Even if San Niang didn't say anything, Zhao Changhe needed to go to the market.

Because what Yue Hongling asked him to bring wasn't just food and water. She could manage to get some from the caravan to last a few days, and bringing too much would be a burden. The food and water were for Zhao Changhe himself.

What Yue Hongling needed him to bring were more supplies like medicine and consumable hidden weapons, which had long been used up. It would be best to bring a good bow, which was especially useful in this environment. She had brought one when she first left, but it had long been broken. She also wanted him to bring some clothes, as she was down to her last set, and even that was slightly damaged. She didn't want to ask anyone to bring her clothes, but since it was Zhao Changhe, it seemed like it was okay...

Zhao Changhe strolled through the market, thinking that Yue Hongling was really something.

She had been wandering alone in the vast grasslands for about three months, facing enemies at every turn, with no supplies. Yet she still roamed freely, killed the Black Wolf King, robbed various caravans, and made the Huren specifically target and restrict "women" as a threat, making people like Qiao Er worry about "lone bandits" on the road.

Even when she was out of supplies, she still struck fear into people's hearts with her red figure.

Zhao Changhe had to admit that he couldn't do something like that, not just in terms of strength, but also in terms of enduring loneliness.

But Zhao Changhe couldn't help but feel a little worried.

The strong Huren were mostly gathered at the front lines, so there should be fewer in the rear, but there shouldn't be none, for example, there should be experts stationed in the Longevity Temple. Because there were fewer people, it was impossible to search the world for Yue Hongling's whereabouts, and it would be even more difficult to encounter her by chance, so Yue Hongling probably hadn't encountered many strong opponents. But once her whereabouts were determined, it was highly likely that she would be in danger.

In theory, Yue Hongling shouldn't have overlooked these things. After running out of supplies, there was no need for her to continue to stay here and struggle. It would only take about five days to detour back to Yanmen at full speed. What made her continue to stay here? What important idea did she want to accomplish before leaving?

As he thought about this, he bought the things he needed at the market.

Medicine, hidden weapons, and bows were all easy to find. He also picked out a good bow for himself, but he had a hard time choosing clothes.

There were plenty of women's clothes here, but very few were in the style of the Central Plains. Most of them were in the style of the grasslands and the Western Regions, with the most common being the kind worn by the Hujis, with bare arms and waists, and a long skirt. If he bought these for Sisi, she might actually wear them, but Yue Hongling would definitely not accept them.

Central Plains styles were rare and only seen in skirts. It was understandable, as if the Huren wanted to buy Central Plains women's clothing, it was obviously to dress up their own daughters, all in formal long skirts or even palace attire, and there was no market for knightly attire here.

The kind of plain cloth skirt worn by Sanniang was low-cut, and he didn't know where she bought it. It was probably custom-made? In any case, it wasn't suitable to buy from her, and Yue Hongling wouldn't accept it either.

He didn't expect to get stuck on such a trivial matter...

"I say, don't you have any clothes for the working people here?" Zhao Changhe couldn't help but ask the shopkeeper.

"Huh? What's that?"

"I mean, clothes for women who do rough work."

"I say, are you Central Plains people's brains not working? This is the trading market in the borderlands, and there are few natives here. There are only two types of women here, one is the slaves brought over, and the other is the people of status. The slaves brought over are all beautiful, and they're not used for work. If you take out the word 'work', it's pretty much the same."

Zhao Changhe scratched his head and thought for a long time before saying, "Then give me a set of men's clothing, slim-fit, do you have that? The height is about the same as mine. I want pants, not the kind with a skirt."

The shopkeeper threw a set of white men's clothing at him. Zhao Changhe felt the fabric and thought it was good, so he didn't look at it closely and just stuffed it into his package, asking, "Where's the market for rare items? I looked around and didn't see it. For example, treasures with special effects, antiques, or things that no one can identify..."

"You're going in the wrong direction, it's at the other end, the market for rare items."

"Thanks."

Zhao Changhe left with his bag and looked up at the nearby beast arena. This huge arena and slave auction market were the core of the entire market, and that Wutongling was like a local emperor in there.

The various large areas of the market were built around this place, and there were also various restaurants and inns nearby. Han Wubing now lived nearby, making it convenient to observe the situation here up close, while Sanniang's inn occupied the best spot at the entrance to the market, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

The whole place looked very high-end and classy, and there should be quite a few experts inside. Zhao Changhe was never very interested in the situation inside, feeling that it had nothing to do with him.

Walking around the beast arena, he could see the market for rare items on the other side. Zhao Changhe roughly browsed through it, and there were many antiques, but most of them only dared to claim to be from this era, and no one dared to claim to be from a previous era.I don't know if it's true or if they're afraid of exposing their wealth. Once something from the previous era appears in this world, even the top-ranking experts are interested. It doesn't seem very realistic to sell it in the market...

Thinking about this, I wonder if I should find an opportunity to go to the beast arena... If there's any rare item being auctioned, that's the most likely place to find it. Han Wubing is probably here for that. He's a sword fanatic, and while he may have some interest in the battle between the Hu and Han, it's not as strong as his interest in treasure hunting and training in this gathering place of talents and heroes.

