Chapter 51

At midnight, there will be another chapter...

Gu Jianfeng, representing the Black Mountain tribe, came to reconcile and brought gifts with utmost sincerity.

In addition to animal tendons, bones, hides, meat, bronze vessels, and coarse linen, he also brought several drops of the giant wolf's heart blood.

"Black Mountain had no face to bring back that wild wolf. It was only because my uncle, Gu Chen, was severely injured during the beast attack and needed the wild wolf's heart blood to save his life that we shamelessly brought the wild wolf back,"

Gu Jianfeng said, somewhat embarrassed,

"The flesh and blood of the wild wolf were all taken by the Mountain Tong tribe. Black Mountain took two drops of the beast heart blood to save my uncle, Gu Chen. The other parts and three drops of the beast heart blood are here. Father asked me to return them to the Black Python tribe. The two drops of wolf heart blood used to save my uncle, Gu Chen, can only be partially compensated by this Blood Gathering Pill formula..."

The flesh and blood of the wild wolf are rich in life essence, and consuming them can strengthen one's vital energy. However, the beast heart blood is considered a true treasure of medicinal value.

The value of three drops of beast heart blood is even on par with a Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pill. With the formula and method to refine it, combined with other spiritual herbs, three Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills can be refined.

Compared to three drops of beast heart blood, the Blood Gathering Pill formula is an even greater secret of the Black Mountain tribe.

If the Black Python tribe obtains this formula, they can refine a hundred or so Blood Gathering Pills each year, which are slightly inferior to the Black Python Pills. Over decades or even a century, the number of Blood Gathering Pills accumulated would be astonishing.

By sending the Blood Gathering Pill formula to the Black Python tribe, the Black Mountain tribe truly demonstrated their sincerity in reconciliation.

Wu Gong Zongtu did not immediately accept the formula but had the tribesmen lead Gu Jianfeng and his accompanying warriors to a nearby stone house to rest.

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Chen Xun sat behind the stone table and saw that, apart from Grandfather Zongtu, Nanliao, Zongsang, and others, all the important figures in the village who could participate in the tribal council were present.

After Gu Jianfeng expressed the Black Mountain tribe's sincerity, they were all very willing to reconcile with the Black Mountain tribe.

The Black Python tribe had only a thousand or so members, and they had suffered many losses during the harsh winter. They needed time and space to recuperate. However, how to reconcile with the Black Mountain tribe was still a matter of debate.

Gu Jianfeng, representing the Black Mountain tribe, brought these precious gifts, and how the Black Python tribe should reciprocate was also a point of contention.

"Why should we reciprocate? The wild wolf was originally taken from the Black Python tribe by force. They are only returning a part of it. The rest, we still need to demand from the Mountain Tong tribe." Zongsang, who was always straightforward, was willing to reconcile and reduce the fighting, but he felt no guilt in accepting the gifts brought by Gu Jianfeng and did not think it necessary to reciprocate with precious items.

Wu Gong Zongtu smiled helplessly. For the Black Mountain tribe to express their sincerity, the Black Python tribe also needed to show sufficient sincerity. Only then could the two tribes put aside their guard and reconcile.

If the Black Mountain tribe could not put aside their guard against the Black Python tribe, the relationship between the two tribes would be difficult to improve.

"Should we accept some of the gifts as a gesture and return the rest?" Nanliao asked, "After the harsh winter, the village has nothing good to give back to the Black Mountain tribe..."

The Black Python tribe had fifteen Nine Yuan Nourishing Aperture Pills, which were top-tier treasures in the Northern Mountain, but this information could not be revealed to anyone outside the stone hall, let alone used to reciprocate the Black Mountain tribe.

Nanliao thought the best approach would be to symbolically accept a few gifts and return the rest, including the three drops of beast heart blood and the Blood Gathering Pill formula, to show that the Black Python tribe had no greedy intentions and was sincere in their desire to reconcile with the Black Mountain tribe.

"Xun, what do you think?" Wu Gong Zongtu asked Chen Xun.

Although Chen Xun was not a member of the Black Python tribe and was young, everyone found it natural for Zongtu to seek his opinion and thought it was also important to hear Xun's thoughts.

Everyone knew that without Xun, it would have been difficult for the Black Python tribe to survive this time.

"Reconciliation should involve defining clear hunting boundaries and agreeing on methods to resolve disputes. Additionally, the two tribes should exchange resources and support each other,"

Chen Xun paused for a moment, then said frankly,

"The Black Mountain tribe sending the Blood Gathering Pill formula to the Black Python tribe is a sign of their sincerity. I think the Black Python tribe can accept it. As for the return gift, why not share the Black Python Pill formula with them? In the future, the Black Mountain tribe can trade their abundant herbs and other resources with the Black Python tribe, and the tribes should encourage intermarriage to truly resolve the long-standing enmity between the two tribes..."

The Black Python tribe once dominated the Canglan region, with over a hundred powerful warriors, but now, with only a thousand members, they were in a precarious situation.

Since Nanliao became the tribal leader, he had been thinking about how to reduce friction with neighboring tribes and establish a base in the Northern Mountain of Python Tooth Ridge to recuperate. Listening to Chen Xun's words, he found them increasingly profound and patted his thigh in approval:

"Xun is young, but his insights surpass ours. I think Chen Xun's proposal is feasible."

