Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 264: Batu

In fact, even if Lady Three had not mentioned it, Zhao Changhe would have still gone strolling around Huangsha Market.

Yue Hongling had not just asked him to bring her food and water. She could easily grab food and water enough to last a few days from the caravan herself. She could not really carry much more than that, though, as carrying too much would be burdensome. Zhao Changhe was buying provisions for himself.

The supplies that Yue Hongling wanted him to bring her were medicines and consumables like hidden weapons. She had long since used up her supply of those things. It would also be great if he could bring her a good bow, as it was particularly useful in the environment they were in. She did have one when she first came to the northern frontier, but it broke early on. Other than those things, she also wanted him to bring her some clothes, as she was down to her last set and it was already fairly damaged.

Yue Hongling would generally never ask anyone to bring her clothes, but she felt it was somewhat acceptable for Zhao Changhe to do it.

As Zhao Changhe walked through the market, he could not help but think about just how remarkable Yue Hongling truly was.

She had already been wandering alone in the vast Grasslands for roughly three months. She had to face enemies at every turn, and she barely had any supplies. Despite that, she still roamed freely, killed the Black Wolf Khan, robbed various merchant caravans, and fought off the barbarians to the point where they began cracking down on anyone who was a woman. She even made merchant caravans like Qiao Er’s have to worry about encountering lone bandits on horseback.

Even when she was completely out of supplies, she was still able to make people tremble at the mere sight of her red robes.

Zhao Changhe had to admit that he could not accomplish such a feat. It was not just because his strength was lacking compared to hers, but more so that he did not think that he could endure loneliness to the degree that she had been experiencing.

But subconsciously, Zhao Changhe still could not help but have some worries.

The more powerful barbarians were mostly deployed on the front lines, so even if there were fewer of them in the rear, they definitely did exist. For example, the skilled guards at the Tngri Temple.

As there were fewer of them, it would be difficult to track down Yue Hongling throughout the entire region. Thus, Yue Hongling probably had not encountered many strong opponents while she was roaming the region. But now that her whereabouts were somewhat known, she would likely be in serious danger.

Yue Hongling should not have overlooked these things. After running out of supplies, there’s no need for her to continue holding out in enemy territory. It would only take about five days for her to make her way back to Yanmen. So what exactly is making her stay here? Could there be something important that she wants to accomplish before leaving?

While he was in thought, he casually bought the necessary items at the market.

He was easily able to buy medicine, hidden weapons, a bow, and some arrows. He even picked out a good bow for himself. However, he was stumped when it came to choosing clothes.

There were plenty of women’s clothes here, but very few were in the style of the Central Plains; naturally, most of the clothes here were of the Grassland’s or the Western Region’s styles. The most common type of clothes available at the market were the ones worn by barbarian women, clothes that exposed their arms and waists. If he bought them for Sisi, she might wear them, but Yue Hongling would probably kick him to death if he even suggested something like that.

Clothes in the style of the Central Plains were rare, and they were usually only skirts. It was understandable—if any barbarian came here to buy women’s clothing in the style of the Central Plains, it would generally be just to dress up their wives or daughters. There was no market here for clothes for a female martial artist.

Lady Three wears a very ordinary dress of plain-weave cloth, but it seems to be rather low quality. I wonder where she got it from. Did she make it herself? Well, it’s not like it would be appropriate to purchase such a dress from her. Yue Hongling probably wouldn’t like it either.

I didn’t expect to get stuck on such a trivial matter...

“Hey, do none of the women here do any work?” Zhao Changhe could not help but ask the owner of the clothing store.

“Huh? What’s that?”

“I’m referring to women who do manual labor.”

“Say, do people from the Central Plains have no brain? This is a market at the frontier. There are only two types of women here, the ones brought here as slaves and those with status. The slaves brought here are usually pretty, and they aren’t meant to do manual labor. Rather than doing manual labor, they do men.”

