Qiao Yu had originally planned to be out for a day and then back. After all, the tribe had only just moved here and didn't feel safe enough. The men also had to go hunting in unfamiliar places, so if they encountered any danger, she could help.
But plans cannot keep up with changes.
She was walking and looking for edible plants that day. Seeing that it was already around three or four in the afternoon, she was about to go home when she saw human footprints in a muddy place.
She walked over and compared it with her own foot, confirming that it was a man's footprint, about size 43 or 44. The footprint was not a sole print, but a shoe print.
When he saw the shoe prints, Qiao Yu frowned.
She had a premonition that the thing she feared most was about to happen.
The men of the Dragon Tribe would wrap their feet with animal skins during the snowy season because they would get frostbite if they walked barefoot on the ice and snow. Once the ice and snow melted and spring arrived, they would immediately take off the animal skins.
Animal skins were as precious as food, and each person was allocated a certain amount. Besides making clothes and bedding, any extra skins could be exchanged at trade fairs.
Therefore, the men were reluctant to use them more. Even in the chilly spring weather, when walking barefoot in the muddy ground was still very cold, they would still take off the animal skins that covered their feet.
Qiao Yu found three skilled men and told them the principles and appearance of weaving straw sandals. The three of them pondered over it for several days and made more than a dozen pairs. Finally, they managed to weave straw sandals that were comfortable to walk in. Only then did the men of the Dragon Tribe stop walking barefoot.
Now she saw shoe prints.
Although these shoes do not have various patterns or trademarks like modern shoes, they seem to be made of animal skin. However, the men of the Dragon Tribe wanted to take off the animal skin in early spring. Now it is mid-spring and the weather is warmer, but this man is still wearing animal skin shoes. This at least shows that he is much richer than the people of the Dragon Tribe.
Apart from her, the outlier, in most tribes, the upper classes generally live a life of luxury. The leaders of the Sun Tribe and the God Tribe only do management work and do not participate in hunting, let alone run so far alone. It can be seen that this person's status in the tribe is average.
People of ordinary status are richer than those of the Dragon Tribe. From this, it can be inferred that the tribe that person belongs to is much richer than the Dragon Tribe.
Seeing the muddy footprints take a few steps and disappear in the north, Qiao Yu could be sure that there must be a new tribe here.
It was a long day's journey. If that tribe was not far to the north, the Dragon Tribe would likely have conflicts with it in the future due to overlapping hunting ranges.
Although the Dragon Tribe had absorbed the Stone Tribe and had grown to a size of approximately 300 people, compared to the Sun Tribe, the God Tribe, and the Shanyin Tribe, its numbers were still too small. If there was any conflict with the other tribes, they would likely be wiped out.
The matter was serious, so Qiao Yu gave up the idea of ​​returning to the tribe and followed the direction where the footprints disappeared.
When it got dark, she found no traces of any kind, so she slept in a tree. The next day, she woke up and continued walking north.
She planned to walk forward for a day, and if she didn't find any signs of human activity, she would search in the east and west directions.
If she doesn't find out where that person came from and what the situation is, she won't be able to stay safe even if she returns to the tribe.
Fortunately, the next evening, when Qiao Yu was looking for a place to rest as it was getting dark, he saw traces of human activities under a big tree.
It was a fire pit, a few stones, with ashes and half-burned wood in the middle, and a few drops of oil on the stones. It was obvious that someone had been roasting meat here.
Qiao Yu was overjoyed and searched around the fire for footprints. Soon she found a plant that had been trampled and fallen, and a plant next to it, a head taller than her, that had clearly had its buds picked.
Qiao Yu looked at the plant carefully and was immediately overjoyed.
This is a tea tree!
Tea is a wonderful thing. As the saying goes, "Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs and found tea as his solution." The "tea" here refers to modern tea. Tea has detoxifying properties. It also reduces greasiness and aids digestion. For primitive people who often ate barbecue, it was an excellent drink.
Qiao Yu thought about it and decided to pick a few branches and break them off.
Tea trees can be propagated from cuttings. She walked forward and then came back, not knowing whether she would continue along this path or find the tea tree.
Anyway, this tea tree was a tree. Probably not yet fully grown, it was only slightly taller than she was, but it had many branches. Even if she broke a few, it wouldn't damage its roots.
He dug some mud nearby, took out a bamboo tube from the animal hide bag, poured some water into it to moisten the mud, and then applied it to the broken end of the branch. He then tied it with leaves and grass stems. Qiao Yu carefully placed the tea tree branch into the animal hide bag.
It was already dark, so Qiao Yu found a place to stay for the night. The next day, he continued walking forward, looking for traces of the man.
From this point on, the man's footprints became more frequent. Qiao Yu often found traces of plants being dug up on the ground. It seemed that the man was a witch doctor. He must have come out alone to collect herbs.
Qiao Yu's spirits became more and more excited, but his nerves became more and more tense.
In these chaotic times, discovering a tribe, especially one so close to your own, is not a good thing. How can you allow others to sleep soundly beside your bed? When two tribes are in close proximity, they often worry about security or compete for resources. In short, war is inevitable. And war means casualties.
When the Valley Tribe had just annexed the Stone Tribe and merged into the Dragon Tribe and was growing stronger, Qiao Yu did not want to get into disputes with other tribes.
She wanted the tribe to develop planting and animal husbandry, to ensure they had enough food and clothing, and then to make suitable weapons and train an elite army. This would take time.
She walked forward for another two days and unexpectedly met a hunting team.
The team consisted of about twenty people. Qiao Yu met them in the afternoon, and they were preparing to return to the tribe after hunting.
Fearing discovery, she stayed far behind the group. From behind, she couldn't tell much about the group, as their skin color and clothing were identical to the primitive people she'd seen. It wasn't until the leader stopped and yelled at one of the group members that Qiao Yu noticed he was wearing clothes made of cloth.
The cloth was even made into clothing. The style of the clothing was similar to that of ancient China. Although it lacked the wide sleeves and wide robes, it was still made into a skirt. Regardless of whether the cloth was linen or some other material, or the style, it meant that this tribe was more advanced and powerful than the Sun Tribe.
Qiao Yu became increasingly cautious. Seeing the shadows of a house looming ahead, she didn't dare follow. She looked left and right, walked back a few dozen steps, and then climbed atop a tree more than ten meters high to peer ahead.
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