Chapter 230: Finding the Trading Point

Upon learning that Xuanyuan wanted to trade for stronger and better weapons from the Baifeng tribe, Leizu agreed without the slightest hesitation, because in their current wars, powerful weapons were extremely important; only with better weapons could Xuanyuan realize his wish to unify the land.

Of course, neither of them was certain whether the Baifeng tribe would be willing to trade, for after all, once a thing like a weapon was traded away, it might eventually be used against oneself; even if the Baifeng tribe did not know of Xuanyuan's ambition, they could still estimate that for a large tribe like theirs, war in the end was inevitable.

Furthermore, a thing like a weapon could be imitated; although they could not currently manufacture an Iron Knife, their Artisans were not ones that just any tribe could compare to, and as long as it was handed over to the Artisans, they would sooner or later figure out how the Iron Knife was made; according to their experience in smelting Bronze, Iron must also be extracted from stone.

In order to support Xuanyuan's cause, Leizu certainly had to pay a price, but besides being Xuanyuan's wife, she also served as the Tribal Chief of the Xiling Clan; usually, everyone regarded her as a member of the Xuanyuan Clan, but she could not treat her own closest clansmen as commodities to be traded to other tribes, as this would have a detrimental effect on her prestige.

Likewise, in order to protect her tribe's Silk industry, Leizu decided to quickly train some Slaves, letting them learn the Weaving of Silk and the use of tools; it was not required that their ability be very good, only that they could fool the Baifeng tribe.

However, in order to make the trade with the Baifeng tribe last longer, Xuanyuan still told Leizu to teach them diligently; they did not need to weave very well, only to have the most basic skills; if Baifeng discovered that the Artisans they traded back were fake, he would certainly never trust them again in the future.

Xuanyuan arrived at the trading place ahead of time, while Baifeng was still on the road; of course, Xuanyuan was not anxious yet, because the agreed-upon time had not arrived, and they also had a few days as a buffer period, so it was impossible to guarantee an arrival exactly on time.

Baifeng had traveled for a long time without seeing that large waterfall; the clansmen driving the small Boat in front had been scouting the way, but no good news had come back; Baifeng felt that the terrain and climate of this place meant they should be close to the destination, but the fact that they had not yet reached the trading point made him feel anxious inside; he was afraid that he had gone to the wrong place, and if they missed the trade, not only would their losses be very great, but they would also turn the Xuanyuan Clan into enemies.

Another day passed like this, and Baifeng no longer dared to travel slowly; in fact, as long as the light allowed, they had to keep moving; the time for the trade had now arrived, and what followed was the buffer time left for both sides; Baifeng was so anxious that blisters had formed on his lips.

It was already afternoon, and the clansmen from before returned to report, still with no news; seeing that it was getting late, and the clansmen finally reporting that they would have to rest, Baifeng thought there was no hope for today, sighed, and looked at the things on the Boat.

All along the way, they had caught as much fish as they could, and had been eating fish for over half a month; various kinds of fish and various ways of cooking them made Baifeng feel a bit afraid of eating them; there was also half a cabin of Salted Fish, which made Baifeng feel stifled inside.

He had also brought along several large Iron Pots, which were used for stir-frying Tea Leaves; if Tea Leaves were not stir-fried, they could not be preserved or drunk; of course, Tea Leaves were divided into Semi-fermented Tea and Fermented Tea, and he did not know how to ferment Tea Leaves; this matter could only be left to time, and what he could do was simple stir-frying, allowing the Tea Leaves to be preserved a little longer so that the clansmen could have vitamins to ingest during the Winter.

Just as Baifeng was giving up hope and thinking about how to cook the fish that night, the clansmen scouting ahead brought good news; looking at the waving flag, Baifeng's heart was in his throat; he prayed that they had found the trading point.

Going downstream was a bit slow, so Baifeng directly had the clansmen use oars to speed up, reaching the small Boat that had come to rendezvous at a faster speed; the clansmen on that small Boat excitedly said that they had already seen the people of the Xuanyuan Clan, and they had been waiting at the trading point for three days.

Hearing the news, Baifeng let out a long sigh of relief and immediately ordered everyone to drop anchor and stop the Boat; they would rest for today, and as for the Xuanyuan Clan, they would go over to trade tomorrow; it was about to get dark, so there was no rush for this moment, and their clansmen had already passed word to the people of the Xuanyuan Clan, saying that their Baifeng tribe was about to arrive at the trading point and hoping the Xuanyuan Clan people would be prepared.

However, Baifeng still sent people again to notify them, telling the Xuanyuan Clan that there would be no trade today, and that it would start tomorrow morning.

Knowing that the Baifeng tribe had arrived, Xuanyuan also let out a sigh of relief; after all, he had waited for so many days without seeing Baifeng, and he had no confidence in his heart, not knowing if he had found the wrong trading point or if the Baifeng tribe was unwilling to trade; what if the waterfall Baifeng mentioned was not the one below them?

After receiving the news again, Xuanyuan did not express any opinion and agreed with Baifeng's idea; it was indeed about to get dark, and trading at night was not safe; furthermore, they had waited for so long, and neither side was in such a hurry for this moment.

Relaxed, Baifeng felt that the fish tasted good when he ate it, and the blisters on his lips healed without medicine.

Early the next morning, the sun came out, and after the people of the Baifeng tribe simply finished their breakfast, they weighed anchor and set sail; the people of the Xuanyuan Clan naturally woke up after the sun was shining on their backs, but they neither washed their faces nor had breakfast; the only ones who could manage such things were the Baifeng tribe; Baifeng believed that eating something in the morning could keep their combat power in the best state at all times.

Although the Xuanyuan Clan was now also a large tribe, their eating habits had not changed at all; they still ate whenever they were hungry, or rather, they started eating as soon as they had food.

Not long after, the Large Ship of the Baifeng tribe appeared; Xuanyuan thought that this was his territory, although no one was in charge at all, so he had people prepare utensils; the way of treating guests could not be lacking, and they already had experience, setting up stools and tables made of wooden stakes.

After seeing Xuanyuan, Baifeng did not act arrogant by saying he was unwilling to leave the Boat, but instead had the clansmen send him to the shore on a small Boat to communicate with Xuanyuan face-to-face.

He was not afraid of danger; for one thing, he trusted Xuanyuan's character, and furthermore, he himself was wearing armor with a Changdao hanging at his waist, and the clansmen behind him were treated the same.

Moreover, on the Large Ship behind, there were several Strong Crossbows aimed at the people of the Xuanyuan Clan, and the Soldiers who had not left the Boat were also watching from the ship with Long Bows, ready to strike at any moment.