The old man with redstone felted to death when he saw salt sprinkled on his wool felt blanket.
They felt sorry for the incredibly precious salt on the grassland, and also for their own wool felt.
He glared angrily at Song Dekui and roared, "Were you raised on grass? You can't even hold a bag of salt properly!"
Song Dekui leaned to one side, his legs shaking as he stomped on the salt, turning the white salt black, and then stomping it into the cracks of the mat, without even picking it up.
He reached into the cardboard box and said in a cheeky tone, "Oh dear, you've dirtied the chieftain's wool felt. I'll throw this mat away for you right now, and I'll pay for it."
The red stone man's eyes immediately turned red with anger: This is salt! How could you waste it like this? You'll be punished by the gods.
What's even more infuriating is that this man, who looks as thin as wormwood, pulled out a packet of salt...
"Stop! I believe you're a merchant caravan, okay?"
The Red Stone Man finally couldn't help but admit it.
Salt is precious on the grasslands.
If these two only sold salt, the stock in that small box would be enough to exchange for dozens of sheepskins.
In addition to exchanging tea and salt with the Red Stone tribe for furs, Song Liyun also wanted a map showing the route from here to the Mida River Valley.
Red Stone said irritably, "There are no maps. The path our Di tribe has walked has been passed down from generation to generation. It's all in our minds, and we won't easily reveal it."
Song Liyun didn't believe his words. As long as there was enough benefit, anything could be exchanged.
She slowly began, "Five packets of salt..."
"No, this is the wealth of the Redstone Tribe..." The withered old man shook his head like a rattle drum.
"Six packets of salt!"
"no……"
"Ten packets of salt!"
"I can't tell you!"
"Ten packets of salt...and one packet of sugar!"
"That road is difficult to travel... You'll need to get another packet of tea!"
"Okay! You have to draw the picture!" Song Liyun took out a charcoal pencil and paper.
"No! No! I've never touched a pen before! I can only tell you how to get there once."
Song Liyun: "...!"
Is it appropriate to describe a distance of nearly a thousand miles to someone who has never been to the grasslands, including the number of gullies, rivers, and hills involved?
Obviously, verbal explanation alone is not enough.
According to the Red Stone Man himself, he traveled along the gravel Gobi Desert from the Mida River Valley to the Hungry Wolf Beach.
You can follow the trails left by summer flash floods to the Mida River Valley.
That's where the rivers from hundreds of miles around converge; if you follow the stream, you'll reach it sooner or later.
However, the Redstone tribe had been traveling for half a month, and there were too many variables they might encounter along the way, so she had to be cautious.
Song Liyun estimated that, given the sheep's grazing and stop-and-go pace, they would cover an average distance of 20 kilometers per day, which would amount to at least 300 to 400 kilometers in half a month.
Moreover, the Redstone Tribe is still on its way, and if they move even faster, the journey will be even longer.
At such a distance, in the vast, uninhabited wilderness, besides roaming wild sheep and buffalo, wolf packs, and bandits.
Furthermore, what's even more terrifying than wild beasts and humans on the grasslands is getting lost.
A blizzard could strike at any moment.
Without road signs on the grasslands and unfamiliar with the terrain, any significant landmarks on the ground would be covered by snow, and getting lost would basically mean certain death.
Song Liyun had experience dealing with animals, so she wasn't worried about the wolf pack and was confident she could avoid the bandits. Her only fear was getting lost.
After some haggling, Song Liyun finally traded ten packets—two jin of salt, one jin of sugar, and half a jin of tea—for ten sheepskins and a guide from the illiterate Red Stone Man.
Leaving the Red Stone Tribe, Song Dekui, wrapped in a sheepskin robe, rode his horse, looking at the old horse slowly walking ahead with disdain, muttering, "That damned old fox, this old horse that's about to die, actually costs a pound of salt."
Song Liyun also felt a little regretful. She didn't feel sorry for the salt and sugar, but only regretted taking the old horse.
Using a horse to lead the way is useful, but you should have a young and healthy horse.
Old Ma was too old, skinny and with matted fur. On the way here, one of his legs had been bitten by a wolf, and he still walked with a limp. He was basically no longer of any practical use.
With his life hanging by a thread, I'm worried he might suddenly die while walking down the street.
According to the customs of the Di people, they do not kill old horses that have accompanied them for decades, but instead let them stay with the tribe until the last day of their lives.
In the end... he was still given to himself by his owner.
At this moment, the old horse, whose original coat color was no longer discernible, lowered its head and walked slowly ahead, seemingly indifferent to the fact that it had changed owners.
After walking for more than an hour, the Redstone Tribe was no longer in sight. At this moment, a circle of dark clouds hung low on the horizon, connecting the sky and the earth.
Song Dekui rode over and looked at the horizon, saying, "Xiaoyun, we need to find a place to camp now, or it will probably start snowing as soon as it gets dark."
Normally, it would have snowed by now, but only a few snowflakes have fallen over Broken Gold Town.
I stayed at the Jiang family's house last night. I heard that there is less snow on the grassland than in previous years, and the daytime temperature is significantly higher.
Although there is no heavy snow, the cattle and sheep have grass to eat, and each household can save on the fodder they prepare. However, this also indicates that there will be a drought next year, and the deficit can only be made up by several heavy snowfalls in winter.
Song Liyun also felt that they needed to set up camp sooner.
She was still unfamiliar with the grasslands.
Despite having experience surviving in the post-apocalyptic wilderness, one cannot contend with the darkness and winter snow.
As the two of them were discussing where to set up camp, the old horse in front of them stopped moving.
Not knowing what had happened, I stood there blankly.
A gust of wind blew by, and the skin and bones of the body looked as if it would be blown over.
Seeing his dying appearance, Song Dekui frowned deeply, his thin face even longer than Old Ma's, and he muttered curses: "That old fox is lying. He looks like he's about to die, yet he said he could reach the Mida River Valley."
The old horse swayed for a while, then walked directly to the spot with the most stones, circled twice, and knelt down on all fours.
"It's over, we've been tricked by that old bastard! This horse is going to die after only two hours!"
Song Dekui shouted and jumped off his horse to run away.
Song Liyun was also startled. She immediately dismounted and led Juqing and the chestnut horse over.
Song Dekui hopped and skipped to Old Ma's side, first touching Old Ma's neck, then looking at its eyes, and even lying on Old Ma's shoulder to listen to its heartbeat. After busying himself up and down for a while, he said to Song Liyun who had followed him, "Old Ma is fine, it's just tired! If it doesn't want to leave, then we won't leave either, we'll just set up a yurt here."
He felt some sympathy for the old horse, so he casually untied its reins to make it feel a little more relaxed.
After finishing, he complained, "Hey! If we have to walk for one or two hours every day and then rest, we won't be able to walk very far by the New Year."
Let's rest for today! We'll talk about the future later!
Song Liyun wasn't in a hurry. Walking slowly had its advantages; it would help her remember the direction. If she closed her eyes and wandered aimlessly across the grassland, she definitely wouldn't be able to find her way back.
She heard from the Red Stone Man that there were many tribes that had escaped from the grasslands near the Wu Dynasty.
If Old Ma hasn't gone far, I can just find a nearby tribe and ask around.
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