Bai Cha seemed to know, and without asking any further questions, she led Chang Lili forward, while Xu Yuandao followed behind them at a distance.

Many people here recognized Bai Cha and showed her a certain respect. They looked at the two of them with either amazement or surprise, and unconsciously made way for them.

Unable to bear the stares of those around her, Bai Cha slightly covered her face with her veil, pointed to the bustling crowd ahead, and said, "This is it."

Just ahead, the street widened a bit, with fewer crowded stalls, because both sides were lined with slaves waiting to be sold. As Chang Lili and her companions walked by, many vendors enthusiastically called out, "Miss, are you looking to buy a maid? Our maids are clever."

"Our place is cheap, and the people here are small but hardworking..."

...

Such words.

Chang Lili looked at the faces of those with wooden plaques around their necks, heads bowed, some numb, some bewildered, and felt slightly uncomfortable.

"General Meng didn't bring you here?"

Chang Lili shook her head.

Meng Yuxiu still didn't want her to see this cold, hard reality.

Bai Cha glanced at her again, slightly surprised that the renowned God of War Meng Yuxiu also had such a tender and delicate side.

Xu Yuandao said, "Look ahead."

The two looked up at the sound and saw a large crowd gathered in an open area ahead. There was a huge wooden cage against a wall, and they didn't know what was inside.

As Chang Lili walked over, she looked at the people being trafficked around her and felt a vague sense of unease in her heart.

As I walked into the crowd, I saw several ragged people, men and women, behind the thick wooden pillars. The weather had already turned cold, especially since winter came earlier here, as it is close to the north. These people were still wearing short sleeves that barely covered their bodies, and their exposed arms were dark and scarred, which made me feel sorry for them. They stood or sat with numb expressions, completely indifferent to the stares from outside.

"Who are they?"

"Some of these slaves were tricked, while others escaped from the north. Unlike the people outside, these are all unregistered individuals. Once bought, they can do whatever they want without the government interfering."

As they were talking, a crisp crack of a whip rang out. A screech sound came from the crowd, and the people in the cages reacted slightly, trembling as if they had an instinctive fear of the whip in the trafficker's hand.

Bai Cha said, "Let's start setting the price."

It's like buying and selling fruits and vegetables; you choose what you like, pay a price, and then the vendor lets you out.

It's both simple and cruel—buying and selling living people—which makes Chang Lili feel deeply uncomfortable.

Bai Cha seemed to sense her disgust and said, "I just wanted to show you around. If you can't stand it, we can leave. There's nothing much to see anyway."

"What are you looking at here for?" Chang Lili stood there, looking in that direction. "Is it because all the people here are barbarians?"

The white tea nodded.

Chang Lili glanced at the slaves waiting to be sold, then turned around with Bai Cha and said, "I understand what you mean. You mean the person they're looking for might have ended up here?"

Bai Cha nodded and said, "You don't understand the rules here. There are too many people and too many eyes. Let me explain it to you in detail in a suitable place."

After saying that, the three of them left the market together, found a roadside teahouse, and sat down.

The waiter brought a pot of light tea. The delicate tea poured from the spout, and the teacups, emitting a faint aroma, were placed in front of the three people.

"What did you mean just now, young lady?" Chang Lili asked, puzzled. "Since the other party's status is extraordinary, why would they be reduced to a slave?"

“I told you before that many of the people there were tricked into coming here.”

The tribes in the north are almost all nomadic and do not know how to grow crops, which is why they covet the rich Central Plains. Many of the battles in history were ultimately fought over food.

With Meng Yuxiu in charge, the tribes in the northern border region were terrified after several years of fighting, and they rarely caused trouble. However, winter was approaching, and the barbarians who had no food would choose to cross the border.

This involves the issue of trade between the two countries. After the truce, Meng Yuxiu not only recovered several cities that had fallen, but also expanded the border of the Yun Kingdom more than a hundred miles to the north, keeping the barbarians firmly isolated in the desert grasslands outside the Dayin Mountains, and also setting up very strict trade regulations.

The barbarians appearing in the Central Plains now are all registered and can be easily found through a search, and their numbers are not large.

The rest who came without making a sound were many of the unregistered residents and migrants that Bai Cha had mentioned.

Yun Kingdom has no laws to mistreat these people, but they are still outsiders. In Duanzhou, a place with deep integration, the differences are not obvious, but further south, they are considered outcasts.

This is why there are quite a few barbarians in Duanzhou, which in turn attracts more barbarians to come here to make a living.

It's a bit heartbreaking to think about. These people left their homes and came to this place where there is hatred and discrimination against them, all just to get a meal.

As for how those unregistered illegal immigrants crossed the border, it was through the traffickers they had seen earlier.

They would exploit the barbarians' thirst for food, luring them here and then selling them cheaply to other people willing to buy slaves. The men would do hard labor, while the women would become brothel girls or the secret lovers of wealthy families.

Such incidents are countless; some are voluntary, while others involve being scammed.

Chang Lili carefully considered the cause and effect in her mind and understood Bai Cha's meaning. She said, "You suspect that person was tricked into coming here?"

The white tea nodded.

Xu Yuandao continued, "Miss Baicha's thinking is not without reason, but it was said before that the other party was either rich or noble, so why did he fall to such a state?"

Xu Yuandao did not directly deny Bai Cha's guess, but instead raised a question following her lead. So even though she was not satisfied with how Xu Yuandao addressed her, Bai Cha only frowned slightly and said, "Because I guessed that the other party might be a woman."

Chang Lili and Xu Yuandao were startled.

woman?

at the same time.

Meng Yuxiu had already arrived at the northern military camp at full speed.

The north wind howled, and the vast desert landscape unfolded like ink splashed outside Yumen Pass. The tents of the military camp were neatly arranged, and soldiers in armor and helmets moved about among them. The atmosphere in the camp was solemn and dignified. The appearance of a few fast horses did not affect anything here. Everyone stood at their posts, patrolling and guarding with serious expressions.

It's already getting cold here, and the northern chill can arrive almost overnight, so thick coats are hanging down in every tent.

The curtain to the main tent was pulled open by a long, strong hand, and a man walked in with hurried steps, followed by several well-trained and powerful generals. After entering the room, they all respectfully greeted the man who had entered first and was standing with his hands behind his back.

It was Meng Yuxiu.

"How are the preparations going?"

On his way here, Meng Yuxiu sent a message by carrier pigeon, and his subordinates received the message, saying, "We have notified the tribal leaders, and they will be able to meet with the general tonight."

Meng Yuxiu's appearance here almost foreshadowed something to happen. Someone asked, "General, do those barbarians have some ulterior motives?"