Chapter 177: The Trading Party

Jian Mo’s group stopped. The Fat Chirpers landed and shifted to human form, and the sub-beastmen riding them also climbed down.

The teens from the Bozhi Tribe were thrilled to see Jian Mo and Wu Jiong; the moment their feet hit the ground they chattered nonstop.

“Brother Jian Mo, you’ve been here forever!”

“Is Fen Hui better yet?”

“We wanted to wait for you at the Chuxing Tribe, but after half a day we couldn’t stand it and flew over. Brother Jian Mo, did you miss us?”

Seeing them, Jian Mo felt a surge of fondness. “Of course I did. Did you fly straight here? Did Chief Zhouzhi agree?”

People from the Bozhi Tribe: “He agreed. He was worried at first, but folks from the Yuqi Tribe put in a good word, so our chief said yes.”

“Brother Jian Mo, we also brought lots of good stuff for you and Chief Wu Jiong. You’ve been away so long—your supplies must be running low, right?”

Jian Mo hadn’t expected them to be this thoughtful. “They are—quite a few things are running short. What did you bring?”

“Anesthetic, fish-bladder glue, chili powder, resin, sugar blocks—Chief Qing Kuo from your tribe told us to bring them.”

“We also brought soap, salve, and cloth—salve from the Mengshui Tribe and cloth from the Jiunian Tribe. Oh, and metal from the Jintuo Tribe. We thought we’d trade casually on the road, but before we even reached the Chuxing Tribe, most of it was already swapped.”

“People from the Yuqi Tribe said if we’re idle we should form a trading party. Looking at it now… we really could.”

The Bozhi teens were lively, eyebrows dancing as they spoke.

Xing Yi and the others listened from the side, smiling despite themselves.

Chatting on the road wasn’t ideal, so after a few more words they hurried on to the Chuxing Tribe.

Once there, Xing Yi said, “We rarely see beastfolk who can fly. Would you let us do a checkup?”

All eyes from the Bozhi side swung to Jian Mo.

Jian Mo formally introduced him. “This is Healer Xing Yi. His medical skills are remarkable—he’s the one who cured Fen Hui.”

The Bozhi folk brightened and agreed at once.

Their beastmen shifted: a whole flock of Fat Chirpers waited for their physicals.

Xing Yi specifically had Jian Mo join him to examine them carefully.

As they worked, he explained the internal sounds of a Fat Chirper’s body and what each sound indicated.

Overall, the Fat Chirpers were healthy—only their stomachs and intestines weren’t great; likely a species trait.

When the issue was pointed out, they looked embarrassed and asked if it could be treated.

Xing Yi said it wasn’t an illness—no treatment needed—but it could be regulated so their guts handled unfamiliar places better and they didn’t get diarrhea every time they traveled.

Jian Mo took notes beside him and nodded. “That would be irritable bowel syndrome, right?”

Xing Yi thought it over. “That name shows some skill. Yes—don’t irritate it and they’re fine; irritate it and they run to the latrine.”

Late Zheng among the Fat Chirpers said, “It’s bothered us for a long time. New places always make us uncomfortable—pretty awkward sometimes.”

Jian Mo patted his shoulder, remembering the first time they met—Fat Chirpers bickering with Pallas cats. Looked like they’d been poking real sore spots back then.

The Fat Chirpers’ arrival re-stocked Jian Mo with a mountain of supplies.

Leafing through the fish-bladder glue and resin, Jian Mo exhaled in relief. “With these, we can resume dental treatments here.”

Tooth wear was a major problem; most older beastmen and sub-beastmen had issues.

Before, Jian Mo had only treated the worst cases—many still needed care.

Wu Jiong said, “Spread the word—anyone who wants treatment can line up.”

Jian Mo: “I’ll tell Xing Jiu tomorrow. Honestly, people have probably already heard.”

Wu Jiong: “Looks like we’re busy again for a few days.”

Jian Mo’s eyes sparkled. “That’s fine. Helping people out of pain is worth it.”

Xing Jiu agreed immediately when asked. “I’ll have people pass the word.”

“Thanks,” said Jian Mo.

Xing Jiu waved it off. “Nothing to thank me for. Though… I have a favor to ask.”

Jian Mo paused his work and smiled at him. “Just say it. No need for ‘favors’ between us.”

Xing Jiu: “I want to learn dentistry from you.”

Jian Mo: “No problem. I was going to ask you to assist anyway—just the two of us, me and Wu Jiong, is too tiring. I’ll teach you as we treat patients.”

Xing Jiu looked slightly sheepish. “Besides the techniques, I want to learn the formulas too.”

Jian Mo didn’t hesitate. “Sure. I’ll explain them—write them down.”

Xing Jiu was moved. “Good brother.”

Jian Mo laughed. “What’s the big deal? You haven’t hidden your formulas from me.”

Xing Jiu: “Ours are ancestral and widely known. What you’re teaching are things you figured out.”

