"This..." Kouka hesitated, "Even if you hand over the formula, you still need the clan chief's permission to leave. Have you agreed?"
Lin Yao smiled, thinking that the Miao people were really simple and cute. Even their kidnapping was not up to par. They didn't use coercion or inducement like ordinary kidnappers, or even torture. The kidnapper in front of him couldn't even lie. He stupidly told him that even if he handed over the prescription, he might not be able to leave.
This is simply... absolutely amazing!
Arriving at this unknown mountain town was a long and winding journey. When Lin Yao was in a conscious "coma," he knew that after a whole day of driving and being carried along mountain roads, they had finally arrived here. Moreover, the speed of their journey through the mountains was extremely fast. The entire day's forced march had even left the four kidnappers, who were at least human level, somewhat exhausted. They estimated that the distance of the mountain road was about two hundred kilometers.
After arriving here, apart from restricting his freedom, he was protected by people at the early stage of the Earth level in all directions, and he was not made to make things difficult in other aspects.
Knowing he wasn't very good at escaping in the mountains, Lin Yao gave up the idea of sneaking away. At this point, there were only two possible outcomes: either he would be caught quickly by the Miao people and then kept under even stricter guard, or he would lose his life to the poisonous insects and various dangers in the mountains.
Although he possesses medical true energy, he is unsure whether he can withstand those unknown toxins. It would be better to patiently wait for Xiaocao to emerge from seclusion. The food and lodging here are good, so let's just treat it as a summer camp in the primeval forest. It's just that Chengdu is probably already in an uproar.
In this idyllic paradise, where people are simple and honest, what could possibly have led this Miao person from the Daika tribe to seek him out? Could there be some hidden story behind it all?
“Mr. Lin, the clan chief asked me to take you there.” Kouka’s sudden words interrupted Lin Yao’s thoughts.
"Uh... why didn't you say so when you came in? Is your clan leader very free? Can he wait for a long time?" Lin Yao asked directly. After discovering the nature of the Miao people who had kidnapped him, he felt it was better to play fewer tricks and schemes, especially when speaking. Asking questions directly would make it easier to get answers.
"This..." Kouka hesitated and did not answer.
"Do you have some way to contact me? Like a cell phone?" Seeing the troubled look on the cardholder's face, and then his calm and respectful expression after the initial hesitation, Lin Yao suddenly had another thought and asked another question.
“Yes, we have a way to contact you in a timely manner. The clan chief can hear your conversation with me.” Koka suddenly said seriously, his tone very solemn, as if he were an employee giving instructions to his superior.
"Oh, I see. Let's go then." Lin Yao thought to himself, "So that's how it is. Kou Ka received instructions from the clan leader on short notice, which is why he was suddenly called over."
This might be some kind of secret technique, witchcraft, or some other skill. He pondered the question as he followed Koka deeper into the valley.
What exactly does this Daika tribe mean? Do they really want to get the formula from them? But they are not unaware of the value of this formula. Once they give it to them, they will never be able to leave. Otherwise, if they attract the revenge of the Yi family, this valley will be razed to the ground, and the Miao people of Daika will not have a good ending either.
The first time he officially left the room, the scenery he saw was different from what he had seen through the window. This was a valley, not at the foot of a mountain as he had previously thought. Lin Yao used to live near the entrance of the valley, and the only window faced the entrance, so he could only see the high mountains on both sides and a gorge leading into the valley. At that time, he could not judge the exact environment.
The valley where the Daika people live looks like it's in a primeval forest. As far as the eye can see, there is no trace of human intervention. Apart from the scattered wooden houses built on the forest, cliffs and caves in the valley, it is pure natural scenery. Only in the distance at the entrance of the valley is there a large vegetable field where vegetables and fruits are grown.
Kouka walked far ahead, following a path that wound its way around the rugged, steep, massive stone mountain.
There are many such stone mountains, like giant stone pillars standing on the earth, supporting the sky and preventing it from covering them.
The rocky hills are naturally formed. Looking at them from the side, it is clear that each small rocky hill is formed from a single piece of rock, ranging in height from tens to hundreds of meters. The exposed rocks and the pine trees and weeds growing on the hillsides make the whole scenery look like a beautiful painting.
Is this Zhangjiajie?
The Xiangxi region is vast. Lin Yao had seen Zhangjiajie in a travel brochure, which featured numerous stone pillar-shaped mountains that looked particularly beautiful. Now, walking beside the stone mountains, he felt the scenery was even more beautiful. The closer he got to the stone mountains, the more he felt the greatness of nature. The majestic momentum rushed towards him, making Lin Yao forget about walking for a moment.
"Mr. Lin, what's wrong?" Kou Ka's distant greeting interrupted Lin Yao's shock. He calmed himself down and continued to follow, thinking to himself that he hadn't even gotten away yet, so why was he already admiring the scenery? This was simply neglecting his duties.
The chief of the Daika tribe lives in a cave deep in the valley. The cave is about ten meters above the bottom of the mountain, with an entrance that is seven or eight meters high and about three meters wide. It is surrounded by rocks and there is no greenery, making it look very desolate.
Upon entering the cave, the bright lights illuminated every detail of the passageway. The smooth passageway and the uneven rock walls on both sides made Lin Yao feel as if he had entered the filming set of a Hong Kong period drama, as if he had seen similar scenes in movies and TV series.
