The next morning, Han Cheng gathered the tribal leaders in the meeting room of the large brick house and shared the decision he had made after much thought the previous night.

As soon as he spoke, the decision was met with unanimous approval.

Firstly, everyone had long admired the sight of the tribe possessing a large number of metal tools.

Secondly, the tribe was currently in a relatively idle period.

There were still a considerable number of days before the harvest of millet and soybeans, and for now, as long as there were enough people to weed and loosen the soil, things weren’t too busy.

Everyone going with Han Cheng to the Flying Snake tribe showed great enthusiasm. They were all eager to witness the marvelous metal mine, including Shaman.

Of course, Shaman couldn’t go. Due to his old age, he was highly cautious about long-distance travel.

After some discussion, Han Cheng made a decision.

Shang and Mao frequently traveled for trade and would go with the trade caravan. As for trading with the surrounding smaller tribes, that would be put on hold for now. After all, the main goal of the caravan was to find the metal mine.

In addition to the twenty people in the trade caravan, Han Cheng also brought along Third Senior Brother, a skilled archer from the Green Sparrow tribe, along with Chang Tui and several strong slaves.

Originally, Han Cheng had planned to bring along his eldest senior brother, but after some thought, he chose Third Senior Brother.

The main reason for this was Shaman’s age. If both Shaman and the elder brother left the tribe at the same time, Shaman would likely have to take on more responsibility.

The tribe was excited and looked forward to this journey, though not everyone shared the same enthusiasm. Bai Xue, who was noticeably more pregnant and had gained some weight, was not as pleased.

Since Han Cheng saved her, she has never been separated from him. When she heard that Brother Cheng was going far away without taking her, she couldn’t help but feel upset.

Of course, Bai Xue couldn’t go. The Flying Snake tribe's main base was far from their own, and the journey would take considerable time. It wasn’t appropriate for a heavily pregnant woman to go along.

The medical conditions in this era were poor, and the infant mortality rate was terrifyingly high. Han Cheng didn’t want Bai Xue to give birth on the road.

It would be bad for both the mother and the child.

After all, in the tribe, she could rest and receive some rough medical care, but giving birth during the journey could be disastrous.

"You’re leaving. Who will take care of the silkworms?" Han Cheng pointed to two baskets of silkworms and brought up the silkworm-raising method.

Bai Xue was momentarily speechless. That was a problem, but she quickly thought of other tribe members.

However, Han Cheng’s voice cut in again before she could speak.

"Your belly is so big. How can you travel long distances?"

So, Bai Xue had no choice but to stay in the tribe.

Seeing that Bai Xue was still unhappy, Han Cheng comforted her.

The best way to calm down an upset foodie was to offer them something to eat. Han Cheng, who was well-versed in this method, wasted no time.

He grinned at Bai Xue and said, "Don’t be angry. Here, Brother Cheng will give you something delicious that will make your mouth water."

As expected, Bai Xue’s unhappiness disappeared after eating the tasty treat.

The saying "fighting at the head of the bed, making up at the foot" is very accurate. No conflict can’t be resolved with a good meal. If one meal doesn’t work, two will. ᚱ𝘈Nǒ𐌱Ęṡ

Turning around to wave at the people seeing them off, Han Cheng patted Old Deer’s belly and then took the lead, followed by Third Senior Brother, Shang, Mao, and the others.

The group headed west towards the Green Sparrow tribe, gradually disappearing of those who were seeing them off.

Shaman stayed for a while, watching them leave, before slowly turning and returning to the tribe.

With the divine child gone, it felt like something was missing, and the whole place seemed unsettled…

In the lush and vast forest, Fuxiang ran back and forth with a group of dogs, looking quite the sycophant.

Third Senior Brother, Shang, Mao, and the others walked closely behind Han Cheng, each holding a weapon, appearing alert.

Han Cheng knew that this outcome resulted from Shaman gathering them together before they left and saying a few words.

Han Cheng had brought it up several times during the journey, but when he saw they were unwilling to relax, he decided to remain silent.

On the one hand, he didn’t want to waste Shaman’s and Third Senior Brother’s efforts; on the other, it was for his own safety.

Though this state felt a bit showy, it gave a sense of security.

As they continued, Han Cheng observed everything around them, hoping to find something useful.

On the sixth day of their journey, led by Chang Tui and others, they finally arrived at the Flying Snake tribe’s old base.

The Flying Snake tribe’s old base was now desolate, with many scattered bones near the cave entrance, remnants left by the Flying Snake tribe people who had failed to burn them last year.

After eating some food and resting for a short while near the cave, Han Cheng and his group began heading toward the location of the malachite.

The small mountain was not far from the Flying Snake tribe's cave, about three miles away.

As Chang Tui had said, the mountain was indeed sparse in vegetation.

Moreover, due to long-term oxidation, the exposed rocks on the mountain surface were dotted with patches of copper green, resembling snowflakes, giving it a peculiar and fascinating appearance.

Han Cheng left the deer at the base of the small mountain with a few people to guard it, while he, along with Third Senior Brother, Shang, Mao, and the others, followed Chang Tui to climb the mountain.

The mountain was uneven, but there were no sheer cliffs.

There were many pits filled with water, some sky blue, others a deep green, all looking extremely beautiful, like large, precious gemstones embedded in the ground.

The sight of such an unusual landscape left the group in awe.

They had never imagined that water could be so beautiful.

It was also Han Cheng's first time seeing this scene in person, and he couldn't help but marvel. No wonder people from the Flying Snake tribe once drank this water.

He might have been tempted to try a sip if he had been unaware.

Squatting down, he scooped up some of the water, and in his hand appeared a small blue "gemstone."

Feeling childishly delighted, Han Cheng played around for a while before returning to business.

Some large and small stones were scattered at the bottom of these pools, and malachite was present among them.

After retrieving and inspecting a few pieces of malachite and inspecting them, Han Cheng ordered the others to continue collecting while he bent down to pick up a hard stone and wandered around the area.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay