Probing and Promises

When Yan entered the council hall of the Valley Tribe, Daiyue had already stood up and was walking towards the entrance. The afternoon sun shone through the windows of the council hall, casting patches of light in the room. Daiyue's figure moved through the patches of light, a gentle smile on his face.

"Young Master Yan!" He strode forward and grasped Yan's hand. "We meet again."

Yan quickly returned the greeting. "Good afternoon, Chief Daiyue! It's a pleasure to see you again!"

Daiyue took Yan's hand and led her into the house, saying as they walked, "There's been a lot going on with the Valley Tribe these past few days, so I haven't been able to help out at the docks. You've all worked hard at the docks delivering grain and pottery these past few days."

Yan shook his head. "It's alright. The Valley Tribe is busy with affairs, and as the leader, you must have many things to deal with immediately. Our Fire Tribe and Valley Tribe have already handed over many things, and both sides have a very good understanding. Moreover, with Elder Hefeng and Fengren in charge at the dock, it's enough to handle the handover of grain and pottery between our Fire Tribe and Valley Tribe."

Daiyue nodded and gestured for Yan to sit down.

"You've worked hard these past few days, come sit down and rest." Daiyue pointed to a plate of fruit on the low table, "Come and try our Valley Tribe's specialty sweet fruit."

Yan looked at the plate of fruit. They were all round and plump, with golden-yellow skin, somewhat like oranges from later generations. He picked one up, peeled it, and tasted it. It was very juicy and extremely sweet and delicious.

"Delicious, the taste is very good," Yan praised repeatedly.

Daiyue smiled and introduced, "These are harvested and preserved by our Valley Tribe in the autumn. They can last all winter. Our Valley Tribe calls them sweet tangerines."

Yan tried two more and nodded repeatedly. Daiyue sat opposite him, looking Yan up and down. This young man was much more mature than when Daiyue last saw him. He had a tall and straight posture, Chenwen in his eyes, and an aura that made people trust him.

Daiyue nodded inwardly, then suddenly a thought struck him, and he asked, "Young Master Yan, you're an adult now, aren't you?"

Yan was taken aback. He had thought that Daiyue would call him here to ask him about the Fire Tribe or the grain trade between the two tribes. He didn't expect Daiyue to ask about Yan's personal affairs right away.

"Yes," he paused for a moment, then nodded quickly, "At the end of last year, I held a coming-of-age ceremony with some boys from our Fire Tribe who had reached the appropriate age."

Daiyue nodded, then asked Yan, "So what is your position in the Fire Tribe now?"

Yan answered truthfully, "I have now joined our Fire Tribe's Hunting Team, where I lead two commanders of a thousand men, overseeing two thousand Fire Tribe warriors. I also serve as the captain of the Youth Team, responsible for the training of eight thousand Youth Team."

Upon hearing this, Daiyue's eyes flashed with shock. Two thousand soldiers and eight thousand youths, totaling ten thousand! This young man, barely an adult, was already in charge of ten thousand people?

"Young Chief Yan is truly a young hero!" Daiyue exclaimed. "Not only is he highly skilled in martial arts, but he also manages over ten thousand core members of the Fire Tribe. He is truly admirable!"

Yan quickly waved his hand. "Chief Daiyue, you flatter me. I still have a lot to learn."

Daiyue looked at him, his eyes full of admiration.

"If Young Master Yan can think like this, his future achievements will surely be limitless."

He paused, then changed the subject.

What do you think of our Qingsui?

Yan was caught off guard by Daiyue's sudden question; the leader of Daiyue had changed the subject far too quickly.

Yan paused for a moment before speaking, "Miss Qingsui... is gentle and beautiful, a very good girl."

Daiyue laughed for a while and said, "This is the first time I've heard someone say that our Qingsui is gentle."

His words were quite meaningful, and Yan didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Daiyue continued, "My Qingsui turned 18 last year and has been learning from me these past few months. You're the same age as her, and you're so outstanding, so please give her some guidance when you have the chance."

