Chapter 264: Batu

Chapter 264: Batu

In truth, even if San Niang hadn't mentioned it, Zhao Changhe would have needed to visit the market anyway.

Because what Yue Hongling asked him to bring wasn't food or water—she could snatch some from the merchant caravan to last a few days, and carrying too much would only be a burden. Food and water were things Zhao Changhe planned to prepare for himself.

What Yue Hongling needed him to bring were mostly consumables like medicine and throwing weapons, which had long been used up. A good bow would be ideal, especially useful in this environment—she had brought one when she first left the pass, but it had long since broken. She also wanted him to bring some clothes; she had only one set left, and even that was slightly damaged, not to mention it smelled sour.

Other things were manageable, but clothes—Yue Hongling would never ask anyone else to bring them. But since it was Zhao Changhe, it seemed acceptable...

As Zhao Changhe wandered through the market, he couldn't help but marvel at how extraordinary Yue Hongling was.

She had been alone in the vast grasslands for about three months, truly surrounded by enemies with no supplies at all. Yet she still galloped freely, killed the Black Wolf King, plundered merchant caravans, forced the Hu to specifically target and restrict her because of her gender, and made merchants like Qiao Er tremble with fear on the road, worrying about the "lone horse bandit."

Even when she was completely out of supplies, the mere sight of a red shadow still struck terror into people's hearts.

Zhao Changhe had to admit he couldn't do such a thing—not just in terms of strength, but also in enduring such loneliness.

Still, he couldn't help feeling a bit anxious.

Most of the Hu strongmen were gathered at the front lines, so there might be fewer in the rear, but not none. For instance, there should be experts stationed in their Eternal Heaven Temple.

Because there were few of them, they couldn't scour the entire land searching for Yue Hongling's tracks, and encountering her by chance was even harder. So Yue Hongling probably hadn't run into any particularly powerful foes. But once her whereabouts were confirmed, she could easily fall into danger.

Logically, Yue Hongling should have thought of this. After running out of supplies, there was no need to stay here and tough it out. A fast horse could take her back to Yanmen in about five days. What was keeping her here? Did she have some important goal she wanted to accomplish before leaving?

As he pondered, he casually bought the things he needed at the market.

Medicine, throwing weapons, bows, and arrows were easy enough. He even picked out a good bow for himself and slung it over his shoulder. But when it came to clothes, he was stumped.

There were plenty of women's ready-made clothes here, but very few in the Central Plains style. Most were in the grassland or Western Regions style, with the most common being the kind worn by Hu dancers—bare arms and waist, just a few strips of cloth wrapped around, with a long skirt below. If he bought this for Sisi, she might actually wear it, but Yue Hongling would kick him to death.

Central Plains styles appeared only occasionally, and even then, only skirts. Understandably, if Hu people wanted to buy Central Plains women's clothing, it was clearly to dress up their own women—all elaborate long skirts or even court robes. Martial arts outfits had no market here at all.

San Niang's kind of simple cloth dress with a low neckline—where did she get that? Probably custom-made? In any case, it wouldn't be suitable to buy for Yue Hongling; she wouldn't accept it either.

He never expected to be stumped by such a trivial matter.

"Don't you have any working-class women here?" Zhao Changhe couldn't help asking the clothing shop owner.

"Huh? What's that?"

"Women who do rough work."

"I say, you Central Plains folk, are you dim-witted? This is a frontier market town—hardly any locals. There are only two kinds of women: female slaves brought in, and women of status. The female slaves are only brought in if they're pretty; they're not for work. Take the 'work' out of 'working women,' and you've got it."

Zhao Changhe scratched his head, thought for a moment, and said, "Then give me a set of men's clothes, slim fit. You should have that, right? About my height. With pants, not a skirt."

The shopkeeper tossed him a set of white men's clothes. Zhao Changhe grabbed it, felt the fabric was decent, didn't bother to unfold it, and stuffed it into his bundle. "Where's the market for rare items? I walked around but didn't see any. Things like treasures with special effects, antiques, or items nobody can identify..."

"You went the wrong way. It's on the other side—the Curio Market."

"Thanks."

Zhao Changhe picked up his bundle and left, looking up at the arena nearby. This massive colosseum and slave auction house was the very heart of the market, where that Commander Wu ruled like a local tyrant.

The various districts of the market were built around this venue, with taverns and inns scattered nearby. Han Wubing was now staying in the area, making it convenient to observe the goings-on up close. San Niang's inn occupied the best spot at the market's entrance, each having its own advantages and disadvantages.

The whole place looked grand and upscale, and there were likely many experts stationed inside. Zhao Changhe had never been particularly interested in what went on there, feeling it had nothing to do with him.

Walking around the arena toward the opposite side, he found the Curio Market. He browsed through it casually, seeing many antiques of varying quality, but most only dared to claim they were from this era, none boasting of items from the previous one.

Maybe there really weren't any, or maybe they were afraid of attracting attention. Items from the previous era, if they surfaced, would interest even those on the Heavenly Ranking. Selling them in a market seemed unrealistic...

Thinking about it, he wondered if he should find a chance to enter the arena. If there were any auctions of rare items, that would be the most likely place. He felt that Han Wubing was probably lurking there for that very reason. That guy was a sword fanatic—he might have some interest in the Hu-Han conflict, but not as much as Zhao Changhe did. This gathering of talents was more about training and treasure hunting for him.

