Chapter 160 Knowledge

"Hey, what a plump goose! Can it lay an egg a day?" Walking down the neat street, Si Wenming, dressed in rough linen clothes, looked completely like a farming uncle. He casually grabbed a waddling fat goose by the roadside and firmly patted its rump.

"Yes, the livestock in our tribe are all very robust," an old man replied, his face creased with smiles as he affectionately stroked the feathers of the fat goose in Si Wenming's hand. "They lay an egg every single day. When the little ones eat them, they grow up strong."

Si Wenming dropped the goose and walked side by side with the old men, chatting and laughing freely as they moved along.

From the population of the tribe, the number of able-bodied men and children, the number of babies born last year, how many failed to survive the disasters and illnesses, to the number of newly cleared fields and the expected surplus in grain harvest this year—a tribe had countless daily affairs, yet Si Wenming and the old men always found common ground to discuss.

Gradually, Ji Hao found himself deeply engrossed in listening.

Although Si Wenming was just casually chatting with the elders, new ideas and insights constantly slipped into his words.

For instance, how to minimize weeds in the fields, how to increase seed germination rates, how to raise fatter poultry, how to prevent certain livestock epidemics, how to weave stronger and more practical fishing nets, and how to forge more convenient farming tools.

Si Wenming even casually recited a few ready-made herbal prescriptions to the old men—some to treat qi and blood deficiency in postpartum women, some to expel internal parasites, and others to soothe infants suffering from nocturnal crying and spasms. The elders treated these formulas like rare treasures, quickly committing them firmly to memory.

Ji Hao also noticed that one of the old men had already bolted off at top speed toward the largest wooden house in the center of the tribe.

According to the customs of the Southern Wasteland, the largest wooden house in the center of a tribe was the residence of the highest-ranking shamanic priests and elders. It seemed Si Wenming had captured this tribe's attention, prompting them to arrange a reception by shamans and elders personally, in accordance with the treatment reserved for honored guests.

Before long, a dozen shamanic priests and elders hurried down the street to welcome them, exchanging courteous and warm greetings with Si Wenming.

Ji Hao carefully observed these white-haired elders. Unlike the shamanic priests of the Southern Wasteland tribes, these elders wore neat clothing, had more dignified and gentle expressions, and carried an aura that was much milder and more relaxed.

Even the shamanic power radiating from them differed greatly from that of the Southern Wasteland shamans.

The shamans of the Southern Wasteland were better at communicating with the ghosts and spirits of the mountains and forests, capable of controlling all sorts of evil spirits, specters, venomous insects, and fierce beasts. Consequently, their auras were sharp and ruthless, and some elderly shamans, tainted by various baleful energies, looked just like malevolent ghosts capable of frightening crying children.

However, the shamanic priests and elders of the Central Plains continent possessed a much "cleaner" aura of shamanic power. Their strength leaned closer to the primordial fluctuations of the various elemental energies of heaven and earth, and the shamanic arts and divine abilities they excelled in clearly belonged to a different lineage from those of the Southern Wasteland.

Accompanying these shamans and elders were the highest-ranking warriors of the tribe. Ji Hao subconsciously compared them with the people he was familiar with; the auras of these tribal warriors were gentler and more magnanimous. Although there were powerful Great Magi among them, they lacked the aggressive and piercing sharpness found in the warriors of the Southern Wasteland tribes.

"The gap between a savage tribe and an agricultural civilization lies right here," Ji Hao observed carefully for a long time, shaking his head and chuckling softly to himself.

Si Wenming possessed an irresistible charisma. Within just a few sentences, he and these elders and shamans had become old friends amidst continuous laughter and cheer. The people of this tribe now regarded Ji Hao and his companions as their dearest friends.

Just as the grand elder of the tribe was warmly inviting the three of them to enjoy a feast, a great commotion suddenly erupted in the distance. Accompanied by hurried footsteps, dozens of robust men rushed over, awkwardly carrying several pale-skinned, blood-covered men whose skin had turned a bluish-black.

From a distance, a burly man cried out in panic, "Help! Quick, help! Brother Tieshan and the others were bitten by venomous water snakes, they're barely breathing! I told them a few days ago that a swarm of venomous snakes had mysteriously appeared in the river, but none of you believed me!"

The group of men ran like the wind, quickly arriving with the snake-bite victims.

The injured men still had bamboo baskets tied around their waists, with live fish still twitching inside. Clearly, these victims had been accidentally bitten by venomous snakes while fishing by the river.

Moreover, these venomous snakes were certainly not small; the fang marks left behind were as thick as an adult's finger, continuously oozing black blood.

"Quick, save them! Grand Elder, Grand Shaman, save them quickly!" the men shouted in a clamor, staring with hopeful, pleading eyes at the elderly shamans who wore large animal-skin pouches at their waists.

The elderly shamans hurriedly surrounded the wounded. After a brief inspection, they all shook their heads with grim expressions.

"The venom is too potent and has already penetrated their internal organs. It's too late to save them!" said the eldest shaman with bitter resignation. "We must find a way to wipe out that nest of venomous snakes. This poison is simply too strong; there's no saving them now."

Ji Hao abruptly shoved past the two men blocking his path and squatted down in front of the victims. Dipping his finger into the black blood oozing from a victim's wound, he touched it lightly to the tip of his tongue amidst the horrified gasps of the old shamans.

A sudden chill struck the tip of his tongue, followed by a wave of intense numbness.

"Fortunately, as long as they're not dead, they can be saved!" Ji Hao calmly drew three herbs from his waist pouch, shoved them into his mouth, and chewed vigorously.

An elderly shaman shrieked in horror, "Those are highly toxic herbs... Spider-blood Grass, Blue-rimmed Flower, Heart-rotting Herb! Boy, have you lost your mind?"

Ji Hao rapidly chewed the leaves into a pulp, then spat out mouthfuls of pitch-black saliva, applying the mixture of saliva and herbal juices directly onto the wounds of the victims. Amidst a sizzling sound, the highly toxic herbal juices burrowed into the wounds like living creatures. Within moments, the black blood gushing from the wounds turned dark red and rapidly shifted to a bright crimson, clearly neutralizing the potent venom in their blood.

"Even highly toxic herbs can save lives!" Ji Hao said calmly, looking at the dumbfounded elderly shamans. "Well, you folks probably don't deal much with venomous insects and snakes in your daily lives. In my hometown, which tribesman doesn't get bitten seven or eight times a year by venomous creatures? Although this snake venom is fierce, the fiercer the venom, the easier it is to cure!"

Standing to the side, Si Wenming smiled gently and nodded approvingly at Ji Hao.

Ji Hao smiled back at Si Wenming and said to the stunned shamans, "Well, you should take note. I'll share some special, emergency life-saving detoxification methods with you."

The shamans, elders, and ordinary tribesmen of this tribe looked at Ji Hao with eyes brimming with gratitude.

What Ji Hao had agreed to teach them was the knowledge of treating snake venom, and in this primitive world, knowledge was quite literally the "life" of the tribe!

The Grand Elder of the tribe burst into excited laughter. "We have honored guests in our tribe! Little ones, bring out the good things we've saved and usually wouldn't dare to eat. Today, we are going to treat our honored guests to a grand feast!"

Cheers erupted into the skies, and everyone's face beamed with smiles.