Chapter 412: What Kind of Scallion Are You, Old Man

If these words had been spoken by Ying in the past, he would never have said them, but now it's different; in his view, opening this street now is not easy, and the Jiuzhou Tribe knows it, and now the tribe finally forgets the Shanhai Yishi street that comes here to trade, and this time he will not give up!

No one may think of making him give up this street!

Boom!

Ying's words blew up the pot, and Sangtian, even more angry, immediately stood up, blowing his beard and glaring, "Bold, are you talking to me?"

Qingfeng, worried that Ying had angered the Great Elder, hurried forward to soothe him, "Ying, you can't treat the Great Elder that way; the Elder told you to close it, just close it and that's enough."

"Shut up, what right do you have to speak here?"

"I…"

Qingfeng hadn't expected, after years apart, that Ying had become so cold‑blooded, so alien; the alienness made them feel very scared. It seemed the rumors were true: Ying only treats one female well, that big‑bellied Nan Qinghuan? At that moment Qingfeng felt very aggrieved, bit their lip and silently stepped aside.

"Ying, you dare to ignore my words—do you know that Shanhai Yishi is a place ordained by the Heavenly God? Our tribe, including those of the Jiuzhou Tribe, go there to trade. You did the same when you were young; why have you changed now? This opposes the Heavenly God. Look, winter has just begun and such heavy Snow has fallen—that's the Heavenly God punishing us. Don't keep making mistakes; listen to me: the street here is closed, everyone goes to Shanhai Yishi to trade, everything returns to how it was. I can no longer blame you for not living in the Cave, nor blame you for turning the tribe into this."

Those words really make one want to punch someone!

Ji Lei, standing aside, could no longer stay silent, "Great Elder, we live in Tulou where the wind blows but the sun doesn't shine; we feel very comfortable, far more comfortable than living in a Cave."

"Yes, Great Elder, you haven't been back for many years; you don't know, this past year we have…"

"Shut up, you bunch of forgetful ones, have you forgotten that our ancestors have lived this way for generations, dwelling in caves and eating fruit? Look at what you are now."

What is it? Ying didn't want to say more to him; in fact he had already guessed something: Luosang had come looking for him, but he refused. Later he went to stir up the Rongdi, yet he failed and was driven out by the Rongdi. Could it be that now Luosang is coming to this Great Elder? He sneered, "According to the Great Elder, our people are only fit to live in caves all their lives, eating wild fruit and enduring those hard days, right?"

Sangtian felt a bit awkward, yet remained fierce, "In short, what our ancestors left behind cannot be discarded; that's the Tribe's tradition. If you want to discard it, look at the Tribe now—there's no sign of the old ways. Those trees are gone, cut down to build Tulou, the forests that once were have become the fertile fields you call good farmland; these are sins."

The Great Elder still lives as the Ancient People did, so when he returned and saw the tribe had adopted a different way of life, he truly could not accept it.

That old mindset is at work, of course, and the biggest reason is that he received favors from others, using them to pressure Ying. He wants Ying to close this street, so that Shanhai Yishi can be reopened.

That is his purpose.

"Sin, I don't know what sin is, nor do I know what the Heavenly God thinks. All I know is that I am the Clan Leader here; I have the responsibility to ensure my people are fed, clothed, and live good lives. Great Elder, I respect that you once helped me and A Mu, and I also respect that you are the senior elder of the tribe. That's why, when you returned, I had people invite you here, treating you to fine food and drink. But I hope you understand, I'm not doing this because Ying fears you; I'm not afraid of anyone. I just don't want to quarrel with you. The Ying Tribe has become what it is today—you've seen that my people are very happy, and my tribe has grown stronger, now becoming a great tribe. Isn't that good?"

"You…"

Great Elder Sangtian couldn't believe that Ying was now disobedient; is he still the little brat who used to listen to him? No, he's not any longer!

At that moment, Sangtian realized he was truly old.

So old that no one listens to anything he says!

"If you're back to teach me a lesson, then that's unnecessary; the street is already open, tomorrow is Market Day, many tribes will come here to trade. If you want to trade, stay here; if not, you can go back. I'll have someone send you back, with some sweet potatoes and corn for the road."

Leaving that, Ying coldly ordered, "Youchao Xuan."

"I'm coming."

Youchao Xuan brought a bamboo basket containing some dried corn and some sweet potatoes, "Ying."

Ying reached out, took the items, then handed them to Qingfeng, "Are you leaving now or tomorrow? You can take these back and eat for a few days; the taste is quite good."

Ying was doing it on purpose; Sangtian, angry, stomped his foot, repeatedly striking his cane—the symbol of his authority—but he hadn't expected that the tribe members would disobey.

Before, whatever he said was law; now… it's nothing!

"How can this be? 'Ying, fine, are you trying to drive me away? Don't forget how you obtained the Clan Leader position; back then, if it hadn't been me, could you…?'"

"What can you do? The Clan Leader position I earned through fighting; it has nothing to do with you. I thank you for saving me when I was young. If you want to stay, I'll have people look after you, take care of your life, but if you intend to cause trouble, then don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Ying, how can you speak to the Elder like that? The Elder also acts for your good. Think about it: since ancient times, streets could only be built by the Heavenly God's command. By constructing a street now, you are offending the Heavenly God and will suffer…"

"Heavenly God?"

Ying took a deep breath, then sneered, "The Heavenly God can't control whether I build a street or not; I only know that my people can conveniently trade here, that's all."

His people can conveniently exchange goods here; that's the benefit he sees. He also supports the street's construction, and now that he sees hope, he won't give it up easily!

Leaving that, Ying turned to leave. Sangtian, half in a rage, halted his foot forcefully; he never imagined Ying would now dare disobey him.

"You, stop right there."

He stamped his foot in anger, but Ying straightened his back, "I'm very busy, I'm heading back first. If you don't leave, stay here tonight; tomorrow, when the Snow stops, you can depart. Youchao Xuan, the Great Elder is now entrusted to you."

Ying knew he couldn't keep speaking, because continuing would make him angry; he had already struggled to restrain his temper, fearing that then he would have no compassion left.

Although the Great Elder owed him a favor, he knew exactly what his thoughts were.

He never acted for the tribe's good; after being away for so many years, where was he when the tribe faced life or death? He never cared about their survival!

He thought all of this very clearly.

This street must be opened, not only done well but also to attract more people here!

"You…"

Sangtian, half dead with anger from Ying, almost fainted; if Qingfeng hadn't helped him up, he truly would have collapsed.

Soon, after Ying left, those tribe members all departed; none agreed with the Great Elder's words, and this time Sangtian was even more furious.

"You…"