Chapter 16: Collecting Furs

The finely tailored beast-hide coat fit closely, giving Qiuye a hint of martial valor as she stood on the open ground outside the Iron Stone tribe, gazing into the distance.

Her figure also drew the eyes of the young men of this simple tribe. Since Qiuye had arrived at the Iron Stone tribe, she had become indisputably the most beautiful girl in the tribe... One by one, the young men vied to display their bravery before Qiuye, but none could catch her attention.

“Miss Qiuye must be waiting for her young master.”

“Mm, from what Uncle Dala and the others said when they returned, that young master is extremely formidable. The hundred or so Azure Armored Guards of the Tiemu clan were wiped out by him in the blink of an eye!”

“Only such a formidable young master could match the beautiful Miss Qiuye.”

“But it’s a pity he ran into a great demon! That formidable young master, encountering a great demon, probably couldn’t survive. A great demon’s rage can change the color of heaven and earth; it froze a large group of people to death on the spot. Uncle Dala and the others only escaped by running fast. If that young master dies, Miss Qiuye will have to find someone else to marry!”

The tribe’s young men stood guard at the gate, muttering quietly among themselves.

In their eyes, a girl like Qiuye was practically a fairy from legend... Compared to Qiuye, the girls of their tribe were as different as heaven and earth.

...

Qiuye stood there, gazing into the distant mountains and forests.

She was waiting, waiting for the most important man in her life.

“Qiuye.” A burly figure emerged from the tribe—it was the other servant, Mowu. He urged, “Take a rest. Once the young master arrives, the guards at the tribe gate will naturally see him.”

“No.” Qiuye shook her head gently.

Mowu glanced at Qiuye, then sat down on a nearby felled tree stump, his brow furrowed with worry. From the returning Uncle Dala and the others, he had learned that Ji Ning had fought a battle with the great demon ‘Water Rhinoceros King’... As for the outcome, it was unknown. Though he hoped in his heart for the young master’s return, reason told Mowu that the young master was likely in grave danger.

Because Uncle Dala and the others had taken nearly two days to return from the Eastern Mountain Marsh.

Given Young Master Ji Ning’s speed, if he were alive, he should have reached the Iron Stone tribe in less than half a day... Logically, he should have returned to the Iron Stone tribe before Uncle Dala and the others. But Uncle Dala and the rest had been back for two days, and Ji Ning still hadn’t returned.

“If the young master dies, Qiu Ye and I will probably have to be buried with him,” Mowu thought silently.

If the master dies, how can the servants live?

A hegemon like the Ji clan had very strict internal rules.

“Hm?” Mowu blinked. In the distant forest, a figure was faintly visible—a figure very familiar... It looked like the young master!

“Young master!” Qiuye had already dashed forward.

“Young master?”

“Miss Qiuye is running over.”

“Look, someone seems to be coming over there. Could that be the young master Miss Qiuye has been waiting for?” The young guards at the tribe gate whispered among themselves, and immediately some guards ran into the tribe to notify the others.

...

Qiuye looked at the beast-hide-clad youth walking toward her with a smile. The fear, panic, anxiety, and worry she had suppressed over the past two days all surged forth, causing tears to stream down her face.

“Young master.” Qiuye looked at Ji Ning, “I, I...”

“Haven’t I returned?” Ji Ning’s extraordinary eyesight allowed him to spot Uncle Dala, the one-armed man, and others walking out of the tribe in the distance. He couldn’t help but laugh, “So Dala has already returned. He told you about my battle with the Water Rhinoceros King? I was gone for a few days, and it scared you this much?”

Qiuye struggled to hold back her tears.

“A mere Water Rhinoceros King is nothing to your young master,” Ji Ning said, raising an eyebrow with a spirited air.

Qiuye exclaimed, “Young master, you killed the great demon?”

“Mm.” Ji Ning nodded proudly.

“Wow, a great demon—the young master killed a great demon!” Qiuye was thrilled. “The young master is only eleven years old, and he’s already killed a great demon. This, this...” As his personal maid, Qiuye’s life revolved around Ji Ning; he was the most important person in her world. That Ji Ning could slay a great demon filled her with genuine excitement.

Ji Ning quickly lowered his voice: “Don’t spread it around.”

“Yes, yes.” Qiuye nodded repeatedly.

“Come, let’s take a look at this Iron Stone tribe,” Ji Ning said. Over the past few days, he had reflected on the two previous battles in the mountains and forests. During the fights, he had noticed some of his own shortcomings. After careful reflection and further study of his two sword techniques, he felt he had made considerable progress.

Ji Ning led Qiuye toward the main gate of the Iron Stone tribe.

Uncle Dala and a group of the tribe’s men came out to greet him. At the front was a bald, white-haired elder who bowed respectfully: “I am Iron Three of the Iron Stone tribe. I thank the great young master for repeatedly saving the members of my Iron Stone tribe. All the tribesmen are immensely grateful to you... and have been eagerly awaiting your arrival.”

Ji Ning smiled and nodded: “I will stay with your tribe for a while. As for saving them, it was merely a casual act. Also... I don’t wish to be disturbed.”

“Understood, understood.” The bald, white-haired elder nodded repeatedly.

“Dala.” Ji Ning looked over.

The tall, bear-like Uncle Dala stepped forward, visibly agitated: “Young master, seeing you return, I...”

“Enough.” Ji Ning said with a smile, “You helped me for over a month in the Eastern Mountain Marsh. I said I would reward you handsomely when we returned to the Iron Stone tribe. Take this.” With that, three beast-head gold pieces appeared in his hand, each weighing ten jin, and he tossed them over. The burly Dala was momentarily stunned.

