Chapter 967
Waiting for someone to come and rescue them
It may feel awkward, but the action is correct.
The leader of the Hanling tribe was named Helian. He was in his forties, his face roughened and calloused by the north wind, but his eyes were exceptionally bright. He was the most senior among the three tribes of the North. While Gu Po was still traveling from village to village treating patients, Helian was already leading the Hanling tribe to hunt in the coldest snowdrifts of the North.
When Wu Chen found him, he was squatting by a frozen river, scraping a deer hide with a stone knife.
"Chief Helian, the Black Anvil Tribe has sent a message requesting that you come over for a meeting."
Helian didn't stop what he was doing; he only raised his eyelids slightly.
Who invited them?
"Zheng Yi".
Helian paused for a moment.
Of course he knew Zheng Yi. In the past six months, a lot of news had come from the Black Anvil Department—a young man from the south had taken Black Anvil and Firefly to Beining City and brought back a lot of things. Helian hadn't seen those things with his own eyes, but some of his men had visited relatives in the Black Anvil Department and came back with effusive descriptions, such as "cloth as soft as clouds," "a small pot that can be used to boil medicine and fry eggs," and "spices that smell so good when sprinkled on meat that you can gnaw on three more bones."
When he heard this, he only said, "That's just bragging."
But now that Wu Chen has come to invite him personally, Helian has no choice but to think it over seriously.
What are we gathering for?
"Let's talk about the next batch of goods," Wu Chen said. "Zheng Yi said he wants to ship all three at once next time."
Helian put down the stone knife, wiped his hands on his leather robe, and stood up.
Three parts released at once?
No one had ever said this before. The three departments each lived their own lives, hunted their own hunts, and occasionally bumped into each other to exchange some items, but none of them would think of pooling their goods together to sell.
"When?"
"Three days later, at the Black Anvil Tribe's headquarters."
Helian was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"I go."
Three days later, at dusk, three bonfires were set up in the open space of the Black Anvil Tribe's camp.
This is an old custom in the North—the more bonfires there are, the more distinguished the guest is. One bonfire is enough on ordinary days, two bonfires are a big deal, and three bonfires mean that it is not just one person who has come, but the face of an entire tribe.
The old woman stood beside the largest fire and threw a handful of dry grass into it. The grass had been dried in the summer sun, and as soon as it was thrown into the fire, it emitted a faint, bitter fragrance. The smoke drifted away on the wind, as if telling all the creatures on this wasteland—a guest has arrived tonight.
Helian arrived first.
He brought six men, all the most skilled hunters of the Hanling tribe, each with a bone knife at their waist and a bow on their back. This wasn't showing off; it was the custom in the North—to go to another tribe for a meeting without bringing enough men made one appear insecure.
Wu Chen went to greet him and, according to the etiquette of the North, first offered him a leather bag of hot water.
He took a sip, his gaze passing over Wu Chen and landing on the three bonfires in the open space.
“Three campfires,” he said slowly.
“Yes,” Wu Chen said. “Zheng Yi said there should be one set for each of the three.”
Helian didn't say anything more, and led his men to the fire on the left, where they sat down cross-legged.
Not long after, Yan'ao arrived with the Firemane Tribe.
The Firemane Tribe sent over a dozen people, more than the Cold Feather Tribe. Yan Ao walked at the front, his face not looking too good—he had argued with several elders of the tribe when he arrived. Someone said he was "being led by the nose by the southerners," and he almost came to blows with that person. In the end, the old chief managed to calm things down and let him see "what Zheng Yi was trying to say."
The Firemane tribe members sat around the central fire.
Kuro-no-bu sat down by the fire on the right.
Three bonfires, three groups of people, with a small open space in the middle, like an invisible river separating the three families.
This was the scene Zheng Yi saw when he came out of the tent.
Each of the three families sat separately, warming themselves by their own fires, and no one spoke to anyone else. Occasionally, someone would look up and glance at each other, but their eyes would immediately look away, like two wild beasts meeting on a narrow path in the snow, neither willing to lower their heads first.
The old woman stood by the fire, glanced at Zheng Yi, and her eyes seemed to say—it's up to you now.
Zheng Yi did not walk to the open space in the middle, nor did he stand next to any of the fires. Instead, he went directly to the point where the three fires met and sat down cross-legged.
The light from the three fires shone on him at the same time, illuminating him brightly.
This location was chosen very cleverly.
He was neither too close nor too far, neither biased nor partial; all three families could see him, and all three families felt that he did not favor any one family.
Helian watched Zheng Yi sit down, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He looked the young man up and down.