"Yes, Xun's words are very reasonable!" Zongtu, who was naturally open-minded, did not look down on Chen Xun because of his age and nodded in approval, "Xun's knowledge is truly greater than mine..."

Seeing everyone nod in agreement, Chen Xun inwardly smiled:

On Earth, anyone who had read some history books would know that for tribes to stop killing and reconcile, they needed to establish boundaries, trade, exchange, and intermarry. It was surprising that in the Black Python tribe, these ideas were considered highly insightful.

Wu Gong Zongtu was also very pleased and said,

"Then it's decided. We will accept the Black Mountain tribe's gifts. Tomorrow, I will personally escort Gu Jianfeng back to Black Mountain, bringing the Black Python tribe's return gift and discussing the reconciliation with Gu Hu. Tonight, we will hold a grand feast to welcome Gu Jianfeng and his companions. Everyone should be热情一点, and anyone who causes trouble will be dealt with. No one is allowed to mention past grievances..."

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Reconciling with the Black Mountain tribe and establishing a boundary along the Wild Horse Creek was of great significance to the Black Python tribe.

This meant that after spring, the Black Python tribe could build a stone embankment at the southern entrance of the Wild Horse Creek valley.

Although they could not raise herbivorous animals in the northern valley to avoid attracting fierce birds and beasts, planting grains in this nearly twenty-mile-long, four to five-mile-wide plain would be sufficient to feed the entire village of over a thousand people, eliminating the fear of spring famine and harsh winters.

In the past, the Black Python tribe relied entirely on the weather for survival.

Although many tribes had the tradition of planting wild grains, the fertile land available for cultivation in the mountains was extremely limited. Besides hunting and fishing, the Black Python tribe had mainly relied on gathering berries and wild grains, leading to a life of feast and famine.

Whether it was sharing the pill formulas or trading abundant herbs and other resources, it would greatly increase the production of spiritual medicines for both tribes, providing stronger support for the tribal members.

There was no better way to resolve enmity and maintain a long-term trust relationship between tribes than through intermarriage.

The next day, Chen Xun accompanied Grandfather Zongtu across the Wild Horse Creek to escort Gu Jianfeng and his companions back to the Black Mountain stone village.

Gu Hu, who had been informed in advance, was already waiting on the opposite bank of the Wild Horse Creek to welcome Wu Gong Zongtu, Chen Xun, and others into the Black Mountain tribe's territory.

Inter-tribal killings were common in the wilderness, and suspicion ran deep.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Chen Xun had always avoided the tribal villages in the lake and marshlands. This was his first time entering a tribe other than the Black Python tribe.

The Wild Horse Creek meanders through the deep gorges of the Northern Mountain of Python Tooth Ridge, forming countless large and small river bends before finally flowing out of the Python Tooth Ridge.

From the northern entrance of the Black Python stone village, they followed the Wild Horse Creek, which was still covered in ice, eastward for about twenty miles, bypassed a peak nearly three thousand meters high, then turned north and traveled another twenty miles before reaching a wide valley surrounded by mountains on three sides.

The Black Mountain tribe's stone village was built in this valley.

Although the peaks deep in the Python Tooth Ridge soared into the clouds, with their tops unknown, a peak of about three thousand meters was extremely rare at the edge of the Northern Mountain.

This peak, known as Black Rock Peak, rose abruptly from a range of thousand-meter-high mountains, appearing exceptionally steep.

The peak was entirely covered in black rock, and the surrounding tribes called it Black Rock Peak.

The Black Mountain tribe was named after Black Rock Peak and had settled here for several hundred years.

The gorges on either side of Black Rock Peak were extremely deep, and it was unknown how many fierce water beasts lurked beneath the ice. After Chen Xun, Grandfather Zongtu, and others met up with Gu Hu and the Black Mountain tribe's welcoming party, they did not cross the ice of the Wild Horse Creek but instead crossed two mountain passes directly from the western ridge of Black Rock Peak, entering the core territory of the Black Mountain tribe.

To be precise, the Black Python and Black Mountain tribes were quite close, separated only by two thousand-meter-high mountains.

Climbing the steep slope, descending into the deep valley, crossing a deep ravine, and then climbing another steep slope, they reached the core territory of the Black Mountain tribe.

How could one allow others to sleep soundly next to one's bed?

Given how close the Black Python and Black Mountain tribes were, it was no wonder they had been fighting and suspecting each other for years.

Although the two thousand-meter-high mountains were extremely steep, the paths between the mountain valleys, trodden by hunting teams and herbalists, were much easier to navigate than the rugged mountains in the deep forest. Chen Xun and his companions only took half a day to reach the Black Mountain stone village.

As they descended from the southern valley, they had not yet entered the Black Mountain stone village when the Black Mountain tribe's warriors on guard at the eastern valley entrance blew their buffalo horns, signaling that a large group of people was approaching the Black Mountain stone village along the Wild Horse Creek...

"Clomp, clomp, clomp..."

The thunderous sound of hooves on ice came from the mountain ridge, and soon a massive scaled horse carrying an armored warrior appeared at the valley entrance, holding a black banner with the words "Canglan" written on it.

It turned out that the troops selected by the Su family's martial guards to recommend tribal members to the Canglan Academy had also arrived at the Black Mountain tribe today.

(PS: I recommend Li Qingniu's new work "Danwu Kuangxian." You can check it out. The book number is 380967.)

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