He quickly caught them, and the other tribesmen looked on with envy.

“Let’s go.” Ji Ning glanced at Mowu and Qiuye, then walked straight into the Iron Stone tribe.

Ji Ning could have given a more valuable reward, but the Iron Stone tribe was a small tribe of barely a thousand people; too precious an item might bring disaster instead!

...

Inside the Iron Stone tribe.

“Young master.” Qiuye poured fruit wine for Ji Ning and presented fruits and delicacies. “Mowu and I arrived at this tribe over a month ago. Shortly after we got here, we made contact with our Ji clan.”

“Mm.” Ji Ning nodded.

When he was out adventuring, he would contact the West Prefecture City every month through the Ji clan’s garrisons scattered across the region.

“There was also a letter for you from West Prefecture City.” Qiuye took a scroll from her bosom.

Ji Ning took it and unrolled the yellow leather scroll. A smile spread across his face—it was a letter from his mother! The letter contained nothing special, mainly words of concern. His mother’s nagging warmed Ji Ning’s heart after his recent life-and-death struggle.

“Alright, Qiuye. You look like you haven’t rested well for days. Go and rest.” Ji Ning said.

“I’m not tired.” Qiuye quickly replied.

“Go.” Ji Ning ordered.

Qiuye bowed her head and obediently went to her quarters to rest.

...

Time passed. He went to the Eastern Mountain Marsh every ten days or half a month, spending most of his time in the Iron Stone tribe meditating on sword techniques. In the blink of an eye, over a month had gone by.

“Ah.” Ji Ning sat on the roof, holding a bamboo tube filled with fine fruit wine. “Though West Prefecture City is large, it lacks the warmth of this small tribe.”

They rested at sunset and worked at sunrise.

The Iron Stone tribe was very united, helping each other like brothers.

“Hurry, hurry.”

“Everyone go back.”

“Quick, put it all away.”

Suddenly, the once peaceful and quiet tribe erupted into chaos and noise. Ji Ning, drinking fruit wine on the roof, was puzzled. He jumped down and grabbed a running young man: “You.”

“Young master.” The young man, seeing that it was Ji Ning who had grabbed him, responded respectfully.

“What’s going on?” Ji Ning asked. “Why has the tribe suddenly fallen into chaos? Weren’t you practicing spear techniques earlier? Why have you stopped?”

“It’s the Black Mountain tribe people coming!” The young man quickly said. “The Black Mountain tribe is here to collect furs from our tribe. We need to hide away the good furs; if the Black Mountain people find them and take them, it’ll be disastrous. Young master, I need to hurry back—”

Ji Ning nodded thoughtfully: “Go ahead.”

Qiuye, standing in front of the house, watched and said, “The Black Mountain tribe is a super-large tribe with tens of thousands of members. Small tribes like this have to hand over some goods to them every year.”

“Hmph.” Ji Ning frowned. “This land is the territory of my Ji clan! Only the Ji clan has the right to levy taxes. This Black Mountain tribe making the surrounding small tribes hand over goods—isn’t that the same as taxing them?”

The Ji clan collected taxes from every tribe within its territory.

At the same time, the Ji clan was a vassal of the Great Xia Dynasty, and most of the taxes collected had to be sent to the Great Xia Dynasty!

“That’s how it is,” Qiuye shook her head. “But do these small tribes dare to refuse? If they refuse, the Black Mountain tribe can simply crush a small tribe, capture its people, and sell them as slaves.”

Ji Ning sighed deeply.

Yes.

Because there were so many tribes, the Ji clan could not control the conflicts between them and had to let things slide. This was true not only for the Ji clan... Even the Great Xia Dynasty, ruling over boundless territories, could only manage things loosely. The Ji clan and the Tiemu clan were constantly at war, like mortal enemies? The territory was too vast to manage effectively!

“Here they come,” Qiuye said. “The Black Mountain tribe people have arrived.”

Ji Ning looked over. In the distance, a group of armored guards, led by a man in beast hides, swaggered along as if inspecting their own territory. The leader of the Iron Stone tribe, Uncle Dala, and the others accompanied them, looking meek and obedient, not daring to show any defiance.

The leader of the Black Mountain tribe’s party, Ke Yong, scanned the dilapidated small tribe with smug satisfaction.

“Hmph.” Ke Yong glanced at the Iron Stone tribesmen beside him, and seeing their fearful, fawning expressions, he felt even more pleased with himself.

He was a core high-ranking member of the Black Mountain tribe. In a small tribe like Iron Stone, he could do whatever he pleased! If he got angry, this small tribe would be finished. Even the hundred-man armored guard he led could sweep through such a tribe. He had absolute authority over these small tribes.

“Hm?” Ke Yong suddenly noticed a youth and a girl standing not far away. His eyes lit up. The armored guards beside him also caught their breath at the sight.

“Beautiful, lovely.” Ke Yong was instantly stunned, and then a strong desire to possess arose in his heart. He had to capture this beautiful girl and make her his personal maid, to be favored by him every day. At the thought, Ke Yong felt his whole body flush with excitement.

“Hahaha...” Ke Yong laughed loudly and strode directly toward the youth and the girl.

Ji Ning frowned slightly, watching the tall man adorned with fine ornaments approach. The tall man looked Ji Ning and Qiuye over with the appraising gaze of someone from a superior tribe inspecting goods, his greed unconcealed, especially when looking at Qiuye: “This beast-hide coat is finely tailored. Did you make it yourself? Such skillful hands. The fur coat of this youth beside you is also well-cut. Is he your younger brother?”