Chapter 369: It

Before she could speak, the shamaness of the Rock Salt Tribe beside her spoke softly: "It should be that I annoyed this shaman disciple, making her unhappy. Just now she said she wanted to take a look at the houses in your tribe, but the little female doesn't seem very willing."

Speaking, she lightly furrowed her brows, seeming very apologetic.

Yuan Lang's smile vanished instantly; he actually bent his waist and drew close to Wu Yue, his deep eyes gazing at her: "Are you unhappy?"

Wu Yue snorted coldly: "Do I look like I'm happy?"

Yuan Lang chuckled lightly, naturally knowing that because of last night's incident, the little female had no fondness for the Rock Salt Tribe's shamaness, so he didn't want to affect her mood.

He straightaway took her hand and headed toward the trading area: "Many items have been brought by the various tribes; let me accompany you to have a look."

Watching the two depart, the Rock Salt Tribe's shamaness's eyes again filled with extreme chill, the curve of her lips like a poisonous snake.

"That Rock Salt Tribe shamaness always gives me a bad feeling."

Wu Yue frowned: "Moreover, in just one night, she already knows your name."

"That female's mind is very deep; you should be careful later, for jealousy arising in women is terrifying."

Yuan Lang's dark eyes deepened as he recalled the concubines in the emperor's former harem and the women in the officials' rear courtyards—any means, no matter how vicious or underhanded, could be used to rise to power.

Wu Yue glanced at her own scrawny figure: "Although this shamaness looks like a smooth monkey, her figure and appearance are exactly what males in this world like—what could I possibly envy her for?"

Yuan Lang looked at her amusedly: "Her jealousy of you isn't necessarily due to looks; women who have always been lifted up by males cannot stand seeing others surpass them."

Wu Yue pouted: "Am I to blame for being excellent?"

Yuan Lang: "…"

Old paper suddenly lost the desire to comfort you.

Seeing the beastfolk with a face smeared in feces, Wu Yue chuckled: "Don't let her affect our mood—isn't strolling around nice?"

"I don't know if strolling is nice, but the one affecting my mood isn't that female—it's you…"

I always feel that if I become partners with the little female beside me, life will be very colorful.

On the flat trading ground, stalls were already set up thick and fast, and the thick‑skinned beastfolk were openly introducing their tribes' goods.

The thin‑skinned tribes merely hid behind their stalls, snorting twice if anyone asked.

The most typical example is the medium‑sized tribe whose chief is named Tou.

On a worn beast‑skin laid before them were many ash‑speckled beastfolk fists‑sized objects, looking like some kind of food.

Wu Yue pulled Yuan Lang forward and said: "Chief Tou."

A voice from above sounded slightly familiar; the shrinking chief Tou lifted his head, only to see the shaman disciple who had taken them to the house that day: "Shaman… shaman… sir…"

He rubbed his hands, having been a shaman for a long time, still unsure how to address this female said to hold a lofty status in the Snow Tiger Tribe.

Seeing his nervousness, Wu Yue smiled: "You can just call me Wu Yue."

Having said that, she bent down and picked up a speckled chunk from his beast‑skin: "Is this what you're trading for food?"

Tou nodded repeatedly: "Yes, this is a food found only near our tribe; we've harvested a lot recently.

"Don't judge it by its speckled appearance now; after a wash it's still quite clean."

Having said that, he turned around, fetched a stone pot from behind, and tossed in a clod of earth to wash.

As the water in the stone pot turned turbid, the fruit in Tou's hand shed its outer layer of dirt; its pale yellow shape, occasionally dotted with a few mischievous freckles, was utterly familiar.

"I gao! Host, this is a potato!" Tongzi also poked his little head out of his satchel, his excited voice echoing in Wu Yue's mind.

Wu Yue's eyes shone: "Isn't this just a potato?"

Moreover, this thing, like taro, can be grown by oneself.

Although she was excited inside, she still struggled to keep her composure; only Yuan Lang, closest to her, noticed the sudden tension in the little female's body beside her.

"What's wrong?"

Wu Yue set down the potato in her hand: "I've never seen this food before—I don't know if it's tasty."

