27 27- The merchant caravan
The caravan travelled for the whole day, and chose a valley to camp for the night.
The day went pretty good for the caravan as they only came across three small beast groups.
They killed two groups and chased one away. Calculating the losses and the profits they made from killing the beast groups, they had made some profits instead.
The setting sun dyed the clouds with colors; red, orange, grayish red, purple… there were all kinds of colors. The clouds also formed into all kinds of shapes; appearing like a roaring lion one moment, or galloping pegasus the next moment, or a blossoming sea of flowers.
The multicolored sunlight shone upon the valley which resembled a jade-green gem. After the caravan finished all the arrangements for the night, there was a certain area in the caravan that was a cacophony of noises.
"Come, have a look, today's freshly slaughtered beast meat!"
"Buttermilk, fragrant and sweet buttermilk..."
"Only ten pieces of clothing remaining, stock clearance sale!"
A man walked between the stalls while looking around and watching the caravan work. This man was wearing an iron mask that covers his entire face and shows only his eyes. He is dressed in black long-sleeved clothes, a strong aura coming out of the man that will make everyone he sees show him fear and respect.
Next to the man walked a little boy, boy was rather interested in all this as he looked all around him: "To think there would be a small bazaar like this in the caravan."
"If there is consumption, there will be transactions, and the consumption will thus stimulate marketplaces." The man in the iron mask answered.
boy's eyes flashed, these words were truly incisive.
"The small bazaar in the caravan is divided into two types. The one is only the transactions between mortals and it will be held every day. Another type is the transactions between Gu Masters, which is held once a week." The man in the iron mask said.
Mortals and Gu Masters looked at the iron masked man and awe appeared within them, and everyone bowed to him and paid their respects.
The man in the iron mask is the leader and owner of this caravan.
Previously this man was unknown and five years ago his name started spreading all over the Southern Border after defeating and killing two rank five Gu Masters who had taken the Demonic Path, after which he set up a caravan and started traveling all over the Southern Border.
After years, he established many relations with various famous clans in the southern borders, and his trade succeeded and he became the number one merchant in the southern borders.
But his background was always mysterious, some speculated that he was a lone cultivator, and some thought he was a person of the demonic path because he always covered his face with an iron mask.
Because of his mysterious background, the Tie clan decided to check if he was a demonic path, and after investigating him for a year, they assured everyone that he was not a demonic path.
Tie Clan famed for being the number one investigator clan in Southern Border. Tie Clan is a first-class powerhouse, a large clan with strong foundations, having thousands of years of legacy, standing strong even in present.
So when they said that the man in the iron mask is not from the demonic path, everyone believed them.
"Who is this boy walking with the caravan leader?" One of the Gu Masters looked at his friend and asked curiously.
"I also don't know who he is, this is the first time I've seen him." His friend was also confused.
"He is the one that the caravan leader rescued from the village we passed through earlier." An old Gu Master looked at the two of them and answered.
When their convoy was on their way to one of the villages, they found it completely destroyed, and this boy was the only survivor, so the leader of the convoy decided to take him with them.
Apparently, this child is the young master of the clan that used to live in that village.
"But I don't like this boy, he is arrogant and cruel, I don't understand why the caravan leader treats him so kindly." One of the young Gu Masters frowned and was jealous of the treatment the boy was getting.
..... .... ... .. . .. ... .... .....
after a week.
The month of May was a transition between spring and summer.
The fragrance of flowers filled the air, the huge mountains evergreen and the sunlight began to gradually release its ardent side.
Under the clear azure skies, the white clouds drifted like cotton.
On Feng Jing Mountain, the trees forest was straight like spears as always, pointing towards the blue sky. Weeds grew wildly everywhere, and unknown varieties of wild flowers dotted the grass thicket. As the light breeze blew, the wild grass moved to and fro, the heavy fragrance of flower pollen and the smell of green grass assailing visitors.
Halfway up the mountain was a huge number of terraced fields. Layer by layer, step by step, the soft green wheat sprouts were planted down. From afar, it looked like a verdant green sea.
On the terraced fields were numerous farmers busily working away. There were some farmers cleaning the canal for the channeling of water to irrigate the fields, while some farmers were rolling up their trousers, standing in the fields and planting sprouts.
These people were naturally all mortal outsiders as the Liu clansmen would never do these lowly jobs.
Ring, ring...
The sound of camel bells could be faintly heard in the spring breeze.
The farmers straightened their bodies as they headed down the mountain, only to see a caravan moving like a colorful worm from the mountain side, slowly showing its head.
"It's the merchant caravan!"