Zhao Changhe thought for a while before saying, “I’ll take a set of men’s clothing, slim fit, about my height. I want trousers, not the kind with a skirt.”

The shopkeeper tossed over a white set of clothes. Zhao Changhe grabbed it and felt that the fabric was decent. Without inspecting it further, he stuffed it in his bag and asked casually, “Where can I buy rare items? I looked around but could not find any. I’m talking about items with special effects, antiques, or simply items that no one can identify.”

“You’re in the wrong area. It’s on the other side of the market.”

“Thanks.”

With his bag in hand, Zhao Changhe left, glancing at the nearby beast ring. It was a massive arena, as well as a slave auction market, that acted as the heart of the entire Huangsha Market. It was where Commander Ubalu ruled as the sovereign.

The major areas of the market were built around this arena, each district with its own restaurants and inns. Han Wubing resided in one of the inns nearby, which allowed him to closely monitor the situation here, while Lady Three’s inn occupied the best spot near the entrance to the market. Both places had their own pros and cons.

The entire area seemed upscale, and there were likely many experts present here. However, Zhao Changhe remained uninterested in what was inside, feeling that it had little to do with him.

Walking around the beast ring, he reached the part of the market where rare objects were being sold. Browsing around briefly, Zhao Changhe saw various antiques of varying quality, but they were pretty much all claimed to be from this era. None of the sellers dared to claim that they were selling items from the previous era.

He wondered if they truly did not have any, or if they were simply afraid to reveal them. Items from the previous era would attract the interest of even those on the Ranking of Heaven, making them impractical to sell openly in the market.

As he pondered, he thought about whether he should take the opportunity to enter the beast ring and have a look while he was here. If there were any rare items of value, they would probably be auctioned inside. He felt that Han Wubing must be staying nearby for a reason. After all, he was a sword fanatic, and he expressed interest and enthusiasm toward battles between those of the Central Plains and the barbarians. While he did not share the same interests, he felt that this place would certainly aid in him getting more experience and looking for treasure.

Just as he was considering whether to exchange some insights with Han Wubing, he suddenly saw a familiar face.

It was Batu, the one who had appeared in Yangzhou together with Chi Li and clashed with Zhao Changhe. Reportedly, he was also He Lei’s junior, though it was unclear whether he was his son or nephew.

Zhao Changhe’s heart stirred. It was said that the Warring Lion Tribe had been having a tough time recently. The pillar of their tribe, He Lei, had died unexpectedly in the Central Plains, which dealt a devastating blow to the tribe. Internally, the tribe was in chaos over matters of succession, while other tribes were also stirring up trouble, and this possibly included even Khagan Timur.

According to Lady Three, the grain from the Qiao Clan’s merchant caravan was originally supposed to be sold to the Warring Lion Tribe. However, it ended up being sold to the Desolate Wolf Tribe halfway through their journey. It was very likely that the Warring Lion Tribe had no idea who had intercepted their grain.

According to Cui Yuanyong, the Desolate Wolf Tribe did not have great numbers, and they were a relatively weak tribe. For even such a small force to dare take a bite out of the Warring Lion Tribe, this just went on to show how tough of a time Batu was probably facing.

At this moment, Batu was talking to a man from the Grasslands, and his emotions seemed to be running high. Zhao Change could not hear what they were talking about due to how far he was, so he discreetly moved closer to a nearby antique stall, pretending to browse while secretly eavesdropping.

Batu was waving his arms, saying, “I can give you jewelry, but I can’t give you that thing! Otherwise, even my uncle who is now in the afterlife won’t forgive me!”

The man replied, “But you need food. Don’t you know that at this time, grain is in extremely short supply? This is the reason why the khagan has been advancing with greater urgency. If we conquer Yanmen Pass, then we’ll have plenty of food, treasures, and women. If we fail, we must prepare for a harsh winter. You know it happens that people freeze or starve to death.”