Hearing her smell it, Tou scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly: "Naturally it's not as tasty as fruit, but roasted over a fire it's still quite good."

Actually it's pretty bland… but honest as Tou is, he still wanted to use their tribe's only precious food to exchange for some salt to take back.

Wu Yue frowned at the potatoes on his stall: "How much of this food did your tribe bring?"

Seeing she seemed inclined to trade, Tou's eyes lit up astonishingly: "I… we still have three beast‑skin bags of these fruits in our house."

Though he didn't say the rest, his eager little eyes clearly conveyed: "Do you want them all?"

Wu Yue indeed did not disappoint him, nodding: "I'll take all of this fruit you've brought this time; after the trade fair ends, please send it all to my courtyard."

"If you don't know the place, just ask any Snow Tiger Clan person."

Chief Tou was beside himself with joy, his smile unstoppable as he nodded repeatedly: "Rest assured, after the trade fair we'll send it over."

Wu Yue nodded briefly, didn't linger, and pulled Yuan Lang toward the other stalls.

"That fruit just now… what's the problem?"

Yuan Lang could be certain he hadn't misseen—just now the little female's eyes had glowed green.

Wu Yue chuckled, hooking a finger; Yuan Lang raised his eyebrows and leaned in close to her.

"That fruit is called a potato where we're from, just like taro, and it's also a food that can be planted and harvested well."

Yuan Lang's eyes lit up: "Heh, no wonder it's you."

Wu Yue smirked triumphantly: "Mm‑hmm~"

"Ah, what food is this? I've never seen it—give me some to trade~"

But before they could walk far, that soft, gentle voice sounded again, coming from the direction…

Wu Yue suddenly turned her head—sure enough, the Rock Salt Tribe's little trash was standing right before Tou's stall.

Her not‑so‑delicate fingers were curled like orchids, pointing coquettishly at the potatoes Tou was gathering.

Wu Yue's moist eyes narrowed, the smile at her lips turning somewhat unfathomable.

This monkey keeps jumping about before my eyes—does she really think I have no temper?

"What a pity, shamaness—you came late; this food is already mine."

Wu Yue lifted her leg and walked toward the earth head's stall: "Once it's packed, send it to my courtyard right away, so no one keeps coming over looking for a sense of existence."

"Aren't you being a bit overbearing? With so much fruit, what's the problem with giving me a few?" The shaman woman had come specifically for Wu Yue, so she naturally wouldn't back down so easily.

"Overbearing?" Wu Yue snorted coldly.

"Others are all on my Snow Tiger Tribe's territory; what's wrong with me exchanging some fruit with them? Do you have an objection?"

Having said that, she no longer looked at her, and directly gazed at the somewhat dazed earth head: "Go now."

Overwhelmed by this sudden imposing aura, the earth head stared blankly and nodded: "Yes."

Shouldering the already packed potatoes, he gave a hehe smile to the Rock Salt Tribe shaman woman, then slipped away.

Watching that male's retreating figure, the Rock Salt Tribe shaman woman felt her nose almost crooked with anger.

Wu Yue let out a cold snort, turned and walked past Yuan Lang, slowly reaching out to grab his big hand, pulling it to a conspicuous spot and shaking it, then lifted her head and left.

The Rock Salt Tribe shaman woman stood there with a livid face, watching their clasped hands, her killing intent continually surging.

Wu Yue and Yuan Lang walked all the way deeper into the trading area, yet saw nothing particularly special.

"Come take a look, the necklaces and bracelets most favored by beastfolk females—exchange one and bring it back for the female you like, and she'll be your next partner!"

Teng Qian's voice couldn't be more obvious.

"I never expected Teng Qian to have such a skill!"

Ahead, a stall was surrounded by males from all tribes, even the males of the Rock Salt Tribe and Poison Scorpion Tribe crowded there, each holding a beast-skin package and shouting.

Wu Yue and Yuan Lang walked over and saw several sturdy beastfolk females standing at the front of the stall, their necks and wrists adorned with necklaces and bracelets that Qing Hua and her companions had ground from discarded bricks and tiles.

