Thin-Skinned Chili Peppers
The people of the Upper Meng Tribe happily said, "The Witch Doctor Lian Ke loves supplies the most. As long as there are supplies, he will answer almost any question."
The people of the Upper Meng Tribe said, "It doesn't matter whether you had a past relationship with him or not. As long as you have supplies, you're good friends. Feel free to ask us anything."
Jian Mo thought back to how she had dealt with Lian Ke before and chuckled, "We understand."
The people of the Upper Meng Tribe pointed them in the right direction. After confirming that Little Good One's body had almost recovered and no longer needed veterinary care, Jian Mo and Wu Jiong bid farewell to the people of the Upper Meng Tribe and went to the Lower Meng Tribe.
The Upper Meng Tribe and the Lower Meng Tribe are connected. Jian Mo and his group set off from the Upper Meng Tribe in the morning and arrived at the Lower Meng Tribe at noon.
The Lower Meng Tribe was more open than the Upper Meng Tribe. When the patrolling orcs heard that they were looking for the shaman Lian Ke, they didn't ask any questions and directly pointed out the way, telling them the location of Lian Ke's house, and even told them to ride their Flying-Winged Beast there.
After Jian Mo and Wu Jiong knocked on Lian Ke's door, Lian Ke quickly came to open it.
Upon seeing their faces, Lian Ke looked like he'd seen a ghost. "What are you doing here? I didn't really lie to you, you wouldn't have come all this way, would you?"
Jian Mo laughed, "You still remember the time you lied to us?"
Lian Ke became even more wary. "If it's not for that reason, why are you here with me?"
Jian Mo: "Exchange supplies for intelligence."
Lian Ke looked Jian Mo and Wu Jiong up and down, then relaxed a little. "Let's agree on what resources we'll exchange for what intelligence. I won't reveal any intelligence that might threaten other tribes; I do have my limits."
Jian Mo couldn't help but glance at him again, then said, "We'd like to ask you about chili peppers."
Lian Ke: "What kind of chili pepper?"
Jian Mo: "It's a kind of seasoning. After eating it, your tongue will hurt, your stomach will hurt, and it will hurt when you go to the toilet, but you will feel very refreshed and it will also stimulate your appetite."
Jian Mo said, taking out a notebook with chili pepper drawings from her basket. "Chili peppers might look like this."
The drawing in his notebook used colored dyes as paint, and it was quite vivid; you could clearly see that it was a plant.
Lian Ke flipped through the notebook, marveling, "Your Riverside Tribe has so many good things! Give me this, and I'll tell you about the chili peppers."
Jian Mo was pleasantly surprised. "You really know about Chili?"
Lian Ke: "I know. It doesn't look quite like the thing you drew in your notebook, but it's similar to what you described. It's the kind of thing that makes you feel really unwell after eating it, and some people even get diarrhea—I've been asked to see one."
Hearing him say that, Jian Mo knew he had probably actually handled chili peppers before, and readily agreed, "Deal. I'll also give you a pen so you can write and draw in your notebook."
As she spoke, Jian Mo took out a pen and gave it to Lian Ke.
After Lian Ke accepted the chili peppers, he told them, "Go southeast from here, and after passing through about three tribes, you'll see a tribe called Salt-Drying Tribe. They should have the chili peppers you're looking for there."
Chapter 152 Thin-skinned Chili Peppers
Jian Mo originally thought that getting a vague hint from Lian Ke would be quite an achievement, but she never expected to get definite information, which made her quite emotional.
So, instead of staying in the Lower Meng Tribe, they rode their horses Jiujiu and Ying'ao, heading straight for the Salt-Drying Tribe.
If they hurry on their journey, they should be able to reach those three tribes in a day, or at most two.
During their journey, they encountered an unfamiliar group of orcs.
The orcish group, upon hearing that they were heading to the Salt-Drying Tribe, gave them directions and expressed their curiosity about the couple who had traveled from afar.
In everyone's impression, travelers are usually middle-aged or elderly orcs or sub-orcs. They are too young, and judging from their condition, they are also powerful orcs leading sub-orcs.
Jian Mo smiled and said she was looking for something, and everyone understood.
They arrived at the Salt-Drying Tribe without any problems.
Upon hearing them identify themselves, the people of the Salt-Drying Tribe exclaimed happily, "We know you! Did you just rescue the Heqin Fish from the Upper Meng Tribe?"
Jian Mo was surprised that the news spread so quickly. "How could this get out?"
The people from the Salt-Drying Tribe, "We were talking about it while hunting, and it got back to us. You've come here wanting chili peppers?"
Jian Mo nodded repeatedly, taking Wu Jiong's hand. "We went out this time to trade for chili peppers, do you have any?"
The people from the Salt-Drying Tribe were even more straightforward. "Yes, look, we grow them by the river. You guys take a rest first, and we'll treat you to stir-fried pork with chili peppers tonight."
Jian Mo looked in the direction the Salt-Drying Tribe and saw that there were indeed short plants growing there.
Because the plant's leaves were dark green and its fruit was round and black, Jian Mo didn't immediately recognize it as a chili pepper.
Chili peppers come in many colors and shapes. Jian Mo looked them over carefully and felt that she had found the right ones.
Jian Mo and Wu Jiong settled down temporarily in the Salt-Drying Tribe.
When the people of the Salt-Drying Tribe heard that they had come from afar, they made a special trip to chat with them and inquire about their experiences on the journey.
Jian Mo didn't hold back and said everything he could, with Wu Jiong adding to the discussion from the side.
The people of the Salt-Drying Tribe listened as if to a story from One Thousand and One Nights, occasionally exclaiming in amazement and expressing their admiration.
The people from the Salt-Drying Tribe looked at Jian Mo and Wu Jiong: "You two know so much. If we had time, we'd like to travel around like you."
Jian Mo: "Going out isn't always a good thing; sometimes unexpected things can happen on the road."
Jian Mo casually mentioned Xing Yuan's situation, only slightly altering it.
When the people of the Salt-Drying Tribe heard that the little beastman's two fathers had died in the wilderness and that the little beastman had become a wandering beastman, they felt another wave of sympathy for him.
Everyone had a great time chatting, and the people of the Salt-Drying Tribe specially prepared a sumptuous dinner to entertain Jian Mo and Wu Jiong.
At a glance, Jian Mo saw several dishes featuring chili peppers, including stir-fried pork with chili peppers, chili pepper meat sauce, stir-fried eggs with chili peppers, and fried fish with chili peppers.