Chapter 639: Perilous, Arrival

As usual, the beasts' roars quickly faded, but this time there was no excited roar of the beastfolk coming through.

Moments later, for unknown reasons, the troop actually halted its advance.

Wu Yue gazed at the dark, looming ahead; her position was farther back, mingling among a group of young shamans who had come out to see the world.

She turned her head to the beastman warrior beside her and asked, "What's happening?"

But the beastman also furrowed his brow and shook his head: "I'm not entirely sure either."

The troop had very clear rank distinctions; for ease of management, everyone had to stay obediently in their own place and not move about at will.

A somewhat hurried footsteps sounded from ahead, gradually drawing closer to Wu Yue's side.

Kulo, with slightly furrowed sword-brows, quickly came up to Wu Yue, bent slightly and lowered his voice: "We've run into the Huo Teng tribe up ahead; the shaman sent me to tell you, be absolutely careful not to be discovered by the Huo Teng Great Shaman."

Having said that, he glanced at her, then hurried away.

Wu Yue raised her eyebrows, couldn't help but glance at her current appearance; if she sat quietly there, even Yuan Lang might not recognize her.

Up ahead, it seemed they were arguing over the game; Wu Yue, bored, yawned, then leaned on her Cloud-Trampling mount and dozed off, looking weary.

Several shamans nearby, seeing her like that, all grew indignant.

"I don't know what relation she has with Lord Kulo, but the lord actually whispered to her."

"Could it be the lord's..."

All sorts of bizarre rumors made Wu Yue, who happened to overhear, twitch at the corners of her mouth; one could only say that, faced with gossip, these people's imaginations were truly overdeveloped.

The two tribes argued and snatched at each other for a long while before finally separating under the authority of their two chieftains.

Although they were not far apart, they had essentially no interaction.

Wu Yue, sitting swaying on her Cloud-Trampling mount, suddenly felt a tension in her back—someone was watching her, and that gaze was not friendly.

She also frowned and looked over, locking eyes with a pair of deep, sharp pupils; even through the faint, sparse branches and leaves, it instantly made her break out in a cold sweat.

It was the Huo Teng Great Shaman.

The moment she realized it, Wu Yue looked frightened, instantly withdrew her gaze, and lowered her head with a solemn expression.

Why would the Huo Teng Great Shaman be looking this way? Could he have recognized her?

But, trusting the system, Wu Yue still denied that speculation.

She simply never looked in that direction again, although that icy gaze clung to her like a shadow.

The sun gradually set, its afterglow shining through the forest and scattering specks of light, which was quite beautiful.

But the next moment, the tall, sturdy Kulo approached with a solemn expression: "The shaman has something to ask you."

From an angle unseen by others, Kulo gave her a somewhat solemn look, then glanced toward the direction of the Huo Teng tribe not far away.

Wu Yue frowned and nodded. "Are the Huo Teng tribe looking for me?"

Her heart skipped a beat; "It couldn't be the Huo Teng Great Shaman, could it?"

She also didn't know what about her had aroused his suspicion.

Following behind Kulo toward where the healing shaman was located, they found that beastman warriors had already erected a simple tent; inside sat the two top shamans of the two tribes, while the healing shaman sat aside, personally roasting meat.

Upon seeing her approach, he merely gave her a cold glance and casually said, "The Huo Teng Great Shaman has something to ask you—don't hide anything, understand?"

Wu Yue shrank her shoulders and, trembling, bowed to the two shamans.

The Huo Teng Great Shaman chuckled, looking at the female shaman standing below, and asked, "Where did that beast you're riding today come from?"

Indeed!

After a quick think, Wu Yue bowed and said, "These are a group of very ferocious beasts from a distant land; I was also fortunate—I rescued this wounded beast, so it followed me."

Whether the story is melodramatic or not doesn't matter; anyway, he has no means to investigate it.

"Hmm, what the little one said is probably that annual frenzy-beast tide."

Kuma Great Shaman set down his teacup and drawled lazily.

Then he looked at Wu Yue, his tone somewhat stern: "You little thing, your strength is weak, yet you dare go to where the frenzy-beast tide appears—next time you are not allowed to approach that frenzy-beast tide, understand?"

Wu Yue suppressed her inner shock and hastily replied with a flattered, startled "Yes."

She hadn't expected that the exalted Kuma Great Shaman would actually help her, which was truly unexpected.

