Among the hundreds of thousands of mountains in southern Xinjiang, there are sixty-three foreign races.
This is the perception of the people of the Central Plains, or in other words, the information spread through the disciples of Fenxiang Valley.
But in fact, this statement is not very accurate.
Because among these alien races, there are races such as the Fishman Race and the Jiaoren Race, which are completely different from humans in terms of body structure, speech and customs, and are almost impossible to communicate with; there are also races like the Black Witch Race, which are just different in customs and cultivation paths. human race.
As well as the five major tribes of Miao, Tu, Zhuang, Li and Gaoshan who live on the southern border and have not gone deep into the Shiwan Mountains.
"I'm afraid they will be our main source of disciples in the future."
Chi Yao took Suzaku and Baihu, and the three of them changed into local clothes and strolled into Tianshui Village.
This place is the border between the four tribes of Miao, Zhuang, Tu and Gaoshan. It is also a famous and lively place on the border of southern Xinjiang.
The three of them came here mainly to inspect the local folk customs. After all, the admission conditions of the Demon Sect are relatively flexible, and they pay attention to adapting to the place and people. They can customize the most effective publicity measures specifically for the enrollment goals.
As for Qinglong and Xuanwu, the two of them were sent to the depths of Shiwan Mountain to explore the alien branches there, and on the other hand, to explore an area suitable for use as a headquarters.
Why did the two of them go?
Qinglong is sharp and Xuanwu is cautious. From the character point of view, at least nothing will go wrong.
Of course, apart from the slightly impatient White Tiger, Suzaku is also calm enough to take on this responsibility.
But in that case, wouldn’t Chi Yao have to accompany Bai Hu, a big boss, all the way?
Besides, sending three and leaving one was too obvious, and it might make Bai Hu feel a little bit resentful, so he also kept the great beauty Suzaku. Even though the other person usually covers his face with black gauze, his figure alone is enough to be eye-catching.
Tianshui Village is not a mountain village, but is built on a spacious flat land with a road leading out of the village from the southeast and northwest. At this moment, the sky is still bright, pedestrians are coming and going on the street, the surroundings are noisy, and various ethnic languages are heard from time to time, which is completely different from the deserted ancient road when they came.
Although Chi Yao and the others had changed into local clothes, they didn't know whether it was because of his overly handsome face or Bai Hu's unusually tall figure. All in all, wherever the three of them passed by, they quickly attracted the attention of passers-by on the street. From time to time, some hotly dressed little girls looked over with a smile.
They were quite relaxed, and occasionally responded with a smile. In the end, they even directly selected a girl from the crowd who was as tall and as nimble as a deer to be their guide.
Under the leadership of the girl, the three of them walked into an inn with the same name as the village.
This girl is not ordinary. She seems to be a combination of a Central Plains merchant and a local. She is proficient in the dialects of many ethnic groups and has traveled to many places with the caravan. She can be called a little know-it-all on the southern border.
"Did you get it from there, right? My name in the Central Plains is Geng Lu'er, but here, you can also call me Da Guo'er. This is the name my mother got for me, and it means yellow deer in the mountains."
The little girl seems to be very talkative, and she is full of energy when she talks. She is indeed like a carefree deer wandering in the forest.
"How did you know that we are from the Central Plains?"
Chi Yao asked curiously, "Obviously we have all changed our clothes."
"Giggle~"
Geng Luer smiled and pointed at Suzaku, "Although the clothes have been changed, this sister is still wearing a black gauze. Women here have never had such a habit."
Suzaku's expression moved slightly, as if she was a little uncomfortable because something went wrong on her body. However, she was once a demon saint who served the Holy Mother Hades. This veil was also very particular and could not be taken off easily.
Upon seeing this, Chi Yao comforted her, and then quickly changed the subject: "You have good eyesight, and you must be familiar with several major tribes here?"
"Of course, despite my young age, I have already visited all the five caves in southern Xinjiang with my father!"
The little girl straightened up and looked like I am awesome.
"Then can you tell us?"
Chi Yao suppressed a smile and said warmly, "We also came from the Central Plains to do business. We would like to first understand the specific situation of these five tribes."
"This is easy!"
