The difficult path of cultivation for a grassroots female practitioner

Chapter 1047: The Transaction. Xiao Han and Xin Ziqi, surrounded by four or five men, walked away into the distance.

This area is overgrown with trees and weeds of all sizes; there are probably no roads here.

But these local men walked back and forth along the river several times, and eventually carved out a path that was barely passable.

After walking two or three miles, we arrived at a gently sloping hilly area.

The soil here must not be very good; the trees and weeds are not lush.

Xiao Han secretly observed the local people around her.

They were all dressed in coarse linen clothes and straw sandals.

Perhaps for ease of movement or hunting, the sleeves of their clothes were similar to those of a regular undergarment, and they wore trousers instead of wide-sleeved robes.

As for their hair, some people tied it into a high bun with wooden hairpins, while others only wore it to their shoulders, wrapped it with some ornaments with cloth, wrapped it around their foreheads, tied it up, and then let their hair hang loose and secure it.

Presumably, these indigenous people do not have a fixed hairstyle and style their hair as they please.

Xiao Han was even more surprised when she saw that the leading man had a metal weapon resembling a woodcutter's knife tucked behind his waist.

They have iron tools, so they can't possibly be a primitive tribe. Moreover, their language pronunciation is the same as that of the cultivation world, and their living conditions and lifestyle are very similar to those of primitive tribal societies.

It's so weird.

Xin Ziqi did not initiate conversation, behaving arrogantly. The burly man leading the way also remained silent, simply leading the way in silence.

Paths gradually appeared where they walked. The trees were still not very tall, but the weeds were much shorter.

After walking about ten miles, we arrived at a place with flatter terrain.

These natives walked very fast, and Xiao Han and Xin Ziqi might not have been able to keep up if they weren't physically strong.

The two women's long, flowing skirts walked through the thickets of thorns and weeds without getting caught or damaged, which astonished the local people even more.

As they approached the tribal settlement, Xiao Han saw rice paddies and flocks of sheep.

Although the rice plants in those paddy fields were sparse and the yield per acre was probably pitifully low, they were still rice plants that could produce grains.

And the flock of sheep, which looked similar to wild goats, but with only two people guarding dozens of sheep, indicated that they were domesticated sheep.

She was getting more and more confused.

What kind of tribal society is this?

Soon, she saw the settlement of the tribe.

Indeed, just as Ba Dou said, the houses were round thatched huts surrounded by a wooden fence taller than a person, enclosing all the houses.

At that moment, the gate of the fence was wide open, and a group of natives stood there.

These people were all dressed in coarse linen clothes, but the five old men standing at the front were dressed in long robes with wide sleeves.

However, because the fabric of the clothes was too poor, they lacked a flowing, elegant feel when worn.

Several men and women standing at the back stared wide-eyed at the clothes Xin Ziqi and Xiao Han were wearing.

Then they whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with envy.

When Xin Ziqi and Xiao Han walked up to the group of people, an old man with a wrinkled face, who looked quite old, stepped forward first, clasped his hands together, and bowed to the two of them.

It turned out to be the standard etiquette between cultivators of the same generation.

"This humble old man, Ji Ming, is the Grand Elder of the Sun Tribe. I greet you two distinguished guests!"

Although Xiao Han and the other person were referred to as noblemen, there was no sign of servility or respect.

Xin Ziqi and Xiao Han returned the greeting simultaneously.

Xin Ziqi said, "Elder, you can call me Fellow Daoist Xin and her Fellow Daoist Xiao."

She said this with the intention of testing them, to see if they understood what a fellow Daoist was and whether it had anything to do with cultivators.

Sure enough, when the Grand Elder heard the words "fellow Daoist," a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Xiao Han smiled and handed over the small straw basket in her hand, "This is a small gift, nothing special, please forgive me, Elder."

It was unclear whether the elder understood her words. He glanced at the fish in the basket, handed it to the person next to him, and then gestured for her to come in.

Xiao Han and the other person followed the Grand Elder to the largest thatched hut in the very center.

Even in broad daylight, the indoor lighting is not very good.

Fortunately, once inside, my eyes adjusted and I could see the furnishings clearly.

This room must have been a place specifically for entertaining guests; besides the futons and low tables, there wasn't much else inside.

Guided by the Grand Elder, Xiao Han and Xin Ziqi sat down behind the table opposite the Grand Elder.

Seeing the futon and the person's cross-legged posture, Xiao Han suspected that the person here must have some connection with cultivators. After all, the style of the futon and the way they sat were the same as those of cultivators.

Soon, a young woman brought a pottery basin filled with wild fruit and placed it on the table between Xiao Han and the other person.

Six people sat opposite the Grand Elder: besides him, there were four other elders and the burly man.

At this moment, the Grand Elder spoke first, asking, "Have you two come from the royal city?"

Xin Ziqi and Xiao Han exchanged a glance, both realizing that they had guessed correctly.

As expected, there is still a royal city.

Xin Ziqi neither admitted nor denied it, but instead smiled and asked in return, "Has the Grand Elder met anyone from the Royal City before?"

The elder shook his head.

"I've only ever seen merchants from the capital who come to sell goods."

Xin Ziqi and Xiao Han suddenly felt much more relaxed.

Since it's called the royal city, it must be a large city with many inhabitants. Being mistaken for nobles from the royal city would certainly make them safer.

Just as Xin Ziqi was about to ask a few more questions and inquire about more information, the Grand Elder began to ask questions in return.

“What are you doing here, a group of you? You don’t look like businessmen.”

Xin Ziqi hadn't figured out a suitable excuse yet when Xiao Han smiled and said, "We were sent by the king to find an elixir of immortality, but we didn't find it and we've run out of salt. We'd like to trade some salt with your tribe."

"An elixir of immortality? I've never heard of such a divine medicine before." The Grand Elder was very surprised.

He then asked, "Then why don't you have any servants with you?"

This is why people are skeptical of their status as influential figures.

Xin Ziqi simply stopped talking and let Xiao Han ramble on.

Xiao Han laughed and said, "We encountered a pack of wolves earlier. The servants fought with the wolves and fell behind."

Since they were going to impersonate nobles, they would naturally have servants and guards.

Fearing that things might get complicated if things dragged on, Xiao Han continued, "Many of our supplies have either been lost or are still behind us, so we are willing to use the treasures bestowed upon us by the King to trade with you for some salt. Is that acceptable?"

After saying that, he took off the hair ornament from his head and placed it on the table.

The people opposite them saw the faint glimmer of light and admired the exquisite and beautiful headdress.

With such a treasure, merchants who trade silk and ironware can exchange it for even more ironware when they come back in the future.

But how much salt would it take to neutralize such a wonderful thing?

The elder looked at the two of them and asked, "How much salt do you want?"

Xiao Han immediately asked, "How much are you willing to give?"

The elder hesitated for a moment, then said, "Why don't you wait a moment while we go and discuss it?"

Xiao Han and Xin Ziqi both nodded in agreement.

The six people opposite him got up, walked out, and stood in a place far away from the thatched hut.

Before the Grand Elder could speak, one of the elders suddenly said, "These people's clothes and headdresses are very exquisite and valuable. Why don't we send people over to capture all the others and rob them together?"

"If we erase all traces of their presence here, and considering how far away the capital is, would they really send troops to conquer us?"