"Yes, it's already May, it is about time for the caravan to come."
The adults caught on the situation at once, and the children stopped playing with the water and clay in their hands. Together, they energetically approached the caravan.
The Southern Borders had a hundred thousand mountains - Feng Jing Mountain was just one of them. On every mountain, there were villages after villages, which were maintained by everyone through their blood relationships and kinships.
In between the mountains, the forests were deep and ominous, the cliffs steep and full of the dangerous falling rocks. Additionally, in the complex surroundings of the forest dwelled a large number of ferocious beasts and peculiar Gu worms.
Mortals could not pass through at all. It was difficult to get past these obstacles alone, one had to at least be a Rank three Gu Master.
Because of the poor economy, trading was difficult. Thus, the most important form of trading was through the caravan merchants. Only by organizing a merchant group in such a large scale could Gu Masters come together with the power to help each other, conquering the difficulties in the traveling routes and traversing from one mountain to another.
The merchant caravan's arrival was like a bowl of boiling water that poured into the peaceful and serene Feng Jing Mountain.
The caravan merchants entered the Liu mountain village one by one, lead by a Treasure Brass Toad. This toad was two and a half meters tall, its entire body orange-yellow in color. The back of the toad was thick and full of warts and knots. It was like the lumps of bronze nails on ancient city gates.
On the Treasure Brass Toad's back, thick ropes were tied around plenty of goods. At a glance, it seemed like the toad was carrying a giant backpack.
A man in an iron mask sat on the frog's back, his facial features absolutely invisible and no one could tell what he was thinking. He cupped his fists as he greeted the surrounding Liu villagers.
The treasure toad hopped slightly as it moved forward but iron mask man who was sitting on its head was stable and steady. When the toad hopped, his height would level with the windows on the second floor of a building. Even when he was back on the ground, he was at a height greater than the first level of the bamboo buildings.
The originally spacious streets were suddenly rather packed and narrow. The Treasure Brass Toad was like a beast that intruded into the midst of a great number of bamboo houses.
After the treasure toad was a huge fat worm. It had two eyes that were similar to multi-colored glass windows, the colors bright and gorgeous. The worm was fifteen meters long, its body shape resembling a silkworm. However, the surface of the worm was covered in a thick layer of black porcelain-like leather armor. On the armor was another abundant pile of goods and merchandise, a hemp rope tied around it. In between the gaps and intervals of the goods, Gu Masters sat one by one, some old and some young.
There were also mortals who were robust and sturdy martial warriors, slowly moving forward on the ground following after a fat black beetle.
After the fat beetle, there were ostriches with brightly colored feathers, hairy mountain spiders, winged snakes with two pairs of feathered wings and so on. However, these were in small numbers, most of the creatures were toads.
These toads were all similar to the Treasure Brass Toad, but they were smaller in size and had the build of cows and horses. The toads were carrying merchandise and people, their bellies bulging as they hopped forward.
The merchant caravan wound deep into the village.
Children on the road would look on curiously with wide eyes, calling out in joy or exclaiming in surprise.
The windows on the second stories opened one after another, the mountain villagers observing the merchants from a short distance. Some had eyes that flashed with fear and some others waved their hands to express a warm welcome.
"you came a little late this year, you must have had a hard journey." Approaching with the identity of a clan head, Liu Liu came out herself to greet the leader of this year's merchant caravan.
As Iron Mask Man had the status of a Rank five Gu Master, if a Rank three or four elder were to be in charge of receiving him, it would be undoubtedly be seen as a kind of negligence and scorn.
Iron Mask Man cupped his fists and sighed, "This year's road was rather unfavorable. On the way we bumped into a group of Secluded Blood deer and we lost quite a few good men. Then on Din Ho Mountain we ran into a mountain fog, and we didn't dare to continue traveling at all. So we were delayed for quite a lot of time, and caused Sister Liu to wait for quite awhile."
As they spoke, their tones were very polite.
The Liu village needed the merchant caravans every year to come and trade, and the merchant caravan also needed business to make money.
"Heh heh heh, it's good enough that you are able to come. Please, the clan has prepared food and wine, let me host a welcoming dinner for you," Liu Liu stretched out her hand and said invitingly.
"Clan head is polite, too polite." Iron Mask Man was flattered.
The merchant caravan arrived at the boundaries of the Feng Jing Mountain in the early morning, and by afternoon they were stationed in the Liu Village. When it was dusk, the surroundings of the village had formed into a widespread area of temporary shops and stores. All kinds of red, blue, yellow and green lofty tents were built and every inch between the tents was squeezed with numerous little street stalls.