Of course, the ones most vulnerable to freezing or starving to death were actually Batu’s tribe. While the man appeared to simply be stating facts and reasoning with Batu, he was actually blatantly threatening him.

Batu’s voice was very angry: “Hu Lie, my uncle was very kind to you back then...”

Hu Lie... Zhao Changhe had seen his name on the rankings of the Tome of Troubled Times. He was ranked forty-first on the Ranking of Man.

There really are figures on the Ranking of Man here, and this guy’s ranking isn’t low either. Could his appearance here have something to do with Yue Hongling?

Hu Lie said lightly, “He Lei is your uncle, but he is also the uncle of your other brothers. I know you’re the one he was closest to, but others don’t know that. Who else is even willing to help you right now? I’m already being pretty generous by being willing to help you to a certain extent.”

Batu retorted, “What’s the difference between you and them? They want to swallow up my tribe, and you want our treasures!”

Hu Lie responded, “We’re not the same. At least I’m genuinely willing to provide you with food. The others want to swallow up your tribe and your treasures altogether.”

Batu fell silent.

Although Hu Lie was also taking advantage of the situation, his words were true. Compared to others, Hu Lie could actually be considered a savior.

Of course, it was still uncertain whether he would turn his back on them after being given the treasure he wanted. Even if they were provided the food first, it was not like he could not snatch it back.

Should I gamble on Hu Lie’s credibility? It seems like there aren’t any other options.

Seeing his silence, Hu Lie glanced at the sky and said, “I have other important things to do at Huangsha Market, so I don’t have the time to chat with you here. You might want to consider it carefully and with haste. When I finish my business and return tonight, I’ll treat you to a drink and we can discuss things further.”

Batu said, “Did you come here to kill Yue Hongling?”

Hu Lie nodded. “Right, you’ve seen Yue Hongling... Do you want to come with me?”

After a moment of silence, Batu shook his head. “I’m not in the mood. I plan on asking others...”

Hu Lie chuckled with a hint of anger surfacing on his face. “You brainless fool. If you ask too many people, I’m afraid you won’t even be able to leave Huangsha Market alive! At the moment, everyone is still maintaining the fa?ade, and it isn’t convenient to openly attack you in the khagan’s territory. It would do you better to simply take a loss and live another day... rather than end up dead having achieved nothing!”

After saying that, he swept his sleeves and walked away.

Batu sat silently at his stall for a while, hugging his knees.

He’s actually selling jewelry here!

Zhao Changhe calmly walked up to his stall and casually picked up a bracelet. “What are you selling this for?”

Batu pointed to a sign next to him wistfully. “I’m not selling for money, just food, cattle, and sheep.”

Zhao Changhe looked at him for a moment, then suddenly said, “You’re trying to exchange these things for food for over ten thousand people?”

Batu squinted his eyes and looked at him. “Someone from the Central Plains, huh? What are you trying to say?”

“Come on, it’s not like you haven’t done business with people from the Central Plains before.”

“Sure have. Do you have a large amount of food?”

“I don’t, but I know where to get some, and you might just be able to get it. How about exchanging information?”

Batu asked, “What information do you want?”

“Hm... How about how you guys plan to kill Yue Hongling?”

Batu’s gaze turned sharp and he stared at Zhao Changhe without blinking.

Zhao Changhe said calmly, “Yue Hongling killed the Black Wolf Khan, but she has no grudge against your Warring Lion Tribe. Do you think her life is more important than your tribe’s food problem?”

Batu’s gaze dimmed and he sighed. “You’re right. But I also don’t know their arrangements.”

“Weren’t they inviting you just now? As long as you participate, you’ll find out. I’d like you to bring me along as your guard.”

“Why would I bring a guard from the Central Plains?”

“I can just change my clothes. Who will be able to tell where I’m from? Do you lions of the Grassland always beat around the bush like this? Can’t you give me a straight answer?”

Batu gritted his teeth and said, “Fine.”