The fire in the village burned for a whole hour, and finally it was no longer burning and gradually extinguished.
However, it was getting darker.
Boom!
After several deafening thunders, the fire was raging on the ground, and it seemed that even God could not see it, and a heavy rain began.
God has been holding back this rain for several years, and it falls so hard and fast that it looks like it will submerge the entire grassland.
A long drought followed by heavy rain should be something to be happy about. However, the Lan Mang tribesman's brows furrowed even deeper.
Due to proper handling, no one was directly killed by the fire, but there were still several elderly people and infants who could not withstand the heavy smoke and lost their lives silently.
In addition, not only the yurt they lived in burned down, but all the livestock they raised died. It's raining heavily now, and there's not even a place to shelter from the wind and rain.
The young and strong tribesmen like Youmeng can grit their teeth and get through it, but the elderly and children will not have it so easy. In the absence of medical treatment, even a small cold can easily kill a tribesman.
"Go and look around." You Meng covered his eyes with his hands and shouted loudly, "Men, go and peel off the skins of the burned cattle and sheep, and build a shed for the elderly and children to keep out the rain. Hurry up!"
They raised a lot of livestock, and at this time in previous years they would have driven them out to sell them or bring them back in exchange for some living supplies. Now if a fire breaks out, almost no one will survive.
Without their livestock, they don’t know how they will live in the future. But when he was thinking about this, the other men quickly dispersed with knives in hand.
Fortunately, there were fires everywhere just now, and the livestock had nowhere to escape, and they fell around the village or even in the pen. Don't worry about not being able to find it.
Not long after, someone came back with skinned cowhide and sheepskin.
Needles and threads are rare items on the grassland, and even when disaster strikes, some women carry them with them. They quickly sewed together pieces of large and small cow and sheep skins and quickly built a shed.
Ren Ning sat not far away without a word, letting the heavy rain wash over him.
The wounds on his body were soaked in water, and now his whole body was burning.
He raised his head and looked to the east, but it was raining heavily and he couldn't see anything clearly.
With such heavy rain, we should be able to take a good rest in the depths of the grassland. It is estimated that the Xiliang people's march eastwards will slow down a bit. His way back might be easier.
Just as he was thinking about it, Youmeng sat down next to him.
"Thanks to my brother for helping me just now, the Lanmang clan was able to escape from death. Lanmang and Youmeng will never forget their great kindness..."
Ren Ning covered his forehead with his hands and listened expressionlessly. It wasn't until You Meng finished talking that he waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to care.
Youmeng looked at the sky.
The rain was so heavy that it hit the two of them on the forehead, making it difficult for them to open their eyes and breathe. It was normal for them not to want to talk.
But he had to ask loudly: "I wonder what my brother is called?"
"Ning Ren, Yun Chuiren." Ren Ning simply replied.
He knew that his poor Xiliang pronunciation could not be hidden from others, so he simply told the truth. Just changed the first and last names.
Looking back, Ren Ning asked, "Are you done?"
"Not yet." Youmeng was a little helpless, "The rain is really heavy, and my eyes can't see very far. I won't be able to find enough livestock to skin for a while."
Ren Ning nodded.
The half-cooked animal skins were still tough, and the sewn awnings worked well. It's just that the sewing process is too cumbersome and cannot accommodate everyone. So most of the men still stayed in the rain.
"It's raining so hard, be careful to prevent flooding." Ren Ning reminded him.
Youmeng was stunned.
In recent years, even rain has been rare on the grassland. He really couldn't remember what the flood was.
Youmeng lowered his head blankly and looked at the dark water on the ground, and Youmeng quickly reacted. He immediately shivered violently and quickly ordered everyone to move to higher ground.
The skin tent is supported by people, so it is easy to move it.
Without spending much effort, after silently leaving the remains of several tribesmen, the group dragged a dozen dead sheep to a higher ground.
"Thank you, Brother Ning, for reminding me." After dealing with the clan members, You Meng approached Ren Ning again.
"This damn weather is really unbearable..." He complained a few words and then asked casually: "Yunchui is so rich that many people from Xiliang don't want to come back. I wonder why you came here, brother?"
It was an awkward question to ask, but as Youmeng was the clan leader, it was just in case he had to ask.
Ren Ning glanced at him lightly, "Have you heard of the Gu family caravan? I am a guard of the caravan."
Caravan?
Youmeng was slightly startled.
Although Xiliang is barren, there are many materials that neighboring countries need or even urgently need, such as livestock, horses, wool, gems and some handicrafts.
Yunchui's luxurious silks, exquisite porcelain and various tools are also deeply loved by Xiliang nobles and common people, so caravans often come from thousands of miles to do business.
The Gu family caravan is considered one of the more famous among these caravans.
The reason why it is famous is not because of how rare the goods brought by this caravan are or how powerful the overall strength of the caravan is, but because the leader of this caravan is a woman.
It is definitely rare for a woman to be a leader in this world.
Sure enough, You Meng's face looked a little strange, "Is it the Gu family caravan led by the woman? Of course I have heard of it."
Ren Ning nodded, not surprised.
Lanmang is just a small tribe on the grassland, with only a few hundred people and only five thousand livestock.
Such small tribes usually have no fixed residence, and there are almost no caravans coming to visit or trade. If they wanted to exchange materials, they usually had to take their goods to a nearby large tribe.
Those large tribes have large numbers of people and are difficult to move around. Most of them settle in fixed places, but it is not difficult to find them.
The surrounding small tribes and the caravans coming from Yunzhui usually find these large tribes first before conducting transactions to exchange what they have.
It is normal for you to have heard about the Gu family caravan when entering and exiting Youmeng.
"Then..." After hesitating for a while, Youmeng said nervously, "Where are the other people in the caravan?"
He didn't trust Ning's words.
Although border trade is not closed now, even the leader of a small tribe of his knows the news about the tense border relations between Xiliang and Yunchui, not to mention the caravan that is well-informed and has personal interests at stake?
At this time, in order to ensure safety, the caravans have already stopped their activities or only take domestic routes.
"Others?" Ren Ning spread his hands, "I don't know either."
"The caravan went too far to the west when it came out half a year ago, and now it is heading back. Who would have thought that it would encounter this god-damn fire on the way. Everyone has no time to care for themselves and can only run for their lives. Others are not as lucky as me. They probably all perished in the flames."
Ren Ning just explained it casually, regardless of whether You Meng believed it or not.
If he believed it, he would stay and rest for a while, eat a few pieces of barbecue, and learn about the surrounding situation.
If you don't believe it, the Lanmang tribe is not a threat to him, just turn around and leave.
The grassland in front of me had just been burned by fire, and then it was washed away by heavy rain. It is estimated that within ten days and a half, the Xiliang soldiers will have no interest in continuing to search for traces of their scouts.
Ren Ning became more courageous.
Youmeng was silent.
Although the sky was dark and the earth was dark and the rain was pouring, he could still see clearly.
The man in front of him was in ragged clothes, with layers of bandages all over his body, and the short knife in his waist was full of murderous intent. He looked nothing like a caravan guard.
Running a business is indeed dangerous, but not to this level.
After all, businessmen value peace, and it is common to encounter strongmen or bandits on the way to trade. If the Jie Dao is too strong, the merchant will decisively use money to buy the way, and there is no need for the guard to be injured like this.
