Lady Uya quickly composed herself, frowning as she said, "Send someone in to report!"
Soon, the Di people who had just emerged from the snow cave stood before Lady Uya.
After everyone had paid their respects, Lady Wuya asked nervously, "Wu Dan, who are those people? Why are they here in Dongshan?"
Dongshan is located on the east side of the valley where the Wuda tribe is situated. It is not in the direction of the Mida River Valley. It stores a large amount of hay, which is essential for cattle and sheep, and can be considered the tribe's rear base.
Although no patrols were deployed, sentries were kept at key points.
How could I not be anxious if someone suddenly took me there?
Wudan was a boy who was only twelve or thirteen years old.
The tribe is currently short-handed, and even young boys have to guard the mountain pass in the snow.
Although he was young, he was clever and quick-witted. During the day, he hid under the snow, which not only kept him hidden but also helped him maintain his body temperature and prevent him from freezing.
Seeing that the lady was anxious, Wu Dan hurriedly said, "I only saw four people, three of whom were from the Wu Dynasty and one was from the Di tribe. They were speaking the Wu Dynasty language."
Through the snow, I could only hear what sounded like they were looking for something. One of the men said, "Are you going the wrong way? It's not in Kara Mountain."
Then a woman's voice said, "If we can't find anyone today, we'll try again tomorrow. Time waits for no one; if we delay any longer, it will be too late!"
The tent fell silent. No one could figure out how these men and women had ended up in Kara Mountain and were looking for someone.
Could they be looking for their own Uda tribe?
Granny Qi coughed a few times, clutching her chest, before saying, "Can you tell how old that woman is? What's her accent? Could she be from a tribe around Kara Mountain?"
Wu Dan thought for a moment and shook his head: "I can't tell! There are few grasslands around Kara Mountain, so there probably aren't any tribes living there."
At the time, Wu Dan was hiding in the snow cave, and the sound coming from there was already indistinct. Moreover, he didn't understand much of the Wu Chao language. He was only able to hear those two sentences because he poked a small hole in the cave.
Lady Uya said in a deep voice, "Don't overthink it. We must send someone over immediately to investigate. If they attempt to resist, kill them directly. There's no need to bring them back."
There are no hunters living in Kara Mountain for long. The people who have appeared now must be outsiders. Dongshan is a strategic location, and the matter is confidential and cannot be ignored.
Lady Uya would rather be accidentally injured than miss the opportunity.
Granny Qi didn't say anything more. She felt that she might be getting old and senile, and was thinking too much!
Upon receiving the order, the remaining troops of the tribe, led by Wudan, hurriedly headed straight for the East Mountain hayfield.
These people included both men and women, and Yuquan was among them.
Now, all the able-bodied men in the tribe are fighting outside, leaving behind mostly the elderly, the weak, and women. Even young girls like Yuquan have to be used as fighting force.
The sky was dark in the valley, and it looked like heavy snow was about to fall that night. Wudan led Yuquan and the other tribesmen up the mountain on foot. By the time they found the four outsiders, it was already dark.
In the frigid winter, with temperatures below -10 degrees Celsius, a few torches cast dim shadows on the snow, leaving deep trails stretching into the distance.
As snowflakes began to fall, Wu Dan and the others dared not linger, fearing that the marker would be buried by the snow. They hurriedly followed the tracks left by the sleds, their steps uneven.
At the prefab camp, Song Liyun, who had been busy all day, wandered around in other places, hunted a few pheasants, and returned with a spotted deer.
She left the prey to Old Qian and his men, then went back to the cabin on her own.
Old Qian, who stayed at the camp, had already heated water in both rooms.
Song Dekui soaked his feet in hot water, groaning comfortably. He then glanced at Song Liyun and said, "Ugh! This place is so cold. I don't know how these Di people have survived year after year without freezing to death. Sigh! Xiaoyun, are you... really going to marry into this place?"
Yunzhou was originally a bitterly cold place, and the Dilu grasslands were even colder. He, a native of Yunzhou, could hardly stand it.
Song Liyun smiled but didn't say anything. In her heart, she thought to herself that compared to the increasingly severe climate change in the decades before the apocalypse, this was already like living in paradise.
At least this snow is white, pure, and clean; you can eat it freely.
At least it should be cold when it's supposed to be cold, and hot when it's supposed to be hot, without being unpredictable and causing abnormalities like snow in summer or warm sunshine in winter.
At least... there's none of that leaked nuclear wastewater, mutated creatures, or bizarre viruses.
After the pheasant was prepared, Song Liyun took out some dried vegetables and mushrooms, and stewed acorn noodles into a flavorful chicken soup. Soaking flatbread in the soup made it a delicious meal.
Everyone wolfed down their food.
Today was everyone's first time skiing, and everyone was exhausted with sore backs and aches.
Having grown up on horseback, Bahrain lay on the mat early on, unwilling to move, and even only ate a few mouthfuls of chicken soup.
In the middle of the night, the snow fell in waves, and the wind howled through the woods like ghosts.
Yuquan and his group finally reached the outer perimeter of the prefab camp.
They followed the trail left by Song Liyun, but on the way back, Song Liyun ran off to hunt in the mountains.
Their chaotic footsteps not only confused Yuquan and the others, causing them to lose track of the target several times, but also forced them to wander aimlessly in the mountains until now before finally finding them.
The exhausted Uda tribesmen were all dumbfounded when they saw the strange house that suddenly appeared in the forest.
When were there houses here? How long have I been here? I must have missed something.
The clansman in charge of Dongshan was pale.
This place is not far from the valley where the tribe is located. If you go directly there, it will only take two hours. And it is even closer to the eastern mountain where the hay is stored.
Everyone picked up a knife.
The presence of such a dangerous person in the most important place in the tribe must mean they have ill intentions.
The lady said that if anything is found to be wrong, it must be killed immediately.
Several people trudged through the snow toward the prefab camp. They were all wearing sheepskins inside out, covered in snowflakes, blending seamlessly with the earth, creating a natural camouflage that would go unnoticed unless you got close.
In the corner of the prefab house, three gas lamps emitted a dim light. Although not very bright in the heavy snow, it was enough to make people see the area about ten feet around the house.
Such a light source in the pitch black night can instill fear in both people and animals.
This was something Song Liyun added specifically for safety after they encountered wolves halfway through the journey.
Keeping three lamps burning all night is a very extravagant act.
Yuquan and the others felt the same way when they looked at the three lamps: they were too extravagant, unlike what a grassland tribe would do.
The lighting used in the tribe is usually done with butter lamps. Although the flames are large, they also produce a lot of smoke and burn for a short time, requiring the wicks to be changed frequently.
The light from these three lamps is soft and steady, and most importantly, there is hardly any smoke.
There was light in front of the house, so Yuquan and the others dared not approach and could only hide in the dim snow, waiting for the candles to burn out.
As time went by, the cold seeped into his body, and Yuquan felt his body was about to freeze.
The squad leader could no longer contain himself and charged toward the prefab house with his knife.
But he had only taken a few steps into the light when Yuquan behind him saw a rope suddenly spring up in the snow, like a venomous snake, and drag the man's legs through the snow.
"Ah!" A terrified scream shattered the tranquility of the snow-capped mountain.
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