That evening, Ai Cao told the women in her tribe about it.

The women of the Jiang tribe happily agreed to their daughter's request—even setting aside Jiang Ai's identity, they themselves were looking forward to fighting against other tribes.

Although it is still summer and the roads are still muddy, the women have already secretly laid many straw mats on the dirt road. Their hands can both grip knives tightly and flatten the thick grass.

After reaching an agreement with the women, Ai Cao went to find the little boy.

Saying it's a search isn't quite accurate.

Because no matter where she was in the clan, as long as the young boys with the surname Ji didn't have any work to do, they would secretly run to her side to see her.

So, Ai Cao stood still and looked around, and then she saw a figure hurriedly hiding behind the grass.

She pulled the flustered little boy out of the bushes.

Ai Cao remembered that he usually slept in the same room as the men, so she said, "Come sleep in my room tonight."

The little boy's cheeks were burning red.

“We’re going to the Ji tribe tomorrow morning,” Ai Cao continued. She looked at the little boy’s face with a slightly scrutinizing gaze.

The little boy's face was still flushed with shyness. He whispered, "...Okay."

He belatedly realized that Jiang Ai's invitation this time was not to confirm her ownership of him. His enthusiasm cooled slightly, but his voice was still hoarse: "I know a shortcut into the Ji clan, and I can show you the way."

He looked at Jiang Ai with fervent eyes.

Artemisia affectionately stroked his soft cheek. The little boy was too small; his face was all soft flesh, and when she touched it, it rippled like water.

Mugwort said yes.

She led the little boy into her room and had him draw the path of the Ji tribe. It was the little boy's first time entering Jiang Ai's room, his first time holding a brush made from bamboo root, and his first time carving on clean tree bark.

His hands trembled with excitement.

Ai Cao, sitting half a meter away from him, only looked down at his excited expression.

The ball of light said, "Now you intend to replace him and become the new 'King' of the world. So even if his body dies, it won't have any impact on the future. That man from another world will be trapped in the system space forever, while the fortune of this world will fall on you."

"Are you going to kill him now?" the ball of light asked out of simple curiosity.

Artemisia said, "No, I won't kill him now."

"Why?" the ball of light pressed. "You clearly wanted to kill him before. Now that there are no restrictions, why aren't you killing him anymore?"

“Because the women of the Jiang tribe need sacrificial implements,” Ai Cao said. Her gaze was soft as she looked at the boy, but her reply to the ball of light was barbed.

“I need him to die in the Ji tribe,” Ai Cao continued. “It’s a very useful excuse to start a war.”

"For your man?" the ball of light asked.

“No,” said Artemisia, “for my private property.”

The men of the Jiang clan have never been independent individuals.

They are just objects.

A handsome man is worth a rabbit skin—the women of the Jiang tribe throw rabbits to men, who then skin them and prepare the meat. The women eat the rabbit meat and use the skin to exchange for a new man.

Rabbit fur can keep you warm, and men can use it.

Moreover, men can survive on grass and fruit alone, making them easier to raise than domesticated rabbits.

“The Jiang tribe and the Ji tribe exchanged men, but the Ji tribe went back on their word and killed the men,” Ai Cao said calmly. “So I want to get back the rabbit skin that was used in the exchange.”

"What if the Ji clan gave us that rabbit skin?" the ball of light asked.

“Then we’ll take another rabbit skin,” Ai Cao said matter-of-factly. “The Jiang clan has raised him for so long; isn’t the food they’ve given him during this time worth more than a rabbit skin?”

“I can instigate conflict and war whenever I want,” Ai Cao said. Her tone was coldly calm—she had already tasted the power of authority in her dealings with the little boy.

Power is wonderful.

She could mold and knead the little boy however she pleased, and he would still think it was a reward for him.

She could sell any child resembling this boy with the surname Ji and get two rabbit skins in return. Although he could still laugh and move, in her eyes he was no longer as valuable as a rabbit skin.

Rabbit pelts are good; they can protect you from the wind and cold, and can be used to trade for food with other groups. What use are men? When they are young, people might be willing to trade rabbit pelts for them; but when they grow up, they are like overripe persimmons—rotten.

All men in this world should be like this.

Therefore, if Ai Cao wanted more power and influence, she had to take action against the Ji clan.

The current chief of the Ji clan is a man, and he is also the little boy's uncle. They are related by blood, which makes it even more important for his uncle to kill him.

Even after the mugwort had killed all the disobedient people, its own hands remained clean.

The ball of light burst into laughter.

It cheered excitedly in the mugwort's mind, the overlapping sound waves making the mugwort's head ache a little.

The ball of light said, "I want to see this! Let me see what kind of ending this world will have!" Its laughter lowered, "I made a huge bet with them..."

The pendant hanging around Jiang Ai's neck was warm and radiant.

The voice of the ball of light in her mind suddenly disappeared.

Ai Cao frowned, looking at the little boy who had put down his bamboo root pen and was looking at her expectantly.

The little boy had drawn a map of the surrounding terrain and house distribution of the Ji tribe on the tree bark, based on his memory. When he lived among the Ji tribe, his uncle, who was the chief, did not allow them to stray too far from the tribe.

But there were too few women in the tribe. If they didn't want to starve, they had to scavenge for fruit.

The Ji tribe chief repeatedly yielded, finally giving the little boy a chance to leave the tribe. He had gone fruit-gathering with the men a few times, but each time his delicate hands were scratched by the grass.

Later, the chief of the Ji clan forbade him from going out.

Fortunately, he has a good memory and remembered these paths.

Artemisia argyi smiled as she watched the little boy draw pictures on the tree bark. The Ji people lived along a tributary of a river that flowed across the grassland; there were no mountains on all sides, but they were very close to an orchard.

This orchard is also the main source of food for the Ji tribe. The little boy told her about a path that only the Ji people traveled, saying that the path led directly to the back door of the chieftain's house.

He also described in detail how many women and men were in the Ji tribe, their strength and personality, and what they usually did.

Night had fallen, and a candle with an oil-based flame flickered in the shed filled with mugwort. In the firelight, the little boy's eyes shone.

His heart and eyes were filled with Jiang Ai.

Ai Cao smiled. She gently touched the little boy's face and said, "Go to sleep tonight, we have to get up early tomorrow."

The little boy rubbed his eyes against her hand and said "okay" in a soft voice.

Ai Cao glanced one last time at the little boy who had only a few hours left to live, and calmly blew out the candle.