Rabbit and the other two were already dissatisfied with the other party's attitude towards Shen Nong. Upon hearing this, Rabbit immediately asked, "Then do you dare to duel with him?"
The guard strained his arms, his hard muscles bulging, and shouted, "Come on!"
Seeing that Ze really wanted to accept the challenge, Shen Nong raised her eyebrows slightly and chuckled softly.
He raised his hand and placed it on Ze's muscular forearm, instantly stiffening the previously relaxed muscles.
Shen Nong quickly withdrew his hand and turned to instruct Tu Feng and the others, "Hold onto the things carefully and don't cause trouble. We're going to see the priest of the Salt Department."
The priest's words could not be ignored, so they had no choice but to give up.
They lifted the large leaf covering their clothes higher and assured them, "Don't worry, priest, it won't break."
Ze stared at his forearm, which had been touched by the priest, and could still feel the lingering warmth on his skin.
The guard assumed the Wood Tribe was afraid of him, so he raised his head smugly and said, "You coward."
...
Lu San is in charge of exchanging salt with various tribes every year, but this year is a bit strange.
The chieftain personally approached him and told him that the Wood Tribe only wanted animal hides in exchange for salt. However, they could not give them salt stones, only a small amount of salt soil.
Lu San kept the chieftain's instructions in mind and waited for many days until the salt exchange was about to end before finally seeing the Mu tribe.
His eyes darted around the things that the four of them, Rabbit Wind and his companions, were holding, but they were covered by leaves so he couldn't see inside.
However, each of them carried only a little bit in their arms, whether it was meat or animal hide, the amount was definitely not much.
Lu San, who was already planning to plunder the Mu tribe, was in a bit of a predicament.
The little stuff they were carrying wasn't even as much as what the Water Tribe brought.
However, none of this was on Lu San's mind. In any case, regardless of whether the Mu tribe had enough resources, they wouldn't be able to exchange for salt today.
Lu Sanqing cleared his throat and said, "One hundred animal hides for one leaf of salt soil."
"Are you robbing us? The Water Tribe just gave us ten animal hides and a salt leaf!"
Rabbit Wind heard him clearly and questioned, "Why is it that when we have a hundred animal hides, we can only exchange them for salt soil?"
Lu San looked displeased, adopting an attitude of "take it or leave it," and said, "If you think it's too much, then don't exchange it. Other tribes also want to exchange, so don't block the way."
Rabbit Wind instantly fell silent; the salt stone was indispensable, and they had no choice but to replace it.
But they didn't bring any animal hides this time...
“We won’t use animal hides; we’ll trade something else for salt,” Rabbit Wind replied.
Lu San heard from the hunting team that the Wood Tribe had obtained a lot of animal hides during this beast tide hunt.
The Wood Tribe is now saying they don't need to exchange animal hides, which is probably because they feel they're offering too much and don't want to give it away.
Remembering the chieftain's instructions, he said, "Your tribe will only accept animal hides in exchange for salt. Nothing else is acceptable."
Shen Nong ignored Lu San's words, saying, "I want to see your priest."
Lu San had noticed two unfamiliar faces in the salt-exchanging team from the Wood Tribe.
One of them was as white and delicate as a cloud on the horizon, unlike any other beastman he had ever seen.
"Who are you?" Lu San emphasized, "Not just anyone can see our priests."
Shen Nong lifted the leaves from Tu Feng's arms, revealing what he was holding.
What is he holding?
Lu San's gaze was drawn to the object that Tu Feng was holding, which looked like it was made of thin twigs crossed together and could be used to hold things.
“I am a priest of the Wood Tribe. This is just a basket woven from branches.” Shen Nong took out a painted pottery jar from the basket and handed it to Lu San. “Give this pottery jar to your priest, and he will decide whether or not to see me.”
Lu San didn't care; it was just a stone jar that had been polished thinner.
Other tribes are not often seen, but there are many of their tribes.
But the stone jar has patterns painted on it. They only paint patterns on their faces and bodies, but they never thought of painting on the stone jar.
Surprisingly, the stone jar actually looks quite nice after the painting was done.
He took the jar, wanting to examine it more closely.
The moment he felt the weight of the jar, Lu San suddenly looked down at it, staring at the pottery jar with surprise in his heart.
How could the Wood Tribe be able to polish the stone jar so lightly?
Lu San suppressed his surprise, turned the jar, and examined the pattern on the jar.
After turning around once, he stopped.
Looking up at Shen Nong with a complicated expression, he noticed that the stripes painted on the jar were not simple.
Above the cloud pattern are deer of various shapes and graceful postures, encircling the body of the jar.
Apart from their priests, Lu San had never seen anyone who could record animals so vividly.
No, it should be said that the deer on the wooden tribal jars are even more real than those recorded by their priests.
Lu San had long since abandoned his indifferent attitude towards the "stone jar" of the Wood Tribe, but remembering the chieftain's instructions, Lu San sneered, "You think you can see our priest with a broken stone jar?"
He suddenly let go and smashed the pottery jar at Shen Nong.
As the pottery jar approached his face, he immediately pulled Shen Nong behind him and smashed the jar with a punch.
