Chapter 177: The Trade Caravan
Jian Mo and the group halted as the bird beastmen descended, reverting to their human forms. The sub-beastmen riding on their backs dismounted as well.
The youth from the Bai Zhi Tribe were visibly excited upon seeing Jian Mo and Wu Jiong. As soon as they landed, they chattered non-stop:
“Brother Jian Mo, you’ve been here way too long!”
“How’s Fen Hui’s recovery coming along?”
“We originally wanted to wait for you at the Star Reserve Tribe, but we couldn’t sit still after half a day, so we came looking for you. Brother Jian Mo, did you miss us?”
Jian Mo smiled warmly, their familiarity and energy filling him with joy. “Of course I did. Did you fly straight here? Did Clan Leader Zhi agree to this?”
The youths from the Bai Zhi Tribe nodded enthusiastically. “He agreed. At first, the clan leader was worried, but then the Yu Qi Tribe spoke up for us, and he gave his permission.”
“Brother Jian Mo, we brought you and Wu Jiong a bunch of supplies. You’ve been here so long—surely you must be running out of things?”
Jian Mo was genuinely touched by their thoughtfulness. “We were running low on quite a few supplies. What did you bring?”
“Anesthetics, fish bladder glue, chili powder, resin, sugar cubes—all sorts of things Qing Kuo from your tribe asked us to bring.”
“We also brought soap, ointment, and fabrics—the ointment’s from the Meng Shui Tribe, and the fabric’s from the Jiu Nian Tribe. Oh, and there’s metal from the Jin Tuo Tribe. We thought we’d trade along the way, but we ended up bartering most of it before even reaching the Star Reserve Tribe.”
“The Yu Qi Tribe suggested we form a trade caravan since we’re good at gathering goods. Looking at it now, it seems like a great idea!”
The lively youths animatedly described their adventures, their faces lit with excitement.
Xing Yi and the others, listening nearby, couldn’t help but smile at the spirited conversation.
Since traveling and chatting simultaneously wasn’t ideal, the group exchanged a few more words before heading back to the Star Reserve Tribe.
When they arrived, Xing Yi made a request: “We rarely get to see beastmen who can fly. Could we examine your health?”
The Bai Zhi Tribe youths all turned to Jian Mo, awaiting his input.
Jian Mo formally introduced Xing Yi: “This is Xing Yi, a healer whose skills are extraordinary. He’s the one who cured Fen Hui.”
Hearing this, the Bai Zhi Tribe youths agreed enthusiastically.
The bird beastmen shifted back into their animal forms—a group of rotund, chubby-winged birds—ready for their health checks.
Xing Yi, with Jian Mo and the others, conducted a thorough examination of the Bai Zhi Tribe members.
During the process, Xing Yi explained to Jian Mo the significance of different sounds in their bodies, ensuring Jian Mo understood how to interpret them.
The bird beastmen were generally healthy, but many exhibited mild digestive issues—a characteristic unique to their tribe.
Upon learning about their digestive troubles, the bird beastmen grew a little self-conscious and asked Xing Yi if it could be treated.
Xing Yi reassured them, saying, “It’s not an illness, so it doesn’t need treatment. However, we can adjust your diet to improve your gut health and reduce the likelihood of stomach upsets when visiting unfamiliar places.”
Jian Mo made notes diligently and nodded. “This sounds like irritable bowel syndrome.”
Xing Yi paused to consider this term, then nodded in agreement. “That’s an excellent name. It fits perfectly—no issues if left undisturbed, but easily triggered otherwise.”
Wan Zheng, one of the bird beastmen, admitted, “This problem has troubled us for ages. Traveling to new places is often uncomfortable and can be embarrassing.”
Jian Mo patted him on the shoulder. Reflecting on their first meeting, when the bird beastmen had clashed with the Pallas Cat beastmen, he now realized that their quarrels had likely hit upon real vulnerabilities.
The arrival of the bird beastmen replenished Jian Mo’s supplies significantly.
Looking through the fish bladder glue and resin, Jian Mo sighed in relief. “With these, I can start treating dental issues again.”
Dental problems, especially worn teeth, were a common issue among the elderly beastmen and sub-beastmen. Jian Mo had only been able to treat the most severe cases so far, leaving many patients still in need.
Wu Jiong suggested, “We could spread the word and have patients queue up for treatment.”
Jian Mo nodded. “I’ll speak with Xing Jiu tomorrow. Many have probably already heard about the treatments.”
Wu Jiong smiled. “Looks like we’re in for a busy few days.”
Jian Mo’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. “I don’t mind at all. Helping others ease their pain makes it worthwhile.”
When Jian Mo mentioned this to Xing Jiu, the healer readily agreed. “I’ll spread the word right away.”
Jian Mo expressed his gratitude. “Thank you!”
Xing Jiu waved him off. “It’s nothing. But I do have a favor to ask.”
Jian Mo paused what he was doing and grinned. “Go ahead. No need to treat it as a favor.”
Xing Jiu hesitated briefly before saying, “I want to learn how to treat teeth.”
Jian Mo agreed immediately. “Not a problem. I was going to ask for your help anyway—just Wu Jiong and me isn’t enough. I’ll teach you while we treat patients together.”
Feeling emboldened, Xing Jiu added, “Besides treating methods, I’d like to learn some of your medicinal recipes.”
Without hesitation, Jian Mo replied, “Of course. I’ll explain as we go, and you can write it down.”
Moved, Xing Jiu said, “You’re a true friend.”