The fur coat was from the north, but it was worn rather improperly; the collar was tucked in too neatly, like that of a refined person from the south. His face wasn't particularly fair, nor was it as rough as someone who spent most of their life making a living in the snow; it was somewhere in between. What was most striking were his eyes—unwavering yet not intimidating, just looking over calmly, as if to say, "I'm sitting down; you can say whatever you want."
"You are Zheng Yi?" Helian spoke first.
"Yes."
"You invited us here to discuss shipping goods from all three regions together." Helian rested his hand on his knee, his fingers tapping lightly on his knuckles. "I want to ask you something first—you, a person from the south, what gives you the right to bring the goods from the three northern regions under your control?"
That's a rather impolite question.
Yan Ao frowned and glanced at Zheng Yi.
Wu Chen's hands tightened slightly around the leather robe on his knees.
The old woman didn't react much; she simply slowly sprinkled another handful of dry grass into the fire.
Zheng Yi didn't rush to answer.
He first pulled over a leather bag behind him, untied the rope, and took out a bundle of cloth, a small bag of salt, an iron dagger, and a string of animal teeth beads, placing them one by one on the ground in front of him.
“These are the things I brought back from my last trip to Beining City,” he said.
Helian looked at those things without saying a word.
"The cloth is fine cotton, used for linings, which we don't have in the north. The salt is fine salt, cleaner than the coarse salt we usually eat. This dagger is made of iron, harder than a bone knife. This bracelet is made from animal teeth that you usually throw away; you can exchange them for money in Beining City."
Zheng Yi paused for a moment, then looked up at Helian.
"Chief Helian asked me what made me think I could do this. I won't boast, I'll just say one thing—last time we went to Beining City, the goods that Black Anvil and Firefly brought back were more than twice as much as what they had in previous years when they ran their own errands."
More than double.
The four words landed on the ground, and the area around the three bonfires fell silent for a moment.
Helian's fingers stopped.
He knew Zheng Yi wouldn't lie about something like this. It would be too easy to expose; he could simply ask the people in the Black Anvil Department to find out the truth. Zheng Yi dared to say it in front of the Three Departments because he wasn't afraid of being investigated.
“That’s because Black Anvil and Firefly Mane produce better goods,” Helian said. “The Cold Feather Tribe might not be able to produce that much.”
"That's why I invited Chief Helian here," Zheng Yi said. "It's not to get you to agree now, but to let you see if it's worth it."
He took something else out of the bag, this time a rolled-up piece of parchment.
He unfolded the parchment and spread it on the ground. On it was a crooked drawing in charcoal—not a map, but a "declaration of goods." On the left were various goods that could be produced in the North: hides, tendons, bones, herbs, teeth, horns, and frozen ore; on the right were the corresponding items that could be exchanged in Beining City: cloth, cotton, salt, ironware, spices, needles and thread, cookware, and seasonings.
The drawing wasn't particularly beautiful, but it was easy to understand at a glance.
Helian stared at the picture for a long time.
"Did you draw this yourself?"
"Yes."
How do you know these can be exchanged for those?
"Because I just came back from Beining City, I asked about the price of everything and exchanged items," Zheng Yi said. "The numbers on this picture are from when I tested the real things."
Helian raised his head and glanced at Zheng Yi again.
This time, there was less scrutiny in his eyes and something else.
"You said you'd release all three at once, how do you plan to do that?"
Zheng Yi knew that this meant they were willing to continue the discussion.
“Each of the three departments produces its own goods, but I will negotiate with the major banks when the goods are put together,” Zheng Yi said. “Loose goods are cheaper, while bulk goods are more expensive. With the three departments combined, we have a wider variety of goods and a larger quantity, so I can negotiate higher prices with the major banks. The negotiated price will be divided among the three departments according to the amount of goods they produce.”
"Then who decides?" A man much older than Yan Ao spoke up from the Firemane tribe. He sat in the middle of the fire, holding a worn-out bow in his arms, his face half-lit and half-shadowed by the firelight.
Zheng Yi recognized him—the old hunter of the Firemane tribe, Yan Ao's uncle, named Tie Gu.
Last time Yan'ao led a group to Beining City, Tiegu didn't go; his trust in Zheng Yi was far less than that in Yan'ao.
"Are you asking about the person in charge?" Zheng Yi asked.
“Yes.” Tie Gu’s voice was deep. “When all three departments ship together, someone has to make the final decision. How to divide the goods, how to negotiate the price, how to arrange the route, and who will take responsibility if something goes wrong? You can’t expect all three departments to listen to you alone.”
These words were even more direct than Helian's, but Zheng Yi not only didn't feel offended, but secretly nodded in agreement.
This shows they really took the matter seriously.