"Snap."
The earthenware jar shattered into pieces, exploding at Shen Nong's feet.
Before anyone could react, Ze had already grabbed Lu San by the neck with one hand.
“Cough… let go…” Lu San’s face turned bright red. His feet had already left the ground, and he was desperately trying to pry Ze’s hands off, hoping that Ze would let go because of the pain.
But Ze seemed oblivious, and the force in his hand increased rather than decreased.
The people from the Salt Department finally realized what was happening and stepped forward one after another. They looked at each other coldly, their imposing presence making them want to retreat.
The Wood Tribe and the Salt Tribe were now completely at odds. Because the Salt Tribe had captured one of the other's minor leaders, they dared not make any rash moves.
Shen Nong remained silent, rubbing her wrist where Ze had touched her, trying to ease the discomfort in her heart.
Looking at the broken pottery jar on the ground, Shen Nong felt a pang of heartache; it was a piece he had painstakingly drawn!
"Who's causing trouble in the Salt Ministry!"
A burly man approached from a distance. He had a loud voice, exuded a menacing aura, and stared intently at Shen Nong.
The members of the Salt Clan respectfully placed their hands on their chests and bowed their heads, saying, "Clan Chief!"
Shen Nong had no idea when she had offended the chieftain of the Salt Tribe; the man's gaze toward her was one of wanting to kill her.
Sensing the murderous intent that Mang Lin harbored towards Shen Nong, Ze grabbed Lu San by the neck, blocking Mang Lin's view.
Only then did Mang Lin look at Ze. After the two looked at each other, Mang Lin felt his beast blood stirring within him, revealing unease.
After suppressing that inexplicable emotion, Mang Lin frowned and said coldly, "How dare the little Mu tribe make a move in the Salt Department!"
Shen Nong patted Ze's arm, signaling him to let go and release the person.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, Lu San's eyes bulged out, and he whimpered in pain.
Seeing this, Shen Nong sighed and whispered to Ze, "I want you to let go, not to hold on tighter."
Ze lowered his head and brows, released his grip, and threw Lu San directly to the ground.
"Chief, please don't misunderstand. My Wood Tribe just wants to bring some good things to the Salt Tribe, not to cause trouble."
Although Shen Nong's words were not aggressive at all, they made Mang Lin feel as if he had punched a cloud, leaving it weak and powerless.
Orcs are all people who fight without hesitation; this guy is just like the old priest.
They're not easy to deal with.
After listening to the old priest's words, Mang Lin suppressed his temper and refrained from killing the person who had harmed his brother.
He looked at the broken pottery jar on the ground and said disdainfully, "It's really amazing that they can get any kind of trash to the Salt Ministry."
"Our earthenware jar isn't broken!" Rabbit Wind roared. "You haven't even looked at it, what nonsense are you spouting!"
Python Forest's eyes, like those of a snake, glared menacingly at Rabbit Wind. His gaze fell on what Rabbit Wind was holding, and he said coldly, "Smash everything they're carrying."
“The sacred Salt Department must not be contaminated by these filthy things.”
The salt officials obeyed the order and immediately snatched the baskets that Tu Feng and the others were carrying.
"Snap."
One by one, the pottery jars were smashed, shards flying everywhere, some even hitting the members of the Wood Tribe.
Mang Lin stared intently at Shen Nong with a half-smile, his eyes filled with endless mockery.
Seeing the pottery jars that the tribe had worked so hard to make smashed to pieces, and recalling how carefully the tribespeople had selected the jars, Tu Feng and the others clenched their fists, wishing they could fight the Salt Tribe.
As Shen Nong listened to the continuous sound of the pottery jars breaking, she plotted to make the salt department pay her dues.
Just as Shen Nong was thinking about how to set a trap for the Salt Tribe, someone from the Salt Tribe ran over and said to Mang Lin, "Chief! The priest wants you to go back..."
Mang Lin knew that the priest had sent people to secretly watch him. Although he was resentful, he could only suppress his anger for the time being.
Looking at the shattered pottery jar on the ground, Mang Lin finally felt a sense of relief. He snorted coldly and left.
The salt official who had delivered the message to the old priest did not leave, but instead walked towards Shen Nong, saying, "Take the things on the ground and come with me."
After he finished speaking, he stared at the ground for a moment. After the priest heard the man describe in detail the stone jars brought by the Wood Tribe, he asked him to lead the Wood Tribe people to see the priest.
It's just a stone jar, what's so special about it?
The priest even insisted on meeting him in person.
After Shen Nong and the others put away the pottery jars, they followed the man to the cave of the Salt Department priest.
The man took the "stone pot" that hadn't been smashed yet inside first, and told them to wait outside.
A moment later, the other person came out empty-handed and said to Shen Nong, "The priest wants you to go in."
He followed behind, but was stopped by the other party. "The priest only allowed him to enter alone."
The man in question was taller than the other man. He lowered his head slightly and said firmly, "Get out of the way."
When the people from the Salt Department saw that Ze was about to force his way in, they immediately surrounded him, pointing their stone spears at him.