Chapter 94

Slaves?

This is a term far removed from the writers and authors. Even when Dazha pointed out their status upon their arrival at the Qingstone Tribe, they still subconsciously refused to accept it.

This was just a test by Red Light; they couldn't really be treated as slaves, could they?! They were people who could genuinely help Red Light! Precisely because of this, Red Light had "invited" them. Indeed, without realizing it, many had already replaced the initial "capture" in their minds with "invitation"...

But now, the harsh reality was laid bare before them!

Dazha made each of them wear an iron ring symbolizing their slave status before entering the village!

Who still had the face to say "invitation"?

Only now did everyone realize: Red Light indeed needed them, but only the very best among them. Before these few truly stood out, Red Light would treat everyone equally, like indistinguishable fish and shrimp in a pond, not as some kind of destined dragons!

However, while they might recognize this, they still couldn't accept the iron ring.

Life is precious, love is more valuable; if it's for freedom, both can be forsaken. Freedom and equality, these ideals were deeply ingrained in everyone's bones. Even if their real lives were not so free or equal, at least there were many facades to hide behind. But slaves were slaves!

The men suddenly felt a surge of fighting spirit!

The women, looking at the crudely made, ugly iron rings, thought of them being placed on their feet and frowned, preferring death.

This is wrong!

Absolutely cannot wear it!

At this moment, Dazha, who had already noticed their abnormal behavior, sneered and raised his right hand.

On the four arrow towers on either side of the rear gate, eight women of the Qingstone Tribe suddenly picked up the black longbows leaning against the railings. In less than half a second, they had nocked their arrows and aimed at the human slaves below...

These women of the Qingstone Tribe had cold eyes, the bowstrings already pressed against their faces, leaving a faint mark on their skin, their hands steady. They were born archers, cold-blooded archers!

The atmosphere became extremely oppressive and tense, a battle could break out at any moment.

But in the next moment, the writers and authors from Earth had to admit that they had overestimated themselves.

Dazha didn't take their hostile stance seriously at all, and with a sneer, he said, "Hurry up!"

That expression, that tone, was truly that of a slave owner.

Hou Hengyong, probably the one who understood the situation best in the crowd, knew that Dazha could kick a person to death with a single move using human combat techniques. What qualifications did they have to be disobedient?

Rebellion?

They would probably be dealt with instantly by the Qingstone warriors and the archers on the arrow towers.

Hou Hengyong sneered inwardly, long believing that wearing the iron ring was the only way. But he had never thought of being the first. Such a thing that would become a lifelong stain, let others take the lead.

Sure enough, at the front of the crowd, the young man closest to Dazha, unable to bear the pressure and not daring to resist, had to walk towards the wooden basket.

His name was Cui Peng, who had just graduated from university before the穿越. Due to his first job being relatively leisurely, he had started writing novels online, fulfilling a childhood dream.

At this moment, Cui Peng could easily imagine the many gazes fixed on his back, making him sweat profusely from just those few steps...

He had actually become the first slave of the new era?

So absurd, but he ultimately didn't dare to resist, bending down to pick up an iron ring from the basket.

The iron ring was three fingers wide, one finger thick, weighing about five to six pounds, crudely made but ingeniously designed. As Cui Peng examined it, Dazha, impatient, snatched the ring and forcibly slipped it onto Cui Peng's right hand, then forcefully locked it.

"Click!"

The iron ring was completely locked onto Cui Peng's hand...

"Everyone, hurry up! If you haven't put it on in ten 'douchongs,' you won't be allowed into the village," Dazha said impatiently.

A 'douchong' is a unit of time in the Tianqiao constellation, said to originate from a plant called the cup tree, which exists throughout the Tianqiao constellation. The cup tree's fruit has a shell like a pomegranate, which dries to a stone-like hardness. Cutting off the top half leaves the bottom half as a natural cup, hence the name. It is used as a unit of time because the fruit always contains exactly sixty-three seeds. The time it takes to pour these sixty-three seeds out of the dried shell is a fixed duration, one 'douchong.'

Below a 'douchong' is a 'shalu,' and above it is a 'xingshi.'

