could they fly, but they could also hunt in the water.
"I know someone whose slave is a long-winged bird. I only borrowed his bird for a short period of time. That cost me all my savings." Yi Si turned to Shao Xuan. "Have you seen those monsters in the desert?"
"No." Zheng Luo didn't look happy.
"How about this, you take me in. If you can catch those monsters, let me take a look. After all, the Yi family made them. I might be able to answer your questions. What do you think? " Zheng Luo was about to say something when Yi Si added, "Of course, I'm not a freeloader. I can help you with your accounts. Your Grand Elder, Shao Xuan, knows my abilities. Although I can't perform divination like the other Yi family members, I'm confident in this. Also, my slave, Grasshopper, can do some manual labor. He's as strong as any of you. "
Yi Si didn't say anything. He looked at Shao Xuan. Seeing Shao Xuan nod, he took out a beast skin scroll and looked at the distribution of houses. In the end, he chose the house closest to the Flaming River Castle. Of course, Yi Si didn't have a single cent on hand right now. They wouldn't give him food, clothing, and accommodation for free. That was why Yi Si put it on credit for now.
Yi Si and a full Grasshopper were brought to the house arranged for them. After they left, Zheng Luo asked Shao Xuan, "How trustworthy do you think his words are?"
"Fifty-fifty. We'll keep him under our watch for now," Shao Xuan said.
"Mm." Zheng Luo thought so too. Although he didn't like the six major tribes in the Royal City, he had to admit that the Yi family members were all very capable. Even if they couldn't perform divination, they couldn't be underestimated. They'd keep him under their watch for now. If he could help Yanjiao, it would be good. But if they found anything that would harm the tribe, they'd kill him immediately.
At this moment, an eagle screeched in the sky.
Shao Xuan and Zheng Luo's expressions changed at the same time. They didn't want to think about Yi Si anymore.
The eagle screeched just now. Two days ago, Shao Xuan received a beast skin scroll from the Hui tribe's giant mountain eagle. It said that they would send the "monster" they caught over, but they didn't know the exact time.
Shao Xuan told Chacha to keep an eye on the sky for these two days. Giant mountain eagles had stronger senses. If an eagle returned to the tribe, it would definitely notice. Chacha's screeching just now was to tell Shao Xuan that the "goods" had arrived.
The two of them rushed to the top of the Flaming River Tower. A giant mountain eagle landed with a long wooden box in its talons. This was an eagle from the Hui tribe. There were people on its back.
When Yi Si asked them if they'd seen the "monsters" in the desert, Shao Xuan said he hadn't. That was the truth. On the Yanjiao side, only Shao Xuan had seen them before. When Shao Xuan went to the grasslands to deliver the invitation letter, he saw the humanoid monster when he went to the Hui tribe.
"Is this it?" Zheng Luo walked over curiously.
"That's it. But it's best to move it into the house before opening it. We don't want to see Yang Guang. We used medicine to seal it. If we see Yang Guang, the medicine won't work, "said the Hui tribesman who came over.
Zheng Luo didn't say anything. He carried the coffin-like wooden box and carefully moved it into a secret room in the Flaming River Castle.
There was no one else except the Hui tribesman, Shao Xuan, and Zheng Luo. After closing the stone door, there was no light.
Shao Xuan took out a water moonstone to light up the room.
The square wooden box was like a coffin, lying quietly in the gloomy secret room. Even before it was opened, it gave off a strange and eerie feeling.
Zheng Luo shivered inexplicably.
"Open it." Shao Xuan gestured to the Hui tribesman who brought the goods over.
The other party nodded and took the dagger from Shao Xuan. His gaze lingered on the green metallic dagger for a few seconds, then he cut the rope that tied the wooden box.
The wooden box was tightly bound by the rope, but the dagger was very sharp. With a swipe of the dagger, the rope was cut off without much effort.
When he returned the dagger to Shao Xuan, the Hui tribesman's eyes flashed with reluctance. He was very envious of Yanjiao's weapon material.
He untied the rope and opened the lid.
The creaking sound of the wooden planks was very clear in the secret room. After opening the lid, Shao Xuan saw what was inside. His first thought was, 'A mummy?'
Inside the wooden box, the Hui tribesman wrapped the 'goods' inside with animal skin. The thick fur acted as a cushion, and the 'goods' were wrapped in green cloth. They could barely make out the shape of a human.
A strange smell wafted out, with a hint of decay in it.
Zheng Luo gulped. "This is it?" This was the monster that everyone was afraid of, the monster that even the nobles in the Royal City on the other side of the sea were worried about?
"The cloth has been soaked in medicine. Wrapping it like this will slow down the decay. If Elder Shao Xuan wants to see it, you can take the cloth off, but then we won't be able to stop it from rotting faster." The Hui tribesman said, "Our shaman said it's best to leave it here and not bring it into your tribe."
Shao Xuan nodded, indicating that he understood. The reason why they moved the item to the Flaming River Trading Point and not to Yanjiao's tribe was mentioned in the animal skin scroll they received before. The Hui tribe's shaman said that this monster was too strange, so it was best to leave it far away from the tribe. He also found that the closer it was to the fire seed, the faster the monster rotted. Although Yanjiao no longer had the ancient fire seed, there were many Yanjiao people at the Yanjiao tribe's headquarters, so the fire seed's aura was still very strong. Considering all these reasons, in the end, Shao Xuan decided to let the Hui tribesmen move the item to the Flaming River Trading Point first.
Then he took out a prepared animal skin scroll and handed it to the other party. "This is what your chief and shaman wanted."
