When they had put everything in place and were about to send someone to the Sun Tribe to exchange torches, Ming came.

"What is this?" He picked up the straw sandals and looked at them carefully. He couldn't figure out what they were for. He raised his head and looked at them, then waved at the tree, "Tree, what is this?"

The tree came over and stretched out its foot: "Look."

Ming looked down and saw something woven of straw on the tree's feet.

He looked at the shoe in his hand, then at the tree's foot, and asked in surprise, "Is this wrapped around the foot?"

"Yes," the tree said with a smile, "wearing them on your feet makes walking much more comfortable. You won't get hurt by stones or bites from insects."

As they traverse the mountains, they sometimes accidentally step on insects hiding in the grass, which can cause them to be bitten, causing excruciating pain. The pain is not the only thing they fear; the worst is the venomous nature of the insects. Every summer and autumn, it's not uncommon for people to die from fever after being bitten on the feet by insects.

"We are not like your tribe. We are reluctant to wrap our feet with animal skins in spring. But we have to walk barefoot until the ice and snow melt, and it will be very cold at that time. With these shoes, we will be much more comfortable and no longer have to walk barefoot on the cold ground." The tree added.

"It must be a good thing." Ming looked at the straw sandals with eager eyes.

What's rare is that this thing is made of straw, and thatch is everywhere on the mountain.

He raised his head and looked at the tree. "From the rattan baskets, to these straw sandals, to the pottery, it's clear that there's someone exceptionally intelligent in your tribe. I wonder who it is, and if I could introduce myself to them, could I?"

"Haha, it's because our tribe is too small, with few people, and the prey we hunt is little. It's not enough for us to eat, so how can we have extra to exchange for salt? We are forced into a corner, so everyone has to think of a solution. So the women in the tribe made these little things. They are all made of vines and thatch, and are not worth much." Shu laughed and did not answer Ming's question.

His answer was also expected.

If a tribe had exceptionally intelligent individuals, they would keep them hidden, fearing they would be noticed by the larger tribes and either lured over or secretly murdered. Large tribes were locked in conflict, leaving them with no energy to annex smaller ones. But that didn't mean they would sit idly by and watch as smaller tribes developed talented individuals and grew stronger.

Ming Wenshu said, "You just arrived, and it's almost dark. You haven't gone to the Sun Tribe yet, right? Tomorrow, when you go up there, you'll see people everywhere carrying those rattan baskets you exchanged for last year."

The smile on Shu's face slowly disappeared.

He rubbed his face and said helplessly, "This thing is simple, and it uses the most common vines. We're just using a trick. You'll learn it after watching. We didn't expect to get much salt back with this thing. We also anticipated this situation."

"In fact, if you are a large tribe, even if what you make is easy for others to learn, no one would dare to do it so blatantly." Ming Dao.

Seeing Shu shaking his head with a sad look on his face, he said again: "Shu, can we find a place where no one is around to talk?"

"Ah?" Shu was stunned for a moment, but nodded, "Okay."

"But I want to take someone with me," he said.

Ming's brow furrowed.

What they were going to discuss was extremely important, and he didn't want more people to know.

But he still patiently asked, "Who?"

"My brother's son." Shu said.

He smiled wryly and said, "I'm not very smart, nor am I the strongest. Everyone made me the leader because of my brother. But my brother is still the one who actually runs things."

He looked at Ming and said, "Are you going to talk to me about the inter-tribal affairs? I can't make the decision on this matter. I have to ask my brother before I can give you an answer. In that case, why not let Yu come and listen as well? I won't be able to remember what you said, but Yu can supplement it."

Ming now understood.

The Shanyin tribe also developed from a small tribe to a medium-sized tribe.

Small tribes have few people and simple things, so when electing a leader, they do it in a simple and rough way, relying directly on force to take power.

But when the tribe develops to a certain extent, there are many people, many conflicts, and the interests involved become more and more intense. It can no longer be solved by force alone, but also requires brains.

So now, the three major tribes are all led by people who are smart, capable, and have support. This is also why he is qualified to be the leader now that his father is dead.

Although the Valley Tribe is small, it has now come to this point.

Shan was crippled, but he clearly didn't want to relinquish the power he had acquired, wanting to hold onto it and pass it on to his son. However, his son was too young to handle the situation, so he used Shu as a puppet for a while. Once Shan's son grew up, Shu would abdicate, and the boy named Yu would naturally take over as leader.

Thinking of this, Ming was not in a good mood.

In his impression, Shan was an honest man, without many ulterior motives. The people of the Valley Tribe were relatively simple. However, Shuo of the Stone Tribe was a man with many ulterior motives.

He had been very happy when he heard that Shuo was dead, thinking that the two tribes wouldn't be a problem. But now that Shan had become so powerful, the problem was getting a bit tricky.

He nodded and said, "Okay, call him over."

Shu turned around to look for Qiao Yu, and waved to her when he saw her.

Qiao Yu had been keeping an eye on them. Seeing Shu waving, he immediately trotted over.

"Let's go and sit over there." Ming turned around and walked towards the field next to him.

The three of them walked to a place some distance away from the stall and found a stone to sit on.

Seeing that Yu was a thin and petite teenager, who looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, Ming didn't take her seriously. He smiled and nodded at her, showing some goodwill. Then he asked Shu directly, "During the snow season, didn't Shuo from the Giant Stone Tribe go with you to your tribe to see the mountains? Did he go?"

"He did." Shu said, "He even had a duel with Hei, but he was defeated. He stayed overnight and then left."

These are the details that Qiao Yu has repeatedly reminded them of.

Without Ming, perhaps no one would have been interested in the affairs of these two small tribes. However, Ming observed every move of the Stone Tribe and the Valley Tribe at the Snow Season Fair. If the internal conflict within the Shanyin Tribe had been resolved, it would have been fine. If not, Ming would definitely target these two small tribes.

If our statements are not consistent, we will definitely be exposed after being asked a few questions by him.

After hearing what Shu said, Ming showed a look of understanding.

If so, it makes sense.

Shuo was the most powerful man in the Stone Tribe, yet he couldn't defeat Hei. Even if Hei wasn't the leader of the Valley Tribe, if the two tribes clashed, Shuo would definitely be subdued and killed by Hei. So, it's understandable that Shuo didn't dare take the risk.

No wonder the two tribes live in peace.