Jian Mo: “I’m no lone genius—where would I ‘figure out’ so much? I learned from predecessors. As for treatments and surgeries, I learned them properly at school. Even the fish-bladder glue idea came from another tribe’s inspiration.”

He told Xing Jiu about the distinctive ways of the Linyan Tribe, then about the Dense-Forest Tribe and a few others.

Xing Jiu sighed. “Every tribe has its own style. Since you put it like that, I won’t stand on ceremony.”

Jian Mo: “Don’t. We’re friends. We’ll be learning from each other for a long time—too much politeness doesn’t feel like friendship.”

Pulling and filling teeth isn’t hard to learn. After a few times with Jian Mo, Xing Jiu could handle it.

He’d already been a healer—steady hands, deft touch, and solid basics—much better than a total beginner.

They didn’t attempt anything too complex, only extractions they were confident about.

For teeth that were complicated, Jian Mo worried about damaging nerves or causing dry socket—one wrong move could be fatal.

While Jian Mo’s group remained at the Chuxing Tribe, the Fat Chirpers couldn’t sit still. They flew to several nearby tribes with goods on their backs and traded for quite a haul.

They even helped swap some of Jian Mo and Wu Jiong’s supplies, getting metals and some unusual medicinal herbs in return.

One day they came back from a trading run, bubbling with excitement.

“Brother Jian Mo, Chief Wu Jiong, you’ll never guess what we found out these past two days!”

Seeing their secretive looks, Jian Mo said, “Don’t tell me—a rare medicinal?”

The Fat Chirpers groaned. “Brother Jian Mo, is medicine all you think about?”

He grinned. “What else? With a setup like that, where am I supposed to guess?”

“It’s not medicine—guess again.”

“The scope’s too big,” Jian Mo said. “I’ll never get it. Spit it out—don’t keep us hanging.”

“It’s a rather special tribe.”

Jian Mo racked his brain and still couldn’t think of a tribe that counted as “special.”

Before he found a lead, Wu Jiong spoke from behind him. “The Qinglin Tribe?”

Jian Mo was about to ask who that was when the Fat Chirpers looked at Wu Jiong with admiration. “Yes! The Qinglin Tribe. Chief Wu Jiong, how did you guess?”

Wu Jiong explained to Jian Mo, “It’s the tribe of Xingyuan’s two fathers.”

Then to the Fat Chirpers: “That’s the one we’d keep in mind.”

Xingyuan was the cub the Mengshui Tribe had adopted. His two fathers were traveling mates who sadly died in the wild.

Jian Mo hadn’t expected they’d find that tribe. He blinked. “You’re sure it’s their tribe?”

Fat Chirpers: “We asked around—no mistake. But we didn’t mention Xingyuan.”

“Best not to,” Jian Mo said. “Xingyuan’s doing well now. When he’s older, we can tell him about his fathers’ tribe.”

“That’s what we thought too,” they said. “If he wants to go, we can show him the way. If he offers enough supplies, we can even take him there.”

Jian Mo laughed. “You only just started trading and you already sound like shrewd merchants.”

They bristled. “What’s a ‘shrewd merchant’? We’re popular! Everyone says our trades are good and our terms fair.”

“They even say we’re kind-hearted—just like you.”

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong indeed charged modestly and had a great reputation in the region. Some people even brought them gifts in thanks.

The Fat Chirpers asked, “Brother Jian Mo, Chief Wu Jiong, when are you heading back? If you go soon, let’s travel together.”

“In a few days,” Jian Mo said. “Fen Hui is recovering well, and Healer Xing Yi says there isn’t much more to teach us. Once we finish copying the prescriptions and identifying some herbs, we’ll head home.”

“Then we’ll do another lap of the nearby tribes and trade for what we want,” they said. “Brother Jian Mo, have you seen the pearls here? They’re beautiful.”

Jian Mo nodded. He and Wu Jiong had been around long enough that some patients had paid with pearls.

He’d seen plenty on Earth; these unselected raw pearls didn’t particularly excite him.

The Fat Chirpers were puzzled by his lack of enthusiasm. “Don’t you like pearls?”

“They’re fine,” Jian Mo smiled. “If people offer them, we’ll accept. But we don’t need to seek them out.”

Pearls couldn’t be eaten or worn warm; in Jian Mo’s eyes they weren’t very practical.

“How could you say that?” the Fat Chirpers protested. “They’re beautiful and rare. Even if you don’t like them, you can trade them to other tribes. The Dianxin Tribe, for example—they’d definitely like pearls. Jewelry made from them would look great.”

“Well now,” Jian Mo chuckled, “look at you, really getting the hang of business.”

“Exactly!” they said. “Pearls are pretty and easy to carry. Trade for pearls here, then trade those pearls for other supplies back in our region—easy swaps, and we might even profit.”

“Give it a try,” Jian Mo encouraged. “Strengthening trade between tribes is a good thing—and pretty fun, too.”