Yan quickly replied, "Of course I'm very willing to learn and exchange ideas with Miss Qingsui, but it's not like I'm giving her any guidance."

Daiyue nodded, not continuing the topic, and his expression became serious.

"Chief Yan," he said, "I've always had a question for your Fire Tribe, but I'm not sure if I should ask it."

Yan looked at him and said, "Chief Daiyue, please speak your mind. It's alright."

Daiyue remained silent for a while before speaking.

"Your Fire Tribe was originally a small tribe of two hundred people, who even had trouble getting enough to eat. Later, your Fire Tribe learned about pottery and salt production techniques, and could have comfortably enjoyed the superior life that these things brought. Why have you insisted on massively recruiting people and constantly expanding your power in recent years?"

Daiyue looked into Yan's eyes and asked earnestly, "Is it really because your Fire Tribe is afraid of the distant Tiger Tribe?"

Daiyue's question left Yan speechless for a moment. Yan knew that this was a difficult question to answer, but since Daiyue had asked, he couldn't remain silent.

"Chief of Daiyue," Yan said slowly, "If our Fire Tribe had fewer people, our pottery and salt-making techniques would indeed be enough to ensure our Fire Tribe, but..."

Yan paused, his tone becoming serious.

"Pottery making and salt production are extremely rare technologies in the Fish River Basin. Without strong military protection, it's like a small child carrying a very precious treasure walking among a crowd—not a good thing, but a terrible thing."

He looked at Daiyue and said earnestly, "That's why our Fire Tribe has been aggressively recruiting people in recent Fire Tribe to strengthen ourselves and protect our scarce technologies. A tribe cannot protect itself without adequate military force."

Yan paused for a moment, then continued, "The reason why the Valley Tribe has been purchasing large quantities of bronze weapons from the Tiger Tribe to strengthen itself over the years is actually the same."

Daiyue's heart skipped a beat. These words struck a chord with him. Wasn't he also worried about the safety of the Valley Tribe? In recent years, how much money had the Valley Tribe spent and how much humiliation had they endured in order to buy bronze weapons from the Tiger Tribe?

But there's no way around it, we have to buy them. Not to mention the distant ones, the Bear Tribe and the Valley Tribe have been constantly clashing for years. If the Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp Outpost doesn't have enough bronze weapons, how can it defend itself? How can it suppress an unstable tribe like the Bear Tribe?

Daiyue looked at Yan and secretly admired him. This young man was really far-sighted. He could see the situation of the Valley Tribe very clearly. At the same time, Yan's words made him even more convinced of his guess. The Fire Tribe must also be able to make bronze. Because pottery and salt production alone would not be enough to make the Tiger Tribe attack them with their entire tribe. Only bronze would pose a real threat to the Tiger Tribe. But Yan did not say it explicitly, so he did not ask too much.

"The leadership of your Fire Tribe truly has a different perspective," Daiyue remarked. "No wonder your Fire Tribe has grown into a large tribe of over 80,000 people in just a few years. The leadership of your Fire Tribe is truly visionary!"

Yan shook his head. "Chief Daiyue, you flatter me."

Daiyue then changed the subject.

"Chief Yan, you placed another order with our Valley Tribe yesterday for 20 million catties of grain next year. Is your Fire Tribe really that short of food?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "When Fengren visited your Fire Tribe last time, he told me that your Fire Tribe has built many outposts outside. The Fire Tribe headquarters alone has 20,000 mu of high-quality paddy fields, and your Fire Tribe's outposts also have quite a few paddy fields, not even counting vegetable gardens."

Yan nodded, not denying it.

"Yes, our Fire Tribe headquarters, along with our outposts outside, does indeed own tens of thousands of acres of paddy fields, but..."

He looked at Daiyue and said earnestly, "We also want to be like the Valley Tribe, storing up more reserve food to guard against unknown risks."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious.

"Furthermore, our Fire Tribe will continue to absorb new members over the next two years, and we expect Fire Tribe population to reach around 150,000 in the next few years."

150,000! Daiyue gasped in shock. 150,000 people—that's the current population of the Tiger Tribe!

"Therefore," Yan continued, "Not only for the next two years, but also for the next few years, our Fire Tribe will need a large amount of food. As long as the Valley Tribe can supply it, our Fire Tribe will accept it without hesitation!"

Upon hearing this, Daiyue was both shocked and filled with admiration.

"I never imagined the Fire Tribe had such lofty ambitions!" he exclaimed. "I, Daiyue, admire them!"

He paused, then, a look of excitement and joy on his face, said, "Don't worry, Fire Tribe. Our Valley Tribe may lack other things, but we always have a considerable surplus of grain each year. If Fire Tribe truly needs anything, our Valley Tribe will naturally do everything we can to meet it!"

Yan Daxi: "Then I will Daiyue on behalf of the Fire Tribe!"

Daiyue waved his hand. "Young Chief Yan, please don't be so polite. The Fire Tribe is benevolent and generous, and our Valley Tribe is very willing to Dali develop trade relations with the Fire Tribe."

Taking the opportunity, Yan asked Daiyue, "What are your thoughts on the military cooperation between our Fire Tribe and Valley Tribe, Chief Daiyue?"

Daiyue's smile froze slightly. He remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Young Chief Yan, I am very willing to develop a military cooperation relationship with the Fire Tribe, but..."

He sighed, his tone turning helpless.

"I'm no longer the one making all the decisions in the Valley Tribe. Yesterday, I was the one who forcefully pushed for the distribution of the profits from our Valley Tribe's trade with the Fire Tribe, and many of the tribe's high-ranking members have strong opinions about this."

He looked at Yan and said sincerely, "I suggest we slow down and first strengthen the trade relations between our Valley Tribe and Fire Tribe. I'll find an opportunity to discuss this with some of the tribe's higher-ups later. What do you think, Young Chief Yan?"

Yan understood that Daiyue of the Valley Tribe still harbored doubts about the strength of the Fire Tribe, or rather, the Valley Tribe had other concerns and troubles.

"Chief Daiyue's thinking is very thoughtful," Yan nodded. "Then let's talk about this again in a while."

Daiyue breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Good, good."

The two chatted for a while about grain trade for the next two years. Yan assured Daiyue that the Fire Tribe would have a huge demand for grain in the next two years and could prepay more pottery as a deposit so that the Valley Tribe could prepare with peace of mind next year. Daiyue was very satisfied and repeatedly assured that even if the Valley Tribe went to the lower reaches of the Fish River to buy grain next year, he would definitely ensure that the Fire Tribe's grain needs would be met.

Finally, Yan got up with a smile on his face to say goodbye, and Daiyue escorted him to the entrance of the council hall.

"Young Master Yan, I will definitely go to the dock to see you off when you return tomorrow."

Yan clasped his hands in thanks. "Daiyue, Chief Daiyue. I'll take my leave now!"

Yan turned and strode away. The sun was shining brightly outside the Valley Tribe. Qingsui was standing under a tree not far from the council hall. Seeing Yan come out, she quickly came up to him and said, "Have you finished talking?"

Yan nodded. "Yes, we're done talking."

Qingsui looked at him with curiosity in her eyes.

What were you all talking about? Why did you chat for so long this time?

Yan thought for a moment and said, "We talked about many things, the grain trade between our Fire Tribe and Valley Tribe for this year and next, the trade between the two tribes in recent years, and..."

He paused, looked at Qingsui, and smiled.

"We also talked about you."

Qingsui blushed slightly, but quickly regained her composure.

"What do I have to talk about?" she said softly.

Yan smiled, "Your father praised you."

What did you praise me for?

He complimented you on being gentle and beautiful.

Qingsui was stunned for a moment, then her eyes widened.

"My father praised me for being gentle and beautiful?"

She looked incredulous, while Yan burst into laughter.

"Let's go play by the river."

The two walked hand in hand towards the river. Behind them, at the entrance of the Valley Tribe's council hall, Daiyue stood watching their departing figures with a complex smile on his face.