Those carefully ground brick-and-tile bead strings were very smooth, and even sparkled in the sunlight, looking quite lovely.

"Give me a string, I want the biggest one!"

The Rock Salt Tribe's wealthy beastman warrior threw the salt from his beast-skin bag at Teng Qian, pointing at the bead string around the neck of a Snow Tiger Tribe beastwoman and shouting.

The beastwoman smiled, took off the bead string and handed it to his hand: "With such a beautiful bead string, you will surely win the favor of females."

The Snow Tiger Tribe beastwoman was tall and sturdy, the type most favored by the males here; blessed by such a beautiful female, the Rock Salt Tribe beastmen instantly broke into grinning like pig brothers.

"Hehe, little female, I really like you—will you become my mate?"

The Snow Tiger Tribe beastwoman merely gave a light smile and said nothing.

This ambiguous response made that beastman feel a bit light-headed instantly, his gaze toward the female growing ever hotter.

Seeing that this fellow merely bought a string of beads and gained the favor of the beastwoman, the surrounding beastman warriors felt their hearts flare, shouting as they surged forward.

"Leave me a string."

"I want one too, I want one too!"

In Wu Yue's view, the most useless item was actually the most popular at this trade fair—just shows how irresistible the allure of beastfolk females is.

But once they obtained bead strings that could win the favor of beastfolk females, these beastman warriors began to grow restless.

"Oh~ cute little female, your legs are this long, your butt this perky, your chest this big—may I become your mate? The precious bead string in my hand will serve as proof of our union!"

"Little female with big chest, long legs, and perky butt, I also want to be your mate; my bead string looks better than his—please choose me."

"Your bead string is like goat dung; mine is better. The female likes males like me—tall and sturdy—not your puny build with thighs thinner than my arms."

"Bullshit, our tribe's beastfolk males are all built like this; you look like a dumb bear in the forest, and at night the females would be suffocated under you."

Thus, a war sparked by a bead string broke out.

The Snow Tiger Tribe beastwoman pursed her lips.

They certainly liked the bead strings, but letting the clumsy beastfolk females go out and take down a brown bear is fine—having them do such delicate work as stringing beads? Better not.

So, in order to obtain a nice bead string, the beastfolk females accepted Qing Hua and Teng Qian's invitation to come as one-day laborers.

When leaving, each received a set of beautiful bead strings—nothing could make them happier.

As for the out-of-tribe beastman warriors who had just fought until their faces flushed for them—

Who cares!

But in the evening, those few beastman warriors who had exchanged beautiful bead strings received delicious food sent by the beastfolk females.

Although it was delivered by the tribe's slaves, it was still a heartfelt gesture from the females.

The next day, the rumor spread throughout the Snow Tiger Tribe that the males who had bought bead strings were favored by the females.

The bead strings that Qing Hua and her companions had just ground sold out instantly to the surrounding beastman warriors who had been waiting a long time, prompting the thought that hype still matters.

The trades of the past few days had been various small items brought by each tribe; what surprised Wu Yue was that a small tribe that had arrived a few days earlier had actually come to trade slaves.

A tiny tribe had brought over nearly a hundred slaves.

Only after inquiring did she learn that it was actually several nearby small tribes sending them together—essentially a little alliance.

"How are these slaves exchanged?"

The small tribe's exchange spot was at the edge of the venue; although the weather was still warm, they huddled together, and if they saw no one stopping, they would involuntarily shiver.

Looking at the stall was a sturdy pure-human male: "Sir, these slaves are all healthy and disease-free; if you want them, I can give you five slaves for a beast-skin of salt."

Five slaves for a beast-skin of salt?

Wu Yue turned her head to Yuan Lang beside her: "How's this price?"

Yuan Lang frowned: "Not bad, if they're all adult slaves."

Wu Yue nodded: "Alright, I want fifty adult slaves."

Adult slaves are at their peak of strength—strong, capable of much work; as for the remaining children and middle-aged, naturally few want them.

Seeing Wu Yue open her mouth and demand fifty slaves, the male was so delighted his gums were about to burst into laughter.

He hurriedly greeted his companion nearby to begin selecting.