The little girl's eyes lit up, "Here, the tribe with the most people and the largest territory is the Zhuang tribe. Dad said they have developed the best, and many people have begun to learn to do business. Now, the owner of this inn is Strong people. But the most powerful ones are the Miao people, because they are all fierce, so although they are smaller in number, they are the most majestic."
At this point, she suddenly stretched her neck forward and lowered her voice, "It is said that they defeated the Li people a hundred years ago and took away their clan treasure, which was the largest dog god in Qili Cave. Under the statue. So the two families are feuding!"
Seeing the surprised look on Chi Yao's face, the little girl smiled, feeling very proud, and continued: "There is nothing to say about the remaining two tribes. The native tribe has always been isolated and has always chosen to keep a distance from the other four tribes. They are willing to intervene in disputes; the high mountain tribes are few and weak, and they can only protect themselves at most, they are unable to fight for anything, and they do not have much sense of existence."
In a few words, this little girl had already figured out the general relationship between the five ethnic groups in southern Xinjiang.
Although he has been doing business for many years and has accumulated a lot of money, he can perform like this at such a young age. It is not an exaggeration to praise him for his intelligence.
After thinking for a while, he asked: "Do you know anything about the deeper Hundred Thousand Mountains?"
He originally wanted to get some more information, but as soon as he said these words, the little girl's face suddenly turned pale, and her big eyes suddenly became wet, like a frightened deer, fragile and alert.
"Well, there are monsters in there..."
It took a long while before she managed to say this.
Seeing this, Chi Yao no longer asked, but motioned to Suzaku to comfort him, and then began to discuss with the two of them via voice transmission.
"What do you think?"
While Zhuque caressed Geng Luer's back, he replied: "The Zhuang tribe might be a good partner. According to Xiao Luer, they are most influenced by the customs of the Central Plains. Farming and business are all very useful to us. Help."
"I think the Li tribe is better!"
Bai Hu also expressed his opinion, "They were defeated by the Miao people and even had their clan treasure taken away. This humiliation and hatred will become the biggest motivation in their hearts. We only need to provide them with a chance for revenge. They’ll just grab it with all their might.”
Compared with Suzaku's peaceful development route, his ideas are obviously more in line with the Demonic Cult's consistent style.
However, Chi Yao still needs to make the final decision on this matter.
Under the gazes of the two people, Chi Yao smiled softly: "If only one tribe can do it, of course we want them all! In this way, Baihu will go to the Li tribe and Suzaku will go to the Zhuang tribe to get some more detailed information first. .”
"Where are you, Master?"
"I'm going to Qilidong to have a look."
…
…
Qilidong is the largest settlement of the Miao tribe.
Its liveliness is no less than that of Tianshui Village, but there are only a few other tribesmen missing.
Although formally speaking, wooing the Li tribe to fight against the Miao tribe is a good choice for the Demon Cult, after all, the effect of providing help in times of trouble is far greater than the icing on the cake.
But this is the Miao tribe after all. Thinking of the Black Miao tribe where he once came from, even though they are not in the same world, Chi Yao still has a special emotion for this place.
If we can directly reach a cooperative relationship with them, the Li tribe can stand aside.
The location of Qilidong is surrounded by mountains, a bit like a small basin.
In the most conspicuous position deep in the basin, there stood a stone altar built on the mountainside, far higher than ordinary Miao houses.
The altar has a lofty status among the tribes in southern Xinjiang. In the eyes of most people, what the great wizard says in the altar is actually no different from what the gods say. The status of the great wizard must also be higher than that of the clan leader. All major matters involving the entire tribe must be made after consulting the great wizard before making a decision.
The five major tribes in southern Xinjiang basically follow this model.
Therefore, the key to whether the Miao tribe can cooperate with the Demon Cult lies in their great wizard.
This time Chi Yao did not walk into Qilidong in a swaggering manner, but relied on his body skills to get through the heavy protection of the Miao soldiers and directly broke into the altar halfway up the mountain.
The altars of the Miao people are all made of huge stones, majestic and tall with a touch of roughness and simplicity.
Passing through the flat stone platform paved with large rectangular stone strips in front of the altar, two tall and huge stone pillars came into view, about ten feet high at a glance.
Half of the altar behind the stone pillars was built with huge stones, and the other half was dug directly into the mountain and dug out of the hard stone wall.
