Chapter 711: Recruitment Successful II (1/2)
Chapter 711: Recruitment Successful (II)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”This is?”
”What are the Wushang up to?”
The soldiers were astonished. The impressive size of this group made them rather uneasy. They weren't planning on preventing them from leaving, were they?
Wang Chong silently smiled.
As expected, they came!
Wang Chong's face was indifferent, as if he had long expected this sight.
”Chief is being too courteous.”
Before the Wushang Chief could come over, Wang Chong turned around and went to welcome him.
”Lord Marquis, my apologies; this decrepit one has come late. Last night, Lord Marquis disregarded past wrongs and assisted us. This great favor and kindness will be engraved in the hearts of every villager until death,” the white-haired elder solemnly said.
”Chief is too polite. It was just a simple gesture.”
Wang Chong waved his hand, not treating the matter very seriously. He had prepared that medicine for them in the first place.
”Big Brother, thank you for saving my grandpa.”
A sticky-sounding voice came from the side as Fang Xiaoyan raised her head and gave her own sincere thanks.
When he saw this girl's sincere face and recalled how, twenty-five years later, she would be so savage, willful, and unreasonable, Wang Chong almost broke into laughter.
”There's no need to be polite. It was just a trifle.”
Wang Chong patted her on the head.
With the girl's words, the atmosphere on both sides relaxed.
”Lord Marquis, our gratitude is indescribable. Yesterday, we were too rude. No matter what, I request for Lord Marquis to stay in our Wushang Village for a few more days. Lingering for a little longer will also allow us to display our gratitude as hosts,” the white-haired elder said.
Many things could only be discovered long after the event. Last night, even with Wang Chong's help, eight villagers who had suffered early breakouts had died on the Night of the Lunar Eclipse before they could receive Wang Chong's medicine.
The symptoms of their illnesses had been exactly the same as everyone else's.
Just thinking about the fact that four or five thousand villagers had had flare-ups of their disease on the Night of the Lunar Eclipse left them shivering in fear. If not for Wang Chong, last night would have been an unimaginable tragedy.
It was not one bit excessive to say that Wang Chong was the savior of the Wushang. No matter how they repaid it, it would never be enough.
When they thought about the cold, harsh, and disaffected attitude they had treated Wang Chong and Li Siye with during the day, even the Wushang Chief couldn't help but feel ashamed.
”Haha, I appreciate Chief's kindness, but there's no need for a prolonged stay. We have some other matters to attend to, so we must take our leave.”
To the surprise of the Wushang, Wang Chong waved his hands and refused them.
So surprising was this answer that the Wushang Chief and the elders were momentarily at a loss for words.
”This… Lord Marquis, I will not hide the truth from you. This decrepit one has a request of you. The pills that Lord Marquis used last night are extremely important to us. Does Lord Marquis have any more? In addition, Lord Marquis mentioned rock salt yesterday. Might I ask what was meant?”
The Wushang Chief had a rather awkward expression, but despite his embarrassment, he still managed to get the words out.
”To tell the truth, I only had one hundred of those pills, and all of them were used last night. As for the rock salt…”
Wang Chong smiled and he gave the Wushang elders a profound look.
”Wushang Village is cut off from the world, neither trading nor communicating with it. Although everything else can be cultivated, and vines can also be used as a substitute for food, the three meals of a day can't escape salt. How has Wushang Village resolved this problem?”
”This…”
The Wushang Chief paused in hesitation, unable to speak.
This Young Marquis of the Great Tang Empire was far more perceptive than he had imagined. This land of steep mountains was nothing but rock and completely unsuitable for planting crops.
Thus, the Wushang ate vines, sealwort, and other such plants. This led their bodies to be much stronger and hardier than those of ordinary people.
But the only thing that they could not use ordinary methods to resolve was the salt that Wang Chong spoke of.
Consequently, the Wushang did not eat the same salt as ordinary people. Rather than sea salt, it was rock salt, salt that they found in a certain area of the mountains.
The rock salt there had been discovered by the Wushang's ancestors, and generation after generation of the Wushang had partaken of that salt.