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

—It was Batu, who had once fought alongside Chilai against Zhao Changhe in Yangzhou. He's said to be the direct descendant of Herle, and should technically be his nephew, but I'm not sure if he's his real son.

Zhao Changhe's heart stirred. It's been said that the recent days have been tough for the War Lion tribe, as their pillar, Herle, unexpectedly died in the Central Plains, which was a devastating blow to the tribe. The internal strife over inheritance and other matters has caused chaos within the tribe, and other tribes are taking advantage of their instability, including possibly the Great Khan Temujin.

According to San Niang, the Qiao family's grain was originally supposed to be sold to the War Lion tribe, but it was sold to the Wild Wolf tribe on the way. Most likely, the War Lion tribe doesn't even know who intercepted their grain, and this is just a typical example.

According to Cui Yuanyong, the people of the Wild Wolf tribe are few in number and belong to a weak tribe. Yet, even such a small force dares to encroach on the War Lion tribe, showing how difficult Batu's situation is...

At this moment, Batu was talking to a man from the grasslands, looking very agitated. I couldn't hear from a distance, so I casually moved to a nearby antique stall, pretending to browse while eavesdropping.

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Batu was waving his arms, saying, "I can give you jewelry, but I can't give you that! Otherwise, even my uncle in the Eternal Life Realm won't forgive me!"

The man said, "But you need food. Don't you know that food is extremely scarce at this time? The Great Khan is pushing for a breakthrough, and once they take Yanmen Pass, they'll have food, treasures, and women. If they can't take it, they'll have to prepare for a harsh winter, and it's not surprising how many people will freeze or starve to death."

If anyone is going to freeze or starve to death, Batu's tribe is the most at risk. The man seemed to be stating the facts and reasoning, but it was actually a blatant threat.

Batu's voice was full of anger, "Hulie, my uncle once did you a great favor..."

Hulie... Zhao Changhe had seen this name on the People's List, ranked forty-one.

A person from the People's List appeared here, and his ranking wasn't low. Zhao Changhe furrowed his brow tightly. Could this be related to Yue Hongling?

Hulie said indifferently, "Herle is your uncle, but he's also the uncle of your other brothers. Who can help you? I know you're the closest to him, but others don't see it that way. I'm the only one willing to help you to some extent. Try asking someone else."

Batu said, "What's the difference between you and them? They want to swallow our tribe, and you want our treasures!"

Hulie said, "That's not the same. At least I'm willing to give you food. They just want to swallow your people and treasures together."

Batu fell silent.

Although Hulie was also taking advantage of the situation, what he said was true. Compared to others, Hulie could barely be considered willing to help.

Of course, no one knew if he would turn on them after getting the treasure. Even if he gave them food first, they could still take it back.

Should they gamble on Hulie's reputation? It seemed like there was no other way.

Seeing Batu's silence, Hulie looked at the sky and said, "I have other matters to attend to at Huangsha Market and don't have time to chat here. You should think it over. When I'm done tonight, I'll treat you to a drink and we can discuss it further."

Batu asked, "Are you here to kill Yue Hongling?"

Hulie tapped his head, "Right, have you seen Yue Hongling... Do you want to come with me?"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Batu fell silent for a moment, then shook his head, "I'm not in the mood. I'll ask someone else..."

Hulie couldn't help but laugh, "You're a fool. If you ask a few more people, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave Huangsha Market alive! Right now, everyone still has some face, and it's not good to openly attack you in the Great Khan's territory. If you don't respect the wine, you'll have to drink the punishment... Well, let you hit a wall!"

With that, he left.

Batu sat in place, silent for a long time, hugging his knees at the stall.

He was actually selling jewelry here!

Zhao Changhe casually walked up to his stall and picked up a string of bracelets, asking, "How much?"

Batu pointed weakly to the sign next to him, "Not for money, only for food, cattle, and sheep."

Zhao Changhe looked at him for a while, then suddenly said, "You want to exchange food for tens of thousands of people with this?"

Batu squinted at him, "What do you want to say, Central Plains person?"

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

"Of course. Do you have a large amount of grain?"

"I don't, but I know where to find it, and it's something your people can actually eat. How about we exchange information for information?"

Batu asked, "What kind of information do you want?""They're plotting against Yue Hongling, what's the arrangement?"

Batul's gaze sharpened, his tiger-like eyes staring unblinkingly at Zhao Changhe.

Zhao Changhe said indifferently, "Yue Hongling killed the Black Wolf King, which has nothing to do with your War Lion Tribe. Do you think her life is more important, or is the food for your tribe more crucial?"

Batul's eyes dimmed, and he sighed, "You're right. But I don't know their plans."

"Weren't you just invited by them? You can participate, and how about bringing me along as your guard?"

Batul said, "Where would I get a Central Plains guard from?"

Zhao Changhe replied impatiently, "I'll change into your clothes, who would recognize where I'm from? Is the pride of the grassland always this indecisive? Give me a straight answer!"

Grinding his teeth, Batul conceded, "Fine."