Chapter 590: Isn't this still difficult to deal with?

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

Aletei's smile froze on his face: "Can't, can't eat it? Why?"

The old man tottered over, staring at the layer of white salt in the pot: "What do you mean by that?"

Xue Tong sniffed again carefully: "This salt is different from the lake's salt; you'll know just by smelling it."

The old man hastily pinched some from the pot, brought it to his nose, sniffed hard, and his face suddenly changed: "What is this smell? I've never smelled anything like it."

Aletei leaned in to his hand, sniffed, and nodded repeatedly: "Exactly! There's a strange odor! The salt before wasn't like this!"

The others, no longer afraid of Little Egg Egg, rushed forward, pinched salt and held it to their noses, and in an instant, exclamations rose and fell.

Indeed it is!

"I've lived by this lake for decades and have never smelled anything like this!"

"Has this salt gone bad?"

Suddenly, two huge fingers reached into the pot and quickly snatched all the remaining salt from the bottom.

Everyone looked up and saw Little Egg Egg also holding salt to his nose to sniff.

Then he shook his big head and made a jumble of noises, obviously imitating what everyone had just done.

Everyone: "……"

Tuan Tuan pointed at Little Egg Egg and laughed happily: "How can you be so cute, Little Egg Egg!"

Kang An also laughed heartily: "Fun!"

But the adults couldn't laugh; the faces of the tribespeople were all covered in gloom and misery.

Xiao Er and Lu Qi sniffed, then exchanged a glance.

Xiao Er said: "This smell is so much like……"

Lu Qi replied bluntly: "Niter."

Xue Tong nodded: "Exactly, it's niter; the water of this salt spring contains niter,"

He looked at the pool of greenish water in the pit: "And there's quite a lot of it—no wonder the water is that color."

The old man's face turned ashen: "Niter?"

Xue Tong pinched the salt between his fingers: "Niter can be used in medicine; a little is fine, but the amount in this water," he shook his head, "is poisonous—anyone who eats it will surely come to harm."

The old man swayed, and Aletei hurried to support him.

He looked up to the sky and murmured: "The gods still haven't spared us."

Aletei lowered his head; the excitement he'd just felt vanished without a trace.

A few timid women who hadn't dared to come forward, holding their children, couldn't help but burst into tears.

"Why is our life so hard?!"

"The child is still so young—what are we going to do in the future?!"

The old man straightened up: "Thank you, everyone, since there's nothing we can do……"

Xue Tong, who had been deep in thought, looked up at his words and glared at him: "Who said there's no way?"

The old man startled, and everyone lifted their heads in unison.

Aletei hurriedly asked: "Didn't you say the salt contains niter, so it can't be used?"

Xue Tong snorted: "This salt spring was found by my disciple—of course it can be used!"

Tuan Tuan flung her arms around his chest and looked at everyone: "You don't need to worry—my master is amazing! He can neutralize any poison!"

Xue Tong smiled and rubbed her little head: "So obedient!"

Xiao Ningxun laughed: "Old Valley Master's medical skill is divine—have you figured out how to neutralize it?"

Xue Tong ignored him, turned to Aletei, and asked: "Do you have any grass ash here?"

Aletei looked bewildered: "Grass ash? What's that?"

Xue Tong pointed to the dry, withered grass on the slope: "It's the ash left after burning those grasses."

Aletei suddenly understood: "Yes, yes, yes! You mean stove ash, right? We burn these grasses every day to cook."

He pointed toward the nearby felt tents: "Look, there's a pile at the entrance of each tent!"

Xue Tong nodded: "Bring me some of that, and also a piece of the felt you use for your tents."

"All right!" Aletei took off running.

Not long after, he came running back carrying a large wooden basin full of grayish-brown grass ash.

"Is this enough?"

Xue Tong glanced at it: "Enough."

He squatted down, poured all the salt from the pot onto the ground, took the felt from Aletei's hand, tore off a large piece, laid it over the pot, poured some grass ash onto the felt, and smoothed it out with his hand.

"Fetch water from the pit."

Aletei didn't waste a word, ran back to the edge of the pit, and scooped up a bowl of greenish water.

Xue Tong took the water bowl and slowly poured the water evenly over the grass ash.

The water seeped through the ash layer and slowly trickled into the pot.

Xue Tong lifted the felt, and everyone's eyes widened instantly—the water in the pot had turned from greenish to light green!

Aletei's eyes stared wide: "How did the color get lighter?"

Xue Tong stood up: "Do it again twice, just as I did before."

"All right!" Aletei hurried forward and followed the same steps.

After the final round, the water in the pot was as clear as ordinary water, with not a hint of color.

Xue Tong looked it over: "All right, boil this water."

Aletei hurriedly lit the fire again, and the water soon boiled away.

This time, the salt left at the bottom of the pot was still snow‑white, and far finer than just now.

Xue Tong pinched a pinch, smelled it, then put it in his mouth to taste, and nodded: "Isn't this fine? Why panic? My disciple found it for you; it can't be wrong."

The elder shakily extended his hand, grabbed a small pinch, put it in his mouth, and was stunned.

"What's wrong?" Alatai stared at him anxiously.

The elder's lips trembled: "Fine, fine salt! Much better than the salt from the lake before!"

He lifted his head, looking at the tribe's expectant eyes: "This salt surpasses even the finest fine salt in the government!"

The crowd was momentarily stunned, then erupted in thunderous cheers.

"Great! We now have the best salt!"

"Better than the government's! The gods are manifest!"

Alatai seized the elder's arm: "If we take this salt to sell, our lives will improve!"

The elder's smile faded slowly, and he shook his head: "No. Selling salt secretly behind the government's back—are you out of your mind?"

"We let you sell it because the government despises the lake's salt, and we're in a hurry to move."

The elder sighed, pointing at the pot: "Take a good look; can this salt compare to the old one?"

Alatai opened his mouth, but could not speak.

The elder continued: "If we sell such fine salt, and the government finds out, the king will surely send people to seize these salt springs."

He looked around his tribe, his voice lowering: "When that time comes, we'll still have to move."

"We should just use it ourselves as before, maybe take a little out to trade for something."

Alatai grew urgent: "But even so, after a while the government will find out!"

The elder's brows knit into a knot.

"Unless," Alatai scratched his head, "we use it all ourselves and take not a single grain out."

The crowd instantly erupted.

"How much can we use ourselves?"

"What's the difference between this and guarding a gold mountain while begging for food?"

Xiao Ningxun clasped his fists and said: "Elder, what if you don't sell to the people of the Kucha Kingdom? Could you sell to other Western Regions countries?"

Xiao Ningyuan nodded: "Right, the Western Regions have so many countries; your government can only control its own, how could it control them?"

Alatai rejoiced: "Exactly! We sell to distant places, we don't sell at our doorstep, that's fine, right?"

The elder shook his head: "You think I haven't thought of it? But don't they have no salt themselves?"

"Even if someone is willing to travel far to buy our fine salt, won't they tell others? Who would keep such a secret for us forever?"

"When that time comes, besides secretly selling salt, the government might even charge us with colluding with an enemy state, and then we truly won't survive."

The crowd fell silent.

All the excitement and joy cooled, little by little.

Alatai lowered his head and plopped down on the ground.

The tribe members whispered:

"Such good salt, how has it become a disaster?"

"What sin have we created?"

Tuan Tuan's eyes rolled, and he shouted: "Isn't this easy to handle?"