When rumors that a ferocious beast attacked Yuanji's residence and ate up all the live prey kept by Yuanji spread to Yuan Zhan's ears, Yuan Zhan felt that it was time to talk to Hao.
That day, when Yuan Zhan stepped on the thick snow to the door of the pit house where the leader of Yuanji lived in the outer city, several Yuanji soldiers were clearing the snow. It rained all night last night and blocked the gate of the pit house.
"Is the trench there?"
"Big battle! Uh, war chief, the chief is inside."
The soldier was thinking about whether to report, when he heard a voice from inside the pit room: "Is it a big war? Come in."
Yuan Zhan smiled at the soldier, patted him, opened the door and walked down the steps.
There is an animal skin curtain on both sides of the steps, the chief of the trench is on the left, and the old priest is on the right. There are hanging ornaments on the animal skin curtains to indicate their identities.
Just as Yuan Zhan was about to lift the animal skin curtain on the left, the animal skin curtain on the right was raised, and the old priest walked out from inside, laughing, "Come to find a trench?"
Yuan Zhan smiled, "Lord Qiushi."
"It just so happens that I have something to look for him, let's go together."
"If Master Qiu Shi has something to ask Chief Hao, I can come back later."
"No, it's nothing serious." The old priest smiled kindly.
A strange look flashed in Yuan Zhan's eyes, when did this old guy smile so amiably at him? What is his idea? Could it be that Yuan Shi didn't have enough food, and they planned to borrow some more from him
Thinking of that rumor, Yuan Zhan imitated Yan Mo and said "hehe".
"Da Da, come in with Qiushi." Hao said again in the room.
Yuan Zhan raised the animal skin curtain and signaled the old priest to advance.
The old priest was also polite, and entered Hao's room first.
Yuan Zhan paused at the door, scanned the room once before entering.
The pit house was very dark, except for the firepit in the middle of the house, which was used for both heating and lighting.
There is a stone pot on the fire pond, and snow water is boiled in it. When the water boils, it is almost boiled dry, so a little more snow is added.
Hao greeted Yuan Zhan and the old priest to sit down by the firepit, and scooped up bowls of hot water for each of them with his own hands.
Yuan Zhan took over, with one leg propped up, the other leg curled up, and one hand resting on the knee of the propped leg, in a very casual posture.
"What do you want from me?" Hao asked after taking a sip of hot water.
Yuan Zhan put down the stone bowl, "Master Qiushi, if you have something to say, you can speak first." He made it clear that he didn't want to say anything in front of the old priest.
He can directly enter Hao's pit house from the ground without letting anyone find out, but on the one hand, he thinks it is unnecessary, and on the other hand, he doesn't want Hao to live in uneasiness—his bloodline ability is very convenient for assassination.
"Da Da, it just so happens that you're here, and I'm going to He Hao to find you." The old priest said with a smile on his face.
Yuan Zhan had a strange feeling in his heart again, but his expression didn't change, he just raised his eyelids and said, "What do you want from me?"
The old priest looked at Hao, but Hao didn't seem to see his gaze.
The old priest snorted coldly in his heart, and with just the right amount of flattery, he smiled at Yuan Zhan: "It's not that we just came to this land not long ago, and entered the winter without any preparations, but many of our powerful fighters Let’s go with you, we didn’t catch much food in the last hunt before winter.”
fart! He admitted that it was true that several of the most powerful fighters followed him, but not all of the more than 300 fighters who followed were fighters, and there were only about 200 fighters. The original damage was not serious. Of the more than 600 people left, at least 400 of them have combat effectiveness.
Moreover, the last hunting before winter, Hide and Hunter saw that they took good care of the original warriors in the past, and Jiuyuan had a good harvest, and Yuan actually got a lot. It is not easy to save food and money to survive the whole winter What's more, many people in Jiuyuan are still secretly helping Yuanji.
Yuan Zhan didn't open his mouth to refute, he just looked at what the old priest said next.
The old priest looked at Yuan Zhan's face and sighed, "Some people saw that we fought a lot, but we also had a large number of people, and there were not many of them in everyone's hands. However, some living creatures that I wanted to keep for the winter after fighting last time were here. A few days ago, it was eaten up by wild beasts."
An undisguised sneer floated on the corner of Yuan Zhan's lips, who is the beast referring to? Aren't the beasts that can appear near Jiuyuan just Jiufeng and Tiebeilong's family
Ke Mo had thought about this a long time ago, and communicated with the four murderers several times to tell them not to hunt in the nearby two-legged monster's residence, Jiufeng and Iron Back Dragon's family agreed.
There is no trace of people in the ten-day journey from Jiuyuan to Hongyan Lake. Jiufeng and the others are hunting there now. Neither Mo nor he intends to let this land enter the population in the future. Jiufeng also said that he does not want to let it go. Twolegs came into its back garden.
The beast ate the real live prey? He felt that someone couldn't help stealing it, and then planted this charge on Jiufeng and the others.
"Nine Wind and the Tiebeilong family have returned to its lair."
"What?" The old priest looked surprised.
"As early as when Mo and I came back with a group of savages, Lord Jiufeng and the Iron-backed Dragon family went back to the place where it was stationed. If Lord Jiufeng and the Iron-backed dragon family come back, I believe everyone will see them. With such a big body, it’s not like the blind can’t see it.”
The old priest looked as if he had just learned the news, "Really? I thought the Lord Mountain God had taken a fancy to our prey, and was thinking about sending people out to hunt and then donate part of it."
Then he said with a sad face: "If it wasn't for the Lord Mountain God and the Tiebeilong family, wouldn't it mean that there were other ferocious beasts around Jiuyuan? Look, if there are ferocious beasts, we should get rid of this hidden danger as soon as possible."
Cunning old fellow! I also want Jiuyuan to help you hunt. Yuan Zhan didn't look at him, but looked at Hao, "Hao, is there really not enough food in the tribe?"
Hao, who hadn't spoken all the time, nodded silently.
The old priest immediately said sadly: "Most of the people left in the tribe today are old, weak, sick and disabled. They eat no less than the soldiers, and there are not many slaves left. The season is not right. In previous years, we old people Some people can grow some millet to eat, but this year I can only eat grass roots with everyone."
The old priest saw that Hao refused to take over, and cursed inwardly, so he continued, "How difficult it is for us! In the past, we could survive until the beginning of spring by eating two-legged sheep, but now Hao said that you don't eat two-legged sheep in Jiuyuan, and neither can we." Eat, but we can’t just sit and watch those pregnant women and children starve to death. Da Da, if you have any extra food, can you lend us some? Let’s return it together next fall.”
The strange feeling in Yuan Zhan's heart was lingering. When did the old priest become so... able to talk? He also thought that the old priest would point at his nose and yell at him as before, or sneer at him, or threaten him with his previous affection, in short, he would not talk around the corner like this.
Strange, as if the old priest had suddenly changed his personality.
A person who used to be superior in the past suddenly talked to him with a smiling face. Yuan Zhan not only didn't feel complacent, but raised his guard a little bit more.
"Food, we have it, but there is not much. After all, Jiuyuan has not been established for a long time, and it will be a little better this year. If you want to exchange for food, you can, but we don't want any more prey."
"We don't have slaves to exchange, let alone soldiers." The old priest saw the original plan and bit him to death.
"We want women."
"no!"
"Then the child." Yuan Zhan added: "As long as the orphan has no father or mother. You used this kind of child as a two-legged sheep in the past. Why don't you give it to us? If the child can survive, you can also get it. food."
The old priest didn't refuse immediately, but thought in his mind, "How much food can you give us in exchange? It's better to live, I know you have raised a large group of living animals."
There was a hint of greed in the eyes of the old priest, he needed blood to feed this dying body. People are not good at stealing and killing, they can only hunt for their prey.
Yuan Zhan did not miss the greed, "There are no living things, only unmarinated frozen meat, ten frozen mutton for ten children."
"No." The old priest didn't expect that Jiuyuan would be so stupid as to give them food for nothing, "Ten frozen sheep can be exchanged for at most five of your children, only the cubs under five years old."