“Uncle Tiegu, I didn’t mean to make the three departments listen to me alone,” Zheng Yi said. “But I am indeed the person who knows the situation, rules and connections in the south best. I’ve met Steward Lu of Shenghe Group, and I’ve walked the roads of Wanping Wharf. Next time I go, at least I won’t have to start from scratch.”
He paused, then said, "So my idea is—I'll handle things like negotiating prices, shipping goods, and liaising with major banks. But you can decide the internal affairs of the three departments yourselves. What goods to ship, how much to ship, and how to distribute the goods in return will be decided by the heads of the three departments together. I won't interfere."
Helian and Tiegu remained silent for a moment.
This explanation was better than they had anticipated.
What they feared most was that Zheng Yi, under the guise of being "in charge," would extend his influence into the inner workings of the Third Department. Now it seems that this young man clearly understands where the boundaries lie.
Tiegu then asked, "You said if we ship all three together, how much can we raise the price?"
Instead of giving a specific number, Zheng Yi said something that surprised everyone present.
"I do not know."
Iron Bones frowned.
“But I can tell you that last time Black Anvil and Firefly were shipped separately, they made 30% more money than selling individually in Greenstone Town. This time, all three are shipping together, with a wider selection and larger quantity. Even if we only raise the price by half a percent, it's still better than each of you making your own trip.” Zheng Yi looked at Iron Bone. “If I gave you a number, I would be lying to you. I can only say that I will do my best to negotiate.”
People whispered a few words around the fire.
Tiegu remained silent for a long time before finally not asking any further questions.
Helian hadn't said much, but Zheng Yi noticed that he was looking at the string of animal teeth beads.
The bracelet made of several polished animal teeth was casually placed next to the parchment by Zheng Yi. When the firelight shone on it, the patterns on the teeth seemed to come alive, shimmering in concentric circles.
"Can this be sold for money?" Helian picked up the bracelet.
“Yes, we can. And it doesn’t require much material; it’s just the animal teeth you usually throw away,” Zheng Yi said. “There’s a market for this kind of thing in Beining City.”
Helian examined the bracelet several times, turning it over and over, before suddenly asking, "Can the Hanling tribe also make this?"
“Of course,” Zheng Yi said. “Whoever does it best will be used. The three departments will not undercut each other or compete for jobs; they will each do what they are good at. Black Anvil has a lot of leather goods, Firefly Mane has good hunting goods, and Cold Feather has a lot of bone materials and herbs, which complement each other perfectly.”
Helian put the bracelet back, neither saying it was good nor bad.
But Zheng Yi sensed that the atmosphere was completely different from when he had just sat down.
The invisible river between the three bonfires seemed to have narrowed a little.
When it was completely dark, the Bone Woman had meat and wine brought out.
The meat had been roasting for a while; a whole yellow sheep was placed on the largest fire, its fat sizzling and dripping into the flames, releasing bursts of aroma. The wine was homemade in the north, fermented from wild fruits and some kind of grass root; it tasted sour and astringent at first, but had a strong aftertaste.
The old woman personally cut the roasted mutton into large chunks, placed them on a wooden tray, and first presented them to Helian, then to Tiegu, and finally to Zheng Yi.
This is the custom in the North—a strict hierarchy, guests before hosts, and elders before juniors.
He took the meat and glanced at the Bone Woman.
"Bone Woman, what role do you play in this?"
The old woman wiped the oil off her hands on her apron and said calmly, "I'm nothing special. I'm just old and have lived a long time. I occasionally treat their illnesses and chat with them."
Helian snorted: "If you are 'nothing,' then the Black Anvil Division has no one to count things."
The old woman didn't reply. She turned around and walked back to the fire, adding a few pieces of dry firewood to it.
The meat was distributed, and the wine was poured.
The atmosphere gradually warmed up.
Chi Ya, carrying a bowl of wine, cautiously approached the hunters Helian had brought. He wanted to speak but didn't know what to say. After hesitating for a while, he blurted out, "Is the snow heavy over in the Hanling tribe?"
The hunters exchanged glances, and one of the younger ones couldn't help but chuckle.
"big."
"When you're hunting, do you ever step into snow pits?"
"meeting."
"What should I do?"
"Climb out."
Chiya said "Oh," and then didn't know what else to say.
An older hunter nearby, seeing his predicament, kindly added, "Sometimes you can't climb out."
Red Fang's eyes widened: "Then what do we do?"
"Waiting for someone to come and rescue us."
Chiya thought about it seriously, then nodded, as if he were memorizing a very important survival lesson.
On the other side, Wu Chen sat opposite Helian, holding a wine bowl. (End of Chapter)