The other party took the animal skin scroll and carefully kept it close to his body. After receiving the item, he didn't want to stay here any longer, so he bid farewell and left. There were other people waiting for him not far away from the Flaming River Trading Point. Of course, he wouldn't be the only one to deliver the important item, but he didn't want to attract too much attention. That was why he came alone when he got closer.
Shao Xuan gave the Hui tribesmen a summary of the experiences of their tribe, the Rain tribe and the Drumming tribe. Although after the Flaming River Grand Banquet, more people knew about the changes in Yanjiao's fire seed, and even the fact that the ancient fire seed could fuse into a tribesman's body, Shao Xuan had told the other major tribes about it, but they were still hesitant. Now that the Hui tribe had made the first move, it seemed like they had decided to fuse with the ancient fire seed.
As thanks, the Hui tribe sent the 'monster' Shao Xuan requested. They wouldn't be able to get anything out of it if it was left in the Hui tribe anyway. Plus, this monster had rotted even more, so the Hui tribe's chief felt like there was no point in keeping it. When Shao Xuan suggested it, he agreed without much thought.
After the Hui tribesmen left, Zheng Luo looked at Shao Xuan for his opinion. "Should we open it now? Or wait for the others to come? "
"Let me take a look first."
Shao Xuan put on a pair of gloves made of fish skin. The cloth wrapped around the 'monster' was covered in antiseptic, so he wouldn't pull it off with his bare hands.
The cloth wrapped around the 'monster' from its feet to its head. Naturally, the process of unwrapping it was the opposite, starting from the head.
Zheng Luo stood on the side and watched as Shao Xuan used the greenish-grey fish skin gloves to unwrap the cloth around the monster's head.
As the cloth was unwrapped, the monster's head was revealed.
Zheng Luo's facial muscles twitched as he looked at the face that was so rotten that it was unrecognizable.
"This … this … this is a human?" Zheng Luo only knew from the Hui tribe's animal skin that 'goods' had a high degree of decay, but he thought he had seen it all before, both human and beast. But now that he saw such a strange face, he felt a chill run down his spine.
This was different from normal decay. This' monster 'was more like a weathered rot. When Shao Xuan unwrapped the cloth, there was a creaking sound. There were even pieces of dried flesh stuck to the cloth. They were black, as if they had been dyed with something. As the flesh was peeled off, the bones underneath were also exposed.
The Hui tribe said that only the bones were left. This was probably what they meant. Once the skin was peeled off, the bones were exposed.
"A 'person' like this is walking in the desert? How can there be such a person? Which tribe are they from? " Zheng Luo was still wondering if some tribe was born with such a unique bone structure. For example, Yi Si's slave did not have pure human blood in his body.
Shao Xuan shook his head. "The last time I went to the Hui tribe, it wasn't like this. Now it's just dried up. "
Zheng Luo breathed a sigh of relief. He was wondering why the chief had such a strange appearance. So it wasn't like this from the beginning.
However, Zheng Luo breathed a sigh of relief too early.
As Shao Xuan unwrapped more and more of the cloth from the 'goods', the legendary 'monster' finally revealed its true appearance.
Just by looking at his head, he might only find it a little strange, but if he looked at his torso, he would discover an even bigger secret.
This monster did not have any organs. Its torso and abdomen were deeply sunken. Even if it was air-dried, it would not be like this. Zheng Luo was sure that there were no organs under the dry skin of this monster's abdomen!
Zheng Luo's first reaction was, "Did the Hui tribe cut it open?"
"No, not the Hui tribe. They don't have that kind of hobby." The Hui tribe would never cut open a human or beast unless it was prey they were about to eat.
"Then … then how …" Zheng Luo stuttered, not knowing how to express his thoughts. He had a guess but did not want to believe it. How was this possible?
"The monsters they were talking about in the desert were actually 'humans' with no organs, no blood flow and no pulse," said Shao Xuan.
Zheng Luo was shocked. "But Keke, how can they live without organs and blood flow?"
"Who said they're alive?"
"But if they're not alive, why are they so scary?" Zheng Luo did not understand.
"You'll have to ask the people of Rock Hill City. I've never seen these 'humans' in action. "Shao Xuan could not answer.
"Could this be the thing Yi Si said the Yi tribe's ancestor made?!"
Zheng Luo felt a chill run down his spine. Cold sweat soaked through his clothes and his scalp went numb. To them, these were dead people. But to a certain extent, they were still 'alive' because they could move and cut people.
"I really don't know how the people of Rock Hill City made 'humans' like this. Could it be that they made dead slaves like this?" Zheng Luo muttered.
Shao Xuan's eyelids twitched.
There were many people in the desert but the number of monsters was huge. If it was just the slaves who were alive, it might not reach the 'huge' level. Especially after the battle in the desert, the number of people decreased sharply. But if the dead were included, then the number was inestimable. Not to mention, the people of Rock Hill City had been planning this for a long time.
Made of dead people …
Shao Xuan suddenly remembered when he was in the desert and snatched the core seed from the underground palace. At that time, he had a battle with Dao Yu in the underground palace. But after he killed Dao Yu, he met the people of Rock Hill City and could not bring Dao Yu's body back to the tribe.
If the people of Rock Hill City could really make dead people into monsters like this, then would the long dead Dao Yu also be brought back to be modified?
Seeing Shao Xuan frowning as he stared at the monster, Zheng Luo scratched the goosebumps on his arms. "The people of Rock Hill City are really scary. Luckily, their main target is the people on the other side of the sea. "
Shao Xuan closed the wooden box and moved it to another secret underground room in the Flaming River Castle. He had to study this carefully. At the very least, he had to know how to best deal with this kind of monster.
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