The old man looked up when he heard the voice and saw a young woman with strange clothes and a pretty face. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he smiled kindly and said, "This is Longchuan Township under the jurisdiction of Longchuan County, and it is still 20 miles away from the county seat. Judging from your dress, you don't look like a local, right?"
Li Rongrong nodded slightly, but her heart felt as if struck by lightning.
Longchuan County!
Isn't this near Lingnan?
When Qin Shihuang sent Zhao Tuo to attack Baiyue, Zhao Tuo led his troops to station in Longchuan. If I remember correctly, Zhao Tuo was the magistrate of Longchuan County.
After the death of Qin Shihuang, the Qin Dynasty was in civil strife and Zhao Tuo became the local emperor of Baiyue.
The land of Baiyue was already the southern border of the Qin Dynasty, and it was so far away from Xianyang.
Thinking of this, Li Rongrong instantly felt hopeless.
The only option now is to go to Longchuan County first to see if we can contact Fusu through Zhao Tuo.
Her thoughts only lasted for a moment. After she figured it out, Li Rongrong continued to inquire about the news.
...
...
"Uncle, I am from another place and ended up here because of some accidents. Excuse me, can you tell me something about the situation here? Also, what is the fastest way to get to Longchuan County?"
The old man put down his work, walked to the edge of the field, wiped the sweat off his face with a rough handkerchief, and said, "Our Longchuan Township is remote, but the people are simple and honest."
"However, the border has been unstable recently, with bandits from the Xiou people often appearing here and there. You have to be careful as a woman traveling alone." The old man did not forget to remind her.
"By the way, if you want to go to Longchuan County, just go north along this official road and you will arrive in about two hours. You will pass through several villages on the way, you can rest there and ask about the road conditions."
Li Rongrong listened carefully and had a general idea in her mind.
Two hours equals four hours, so it won’t be too tiring if you take breaks along the way.
Just in case, she carried some silver with her, which came in handy now.
After making the plan, Li Rongrong said gratefully, "Thank you, sir. I will be careful."
"The old man nodded, but you have to be more careful. The road is not safe. I have a piece of dry food here. You can take it with you if you are hungry on the road."
As he spoke, he took out a piece of whole-grain cake wrapped in a lotus leaf from his arms and handed it to Li Rongrong.
Li Rongrong took the cake but did not eat it. Instead, she subconsciously glanced at the old man's hand when she took the cake from him.
He immediately became alert, but still maintained an innocent look on his face.
At this time, Li Rongrong seemed to completely believe him and began to talk incessantly.
"Thank you so much, old man!"
"I came from Xianyang with my father and got lost accidentally. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't know what to do. I will definitely remember your kindness."
The old man waved his hand and said with a smile, "You're welcome. When you're out and about, it's only natural for us to help each other. Girl, you should get on the road quickly. It's getting late. It will be hard to travel any later."
Li Rongrong thanked him again and walked along the path the old man pointed out.
Just as she disappeared from view, a few strong men appeared beside the old man, and they were chattering in dialect.
If Li Rongrong were here, she would be able to hear them speaking a language that sounds very similar to the modern Zhuang language.
Several strong men gathered around the old man, with awe and respect on their faces. It was obvious that this seemingly ordinary old man was actually not ordinary.
"Chief, that woman looks suspicious, why don't you arrest her?" A burly, dark-skinned man spoke first.
Yi Xusong put away the farm tools in his hands, and all his farmer temperament disappeared.
No one could have imagined that the old man on the ridge of the field was the leader of the Western Ou (ou) tribe, the famous Yi Yusong.
Moreover, the south is low and humid, and among the barbarians in the west is the Xiou, half of whose people are weak, and they claim to be the king of the south.
This sentence refers to Yi Xusong, who is both wise and resourceful.
Yi Xusong smiled slightly, with a sly light in his eyes. He said slowly: "Ah Hei, you don't know. This world is in turmoil. She said she drifted here from a big place like Xianyang. She was wearing strange clothes and had a beautiful face."
"From her words and actions, I can see that although she is panicked, she remains calm. This must be a strange story."
"But what if she is a spy sent by the court with the intention of doing harm to us?" another slightly thin and sturdy man with sharp eyes worriedly asked. He is Yi Yusong's right-hand man, named Azhi.
Yi Xusong shook his head, signaling everyone to be quiet. He slowly walked to the edge of the field, looking into the distance, as if recalling something: "Although the Qin is strong, Longchuan is located in a remote area. Although Zhao Tuo was stationed in Longchuan, he had the idea of establishing himself as king, and pretended to obey the Qin but secretly disobeyed it."
"If this woman is really related to Xianyang, her purpose in coming here must be complicated."
"So what you mean is..." Azhi asked, obviously quite interested in the deeper meaning of Yi Yusong.
"I gave her dry food. It seemed like I had good intentions, but it was actually a test. If her hands were as delicate as silk, she must be from a wealthy family. And she easily accepted food from a stranger. It was obvious that she was an innocent girl who had lived in a mansion for a long time."
"But I noticed that when she took the cake, although she didn't hesitate, she secretly glanced at my hand. This alertness shows that she has experienced hardships and understands the treacherous nature of human nature."
"A woman like this is either a noble from Xianyang or a spy. But no matter which one it is, it may be an opportunity for us."
After all, he was a resourceful Yi Xusong. He spoke slowly, and every word revealed his accurate grasp of the situation and deep insight into human nature.
"Opportunity? Chief, do you mean..." Ah Hei looked confused and obviously had not caught up with Yi Yusong's train of thought.
"If she is a Qin noble who has been living abroad, she may be able to provide us with some unexpected information."
"If she is someone sent by the Qin Dynasty, we can use her to get rid of Zhao Tuo. In either case, it will give our Xiou tribe an extra bargaining chip." Yi Xusong turned around, his eyes sharp, as if he had already seen the future layout.
"But, Chief, what if she discovers our intentions and runs away?" another strong man expressed his concern.
Yi Xusong raised a confident smile at the corner of his mouth: "Don't worry, she will understand my plan."
"Besides, Longchuan County is a long way away. She is a woman with no one to rely on. It would be extremely difficult for her to escape from our sight."
Having said that, Yi Xusong paused and looked into the distance again, as if thinking about a more far-reaching plan.
Upon hearing this, the strong men nodded.
As night falls, the fields of Longchuan Township return to tranquility, with only the occasional chirping of insects and the gurgling of distant streams.
And beneath this tranquility, an undercurrent is quietly surging.
Along the way, Li Rongrong encountered several villages. Every time she arrived at a village, she would ask the villagers about road conditions and information.
She bought some food along the way and did not touch the cake the old man gave her.
That old man doesn't look simple.
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