Chaotic World Book-Chapter 269 - 264 Ba Tu

Actually, even if San Niang hadn’t mentioned it, Changhe had already planned to visit the market.

Because it wasn’t just any food or water that Hongling had asked him to bring, she could easily rob a caravan and make do for a few days, carrying too much would only be cumbersome. The food and water were meant to be Changhe’s own supplies.

The supplies Hongling needed him to bring were more about medicines and dark weapons as consumables, all of which had already been used up; a good bow would be best for this environment, she had taken one when she left but it had broken early on; she also wanted him to bring some clothes, as she was down to her last set, which even had slight tears and had gone stale.

Clothes were something Hongling would never ask anyone else to bring, but it seemed like it was okay since it was Changhe.

As Changhe wandered the market, he still couldn’t help feeling that Hongling was truly remarkable.

She had been alone in the vast grassland for about three months, literally seeing every stranger as an enemy, without any supplies. Yet, she still rode freely, killing the Black Wolf King, raiding various merchant caravans, forcing the tribesmen to specifically crackdown on the "female" attribute, making Qiao Er and other caravan handlers uneasy and worried about the "lone horse bandit."

Fighting until she was out of bullets and food, yet still instilling fear in people at the mere sight of her red shadow.

Changhe had to admit, he could never achieve this, not just in strength, but also having such a loneliness-enduring heart.

But Changhe still instinctually felt a bit of worry.

The strong men of the tribes were mostly gathered at the frontline, and there might be fewer of them in the rear, but it wasn’t like there was none, like the ones possibly stationed at Longevity Heaven Temple.

Because of the scarcity of people, it wasn’t feasible to search for Hongling everywhere, making accidental encounters even less likely. So Hongling probably hadn’t met many strong opponents. But once her whereabouts were confirmed, she would be in grave danger.

Logically, Hongling should have thought of this. After running out of supplies, there was no need to continue staying here stubbornly. A quick ride through a detour back to Yanmen would only take about five days. What was keeping her here? Was there something important she wanted to accomplish before leaving?

As he pondered, he casually bought the required items at the market.

Medicines, dark weapons, and bows were easy to handle, and he casually picked a good bow for himself, but choosing clothes became a challenge.

The available clothes, especially women’s ready-made garments, were plentiful but hardly any in Central Plains styles, mostly grassland and Western Regions styles, especially those worn by Hu Ji, with bare arms and waist wrapped in a few bands of fabric and long skirts below. Purchasing such clothes for Sisi might have been acceptable, but Hongling would surely kick him for it.

Central Plains-style garments were very rarely seen, and even those were only skirts. Understandably, if the tribesmen were to buy women’s clothing from the Central Plains, it was to dress up their daughters, always in elaborate long gowns or even royal attire, completely absent were any knightly outfits.

San Niang’s very ordinary low-cut linen dress with a hairpin was also something of a puzzle—where did she get it? Maybe custom made? Either way, getting it from her was not suitable, and Hongling wouldn’t accept it either.

Unexpectedly, he got stuck on such a trivial issue...

"I say, do you not have laboring people here?" Changhe couldn’t help but ask the clothing store owner.

"Ah? What is that?"

"It’s a woman who does heavy labor."

"What’s wrong with you Central Plains people? Do you have a brain malfunction? This is a market beyond the border, with hardly any natives around. There are only two types of women here, slave women who are transported here, and women with status. Slave women are brought here because they are beautiful, not to work. If you remove the word ’work,’ you’ll be about right."

Changhe scratched his head and after a long thought he finally said, "Then give me a set of men’s clothes, the slim type, that should be available, right? About my height. I want trousers, not the kind with skirts."

The shopkeeper threw a set of white men’s clothes toward him. Changhe grabbed it, felt the fabric was quite good, although he didn’t unfold it to check thoroughly, and casually stuffed it into his bag as he asked, "Where’s the market for rare items? I’ve walked around and haven’t seen it. For example, treasures with special effects, antiques, or those unidentifiable items..."

"You’re looking in the wrong direction, the other side, the market for curiosities."

"Thanks."

Changhe picked up his bag and left, looking up at the nearby beast arena. This huge duel arena and slave auction site were the core of the entire market, where that ’Wu’ figurehead played the role of a local emperor.

The various major sections of the market were built around this venue, surrounded also by various taverns and inns. Han Wubing was currently staying nearby, convenient for closely observing the happenings at this spot. San Niang’s inn occupied the best entry point from the outside into the market, each with its advantages and disadvantages.

The entire place still looked high-end and classy. Inside, there must also be many experts stationed. Changhe had always been disinterested in the inside affairs, always feeling they were irrelevant to him.

Circling around the beast arena to the opposite side, he could see the market for curiosities. Changhe roughly browsed around. There were many antiques of varying quality, but mostly they only dared claim to be relics from this epoch; no one dared boast about items from the previous epoch.

He wondered if it was because they truly didn’t exist or if it was due to fear of showing wealth. Items from the previous epoch would interest those on the Heavenly List once they appeared in the world; it seemed somewhat unrealistic to sell them in the market...

Thinking this, he felt he really should find an opportunity to check out the beast arena... If there were any rare items up for auction, it would most likely be inside. He felt Han Wubing squatting here was definitely for this reason. That fellow was a sword fanatic; although he claimed interest and enthusiasm for the battles between the Hu and the Han, it wasn’t as significant as his own interests. This place, rich in opportunities for both his training and treasure hunting, was ideal.