After the Huo Teng Great Shaman's sharp gaze lingered on Wu Yue's face for a moment, he indifferently waved his hand: "You may go."

Wu Yue, looking startled, retreated from the tent with somewhat unsteady steps.

"This little female shaman has too little courage; we should really cultivate more male shamans."

Kuma Great Shaman wore a look of disdain as he watched Wu Yue's retreating back, and sighed.

Having returned to her place, Wu Yue's heartbeat gradually calmed; this time she really owed it to Kuma Great Shaman's help.

It seems this time I ought to pick an item to present to that great shaman.

I had thought this matter would directly dispel the Huo Teng Great Shaman's suspicions, but what put Wu Yue on alert was that, during the time she traveled with the Huo Teng tribe, she constantly felt as if she were being monitored.

This made Wu Yue, who originally planned to leisurely tag along with the Kuma tribe just to get by, all the way cautiously arrive at the trade fair.

Upon arriving at the trade fair grounds, the two tribes went to their separate encampments, and Wu Yue instantly felt a lift on her back—the sensation of being watched vanished at once.

It seems that even with this transformation charm, it's not entirely safe; one's behavior also needs to change.

In the trade fair encampment, many tribes were already stationed, and some, like the Kuma and Huo Teng tribes, had just arrived; after exchanging greetings, they each went off to set up their tents.

The beastman warriors of the Kuma tribe that had been following Wu Yue also took down a large roll of animal hide from their backs and, with practiced ease, began to erect the tent.

"You set up the tent first; I'm going out for a stroll."

The beastman nodded: "Don't go too far."

At the trade fair, aside from duels, fighting is prohibited, so he isn't worried about this female shaman's safety—as long as she remembers the way back, given how vast the trade fair encampment is.

Around the clearing of the encampment, tribes had already laid out goods for trade; after Wu Yue inquired at several stalls, she realized these tribes didn't exchange for salt and hides—they mostly stated their own demands, and whoever could meet them would receive the stall's goods.

The one speaking to Wu Yue was a burly beastman warrior whose skin was red-black, as if sunburned: "Do you want to trade for some clean sea salt?"

He wasn't surprised; although the salt mined from the mountains is edible, compared to the snow‑white salt produced by the sea‑folk tribe, many young shamans and beastfolk long to see the snow salt with their own eyes.

His rough-looking male voice was gentle; he shyly walked out of the stall and pointed to several stalls not far from his tribe's stall, saying, "Have you seen those few piles of animal hides?"

Wu Yue followed the beastman's arm with her gaze; those piles of animal hides were very obvious. "Is the salt underneath the hides snow-white?"

The black-red-skinned beastman warrior nodded. "Because many tribes' people just look at the snow salt at the sea tribe's stall without trading, the sea tribe covered the snow salt with animal hides so only traders can see what it looks like."

Wu Yue's mouth twitched; these sea tribe folks are really stingy—just looking won't take anything away.

After bidding farewell to the reluctant black-red-skinned beastman, Wu Yue walked lightly toward the stalls he mentioned.

"Hey, little female, go find your mate to come over; if you don't trade, we won't let you see the salt."

The beastmen at the first three stalls were gathered gnawing on dark-roasted meat; seeing her approach, they spoke impatiently to drive her away.

A flicker of gloom passed across Wu Yue's eyes; these three stalls belong to the Sea Snake Tribe.

The foul smell of the Sea Snake Tribe instantly reminded her of the several sea snake beastmen who went to the Lin River Forest and killed her clansmen.

She pursed her lips, completely ignoring those sea snake tribe beastmen warriors, and turned toward the next few stalls.

At each of the following stalls she exchanged some snow salt, but she alone did not go to those three sea snake tribe stalls, leaving the three beastmen stretching their necks and waiting in vain, which made them somewhat annoyed.

But thinking of the strict rules of the trading place, they merely gave her a fierce glare.

After walking rather casually past a few more stalls, Wu Yue returned somewhat fatigued to the Kumara Tribe's camp.

The beastmen had already set up the tents; seeing her return safely, they hurried forward to take the several animal-hide bags from her hands.

"Did you find out?"

He is a subordinate of the Healing Shaman, naturally knowing Wu Yue's purpose for coming to this trade gathering, so he asked.

Wu Yue shook her head; it seems not yet.

"I'll also keep an eye out for you these days; if they come, I'll let you know."

This is also one of the reasons the Healing Shaman sent him to protect this female shaman.

Perhaps because they had been rushing all the way, upon arriving at the camp everyone unanimously chose the edible corn cakes.

Afterward, they each returned to their own tents, and not long after, the earth-shaking roars began to sound.

Fatigued Wu Yue lay on the animal-hide mat; amidst this all-around 360-degree surround sound, she even felt it was somewhat like a sleep-inducing audio.

When morning came the next day, after lifting the animal-hide curtain, Wu Yue, whose hair was slightly messy, walked out of the tent; the beastman warrior busy by the fire thoughtfully handed her a cup of hot water.

"Are you up? I roasted meat."

Wu Yue lightly shook her head: "I'm not hungry yet; just some water will do."

The entrance to the trade gathering's camp was bustling; every day new tribes arrived, and the area around the Kumara Tribe gradually became crowded.

It was precisely the tribe of the Goat-Bearded Shaman who arrived later, and the middle-aged shaman tribe that had previously gone with the Healing Shaman to participate in the Lin River ritual.

The three tribes of the Yun Wu Shan Mai were encamped side by side, while the Huo Teng Tribe's encampment was actually some distance away from them.

"The Sea Eel Tribe has arrived."

The beastman deliberately lowered his voice from behind, and Wu Yue instantly withdrew her gaze to look toward the entrance.

What came into view were head after head of blue curly hair, long and short; even the very familiar pale-faced beastman followed the mild-mannered middle-aged male leader with a cold expression.

Feeling the middle-aged male's surging, mighty shamanic power, Wu Yue held her breath; that must be the great shaman father of the pale-faced beastman.

It seemed as if sensing Wu Yue's gaze, the Sea Eel Tribe's great shaman instantly locked his eyes on her position; seeing she was merely a low-powered female shaman, he indifferently withdrew his gaze.

On the contrary, the pale-faced beastman following behind him swept away his previous gloom, his gaze toward Wu Yue shining brightly.

He strode forward, not knowing what he said to the Sea Eel Tribe's great shaman, then turned and took a bulging animal-hide bag from the beastman behind him, and with large strides walked toward Wu Yue.

Looking at the pale-faced beastman striding over with a smiling face, Wu Yue's hand holding the cup trembled; is this surprise coming too easily?

I had just been thinking about how to naturally get close to this pale-faced beastman without attracting the attention of the Huo Teng great shaman, but I didn't expect this guy to just come over directly.

The beastman's eyes sparkled as he looked at the female before him, handing over his bulging animal-hide bag: "Little female, this contains our Sea Eel Tribe's finest snow salt; will you be my mate?"

As Wu Yue was about to speak softly with him, the corner of her mouth twitched; looking into the pale-faced beastman's eyes, she felt a hint of curiosity: isn't this guy already got several mates?

Now is he taking a liking to my changed self again?

But I must say, this is indeed a very good opportunity.

She pursed her lips and smiled slightly, somewhat shyly taking the salt from that animal-hide bag, and naturally placed it behind her tent.

Don't refuse something that's delivered to your door.

Seeing her accept his gift, the pale-faced beastman's smile grew even brighter: "I'll go back to set up the tent, then later come pick you up to go to my place for some tasty food,"

Wu Yue gave a faint smile and nodded: "Mm, then I'll wait for you."

Wait your ass!

I was waiting in the Lin River Tribe for that guy's trade info, but he still has the mind to hit on girls here.

Although the girl the pale-faced beastman has taken a liking to now is me, this kind of thing is certainly nothing to be happy about.

Watching the pale-faced beastman run off excitedly, Wu Yue glanced with the corner of her eye toward the direction of the Huo Teng Tribe, then slowly walked into the tent.

The animal-hide curtain blocked the ever-present surveillance; Wu Yue let out a long breath, then she had the mind to open the animal-hide bag.

"Really didn't expect that under such primitive conditions, the Sea Eel Tribe could produce such good salt; although there are still some impurities, compared to the rock salt gathered by the mountain tribes, it's already clean by who knows how many times."

The pale-faced beastman's invitation only arrived in the afternoon.

"I helped my father set up the tent, so I'm a bit late; let's go now, I've prepared lots of food for you."

The two walked toward the Sea Eel Tribe's camp while chatting.