Just as he was considering whether to exchange notes with Han Wubing, he suddenly spotted a familiar face.

—Batu, who had fought alongside Chi Li against Zhao Changhe in Yangzhou. He was said to be a direct disciple of He Lei, likely a nephew or maybe even a son.

Zhao Changhe's heart stirred. It was said that the War Lion tribe had fallen on hard times lately. The loss of their pillar, He Lei, who had died unexpectedly in the Central Plains, was a devastating blow to the tribe. Within the tribe, infighting over inheritance had broken out, while other tribes grew restless over their instability, possibly even including the Great Khan Temujin.

The grain from the Qiao family caravan, according to San Niang, was originally meant for the War Lion tribe, but it was sold to the Black Wolf tribe halfway. The War Lion tribe probably didn't even know who had intercepted their grain—a typical snapshot of their plight.

According to Cui Yuanyong, the Black Wolf tribe was small and weak. Even such a minor force dared to take a bite out of the War Lion tribe, showing just how dire Batu's situation was.

At that moment, Batu was speaking heatedly with a grassland man. They were too far away to hear clearly, so Zhao Changhe quietly moved to a nearby antique stall, pretending to browse while eavesdropping.

Batu was waving his arms: "I can give you jewels, but that thing cannot be given! Otherwise, my uncle in the Eternal Heaven will never forgive me!"

The man replied, "But you need grain. Don't you know that grain is extremely scarce right now? The Great Khan's urgency in attacking the pass is precisely for this—once Yanmen falls, everyone enters the pass to eat. Food, treasure, women—everything will be available. If it doesn't fall, prepare for a harsh winter. It wouldn't be surprising if many freeze or starve to death."

If anyone was at risk of freezing or starving, Batu's tribe was the most vulnerable. The man seemed to be stating facts and reasoning, but it was a blatant threat.

Batu's voice was furious: "Hu Lie, my uncle once showed you great kindness..."

Hu Lie... Zhao Changhe had seen this name on the Mortal Ranking—ranked forty-first.

A Mortal Ranking expert had appeared here, and not a low rank. Zhao Changhe frowned deeply. Could this be related to Yue Hongling?

Hu Lie said coolly, "He Lei was your uncle, but he was also the uncle of your other brothers. Who can help whom? I know you're the closest to him, but others don't see it that way. Only I am willing to help you a bit. Try asking someone else?"

Batu said, "What's the difference between you and them? They want to swallow my tribe, and you want our treasure!"

Hu Lie said, "That's different. At least I'm truly willing to give you grain. They want to swallow both your people and your treasure."

Batu fell silent.

Though Hu Lie was taking advantage of the situation, his words were true. Compared to others, Hu Lie could barely be considered helpful.

Of course, once the treasure was in his hands, who knew if he would turn his back? Even if he gave grain first, they could still take it back.

Should he gamble on Hu Lie's integrity? It seemed there was no other way.

Seeing his silence, Hu Lie glanced at the sky: "I have other business in Yellow Sands Market and no time to chat with you. Think it over. When I'm done tonight, I'll invite you for a drink and we'll discuss it further."

Batu asked, "Here to kill Yue Hongling?"

Hu Lie tapped his head: "Right, you've met Yue Hongling. Want to come with me?"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Batu was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "Not in the mood. I'll ask someone else..."

Hu Lie laughed in exasperation: "Brainless brute. Ask a few more people, and I'm afraid you won't leave Yellow Sands Market alive. Right now, the various factions still care a bit about face and won't openly make a move against you on the Great Khan's turf. Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Fine, let you hit a wall and learn!"

With that, he flicked his sleeves and left.

Batu stood there silently for a long while, then sat down in his stall.

He was actually selling jewelry here!

Zhao Changhe nonchalantly strolled over to his stall and picked up a bracelet: "How much?"

Batu listlessly pointed to a sign beside him: "No money, only trade for food, livestock."

Zhao Changhe looked at him for a long moment, then suddenly said, "Food for tens of thousands of people, traded like this?"

Batu squinted at him: "What do you want to say, Central Plains man?"

"You've done business with Central Plains people before, haven't you?"

"Of course."

"Do you have a large amount of grain?"

"No, but I know where there is some, and it's something you can actually get. Trade information for information, how about it?"

Batu asked, "What information do you want?"

"Their arrangements for killing Yue Hongling—what's the plan?"

Batu's gaze turned sharp, his tiger eyes fixed unblinkingly on Zhao Changhe.

Zhao Changhe said calmly, "Yue Hongling killed the Black Wolf King; there is no enmity with your War Lion tribe. Which is more important to you, her life or your tribe's grain?"

Batu's eyes dimmed, and he sighed, "You're right. But I don't know their arrangements either."

"Didn't they just invite you? Just participate, and bring me along? How about I pose as your bodyguard?"

Batu said, "Where would I get a Central Plains bodyguard?"

"I'll change into your clothes; who would recognize where I'm from?" Zhao Changhe said impatiently. "Is the prairie lion always this indecisive? Yes or no, one word!"

Batu gritted his teeth: "Fine."