However, whether 'xingshi,' 'douchong,' or 'shalu,' none of them correspond exactly to an hour, minute, or second on Earth, but are slightly longer. Bu Ye had never adapted to this time system after arriving in the Tianqiao constellation, and he hadn't expected to have to use it here in the Qingstone Tribe.

Isn't this supposed to be a world created by Red Light? Why are they using the same time units as the Tianqiao constellation?

But these were temporary concerns; what mattered was that this was their territory, and they had to use it.

With Cui Peng leading the way, the process went much smoother. The archers on the arrow towers finally put down their bows.

Soon, it was Bu Ye's turn. As a "combatant," he could have worn the iron ring on his foot, but he found it awkward and decided to wear it on his right hand.

In this group, ten people were recognized as having combat capabilities, including four from their initial group and six more, making a total of ten. After all ten had put on the iron rings, Dazha finally led them into the village.

The crowd smelled a strange odor as they stood outside the gate, and the smell became even stronger as they entered.

Low, heavy breathing sounds came from the left front. Bu Ye turned his head in the crowd and immediately saw a stable made of round logs. However, the animals in the stable were not horses, but...

Six-legged rhinoceros beasts!

Bu Ye had never seen this type of mount before, but he had heard of it. It was a semi-rare mount, rarer than cloud horses, with superior running ability, endurance, and combat power compared to dragon mammoths. Due to its high environmental requirements, it was not commonly seen.

These six-legged rhinoceros beasts were all over two meters tall, with a body length of over three meters. Their skin was mostly dark green, rough, and hard. They had three upward-pointing horns on their heads, decreasing in size from top to bottom, and their teeth were almost all bloody...

These six-legged rhinoceros beasts were clearly carnivorous!

Their combat power must be close to that of the swift dragons from Earth's dinosaur era. Bu Ye clearly remembered that several of their group had the task of taking care of the mounts...

Looking at the wild, untrained eyes of these beasts, a single mistake could result in a bite or a goring.

At this moment, many people were relieved that they hadn't taken on the task of caring for the mounts, or they would have been scared to death.

A wide road five meters wide led straight into the village. The Qingstone warriors led the group forward, and they saw two more large stables along the way, also containing six-legged rhinoceros beasts.

Further ahead, buildings began to appear more frequently. Most were wooden houses and mud-brick huts, clearly indicating poor living conditions. Scattered Qingstone people stood at the doors of the buildings, and upon seeing Dazha leading a large group of humans, their reactions were not curiosity but excitement. They immediately identified the humans as slaves from the iron rings, treating them as their property.

In the crowd, Bu Ye frowned, thinking, "This is no joke."

The only thing in the village that Bu Ye didn't find repulsive was the clothing of the Qingstone women. They wore very little, with some even exposing an entire breast. However, their skin and body shapes were far from the normal human aesthetic, so Bu Ye could only tolerate it.

The hill where the village was located had a radius of about two miles. After walking about a mile with Dazha, the buildings suddenly increased in number, and they even saw other humans!

These people also wore black iron rings, dressed in tattered clothes, and were doing heavy, dirty, and exhausting work. Could they be fellow writers and authors?

No, Bu Ye quickly realized they were native humans. Their eyes showed no resistance, unlike Earth humans who would not be so thoroughly tamed.

At this moment, Dazha finally stopped and said to the Qingstone warriors, "Alright, take your slaves and leave."

"Yes."

Then, Dazha coldly said to all the humans, "Remember, if you slack off, you won't get food or sleep. If you try to escape or resist, you will only meet death."

At this moment, no matter how many people cursed inwardly, they all appeared obedient on the surface.

Yang Ming, standing next to Bu Ye, couldn't help but whisper, "I wonder who will be the first to break."

"Time drags on." Bu Ye recalled a popular internet phrase and responded softly.

"Qin Dashi, you've written about captives and slaves before, right? Did you ever think you'd experience it yourself?" Yang Ming chuckled.

Qin Yanbin, rarely humorous, replied, "I think I should really experience it deeply to make my writing more immersive."

"Here they come." Bu Ye suddenly said.

At that moment, Dali had already walked over and looked down at them, saying, "You few, follow me."