Lights? Lin Yao suddenly remembered something he had been overlooking. There were lights in the valley, which meant that it wasn't far from the human world. But when he saw Dika playing mobile games last time, he clearly saw that there wasn't even a single bar of signal on her phone. At that time, the pretty Dika also said that there was no way there could be a cell phone signal in the valley, and even the TV could only receive some satellite channels through the satellite antenna she had installed.
Lin Yao had never seen television, because the residence where he was being held under house arrest was not equipped with such high-end equipment. Presumably, this was to prevent him from being reminded of his past and thus refusing to agree to the Daika tribe's conditions.
Perhaps the Daika tribe had secretly installed a small hydroelectric power station in the river deep in the mountains. Lin Yao stopped thinking about it, because they had already entered the depths of the cave. In front of them was a wooden gate, which was probably where the tribe chief was located.
"Welcome, Mr. Lin. I am Jin, you can call me Jinka." An elderly man sitting upright in a wooden rattan chair stood up to greet him, and then sat down again after speaking.
Lin Yao couldn't tell whether the other person was very polite or not at all. He thought it would have been better if the other person hadn't stood up at all; sitting down would have been more dignified. Getting up and then sitting down again was just harassing him.
Lin Yao couldn't quite judge the age of the old man named Jin, but he looked to be in his seventies or eighties. However, his eyes looked very young, and his eyebrows were not like those of an old man, with a small part growing particularly long. His thin face was covered with wrinkles, and when he waved, Lin Yao noticed that it was no exaggeration to describe him as emaciated. His knuckles were very prominent, as if a layer of wrinkled human skin covered a hand skeleton.
Lin Yao sat on a rattan chair that had been arranged for him, about two and a half meters away from the old man. He sensed that the old man's strength was at the mid-stage of the Earth level. However, what surprised him was that the old man, despite being at the mid-stage of the Earth level, made him feel threatened, as if he were sparring with Yi Fei when Yi Fei released all his power.
This is impossible! Yi Fei's situation is easy to explain; his cultivation level was found to be at the peak of the Earth Rank. But this old man is only at the mid-Earth Rank. How could he possess the same aura or danger as Yi Fei? Could there be a cultivation technique that can conceal one's cultivation level?
Xiao Cao once mentioned that her medical true qi could detect other people's strength without any regard for their cultivation techniques. It was entirely based on the perception of true qi. No matter how much others concealed their aura, they could not escape the detection of medical true qi, because medical true qi was inherently superior in quality to ordinary true qi in the secular world.
“Mr. Lin, this is Bao. You’ve met him before, but you might not recognize him. He’s the one who came to Chengdu to invite you here,” Jin Ka said to Lin Yao with a smile, interrupting Lin Yao’s inner turmoil.
I recognized him a long time ago, no introduction needed, but I only just found out that this guy's name is Bao, the Bao of Baoqi (meaning "baby" or "pretty"). "Hello, Baoka, I'm Lin Yao."
Lin Yao's unnecessary self-introduction was actually a way of venting his resentment. Miao people have two names: a Miao name and a Han name, as Dika had already told him. After hearing Koka mention today that Miao people generally use monosyllabic names, he realized that duplicate names are very common among Miao people. No wonder these people all used their Miao names when introducing themselves; they were afraid he would find out their Han names.
"Hello!" The middle-aged man greeted her and then fell silent, standing coolly next to Jin Ka, like a dedicated bodyguard.
Lin Yao glanced at Bao Ka with annoyance, but couldn't help but secretly admire him. This Bao Ka who had kidnapped him looked quite imposing. He was of medium build and quite sturdy. His face and other exposed skin were tanned to a healthy bronze color. His square face was dignified, and his thick eyebrows added to his charm. He was several times more imposing in appearance than Yi Yang, a mid-stage Earth-level expert of the same realm as him.
That guy is cool!
However, if a fight were to break out, the first person Lin Yao would have to deal with was this guy. Just by looking at his appearance, he knew that this guy was the most difficult to mess with. He was not afraid of hardship or death, and if he wanted to escape, he would have to deal with Bao Ka first.
"Chief Jinka, this cave is quite nice. It's not damp at all. I guess living here would be warm in winter and cool in summer. It's a really good place." Lin Yao started to change the subject, thinking that since he wasn't in a hurry and was waiting for Xiaocao to come out of seclusion, everyone could just chat for a bit. They were just killing time anyway.
"Mr. Lin, do you really think it's that good?" Jin Ka asked with a smile, the wrinkles on his face forming a chrysanthemum shape with his smile, which looked strangely eerie.
"Of course. It's really good." Lin Yao quickly turned his head away, avoiding looking at the gold card. He suddenly realized that it made sense why his classmates didn't want to play with him before. Just looking at him made him uncomfortable, and he didn't want to look at him again, let alone play together and become friends.
Ah Long is so kind! Lin Yao was suddenly moved. He felt honored that Long Yihun could become his friend.
"Then Mr. Lin, please stay here and become a member of the Daika tribe. I'll let you live in this cave from now on." Jinka readily agreed, laughing heartily with a confident and hearty laugh that surprised Lin Yao.
Just by listening to that laughter, it would be absolutely impossible to imagine that the other person looks like that.
"I appreciate Chief Jinka's kindness, but I'm not used to this kind of life, so I won't bother you any longer." Lin Yao quickly declined. After witnessing Dika Koka's simplicity, he was worried that if he said something polite and the Miao people took it seriously, he would be in big trouble. It was better to honestly state his opinion; he couldn't afford to waste time at this moment.
"Mr. Kelin, have you considered why we brought you here in the first place?" Jinka's tone shifted, becoming more forceful. "Do you think you'll have a chance to leave after coming here?"