The old man, Wei Yu's home, wasn't far away. He chattered non-stop as he walked along the road. Perhaps because he hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time, he wanted to chat more with Ning Que and the others.
"My ancestors were from the Chu Kingdom. My great-grandfather was a captain of a thousand households in the Chu Kingdom. My father was just a small general. Later, due to famine, there was really no way to make a living. He had no choice but to bring my young mother and me to Lingnan. Fortunately, my father was a good fisherman, so I learned fishing from him and used it to gain a stable foothold in the Nanyue Kingdom."
"Oh? Considering your age, I wonder how your wife and children are doing?"
"They're all dead."
"ah?"
"They all died from headhunting."
The old man appeared calm and said indifferently, "Some were from Nanyue, and some from Minyue. After I established myself in Lingnan, I successfully married a wife, and she soon gave birth to a son. I made a decent living fishing. One night, I encountered some headhunters, but I chased them off with my spear gun. I knew the customs of Lingnan, but I didn't take them seriously, always thinking about protecting them. Until that time I went out to sea... and when I came back, they were all dead..."
Wei Yu stopped.
Pointing to the slightly dilapidated bamboo house, he sighed, "It's been decades, and it's still painful to talk about it again. They were beheaded, and that Yue man became a warrior of the tribe. I was so angry at the time that I picked up my harpoon, stabbed him to death, and then cut off his head. But my wife and children will never come back."
"Your condolences..."
Ning Que had never expected such a thing to happen.
I also took the time to talk about it with Shen Qinghe.
Ning Que viewed the insane custom of headhunting as akin to the perverted teachings of certain religions. They were simply a bunch of lunatics, committing evil under the guise of custom. If they truly possessed the ability, they could go out and hunt tigers. Bullying innocent women and children was no big deal.
"Alas, it's all in the past."
"So, I, an old man, have lived alone until now and have never remarried." Wei Yu looked at Ning Que and Shen Qinghe and said with emotion: "You two have a really good relationship, just like me and my wife back then. Please take a seat first, I'll go prepare your meal."
"good!"
Ning Que smiled and nodded.
Through the window, Wei Yu could be seen busy at work. There were several water tanks at the door, two of which were probably filled with seawater, with many marine fish visible. The rest were freshwater. Wei Yu was preparing to cook. The rice at home had clearly been there for some time, the grains turning a bit yellow. Ning Que didn't mind; after all, he was here to eat for free.
Taking advantage of the moment, Ning Que told Shen Qinghe about their earlier conversation. When she heard about headhunting, Shen Qinghe's expression suddenly changed. She waved her hands indignantly and sighed, "I've heard about this from Muya as well. She said headhunting is a custom in Lingnan. People in Nanyue also often participate in headhunting as a rite of passage. The more skilled ones would choose to hunt other tribes or tigers. Some, less skilled, would target their own people, often the elderly, the weak, women, and children."
"Um."
Ning Que nodded. "This is a really difficult matter. I've discussed this with Jie Jun specifically. Do you know what he said?"
"What did you say?"
"He said it couldn't be changed. This is a rule that's been passed down since ancient times, and it's been passed down for who knows how long. Because headhunting is also a way to resolve personal grudges, most Yue warriors have experienced headhunting. Only those who pass the headhunting test are true warriors!"
"How can he be so stupid?"
Ning Que shrugged helplessly, "I'm curious too... Actually, anyone can figure out that headhunting is harmful and has no benefits. It only exacerbates conflicts among the people. If we want to grow bigger and stronger, we must ban this kind of thing."
"Um."
"I plan to have another talk with him in a few days. I can't just sit there and watch them fight among themselves; it's a waste of manpower. If he doesn't agree, then I'll have to resort to other methods. From now on, I'll chop off the head of anyone who dares to headhunt!"
"That's right!"
Shen Qinghe nodded in agreement.
In her opinion, no one has the right to arbitrarily deprive others of their lives, which is also the philosophy that Bu Suanzi adheres to. Therefore, laws must be used to restrain them, and only those who violate the laws can be punished.
But headhunters don't care about these things at all. They just follow their own whims, killing innocent people at will. Take, for example, the old man Wei Yu. His family had done nothing wrong; they were just honest fishermen. Yet, his wife was brutally murdered. Whose fault is this?!
As the two chatted, Wei Yu entered, carrying a clay pot. Inside was fragrant rice, boiled vegetables, and steamed sea fish. He hadn't added any extra seasoning, just a sprinkle of salt on the vegetables.
"Your craftsmanship is quite good!"
“It’s all done so quickly.”
"They are all relatively simple, so please don't despise them."
The old man Wei Yu didn't take it to heart. He just sat down casually, personally served Ning Que the meal and handed it to him.
Ning Que took out a small ceramic pot and said with a smile, "The oyster sauce I just mentioned is actually made from oysters. Just pour some on the vegetables and try it."
The old man hadn't even touched his chopsticks yet, but the mere smell of the aroma made him drool. He then eagerly picked up a piece of food with chopsticks, chewing it with big mouthfuls, nodding his head in delight, "Wow, it's delicious!"
"Is your oyster sauce made from oysters?"
"Um."
"No wonder you were digging oysters last night." Wei Yu's face was full of surprise, and he exclaimed in admiration: "I didn't expect you could do this. I see that you have an extraordinary demeanor, and you also have such a magical method. Who are you?"
"That's the Prince Ning you mentioned, Ning Que."
"Ning...King Ning?!"
The old man was immediately horrified and quickly stood up and raised his hands to bow, "This humble servant greets His Majesty!"
"Hey, no need to be so polite." Ning Que smiled and patted the table. He left the pot behind and jokingly said, "Your dishes are delicious. I'll consider this pot of oyster sauce as payment."
"No, no, I can't have it!"
"It's okay, just keep it." Ning Que waved his hand calmly and said calmly, "Don't worry too much. It's not that expensive, it just takes a little effort. If you have time later, you can make some yourself. The method is very simple. Just clean the oysters and boil them in boiling water. Then take out the oysters and continue to boil the water to make oyster sauce. However, it will take about three hours."
"Three hours?" The old man Wei Yu looked surprised. "Doesn't that mean the prince and princess haven't slept for almost the entire night?"
"Um."
"Then I can't accept it!"
Wei Yu was also quite persistent.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
