A Journey Afar
Two days before the small market, the darkness before dawn had yet to recede, but the Fire Tribe's camp was already boiling with voices. In the central clearing, dozens of pine torches crackled, casting a red glow over faces filled with excitement, tension, and anticipation. The party about to depart was making its final preparations.
Wang Yan stood before his Youth Team. The ten members selected for this journey—Shibang, Yingmu, Gubang, Kuaitui, Shimao, Changteng, Jiandun, Lichi, Heizhua, and Shangou—all held their heads high and puffed out their chests, trying to look more mature and dependable. All were over ten years old, the cream of the Youth Team. Though most had tossed and turned in excitement the night before, there was no trace of weariness in their eyes now.
"Remember," Wang Yan said, his voice clear and steady, "while we're out there, look more, listen more, and speak less. We're going to learn and broaden our horizons, not to show off. Follow orders in everything you do!"
"Yes, Captain!" the youths answered in a low shout, their voices brimming with barely contained excitement. For most of them, this would be their first time leaving the familiar area around the tribe and venturing into the wider world.
Wang Yan's arrangements were clear: Shibang and Yingmu would accompany him and his father Jianshi's party farther onward to the Fish Tribe. As priority trainees, they would get to see a bigger stage. Gubang and the other seven youths, meanwhile, would return to the tribe with Jianya and some of the supplies after attending the small market. This would give them experience while also ensuring that information flowed freely between the tribe and the traveling party.
Elsewhere, the Hunting Team's lineup could only be called lavish. Chief Jianshi was leading it in person, and nearly all the Hunting Team's finest were turning out in force. The three core captains, Jianya, Dali, and Dazhuang, each led ten of their most elite members. Every one of them was powerfully built and sharp-eyed, carrying the fierce aura of seasoned hunters. Their weapons had been polished to a gleam, their Shimao and stone axes giving off a cold, hard sheen in the firelight.
The heavy responsibility of guarding the tribe fell to Dabang and his ten-man squad, while Wang Yan's mother, Qingye, coordinated internal affairs. With sturdy huts, ample food reserves, basic defenses, and a secret source of salt, the tribe's safety was assured enough to set minds at ease.
In the middle of the party were mountains of supplies, packed into sturdy, newly woven vine baskets and bamboo hampers and carried by several of the tribe's strongest domesticated wild cattle.
The silvery dried fish had been tied into neat bundles and gave off a faint salty, fishy scent. This was hard currency. The medium-sized pottery and the large vessels intended for trading with the Fish Tribe had all been carefully wrapped in thick layers of dry grass and secured on specially made wooden racks. They were the trump cards for this trading venture. The newly made hemp clothing, soft yet sturdy, had been folded into neat squares and carried the fresh scent of plants-a powerful tool for attracting people and skilled workers.
Jianshi swept his gaze over the party and declared in a booming voice, "This time, we're going to trade for three things: medicinal herbs to treat illness, women to grow our population, and weapons and craftsmen to strengthen our fighting power! Stay sharp, all of you, and let the tribes out there see the mettle of our Fire Tribe!"
"Roar!" The hunters pounded their chests with their fists and gave a deep answering cry, their momentum imposing. The sun rose in the east, its first rays piercing the clouds and illuminating the valley. Under the tribespeople's expectant gazes and amid their reminders, the party slowly set off.
Jianshi and Jianya walked at the very front, while experienced veteran hunters ranged ahead, behind, and along both flanks, keeping watch. Wang Yan and his Youth Team were placed in the middle of the party, responsible for looking after some of the supplies. Heavy cattle hooves and human footsteps rustled along the leaf-strewn mountain trail.
Once they left their familiar territory, the youths' curiosity blazed to life. They greedily breathed in the unfamiliar air and studied vegetation and terrain utterly different from those around the tribe. Kuaitui and Shangou volunteered to scout ahead, their agility and alertness earning approving looks from the uncles in the Hunting Team. Shibang and Yingmu stayed close to Wang Yan, listening as he discussed the route and possible encounters with Jianya.
Along the way, they saw traces left by other tribes heading to the small market-scattered footprints, the embers of recently extinguished campfires, and occasionally even another traveling party in the distance. Those parties were smaller, and their people looked more exhausted and cautious, forming a stark contrast to the Fire Tribe's strong, well-provisioned force.
"Look, they don't seem to have much to trade," Gubang whispered to Shimao beside him.
Wang Yan heard him and cautioned in a low voice, "Don't comment on them. Every tribe has its own difficulties. We're going not just to trade, but to forge ties."
The day's trek was arduous, but for the youths, to whom everything felt new, even that hardship carried a sweetness. When they made camp at night, they gathered around the fire, listening to the veteran hunters recount sights from past small markets and amusing incidents on the road. Gnawing on the delicious dried meat and grilled fish they had brought along, the youths felt as though the world had suddenly grown much larger.
Watching the dancing campfire, Wang Yan found it just as difficult to calm his heart. The small market would be the Fire Tribe's first stage for displaying its strength and drawing in new people, and his own first true step toward changing the balance of power in this region. Like a long, winding dragon, the party pressed steadily onward through the autumn hills and wilderness, leaving trails of fresh footprints behind.