Chapter 104
Chapter 104
After playing with Jin Bao for a while, Old Han carried her cautiously toward the cliff.
They were in a hollow where the snow lay extremely deep.
Old Han did not dare move too quickly. As he walked, he probed the snow with a wooden pole and advanced only when it touched solid ground beneath him.
They made it to the foot of the cliff without mishap.
After examining it up close, Old Han confirmed that it was indeed iron ore.
He picked up a fist-sized rock nearby and placed it in the leather bag he carried, then took Jin Bao back the way they had come.
The reindeer had already climbed out of the snow hollow on its own and was waiting for Old Han and Jin Bao on the slope.
Old Han walked over and stroked its head with relief.
“Good boy. Let’s go home.”
The reindeer obediently turned around.
Old Han straightened the sled, padded it with a fur rug, and set Jin Bao on top.
“Off we go.”
At Old Han’s loud command, the reindeer immediately carried the two of them back.
Only six hours had passed between their departure from the valley and their return.
The moment Jin Bao arrived, she ran off to find Pei Wanqing.
Old Han let the reindeer loose inside the cave to graze on moss.
The cave was practically a dining hall for the reindeer.
Moss blanketed the rocks, especially those near the entrance.
Old Han hurried deeper inside and found Xiao Jingmo.
“Second Young Master!”
Xiao Jingmo was discussing papermaking with Lin Fengchun.
They had nothing in the valley and had to make everything with their own hands.
All beginnings were difficult, especially when they were already short on supplies.
They needed paper to keep records in many different areas now.
That was why Xiao Jingmo had sought out Lin Fengchun to discuss whether they could make some themselves.
The two had just finished their discussion when Old Han arrived.
“Grandpa Han, have you… already finished surveying the terrain?”
Xiao Jingmo was astonished. That was far too fast.
Old Han shook his head, then nodded, leaving Xiao Jingmo even more confused.
“No. I can’t explain it in a few words. In any case, the topographic map will be even better than we originally planned. What I need to tell the Second Young Master now is this.”
Old Han took a rock from his leather bag and handed it to Xiao Jingmo.
The Xiao Family came from generations of military commanders and possessed extensive knowledge.
The instant Old Han produced the iron ore, it captured Xiao Jingmo’s full attention.
He excitedly took it and examined it carefully. After a long while, he grabbed Old Han’s arm in shock.
“Grandpa Han, is this iron ore? Where… where did you find it?”
Iron ore! Possessing an iron mine now would be a godsend.
Old Han gleefully recounted everything that had happened.
“Second Young Master, the Young Miss truly is Black Pine Valley’s lucky star. I never would have discovered this iron deposit without her, and it isn’t even far away. Once we have iron, we can smelt it and forge iron tools, farming implements, even weapons.”
Old Han’s voice gradually deepened as he reached the end.
“That’s right. With this iron deposit, we can clear wasteland and forge weapons, farming and training at the same time.”
Xiao Jingmo glanced at the sky. It was already late. Darkness fell early in the mountains, and if they left now, they would never return before nightfall.
“Grandpa Han, let’s wait until my father returns before discussing the matter in detail.”
Old Han nodded, then turned to find Jin Bao so they could work on the topographic map.
The sky was black as ink.
After nightfall, the wind of the Northern Frontier cut like knives dipped in icy water, sweeping flecks of snow from the ground and driving them down people’s collars.
In a valley a hundred li away, Xiao Che and Xiao Jinghao stood on a sled pulled by Snow Mastiffs with several Shadow Guards.
Several zhang ahead of them lay a valley filled with jagged black rocks.
More than twenty men from the Cannibal Tribe stood scattered among the rocks, gripping bone spears, stone axes, and wooden clubs bound with stone blades.
They wore robes pieced together from animal hides. Greasy braids hung from their heads, and patterns painted from a mixture of white chalk and ocher covered their faces. Low growls rumbled in their throats. Like wild beasts defending their territory from intruders, their eyes brimmed with vigilance.
The Cannibal Tribe’s chief was a muscular man nearly nine feet tall. He gripped a Snow Camel horn bone like an enormous hammer.
“Father, what should we do now? We can’t understand their language, and they seem to have already decided we’re enemies. Will they agree to trade with us?”
After observing them in silence, Xiao Jinghao suspected they might return empty-handed today.
“Let’s get down and see what happens.”
Xiao Che was the first to step off the sled.
At the sight, the tribesmen grew even more vigilant. They slowly closed in, gradually surrounding Xiao Che and the others.
“I am Xiao Che. We mean you no harm today. We merely wish to trade for some supplies. We will not hurt you.”
As he spoke, Xiao Che raised a hand and took several steps forward, hoping to calm them.
Instead, the gesture infuriated the tribesmen, who thought he was issuing a challenge.
“Roar!”
The chief swung his horn hammer at Xiao Che.
Xiao Che immediately retreated to his original position.
“Father, this won’t work. They don’t understand a word we’re saying, and they seem to hate us in particular,” Xiao Jinghao said softly.
Xiao Che was also at a loss. No matter what gesture they made, the other side seemed to assume they meant harm and retaliated.
“Father, let me try.”
Xiao Jinghao had been quietly studying their reactions and had devised a simple plan for communicating with them.
Xiao Che was uneasy. The weapons in their hands might be crude, but they were deadly. Xiao Jinghao was only twelve and not yet fully mature. What if he accidentally angered them…
“Father, don’t worry. I won’t provoke them. I’m young, still barely more than a child. That may make it easier for them to lower their guard. If they make any sudden move, I know martial arts and can get away immediately.”
Only then did Xiao Che nod in agreement.
Xiao Jinghao took a dagger and a fire striker from the bundle they had brought and tucked both onto his person.
He raised his hands and slowly walked into the encirclement.
He said nothing, keeping a guileless, slightly foolish smile on his face to put them at ease.
The tactic truly worked. The tribesmen advanced no farther.
They seemed to sense that Xiao Jinghao meant no harm, but they did not lower their weapons and remained ready to attack at any moment.
Xiao Jinghao lowered his hands and reached for the fire striker at his waist. The gesture alarmed the tribesmen once more, and they prepared to attack him.
“Hao’er! Come back!”
Xiao Che’s heart leaped into his throat.
But Xiao Jinghao shook his head at him. “Father, it’s all right. Trust me. I can do this.”
When the tribesmen saw Xiao Jinghao pull a long, slender object from his waist, it did not appear to be a weapon, so they stopped advancing.
Xiao Jinghao removed the fire striker’s cap, held it to his lips, and blew several times. A flame immediately sprang to life.
The sight terrified the members of the Cannibal Tribe.
To them, fire was both sacred and a punishment from Heaven. They regarded it with profound awe.
Instead of attacking Xiao Jinghao, all the tribesmen retreated, their faces filled with fear.