Jian Mo chuckled. “It’s nothing. You’ve shared your tribe’s remedies with me, haven’t you?”
Xing Jiu replied, “Those are inherited knowledge—many people already know them. But what you’re teaching me, those are your own discoveries.”
Jian Mo laughed. “I’m no genius with exclusive techniques. Most of what I know I learned from others. Even the fish bladder glue for dental repairs wasn’t my idea—it was inspired by another tribe.”
He shared stories about innovative practices from the Lin Yan Tribe and others, leaving Xing Jiu in awe.
“Every tribe has its unique ways,” Xing Jiu remarked. “Since you’ve been so generous, I won’t hold back either.”
Learning to extract and repair teeth wasn’t overly complicated, and Xing Jiu quickly got the hang of it.
As an experienced healer with steady hands and a solid foundation, he picked it up much faster than a beginner would.
The team was careful not to take on overly complex cases, focusing instead on those they could handle with confidence.
The Bai Zhi Tribe bird beastmen, unable to sit still, formed an impromptu trade caravan. They visited nearby tribes, exchanging goods and returning with valuable items, including metals and unique medicinal herbs.
One day, after returning from a trading trip, they eagerly shared their latest discovery with Jian Mo and Wu Jiong.
“Brother Jian Mo, Chief Wu Jiong, you’ll never guess what we heard this time!”
Jian Mo noted their mysterious demeanor and asked, “Did you uncover some rare medicinal herbs?”
The bird beastmen burst into laughter. “Brother Jian Mo, why do you always think about medicinal herbs?”
Jian Mo chuckled. “What else would I think of? You’re being so cryptic; I don’t have a clue.”
The bird beastmen teased, “It’s not about herbs. Guess again!”
Jian Mo shrugged. “Too broad, I can’t guess. Why don’t you just tell me? Isn’t keeping me in suspense boring?”
One of them finally revealed, “It’s a rather unique tribe.”
Jian Mo mulled over it but couldn’t pinpoint which tribe could be described as “unique.”
Before he could ask further, Wu Jiong, standing behind him, suggested, “Is it the Qing Lin Tribe?”
Jian Mo was about to ask who the Qing Lin Tribe was when the bird beastmen turned to Wu Jiong in admiration. “Exactly! It’s the Qing Lin Tribe. Chief Wu Jiong, how did you guess?”
Wu Jiong explained to Jian Mo, “It’s the tribe of Xing Yuan’s two fathers.”
He elaborated further to the bird beastmen, “That’s the only tribe we’d especially keep in mind.”
Xing Yuan, a cub adopted by the Meng Shui Tribe, had lost both of his traveling fathers in a tragic incident. Hearing this, Jian Mo was taken aback. “Are you sure it’s Xing Yuan’s fathers’ tribe?”
The bird beastmen nodded. “We’ve confirmed it; there’s no mistake. But we didn’t mention Xing Yuan’s story to them.”
Jian Mo approved. “You were right not to bring it up. Xing Yuan is doing well now. It’s better to tell him about his fathers’ tribe when he’s older.”
The bird beastmen added, “That’s what we thought, too. When he’s grown, if he wants to visit, we can guide him there. If he brings enough supplies, we could even escort him ourselves.”
Jian Mo laughed, “You’ve just started trading, and you’re already showing signs of being sharp merchants!”
They protested, “What’s a sharp merchant? Everyone loves trading with us! They say our goods are excellent, and our exchanges are fair.”
“People even say we’re kindhearted—just like you and Chief Wu Jiong.”
It was true that Jian Mo’s reputation for treating patients and charging minimal resources had earned him widespread goodwill in the region. Some people even sent extra supplies as a token of gratitude.
The bird beastmen then asked, “Brother Jian Mo, Chief Wu Jiong, when are you planning to head back? If it’s soon, can we travel with you?”
Jian Mo replied, “We’re looking to leave in the next few days. Fen Hui’s recovering well, and Xing Yi said there’s not much left for us to learn here. Once I’ve copied the last of the medicinal recipes and identified a few more herbs, we’ll be ready to go.”
The bird beastmen cheered. “Great! We’ll do one more round of trading in the nearby tribes and then join you. Brother Jian Mo, have you seen the pearls here? They’re stunning.”
Jian Mo nodded. He and Wu Jiong had been here long enough to see some patients offer pearls as payment. Having seen many pearls back on Earth, Jian Mo didn’t find the unpolished ones here particularly impressive.
Noticing his lack of enthusiasm, the bird beastmen seemed puzzled. “Brother Jian Mo, aren’t pearls really valuable to you?”
Jian Mo laughed. “They’re fine. If someone gives them to us, we’ll accept them, but we don’t see a need to go out of our way to trade for them.”
To Jian Mo, pearls were neither edible nor practical.
The bird beastmen exclaimed, “How can you say that? Pearls are beautiful and rare! Even if you don’t like them, you could trade them with other tribes. Like the Dian Xin Tribe—they love pearls. They’d make stunning jewelry out of them!”
Jian Mo chuckled. “Ah, I see. You’re starting to sound like seasoned merchants with all this talk of trade strategy.”
The bird beastmen beamed. “Exactly! Pearls are pretty, lightweight, and easy to carry. If we trade for pearls here and exchange them for other supplies back home, we might even turn a profit.”
Jian Mo encouraged them, “Give it a try. Facilitating resource exchanges between tribes is a great idea—and it can be quite fun too.”
Thank you for the chapter~~