Each tribe has its own territory at the trading post, where they build tents out of animal hides and trees to house people and store traded goods. Usually, only four or five people from a tribe come.
Sada led them straight to the snake tribe's tent, and before they even reached the door, he called out, "Mowen, are you there? I brought some friends."
"Here"
The sounds emanating from the tent were cold, unlike Mengya's nonchalant indifference; they possessed a chilling, sinister quality. Xu Zifan frowned slightly, took a step back behind Sada, and followed Mengya inside.
The tent was dimly lit, with only light filtering in from the tent opening. Xu Zifan adjusted his eyes for a moment before noticing a thin man sitting cross-legged in the corner. His long, black hair, almost waist-length, was loosely tied back, with two strands falling past his shoulders on either side of his face. This immediately reminded Xu Zifan of a demonic cult leader from a martial arts drama. The man was expressionless, and his gaze was sharp; judging from his appearance alone, he certainly didn't seem like a good person.
Mo Wen glanced at them, then lowered his head to stroke a stone knife, and asked in a cold voice, "What is it?"
Sada found a place to sit and sneered, "You're so boring. Can't I come to see you for no reason? I'm your savior, and this is how you treat me?"
Mo Wen remained indifferent, saying, "I don't need your help."
"Yes, yes, I shouldn't have saved you. I should have watched you get bitten all over by those two ferocious beasts before strangling them to death, right? Snakes are indeed cold-blooded, even more heartless than ingrates." Sada muttered a few words before pulling Mengya and Xu Zifan to sit down. He then said to Mo Wen, "This is Mengya from the Tiger Clan, my friend. He was bitten by the ferocious beasts when he came. Don't you have a lot of medicine? Could you take a look? Oh, and this one too. This one is very powerful. He's a wise man whom the Tiger Clan's Beast God specially appeared to acknowledge, to impart wisdom to us."
Mengya refused, "I don't need medicine. The wise man applied medicine to me, and I feel much better."
"Don't be so cocky, how…is this possible…" As Sada spoke, he looked down at Mengya's wound and found that it had indeed healed very well and had not reopened due to the long run. He swallowed his words and looked up at Xu Zifan. "Zifan, you can also concoct other medicines? Why don't you come to our tribe? Our tribe is quite backward in terms of medicinal herbs. We often have to trade with the Snake Clan. If you go, maybe we won't have to deal with the Snake Clan anymore."
Mo Wen then looked up. "You know how to prepare medicine? What kind of medicine?"
Xu Zifan looked at Sada, who shrugged and said, "This stinky snake is a medicine fanatic. His medicine is the best on the entire continent. By the way, he is also the youngest son of the snake clan chief. His older brother is the young chief."
Mengya added in a low voice, "The snake clan and the leopard clan are not far apart. In ancient times, the two clans often fought for resources, resulting in considerable losses. Five hundred years ago, they made peace and began to cooperate and help each other, becoming allies. I think he can be trusted."
[Shaohua: Based on the data collected from the three individuals, they were not lying. The quantity of medicinal herbs and the various prepared medicines in the tent corroborate that Mowen is a pharmacist.]
Xu Zifan then took out three kinds of medicinal powder. "This is a hemostatic powder. Sprinkle it on the wound and it will stop the bleeding in a few breaths. This is an external wound medicine. Apply it to the wound, bandage it, and change the dressing every day. It is very effective. This is an anesthetic powder. A small amount can make a person lose local sensation, an appropriate amount can make a person lose all sensation, and an excessive amount can cause death."
Upon hearing that Mafeisan could also cause death, Sada immediately moved to the side. "You didn't concoct this medicine just to deal with ferocious beasts, did you? What else can this medicine do?"
Xu Zifan glanced at him. "If someone has an infected and festering wound, the necrotic part can be removed after anesthesia, and the patient will not feel pain; if someone is having a difficult childbirth, we can find a way to help them give birth after anesthesia; if someone is poisoned or seriously injured, amputation can be performed after anesthesia to save their life. Mafeisan has many uses, and dealing with ferocious beasts is just something I came up with on the spot."
After Xu Zifan finished speaking, he finally saw an expression on Mo Wen's face, which had been like that of a living dead man—an expression of interest. Mo Wen picked up a small pinch of the external medicine, smelled it, and then carefully examined Meng Ya's wound. He said in a deep voice, "This is not the medicine you gave him."
Xu Zifan shrugged. "Why should I take out all my things?"
Mo Wen stared into his eyes. "What do you want? We can trade."
Mo Wen's eyes were vertical pupils, exuding a cold and sinister feeling. Most people would instinctively feel afraid when they saw him and avoid his gaze. However, Xu Zifan met his gaze without fear and told him, "I need your support to make the snake clan follow my arrangements and make changes. In return, I will teach you better methods of medicine preparation and medical skills."
Sada said unhappily, "Zifan, you want to go to the Snake Clan? I met you first. No way, you have to go to the Leopard Clan."
Xu Zifan turned to look at him and asked, "Can you make the leopard clan obey my commands? I can also teach the leopard clan people medicine and medical skills, as well as other knowledge that increases their chances of survival."
Sada and Mowen exchanged a glance and fell silent. Seeing this, Mengya spoke up, "Perhaps you can have your High Priest inquire with the Beast God about the Wise One. The Beast God's appearance in the Tiger Clan is absolutely true; all members of the Tiger Clan witnessed it. The Wise One vowed to spread wisdom throughout the continent, change this land, and help us survive. The Beast God agreed and ordered us to obey the Wise One's instructions. It was because Bai Yi had a conflict with the Wise One that the Wise One left the Tiger Clan and came here. This is an opportunity that the Tiger Clan has already missed; you should consider this carefully."
Xu Zifan was surprised that Mengya would speak up for him time and time again, and couldn't help but glance at Mengya a few more times.
Having spent so much time together, Mengya had always been taciturn. When he worked, Mengya would quietly watch from the sidelines, also keeping watch during the hunt. He didn't know why Mengya wanted him to spread wisdom to others, but it was definitely a good thing for him. He was lucky to have met these people.
He recalled the beastman novels Shao Hua had found for him when he first arrived. Some transmigrators claimed to be divine messengers, and the beastmen all believed them, revering them. Now, it all seemed utter nonsense! Where there are people, there is conflict and self-interest. Beastmen certainly scheme against each other, though the pressure of survival makes it less obvious. No one would obey a stranger's orders without reason. Even these three only acknowledged him because they saw his abilities. No matter where you are, true skill is the only way to conquer others.
After a moment of contemplation, Mo Wen Bisada made the first decision: "I need to know your capabilities and whether you're worth making this deal with."
Xu Zifan said calmly, "I also need to know if you have the influence to affect the snake clan, and whether you are worth making this deal with."
Mo Wen narrowed her eyes and stared at him, her voice cold, "I can do what I say."
"I'll observe for myself," Xu Zifan said, standing up. "Could you show me around this place? And introduce me to the other races and their temperaments?"
"Hmm." Mengya didn't say anything more this time, got up and walked out with him.
Sada stood beside the tattooed man, his playful expression fading, and asked, "How's the medicine? Do you believe the wise man has great abilities?"
"Ferocious Fang is your friend."
"That's right, but I can't gamble with my entire clan, and I can't make any promises lightly. The Tiger Clan should be arriving soon, and I'll find out what's going on then."
"Me too." Mo Wen still held the three packets of medicine Xu Zifan had given him, and said coldly, "His medicine is many times better than mine. Meng Ya is right, this is an opportunity."
Sada looked at him questioningly, "You mean you're definitely going to learn medicine-making from him? You've agreed to the deal?"
"I'll give you whatever he's worth in this transaction. The transaction is fair." After saying that, Mo Wen ignored him and sat down to study the three packets of powder.
Sada muttered a few words and then lifted the curtain to go out, intending to follow Xu Zifan and observe more closely. Their conversation was overheard by Shao Hua, which actually reassured Xu Zifan somewhat. The more serious and meticulous they were, the better they seemed as business partners. If he encountered someone who immediately became completely obedient to him, he'd suspect they were brain-dead; they might be lured away by someone else someday. When it came to strength, he was never afraid.
Sada catching up with them was very beneficial to them. Sada was very sociable; it was clear he had been to the trade fair many times and knew everyone there, or at least had some information about them, unlike Mengya, who was indifferent to everything and knew almost no one there. Thus, Sada became Xu Zifan's "guide," while Mengya was more like his bodyguard.
Xu Zifan followed Sada and got to know most of the people outside, some chatting and some fighting. He had Shaohua write down their information, and then he turned around and saw a beautiful woman in a blue dress and cloak walking out of a tent! She was really beautiful!
He immediately gestured with his chin towards the beautiful woman and asked Sada beside him, "Who is that? Do you know her?"
Sada raised an eyebrow and looked over, surprised. "This is the first time I've seen you make such a vivid expression. So you like this kind of thing? Don't you think he's so thin and weak, like a female, that he doesn't give you any sense of security? I could take on ten of him, Fierce Fang, right?"
With his arms crossed, Mengya said indifferently, "I've never fought one, so I don't know."
"It's obvious, isn't it? If they hadn't always been hiding in the water, all that stuff would have been looted long ago," Sada said with a light laugh, his tone devoid of contempt; he genuinely meant it.
Xu Zifan frowned. "You mean... he's also a beastman? A beastman who can transform?"
"Of course." Sada gave him a strange look. "This is Prince Roland of the Mermaid Tribe. Their tribe has a lot of fish, seafood, and salt. Prince Roland is very kind, and it's a pleasant trade with them without much trouble. If you can't make it through the winter, you can go to the Mermaid Tribe to trade for seafood, but those fish are terrible, terribly fishy, and full of bones. Fish with fewer bones are very expensive, so it's not worth it. It's a real pity."
Mengya added, "The mermaid tribe lives in the sea and comes out less often in winter, but they are not affected, so they are the largest tribe of all."
Xu Zifan was filled with mixed emotions. He had initially thought there were women here, just not in other tribes, but it turned out that such a beautiful person was actually a man. Upon closer inspection, he could indeed see an Adam's apple, and as he moved, he could see a flat chest beneath his cloak. It seemed that this was indeed a mermaid tribe, just like on television, known for its beautiful women, unlike the monstrous appearances portrayed in the news. He asked, somewhat inexplicably, "Do mermaids' tears turn into pearls?"
"What are pearls?" Sada asked curiously, then stroked his chin. "I've never seen a merman cry. Can tears turn into something else? Zifan, is this one of the wisdoms you're trying to convey?"
Xu Zifan waved his hand, "No, it's just a legend, I don't know if it's true or not."
He approached Roland, determined to make his acquaintance, and said to Mengya and Sada, "We can trade some seafood at this trade fair. You're not eating it the right way, so I'll teach you. Even if orcs don't like it, females can fill their stomachs with seafood. Besides, some seafood is good for your health and can make you healthier and less prone to illness."
Sada narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Okay, I'll listen to you. I want to be the first to try your seafood dishes."
Xu Zifan thought to himself that the seafood he made might not necessarily be good to eat.