Even though it was late at night when the stars and the moon were high, there were two guards standing vigil behind the stone pillars, and there were patrol teams walking back and forth on the stone platform, full of vigilance.
However, these people naturally couldn't stop Chi Yao. He didn't even need to take action. He just made Wandu Pearl release some narcotic poison gas and passed through their patrol area.
Pushing the door open and entering, the light of the stars and the moon was lost, the surroundings became darker, and even the temperature seemed to have dropped a bit.
However, this did not affect Chi Yao's actions. He activated the Heavenly Gu Qi Watching Technique and directly tracked the location of the person with the deepest aura here. Then he followed the direction through the corridors and halls and came to the deepest part of the altar, a room. It looks like the entrance to the largest stone house.
Above the stone gate, decorations made of beast bones hang, and on the surrounding stone walls, bright red blood is smeared everywhere, which seems to symbolize the piety of worshiping ancestors.
Looking from the darkness, it looked a bit ferocious.
But perhaps because he was used to the more visually challenging scenes when refining Gu, Chi Yao didn't have any special feelings about this. He pushed the door open and saw that the huge stone room was empty, except for a flame burning in the innermost part. It looks particularly eye-catching in the dark.
Above the flame is a strange stone statue also carved from a whole boulder. The head is in the shape of a dog, but the body is full of flesh. There are sharp claws on each foot and two pairs of wings on the back. It is really a statue. A very strange statue.
However, looking at its placement, the name is immediately apparent. This is the god believed in by the Miao tribe - the Dog God.
I heard that the Li tribe believed in a bear god, but I didn’t know what the strange shape was.
Putting away the strange thoughts that suddenly popped up in his mind, he looked intently. There was only one figure in the huge stone room in front of him. From the back, he looked very old and hunched. He was sitting silently in front of the flame, as if he was meditating or sleeping. .
The fire was blazing, illuminating the figure of the person in front of the flames.
Just when Chi Yao was considering whether to speak first, an old voice sounded from the front: "You're here."
Chi Yao was slightly startled by these words. Why, could you have guessed that I was coming?
He narrowed his eyes slightly, closed the stone door behind him, took a few steps forward, sat cross-legged across from the old man, and then replied: "I'm here."
"I've been waiting for you for a long time."
The old man opened his eyes, looked at Chi Yao carefully, and sighed.
"Do you know who I am?"
Chi Yao was really curious this time, because he could actually see a hint of piety in the other person's eyes.
Why, you are all Chiyou Miao descendants, have you seen my identity as a direct descendant of another generation?
That's not right. The body you are using now has no connection with Chi You's bloodline, even if you have detection technology!
When the old man heard this question, he first shook his head, then nodded. Without waiting for Chi Yao to ask, he took the initiative to explain: "I don't know your identity, but I know that you are here to save our Miao tribe. .”
"Hiss~"
This is very well said, and to a certain extent it is correct.
If Chi Yao doesn't come, then according to Bai Hu's plan, the Li tribe with the help of the Demon Cult will sooner or later send troops to seek revenge from the Miao tribe. They will definitely not be able to withstand it during the attack. The casualties will be minor, and they may be exterminated directly.
However, these words sound more and more like a magic stick.
"Where did you get the news?" Chi Yao asked in a deep voice.
It would be a bit scary if there were really people in this world who could predict their own actions.
"This is the Inugami's will."
The old man kowtowed reverently to the huge stone statue in front of the flame, and then picked up a wooden staff from his side.
The wooden staff was dark in color and was even taller than the great wizard who was sitting cross-legged. The top of the wooden staff was inlaid with a strange stone that was neither gold nor jade. Under the urging of the great wizard's mysterious witchcraft, it emitted a strong red light. .
Then, the great wizard handed this thing directly to Chi Yao: "The Dog God wants to see you."
He said so.
"What's the meaning?"
Chi Yao frowned, is there really a god behind this tribe?
"Follow the guidance of the bone jade, the Inugami wants to see you."
The great wizard ignored Chi Yao's question and repeated what he had just said.
"Tsk!"
After Chi Yao took the wooden stick, he actually felt a breath calling from a distance, and it seemed vaguely familiar.
He stood up, hesitated, and turned to leave.
"I want to see what the hell is pretending to be!"