Everyone immediately became fully alert, as they had taken the risk of claiming combat skills to receive training from these super-strong Qingstone warriors.

Dali was 2.3 meters tall, with brown-black hair, but his sides were shaved clean, leaving only the middle third, which was braided into a braid about half a meter long, making him look like a trendy guy...

Dali didn't seem to fear they would run away, leading the way with Bu Ye and the others following behind.

Due to his relationship with Yang Ming and Qin Yanbin, Bu Ye could no longer walk at the back of the group but was now at the front. He didn't realize that people behind him were occasionally looking at him.

Hou Hengyong, as if possessed, kept staring at Bu Ye's left calf.

Finally, someone familiar with Hou Hengyong noticed his odd behavior and asked quietly, "What are you thinking?"

He had been looking down, and the other person thought he was deep in thought...

Hou Hengyong turned his head and saw a fellow from their group, also a writer, though they hadn't met before the穿越 but had quickly become close after. His name was Yu Zheng, who was a year older than him.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking about what we might gain from this," Hou Hengyong lied.

"Gain? Just surviving would be good enough," Yu Zheng said irritably.

Hou Hengyong smiled on the surface but inwardly despised him. Ordinary people could only see the mundane and unsatisfactory aspects of life, but talented people could discover opportunities, and geniuses could create opportunities even in harsh environments! In the writing world, Yu Zheng's achievements were far below his. But since this wasn't Earth, and he had a fellow writer from the same platform, he had to maintain and utilize the relationship.

The group followed Dali along a small path, using the sun to determine direction. It was around 3 or 4 PM, and they were heading north. Of course, this was assuming the sun here also rose in the east and set in the west.

As the first person in this ten-person group to take the risk, Guo Su was somewhat depressed.

He was clearly from the same group as Yang Ming, Qin Yanbin, and Bu Ye, but he was excluded from their small circle.

He didn't hate Yang Ming, as she was a woman, and he never understood women. He also didn't hate Qin Yanbin, as he looked down on him and even hoped Qin Yanbin would ignore him. Only Bu Ye caused him some resentment...

He actually quite agreed with Bu Ye, the murderer. If he were in Bu Ye's shoes, suffering from cancer with no hope, he would also choose revenge.

From their conversations, he could infer that Bu Ye's life before cancer was also quite unsatisfactory, so they were in similar situations.

Bu Ye was so cold and sinister, and he himself was so talented and aloof, making them a perfect match.

As the saying goes, "When a true friend is found, even the flowing water is not ashamed to play." They could become great friends! He wanted to hear Bu Ye's story, and he had someone to share his own story with.

But in reality, due to Yang Ming and Qin Yanbin's deliberate efforts, Bu Ye became friends with them first. And he, due to his usual cold and closed-off nature, even when he occasionally made eye contact with Bu Ye, couldn't adjust in time and maintained a stern face...

In the end, it was his cold and closed-off nature that cut off the opportunity to befriend Bu Ye.

And at this moment, he was irresponsibly complaining about Bu Ye: "Can't you be a bit more proactive?"

If you were just a bit more proactive, I wouldn't put on airs.

Unfortunately, Bu Ye didn't, just as he himself had never been proactive.

The kind of instant friendship and brotherhood like that between Qiao Feng and Duan Yu could never happen in the modern world.

Fortunately, Guo Su understood all this and wasn't too affected.

There will always be opportunities to interact in the future, and it won't be too late to befriend him then, even if it doesn't happen, it's fine.

Finally, Dali led the group to a small training ground at the northern end of the village. Stopping, he said, "Now, I will train you for three days. You will learn as much as you can. After three days, you will all accompany the warriors on missions, which could include patrolling, raiding, herding, or hunting. I will teach you practical techniques. If you don't learn them, and you mess up, even if you don't die on the spot, you will be killed upon return!"

Seeing everyone cower in fear, Dali nodded in satisfaction, but then his grayish face showed a hint of seriousness, and he continued, "The Star God once told us that the Qingstone Tribe is actually a failed experiment. We lost the ability to awaken the Heart Cloud Blood Star and did not gain the expected powerful abilities. However, we have a physique comparable to, or even superior to, human abdominal cloud awakeners! We are born warriors! Plains, forests