While contemplating whether to share insights with Han Wubing, Changhe suddenly spotted a familiar face.

—Ba Tu, who had once fought alongside Chi Li against Zhao Changhe in Yangzhou, rumored to be a direct descendant of He Lei, and supposedly his son or nephew.

Changhe felt a stir in his heart. He’d heard the War Lion Tribe was recently experiencing hard times; their pillar, He Lei, had tragically died in the Central Plains, which was a devastating blow to the tribe. Internally, they were embroiled in conflicts over succession rights, while other tribes were restless due to their instability, possibly including the Great Khan, Tie Muer.

According to San Niang, the Qiao Family’s grain, originally meant to be sold to the War Lion Tribe, was diverted to the Wild Wolf Tribe en route, likely without the War Lion Tribe even knowing who intercepted it. This was a typical example.

According to Cui Yuanyong, the Wild Wolf Tribe was small and weak, yet even such minor forces dared to take a bite out of the War Lion Tribe, showing just how tough times were for Ba Tu...

At that moment, Ba Tu was talking to a grassland man, visibly agitated. From a distance, it was unclear what was being said. Changhe quietly moved closer to a nearby antique stall, pretending to browse, but in reality stealthily eavesdropping.

Ba Tu was swinging his arms, "I can give you jewelry, but I can’t give that! Otherwise, my uncle won’t forgive me even in Longevity Heaven!"

The man said, "But you need grain. Don’t you realize that grain is extremely scarce right now? The Great Khan is urgently attacking Yanmen because of this. If we take Yanmen, we will have food, treasures, and women—everything we need. If we don’t, we might as well prepare for a harsh winter and don’t be surprised if many die from the cold and hunger."

If anyone were to die of cold and hunger, Ba Tu’s tribe was now the most at risk. This man was posing as being reasonable, but he was actually just issuing a naked threat.

Ba Tu’s voice was filled with anger, "Hu Lie, my uncle was very kind to you back then..."

Hu Lie... Zhao Changhe had seen this name on the Chaotic World List, ranked forty-first.

A member of the Human List had indeed appeared here, and his ranking was not low. Zhao Changhe furrowed his brows tightly, wondering if this could be related to Yue Hongling?

Hu Lie said indifferently, "He Lei is your uncle, but he is also the uncle of your other brothers. Who else can help? I am the only one who’s willing to help you a bit. Why don’t you try asking others?"

Ba Tu said, "How are you any different? They want to swallow my tribe, you want our treasures!"

Hu Lie responded, "That’s not the same, at least I am truly willing to give you grain. All they want is to devour your people along with the treasures."

Ba Tu went silent.

Although Hu Lie was also exploiting the situation, his words were true. Compared to others, Hu Lie somewhat genuinely seemed willing to help.

Of course, no one knew if he would change his tune once he had the treasures in hand—he could still snatch them back even after giving them grain.

Should he gamble on Hu Lie’s credibility? It seemed there was no other path available.

Seeing his silence, Hu Lie glanced at the sky, "I have other important business in Yellow Sand Market and can’t stay here to chit-chat. Think it over, and when I come back tonight after I finish my tasks, I’ll treat you to a drink, and we can discuss further."

Ba Tu said, "Are you here to kill Yue Hongling?"

Hu Lie tapped his head, "Right, you’ve met Yue Hongling... want to join me?"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

After a moment of silence, Ba Tu shook his head, "Not in the mood. I’ll ask someone else..."

Hu Lie almost laughed out of exasperation, "Brainless brute. Even if you ask a few more, I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave Yellow Sand Market alive! Currently, everyone still wants to save face, not daring to make a move against you openly in the Great Khan’s territory because they have to at least appear honorable. Don’t refuse the toast only to drink the penalty... Anyway, it’s good for you to hit a dead end!"

After saying this, he left with a sweep of his sleeve.

Ba Tu remained silent for a long while, sitting with his knees hugged at his stall.

He was actually selling jewelry here!

Zhao Changhe quietly walked up to his stall and casually picked up a bracelet, "How much?"

Ba Tu weakly pointed to a sign next to him, "Not for money, only trading for food, cattle, or sheep."

Zhao Changhe looked at him for a long time, then suddenly said, "Food for thousands of people by just trading like this?"

Ba Tu squinted, sizing him up, "What are you trying to say, Central Plains man?"

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

"Of course. Do you have a lot of grain?"

"I don’t, but I know where there is some, and it’s something you can really use. How about we swap information?"

Ba Tu asked, "What information do you want?"

"The arrangements and setup for killing Yue Hongling?"

Ba Tu’s gaze sharpened, staring unblinkingly at Zhao Changhe.

Zhao Changhe said calmly, "Yue Hongling killed the Black Wolf King and your Battle Lion Tribe has no quarrel with her. Do you think her life is more important, or is your tribe’s food more important?"

Ba Tu’s expression dimmed, and he sighed, "You’re right. But I don’t know their plans."

"They just invited you, didn’t they? Just participate, and maybe bring me along as your guard?"

Ba Tu said, "Where would I get a guard from the Central Plains?"

"I’ll change into your clothes; who would recognize where I’m from?" Zhao Changhe said impatiently, "Is the grassland lion always this indecisive? Just say yes or no!"

Ba Tu clenched his teeth, "Fine!"

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr(e)𝒆novelkiss