Surrounded by a jade belt, the mountains are surrounded by waves. Seven long galley boats sailed slowly against the rapids of late summer towards the tidal flats several miles away.
The leader is a long ship with two masts at the front and rear. The flag of the Sun Hummingbird hangs from the top of the foremast, and the feathers of the Quetzal bird stick to the top of the mizzen mast. The mountain breeze blows, and the bright feathers sway in the wind, like birds circling in the sky.
Under the birds, a group of crew members were gathering together, staring at somewhere on the deck. There, lying on the ground was a naked young man with disheveled hair. He closed his eyes tightly, the left side of his face was bruised and swollen, and he spit out a puddle of water around his mouth, looking miserable.
"...Lao Pu, were those few slaps you just slapped too hard?"
Chihuaco squatted on the deck, looking at the boy with a bruised nose and swollen face who had just been fished out of the river, and felt a pain in the left side of his face.
"Huh? If you don't hit him harder, how can you get the water monster out of his stomach?"
Puap stretched out his hand, looked at his red palm, and rubbed it painfully.
"This is the method taught to me by the three gods... ahem, the old priest. First hit the stomach hard, then hit the face hard. As long as water can be drawn out, the person will be saved!"
"..."
Chihuaco was speechless for a while. He looked at the young man's disheveled hair and naked upper body, but couldn't find anything identifying him.
"Where did this child come from?"
"They must be the prisoners of Tlaxcala who went south! They fell into the water, were knocked unconscious, and floated for a while before they met us. It probably wouldn't take long, maybe they were the ones on the ship that just passed by. .”
Puap narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment. Then, he curled his lips, glared at Mountain Bird Cavado, and scolded.
"The battle upstream was so fierce, so many people drowned. The prisoners in Tlaxcala were not worth much, so why was it worth wasting the time to save them? The fleet itself has to hurry!"
"Ahem, cough. Old Pu, this convenient matter won't be delayed for long. Isn't the ship always sailing! Cavado is also kind-hearted. He saves someone, and the Lord God will bless him!"
The old militiaman Chihuaco smiled and patted Lao Pu on the shoulder. Cavado jumped into the water to save people. After all, he gave permission.
"...It doesn't cost anything, so why watch people drown..."
Chihuaco muttered and checked the boy's body again. He first looked at the other person's palm, only to see the newly ground callus marks, and frowned. Then, he looked at the other person's teeth. There was no obvious wear and tear, and they were even a little white.
"..."
Seeing this, Chihuaco and Puap looked at each other and had some thoughts. The old militiaman immediately waved his hands and shouted to the gathered crew members.
"Go, go, go, what are you all doing here? We're going to dock soon, so hurry up and get ready!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Soon, the crew members dispersed upon orders and became busy in various parts of the longship. Chihuaco raised his eyebrows and squatted down. This time, he checked it carefully, inch by inch.
"Huh? Do you have a tattoo?"
"Is this a snake?"
Puap's eyes widened and he looked at the lower armpit on the inside of the boy's left arm. There was a small black snake there, hidden under the black armpit hair, which was very inconspicuous.
"Old man Qi, I seem to remember that the Tlaxcala nobles like to call themselves snake descendants?"
"...How do I know these things?"
The two looked at each other, their eyes a little subtle.
"Cough, cough!"
At this moment, the boy on the deck coughed in pain. He opened his eyes with difficulty and saw two huge faces looking at him with piercing eyes.
The young man was stunned, and the young men gradually gathered together, and finally saw that the two men were dressed in dark green battle clothes.
"Ah!...No, don't kill me! No!..."
The sharp shouts shocked the old militiamen and made them dizzy. Puap's eyes were sharp, and he stretched out his hand and slapped her.
"Snapped!..."
"Ah, no!..."
"Snapped!..."
After a while, the deck became quiet. The young man's nose was bruised and his face was swollen. He was cautious and did not dare to make a sound as he looked at the ferocious dust warrior.
The old militiaman winked and asked Puap to take a few steps back. Then, he smiled kindly.
"Ahem! Don't be afraid, kid. We don't mean any harm, we saved you."
"...?"
The young man's face was full of confusion. Chihuaco then remembered and spoke in Nahua language again.
"We saved you, don't be afraid!"
"..."
The young man pursed his lips and his expression changed slightly, but he was still wary.
"Child, who are you and what is your name?"
"..."
"Son, where are you from, are you from Tlaxcala?"
"..."
"Old man Qi, why are you talking so much? Once we reach the shore, just hand him over to the Mexican warriors stationed there!"
Puap looked impatient and shouted loudly in proficient Nahua language.
"No matter how we deal with it in the hands of Mexica warriors, it has nothing to do with us!"
Hearing this, the young man trembled all over, showing deep fear on his face. He finally spoke, pleading softly.
"No, please don't, leave me to the Mexica warriors!...You...who are you, and why are you wearing Mexica uniforms?"
Hearing this, the corners of Chihuaco's mouth turned up, and his smile became more kind.
"We are Prepecha people, from the Kingdom of the Lake, and we work for the Alliance. What about you?"
"I...I am an Atlisco, from the Four Kingdoms Alliance."
The young man was uneasy and replied weakly.
"Please, please don't, leave me to the Mexica."
"Atlisco? Where is that?"
Chihuaco was confused. He looked at Puap, who also shook his head in confusion. The old militiaman thought for a while and said with a smile.
"Blessed by the gods! You were rescued from the water, and you are obviously loved by the rain god. We always obey the gods' omens and will not harm your life... Well, my name is Chihuaco, what about you?"
"..."
The young man hesitated for a while. He opened his eyes wide, looked at Chihuaco's affable old face, and finally answered in a low voice.
"My...my name is Dark Snake."
"Dark snake? Being named after a snake, could it be..."
Upon hearing this, Puap's eyes flashed. He looked at the young man on the deck again, as if looking at a valuable sacrifice, and couldn't help but stretch out his hand.
"Snapped!"
Chihuaco raised his eyebrows and struck Puap's hand with the spear shaft in his hand.
"Old man Qi? You!..."
"Lao Pu, shut up! Put your thoughts away!"
The old militiaman's eyes widened, and Puap became speechless and stopped talking. Then, the old militiaman's eyes flashed, and he looked at the young Dark Snake for a long time, until the other person's hair went crazy.
"Eighteen or nineteen years old... If Chippawa hadn't died, he would have been this age... No, he has to be older..."
Chihuaco murmured, not knowing what he was talking about. After a while, he sighed and spoke gently.
"Dark Snake, there are no idlers on this ship. Can you paddle?"
"..."
The young dark snake was at a loss and said nothing.
"Can you cook?"
"..."
"Don't you know it? It doesn't matter. If you don't know it, you can learn from it. It will be quick. Well... you can first follow Shantiao and be a deck apprentice, starting from the simplest cleaning of the deck..."
Chihuaco smiled broadly. He looked at the mountain bird beside him and was about to make arrangements.
Hearing the words of the old militiaman and looking at his gentle expression, the young man An She pursed his lips and suddenly became unconvinced. He thought for a moment, then somehow, he answered.
"I...I know numbers and calendars, I can look at the stars in the sky, and I can also draw!"
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