"Under ten years old."
"no!"
Yuan Zhan frowned, "Children are not easy to raise. Children under the age of five are already weak. If they are not properly raised, they can't even survive the winter."
The old priest refused to agree, and turned his head and shouted at Hao: "Chief!"
Taking a deep breath, he said to Yuan Zhan: "For children under the age of six, those who have no parents or elder brothers will be given to you."
Jian Hao opened his mouth, Yuan Zhan no longer insisted, "How many?"
"Originally there were about 30 children, but now there are less than 20." Some of these children did not die of starvation or disease, but disappeared.
"Too few, add a few more women."
"No!" A woman definitely can't give it. The old priest himself was still thinking about those women from the Granma tribe.
Hao grabbed three dead branches of the same length, snapped them off in the middle, and threw them into the firepit two by two. You know all kinds of jobs in Jiuyuan, and you don’t have to be healthy fighters. You can take them back, give them stutters, let them spin hemp for you, or do anything. These people don’t want you to exchange food, so seventeen or eight If you have two children, you count as twenty, okay?"
The former chiefs have spoken to such an extent, how can Yuan Zhan say no? Even if this exchange is very disadvantageous for him. Yuan Zhan had no choice but to nod, with a little bit of reluctance to vent his emotions, he grabbed the stone bowl that was just beside him, poured the cold water on the corner of the wall, and scooped up a cup of hot water again.
The old priest had long wanted to get rid of the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled, and Wang Hao pushed the pile of waste to Jiuyuan so easily, feeling very satisfied.
So the two parties decided to exchange twenty children under the age of six for food equivalent to forty adult frozen mutton.
The old priest still wants to change living things, he can't wait for the next spring, and his current body can't support him into the forest.
"Da Wars, do you want furs? We will exchange the best furs with you for live prey, as long as twenty... ten are fine."
Just as Yuan Zhan was about to refuse, he changed his mind and said, "No fur, do you have a lot of herbs and plant seeds in your place? Our priests like these, you bring them, and I will look at the prey that will be exchanged for you."
"Okay, when you come to my place later, I will find it for you. Another thing is that the winter is cold, and many people in the tribe suffer from frostbite, and some people's hands and feet are damaged by the frostbite. If this is not the case, the chief and I will not I will have the cheek to go to Jiuyuan to spend the winter. This pit house is warmer than a tent. We plan to dig a few big pits like this in the spring of next year. However, although this pit house is warm, it is also inconvenient. For example, Heavy snow, if the people in the house fall asleep, they will not know if they are buried alive by the snow."
"Master Qiu Shi, do you think that the pit house we lent you by Jiu Yuan is not good?" Yuan Zhan said angrily.
The old priest who took advantage smiled, "Of course not. I just thought we couldn't borrow a house from you every winter. Anyway, they are all from a tribe. The war will start next spring, and it will also help us build a city Well, you Sirang people can control the soil, building a house is not difficult for you."
How thick-skinned is it to bring it up like this? Yuan Zhan wondered if he was too easy to talk just now, which made the old priest so... What is the word called silently? Yes, push an inch!
"You want us to help build a house? Yes, you can exchange it with a living person."
The old priest winked at Hao, and Hao said helplessly: "We don't have so many people to exchange for you. Don't listen to Qiu Shi, how to build the tribe, we will build it ourselves, without your help. Didn't you say you have something to ask me for?" What? What's the matter?"
Hao didn't drive the old priest away, knowing that he couldn't drive him away, what's the point of saying this again
"I want to talk to you about the division of the hunting grounds for next year."
When the old priest heard this was the case, he stopped interjecting and only watched the negotiation between Hao and Yuanzhan.
Coming out of the trench, Yuan Zhan went back to the inner city to explain a few things, and then transferred to Yan Mo.
Yan Mo has passed the fourth-level test of the Bone Refining Clan inheritance, and is currently learning the fifth-level knowledge.
Starting from the fifth level, the time requirement for the bone bearing was not so strict, and the bone bearing that could only be worn on top of the head turned into something like a wide bracelet and got stuck on his left wrist.
Yan Mo felt that this arrangement was reasonable.
After all, the bone refiners never thought of handing over the inheritance to creatures other than the bone refiners. The time from the first level to the third level will be so tight. It should be that the bone refiners who can enter the place of inheritance already have a certain foundation , the knowledge below the third level is not difficult for them at all, it's just a formality.
The fourth level is considered an entry level for bone refiners, so forty-nine days of study time were given. However, the fourth-level examination excludes those who are not suitable for learning bone refining, or who do not study it seriously.
The difficulty increases from the fifth level, and mental strength training becomes one of the main branches. Even the bone refiners with a little talent need to exercise for a long time. For this reason, there is no time limit set for the bone bearing, allowing learners to learn it until they have mastered it. Master it and then challenge the fifth-level trial.
Yan Mo guessed that even the Bone Refining Clan would only be able to stop at the fifth level if their mental power was not developed. Because if you want to learn the bone refining technique above the sixth level, you must pass the fifth level test.
From the fifth level, learners are required to independently make a complete bone tool that can be manipulated by Yuanjing.
Yan Mo intends to go back after fully mastering the knowledge inheritance of the fifth level. Anyway, he has space and pockets, and he doesn't have to worry about food and drink, but bathing and keeping warm are more troublesome.
Because of Yuan Zhan's special ability, he has no pressure to enter and leave the place where the Bone Refining Clan inherits. He knows that there are more powerful big guys in the place of inheritance, but he can escape even if he can't fight, so he is not afraid.
"Chief Hao is asking you for help?" Yan Mo had only devoted one-third of his attention to Yuan Zhan, and he didn't raise his head until he heard this sentence.
Yuan Zhan nodded, with a slightly serious expression, "That's a special action agreed among the warriors in the tribe, and it's only used when trapped or threatened by the enemy, and our own people don't know the situation."
"Please explain the process in detail again."
Yuan Zhan was not impatient, so he said it again from the beginning to the end.
"There seems to be something wrong, that old fellow Qiushi..." Yan Mo pondered.
Yuan Zhan, "You heard it too? I think the old priest seems to be a different person."
"Changed a different person?" Yan Mo's heart trembled, thinking that the old guy wouldn't be pierced by the soul like him, right? "I want to meet him."
"Don't worry, you should train the Bone Refining Clan first. I will watch over the tribe, and nothing will happen. If the old priest really has a problem, I'd like to see what he wants to do."
"It's nothing more than the idea of playing Jiuyuan, or for the fruit of witch luck. Do you think Qiu Shi knows that the fruit of witch luck is on me?"
"I didn't feel it."
Yan Mo tapped his knees, "If it was the original old priest, as long as he had heard about the fruit of witch luck, he would be able to analyze that the fruit is here with me now. When Jiufeng brought the fruit back, there were people in the original tribe Many people saw that not all those people came back with us."
"I'm going to find a chance to look for Hao again, but Qiu Shi keeps a close eye on Hao."
"I will find an opportunity. When I go back, I will find a reason to invite both of them together, and we will chat with them separately." Yan Mo had a good impression of Hao, and he didn't want this person to die or be abolished just like that. It is a pity for such a leader to die if he is still thinking about sending out those who cannot support him in the tribe to make a living when he is under control.
Yuan Zhan also laughed, "I am more and more suspicious that the old guy is not Qiushi. He said he would give the old soldier to me, but he didn't stop him. He thought he was taking advantage of it. Let's not talk about those children, the younger they are, the younger they are. The easier it is to raise loyalty, let’s talk about those who are old, weak, sick, and disabled. Don’t look at those old soldiers who can no longer hunt. Some people are still disabled, but their fighting experience and hunting experience are still there, and they can live to be over forty years old. Veterans are human beings. In previous winters, if it wasn’t that there was not enough food, no one would attack the veterans. If they really couldn’t survive, they usually killed themselves. We in Jiuyuan are short of everything now. Experienced old fighters can help us train new fighters, future slaves, and those savages, which are of great use.”