Chapter 1085, The Plan Begins

Translator: Silavin

 

Su Bai sat in his usual place, handling the Tribe’s affairs and turning over the question of its development in his mind.

 

The snow season was approaching. Food storage and protective measures both needed to be in order.

 

Beyond that, he had been considering something else. Was there a way to maintain trade with other Tribes during the snow season itself?

 

Su Bai was not the kind of person to be satisfied with the status quo. Trade was possible during most of the year outside the snow season and the rainy season, and the volume was enough to keep the Tribe functioning. But he felt that it was not enough. What was needed was foresight, and a genuine sense of urgency.

 

The rainy season and the snow season were, in his view, time to work harder. Every other Tribe treated them as times of rest. The difficulty of travel during those periods was real. But the greater the difficulty, the more he felt the need to find a way through it.

 

“How could trade with other Tribes be managed during the snow season?” Su Bai murmured to himself.

 

The sheet of white paper in front of him was already covered in writing. It was a mess of notes with no clear direction. He had not arrived at a satisfying answer yet. That much was evident in the furrow of his brow.

 

Yan Hua came back from outside, fresh from training. She had bathed and changed into cool comfortable clothes.

 

She was shaking the damp from her hair when she glanced over at him. “Has something difficult come up, Shaman?”

 

Yan Hua noticed his expression. His brow was creased so tightly it might have caught a fly.

 

Su Bai looked up at the sound of her voice, the tension easing slightly into a smile. “I’m thinking about the Tribe’s development. There is no progress yet, that’s why I’m feeling a little frustrated.”

 

Then he saw her, freshly bathed, damp hair falling loose, his eyes widened before he caught himself.

 

Wet hair had a particular effect. And the muscle definition that came with being a Totem Warrior only added to it. Yan Hua’s features were refined, and a cow horned girl like her belonged in the pages of a manga, not standing three paces away. And yet here she was, alive, standing right in front of him.

 

He could hardly help looking for a moment longer than it was necessary.

 

“Is something wrong, Shaman?” Yan Hua asked, tilting her head.

 

She shook her wet hair to one side. Her clothes shifted with the movement.

 

Su Bai took a lot of effort to retain his composure. He stood and picked up a dry piece of linen to help dry her hair.

 

“Make sure you dry your hair properly after washing it.” He reminded, his tone more serious than usual. “If you don’t, you’ll develop chronic headaches. They’ll make your life hard.”

 

It was something he remembered from his modern life. Leaving one’s hair wet after washing was the kind of habit that caught up with them later in life. The headaches it caused were not a serious illness, but the discomfort was real, sometimes worse than being properly ill.

 

“Ah, understood!” Yan Hua blinked, then nodded, her face going pink.

 

She wished quietly that time could stop right here. It was an absurd thought. She knew it was. But she truly wished it from the bottom of her heart.

 

She kept stealing glances at his profile from the corner of her eye, at the broad and steady hands working through her hair. Yan Hua found herself wondering if this was some kind of good fortune she had accumulated in a previous life. How else would she have come to deserve the Tribe’s Shaman drying her hair?

 

“There. Much drier. Don’t forget next time.” Su Bai stepped back and returned to his seat before anything awkward had a chance to happen.

 

“I won’t forget. Shaman. Is there anything I can help with?”

 

Yan Hua settled into a seat nearby, hands folded, the unguarded energy she usually carried entirely absent. She looked, for the moment, like someone entirely different from the loud, free-spirited person she normally was.

 

“No, I can work through this on my own.” Su Bai smiled warmly. “How is the new batch of soldiers coming along?”

 

“More passed this time than the last batch. A few more. And their physical condition is generally quite good.” Once the subject turned to training, Yan Hua was herself again immediately. “Another month or two and they’ll be ready to take part in patrol duties.”

 

“Good. Be strict when strictness is called for. They’re responsible for the safety of the entire Tribe.” Su Bai reminded her.

 

“Understood, Shaman.” Yan Hua smiled, showing a line of white teeth.

 

*Step step step…*

 

While the two of them were speaking, Sha Lan returned from outside as well. She had taken the new recruits to the river to familiarise themselves with the terrain, which had made her later than usual.

 

Sha Lan and Yan Hua conducted their training separately. Yan Hua handled physical conditioning. Sha Lan focused on judgement and environmental awareness. Each to their own strengths.

 

“Good work. Sit down and rest a moment.” Su Bai said gently.

 

Yu Ying stepped forward and poured a cup of water. “Drink slowly. Don’t choke.”

 

*Glug glug glug…* Sha Lan was too thirsty to do anything but nod. She took the cup in both hands and drank quickly.

 

When the cup was empty, she set it down and breathed. “Thank you, Shaman. Thank you, Xiao Yu. I’m exhausted.”

 

“Rest when you’re tried. I can’t afford to have either of you worn out on me.” Su Bai laughed, easy and genuine.

 

Yan Hua and Sha Lan were too important to the Tribe. That was true professionally. It was also true in a quieter, more personal way that had yet to be said aloud. Something had grown between all of them. It was a feeling that had no name yet and there was no need to say it out for now.

 

“Understood, Shaman.” Both of them smiled at the same time.

 

“Oh yeah, how are the new Grey Feathered Giant Birds settling in?” Su Bai asked.

 

He had only glimpsed them through the floor-to-ceiling window upstairs. He had never gone to see them in person. They were being kept in the forest enclosure, left to forage for themselves and become accustomed to their surroundings.

 

The Taming Shaman Bone Tablet had done its job well; so there was no concern about them wandering or harming anyone in the Tribe.

 

“I checked on them this morning,” Sha Lan said. “They look completely at home.”

 

“That quickly? Then, let’s go and have a look.” Su Bai was already getting to his feet.

 

If they had settled, the plan he had been working out in his mind could begin.

 

“Yes.” Both girls answered together.

 

Ye Jiu heard from downstairs and went ahead to prepare the carriage, while the Totem Warriors prepared to escort the Shaman.