Chapter 322: Changle Hosts a Guest

The people of the Luoneng Tribe all shook their heads, then said: "This is impossible. It is called mountain wind precisely because it is like the wind in the mountains. Never mind catching them; the moment you see them, they will immediately fly away. We have only ever seen the bones left behind after tigers and other wild beasts killed and ate them."

Changle was not discouraged by this; at least knowing that horses existed was enough. As for how to capture them, he believed his father would certainly have a way, and he did not doubt this in the slightest.

Changle stayed right where he was and had some people chop down a few wooden stakes to serve as tables and chairs, then took out his own food to invite these Leaders of the Luoneng Tribe to enjoy it together. He even brewed a pot of tea, prepared to have a good exchange with these people, hoping at best to stall until his father arrived.

Seeing that there was food, the guard of the Luoneng Tribe people dropped significantly. A tribe that could casually take out so much food to share with people they did not know should not look down on their own poor little tribe. Their appearance also did not look like that of a Cannibal Tribe; the look of a Cannibal Tribe could be recognized at a single glance.

After the few people from the Luoneng Tribe sat down, they were not the least bit reserved and picked up the food to eat. Because they usually did not have much food and were relatively deprived, how could they not eat when there was free food placed right in front of them?

What's more, this child did not look like he had any aggression; he should be the son of some great Leader of his tribe, or perhaps the son of the Tribal Chief. In any case, they could not afford to sour their relationship with him now.

Changle had originally intended to share the meal, because his father had taught him that no matter what, when inviting someone to eat, one should also eat a few bites at the table. However, this etiquette seemed to only work in Huaxia. Once you left Huaxia, you might say you were inviting others to eat, but if you just started stuffing your face, it would seem inappropriate to others.

Changle felt helpless and could only watch the teapot on the fire, which had already begun to steam. He used a wooden stick to press down the floating Tea Leaves and continued to keep the lid on to boil it.

Those few people from the Luoneng Tribe also did not expect that this food, which looked unremarkable and was not even meat, would be so delicious. It actually had flavor! Aside from the salty taste they greatly anticipated and loved, there was also some indescribable fragrance. In short, it was delicious. They scrambled to eat it without regard for their image, paying no attention at all to Changle, who was brewing the tea.

The others from the Luoneng Tribe watching from behind were constantly swallowing their saliva, their eyes staring straight ahead, their feet moving unconsciously, and some people's stomachs even began to growl.

Of course, Changle would not care about these people. He would not casually distribute their Dry Rations to unnecessary people. These few were small Leaders of the Luoneng Tribe with a certain amount of say, and they had provided him with some information, so giving them some food was perfectly fine. Perhaps he could even exchange it for more useful information.

Before long, the tea was bubbling and boiled. Changle used a branch to lift the teapot, then used a piece of cloth to pinch the hot handle. He had originally intended to pour it for them just like that, but considering they probably could not adapt to the taste of the Tea Leaves, he took out his small supply of honey, added a little bit, stirred it, and then separated it into the teacups.

When the few people from the Luoneng Tribe saw there was water to drink, they scrambled to pick up a cup and poured it into their mouths; Changle did not even have time to stop them.

This caused the few Luoneng Tribe members, who were already choking a bit, to be scalded by the boiling tea. They danced about, not knowing what to do. Fortunately, those behind the Luoneng Tribe had already seen what the situation was, so they did not intervene, but instead mocked them in secret; otherwise, they might have thought Changle was harming these people.

Because the boiling tea had numbed their tongues, let alone the tea flavor, they did not even taste a hint of sweetness. Changle appeared calm on the surface, still soothing the few and telling them to drink slowly because it was hot, but in reality, he had already despised these people several times over in his heart. Savages were just savages; in his father's words, a wild boar could not appreciate fine bran.

Changle waited for the few to recover, then poured the tea again. This time he instructed them to wait for it to cool before drinking. Afterward, he poured a cup for himself, blew on it with his mouth, and held an elegant posture. Only after it had cooled sufficiently did he take a light sip to savor it carefully.

In reality, Changle did not really know how to drink tea either, as the bitterness was quite strong. Moreover, children were more sensitive to bitterness than adults, so the directly boiled Tea Leaves tasted like medicine to him. Fortunately, the technology for Fermented Tea had been getting better over the years, and the Tea Leaves were not as bitter, but Changle was still used to adding some honey to neutralize this bitterness.

Of course, in front of his own tribesmen, Changle rarely added honey. Drinking tea by just putting in Tea Leaves was already a very refined matter in Huaxia; those who could not drink tea would be mocked as wild boars.

Perhaps a considerable portion of tea drinkers in Huaxia did not actually like drinking tea; it was just for the sake of appearances.

Of course, Changle did not need to put on an act in front of his father. When drinking tea with his father, he would still add honey without any concealment. He also knew that his father was currently experimenting with the "three-cup" method of drinking, but he always lamented that there were too few ingredients, with only a jujube available to use.

Watching Changle's elegant way of drinking tea, those few Luoneng Tribe people finally learned to do it in a proper manner, blowing on it with their mouths and then taking a small sip. But once it entered their mouths, it was not the familiar taste of water, but a flavor that was both bitter and sweet—they did not know how to describe it. If you said it was bad, there was a fragrance; if you said it was good, there was a bit of bitterness. Thus, their expressions were all very complex, not knowing what to say, but they all swallowed it down without leaving a drop.

There was not much tea in the pot, and after everyone had two more cups, it hit the bottom. A small, impromptu banquet thus reached its end.

Afterward, Changle began to fish for information again. This time, the Luoneng Tribe people did not hide much, and their vigilance and hostility toward Changle and the others had lessened a lot. Although they still did not reveal too much about their own tribe, they gave a rough explanation of the situation of the surrounding tribes.

Especially when speaking of the Cannibal Tribe, their expressions were very serious. They repeatedly warned Changle and the others, telling them not to go to the place where the Cannibal Tribe was located in scattered groups. The Cannibal Tribe would not suddenly swarm them in an attack; most of them would hide, then use the fastest method to beat a lone person to death and drag them away silently, which was very terrifying.