Qiao Yu nodded.
Yue stared at Qiao Yu with wide eyes, a little excited: "Then do you know where the people who were with me went?"
Qiao Yu shook his head. "You guys were running away in all directions. I hid in the direction you were running. The Jiangyuan tribe chased you to the creek, but when they saw you swimming away, they returned to the Sifang tribe. A long time later, twenty or thirty people from the Sifang tribe came out and searched everywhere along the riverbank. When they didn't find you, they returned."
She also wanted to ask Yue about the news of the four tribes, so she explained it in extra detail.
"What's going on in the tribes?" she asked again.
Qiao Yu shook his head. "I stayed there for a day and didn't see any movement from the Sifang Tribe. The trade fair was cancelled, and the people from the Jiangyuan Tribe stayed for a day and then went back."
Yue's eyes dimmed.
She nodded and said, "Thank you." Then she lowered her eyes and said nothing more.
Apart from a hint of excitement when she inquired about her companions, her attitude was distant and polite from beginning to end, without much gratitude.
The Dragon Tribe was accompanied by Man, Liushui, and Shu. They were not happy to see Yue like this, but they didn't know what to say.
A woman named Yue was extremely cautious after waking up. She refused to eat the dried meat or drink the water they gave her. Although she thanked them, her attitude was extremely cold. Her attitude towards Qiao Yu just now was considered good.
But it was understandable. She was a lone woman, while they were a large group of men. Their leader, Yu, was now a bearded man. It was understandable that this woman named Yue was wary of them.
The place they were hiding in was a small valley. From the outside, it looked like a crack in the rocks. Entering through the crack was a different world: an open space surrounded by rocks and dense trees and vines. On the other side, there was another cave. Through the cave, there was a river below the cliff with a small drop. If someone attacked them in the crack, they could easily jump into the river and escape.
This place meets Yu's requirements for a hiding place.
Even after listening to Qiao Yu's story of "catching a turtle in a jar", they still felt unsafe.
Holed up inside, they were completely oblivious to what was happening outside. They might still be dreaming if someone attacked them at the valley's entrance, killing them in their sleep without even realizing it. Furthermore, they were worried Qiao Yu wouldn't be able to find them.
So they not only set up a sentry post by the river, but also set up a sentry post on a tree not far from the crevice, so that if they saw someone coming from afar, they could come and notify them in time so that they could be prepared.
They cleared the valley of insects and snakes, and placed the unconscious Yue aside, sending only the young Xiaoli to care for her. They themselves rested and moved about twenty meters away on the other side of Yue, rarely coming near her.
Seeing that Yue didn't intend to pay attention to Qiao Yu, they said to Qiao Yu, "Yu, let's go over there and talk."
Qiao Yu nodded and followed them to the other side of the valley.
"What's the situation outside?" As soon as they sat down, everyone couldn't wait to ask.
Qiao Yu recounted the situation outside and said, "After something like this happened, the Sifang Tribe must be on high alert. They have to be on guard against escaped slaves returning to the tribe to assassinate them. So, on the surface, the Sifang Tribe remains the same as before, but perhaps they've set up an ambush somewhere. If we go there now, we'll probably be caught."
Ever since that night when the people from the Four Directions Tribe emerged from their hiding places in batches to lure her out, she knew that this tribe was completely different from the Valley Tribe and the Stone Tribe.
The valley tribe was small, with few people, and they hadn't experienced war in years. Everyone was simple-minded, without too many twists and turns. At most, there were people like Huo and Qinglang, who were selfish and power-hungry, but they didn't cause much trouble.
The Stone Tribe had experienced war, so they were a little more thoughtful than the people of the Valley Tribe; although the people of the Shanyin Tribe seemed honest now, in fact, people like Hui and Heiye were more cunning than Shandou.
The Four Directions Tribe was clearly formidable. Unlike the Valley Tribe, they were completely cut off from the outside world. Instead, they engaged in political, economic, and military exchanges and competition.
Previously, they treated the slag as trash, and the Dragon Tribe could take advantage of it to pick it up. Now they have a defense, although the defense is not against the slag but against people, so it is extremely difficult to transport the slag away without anyone noticing.
Qiao Yu himself is very bald.
"What should we do then?" everyone asked.
"I'll take off my makeup first, and then go find Yue to find out some information." Qiao Yu said.
She pulled the beard off her face, then went back into the cave, poured water from the bamboo tube she had brought with her, washed her face, neck, and hands, and combed her hair. After leaving the cave, she called Xiaoli and went to where Yue was lying.
"Yue, this is our leader, the one who said she would save you just now. She is actually a woman. She stuck a beard on to pretend to be a man and went to the market of the Sifang tribe to exchange salt." Xiaoli explained to Yue according to what Qiao Yu taught him.
Yue had her eyes closed originally, but when she heard Xiaoli's words, she opened her eyes and looked at Qiao Yu a few times with some surprise in her eyes.
Qiao Yu nodded: "My name is Qiao Yu. Our tribe is the Dragon Tribe, a few days away from here."
When she met Yue just now, she did not hide her voice. Although her voice was not as high-pitched as that of an average woman, it was still a woman's voice. Yue was a little surprised that a bearded man could speak like a woman.
However, she was in a very bad situation and had made up her mind to die, so she had no time to bother with such trivial matters. Therefore, she was too lazy to think about it.
Hearing the familiar voice and looking at Qiao Yu's appearance, she finally believed Xiaoli's words.
But her expression was still calm.
"Are you worried that we'll capture you and make you a slave? We don't have slaves in our tribe," Qiao Yu said. "Our people won't do anything to you even if they rescue you. Once you've healed your wounds, you can leave anytime you want."
Xia Yue was no longer as cold as before. She half sat up on her elbows and said excitedly, "Really?"
Qiao Yu nodded: "I mean what I say."
Looking at Qiao Yu's obviously very young face, Yue hesitated again.
She glanced at Xiaoli.
Xiaoli quickly said, "Yu is the leader of our tribe. We all listen to her. Whatever she says is what counts. We really don't have any slaves in our tribe."
Yue nodded, tentatively believing what Qiao Yu said.
She lay back down on the thatched straw and asked Qiao Yu, "What do you want me to do?"
"I want to learn about the Sifang Tribe." Qiao Yu knew that this Yue was not easy to trust, so he explained, "We used to trade salt with another large tribe. But then a conflict broke out, and we couldn't go anymore. I accidentally saw the trade fair here, so I wanted to come and participate in the Sifang Tribe's trade."
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