I'm involved in poverty alleviation in a primitive tribe.

She dared not look up to survey her surroundings, much less look directly at the person who had spoken.

Before she regained consciousness, her years of struggling to survive had caused her body to react almost instinctively.

Qiu knelt on the ground, her back bent, her head bowed, her forehead pressed against the cold ground, adopting the most humble posture, as if she wanted to shrink into the dust and disappear.

This was etiquette she had been taught since childhood: when facing superiors, one must show absolute humility and obedience.

"Yes……"

Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible, trembling with unease.

Countless thoughts raced through her mind: Where am I? Who is this person? Why did they save me?

The stone house was silent. She could feel the gaze of the person who spoke on her. The gaze was not sharp, but it made her feel an invisible pressure.

Her fingers gripped the ground tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white, and her body was as stiff as a stone.

After a moment, the man's voice finally rang out, his tone still calm: "Get up, I don't need you to kneel."

Qiu's body trembled slightly, but she did not get up immediately. Her heart was filled with contradiction and struggle; she dared not disobey her orders, yet she dared not easily break this humble posture.

In the end, she obediently stood up, her gaze still lowered, not daring to look directly at Jiang Ning's face.

"Tell me, how did you get these injuries?"

Qiu lowered her head, not daring to hide anything: "The other slaves found out that I obtained a Sirius Feather, and they want to steal it."

There was no resentment in her tone, only a numb calm, as if these pains were nothing new to her.

A hint of interest flashed in Jiang Ning's eyes as she asked Bai Ya behind Qiu, "The Heavenly Wolf Feather? You gave it to her?"

After regaining consciousness, Qiu was first dazed and then frightened, only to find that Bai Ya was still standing behind her.

Bai Ya naturally wouldn't speak.

Qiu quickly explained, "No! I picked it up! That day, it flew over my head and a feather fell down. When I saw that no one was paying attention, I secretly picked it up and took it back."

Qiu quickly realized what was happening. As Jiang Wu's battle pet, Bai Ya was of noble status and powerful strength. Even the warriors in the tribe treated it with utmost respect and caution.

Those who can speak to Bai Ya in this way are all individuals of high status and extraordinary strength.

All the wounds on her body had disappeared; only a witch could possess such power.

witch!

Jiang Wu!

Master of Baiya!

Master of the Ginger Department!

Even the Green Mantis Witch had to treat her with utmost respect.

Moreover, she was a dispensable slave.

Her face immediately turned pale, and countless thoughts flashed through her mind—what punishment would she receive?

Even... could it implicate my mother?

"Picked it up?"

"I...I..." Qiu opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

Her voice was so faint it was almost inaudible, as if it were completely suppressed by that invisible pressure.

"You've got some nerve."

Jiang Ning chuckled. Baiya was a king-bone beast, and even a feather from it could scare away ordinary beasts.

A slave who gets such a thing can't hide it at all; she actually managed to keep it a secret for a while.

Baiya later sensed its own nature in this slave. It was playful by nature and, out of boredom, managed to befriend the human and the wolf.

Qiu's wounds were not fatal, and although the slaves often fought, they dared not kill anyone.

It was because the medicine Bai Ya gave her was too effective that something went wrong, which is why she couldn't wake up.

Qiu's body trembled slightly, and she lowered her head even further.

Jiang Ning already knew the whole story from Bai Ya, but she still wanted to hear what this little girl had to say.

"What do you want to gain by deliberately getting close to Baiya?"

Qiu's heart sank suddenly, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. Her body stiffened instantly, and she knelt down again, her voice trembling with boundless panic and fear: "Qiu dares not!"

She never intended to get close to Baiya, let alone dare to have any designs on it.

That's a royal beast!

They possess unparalleled power and authority, and can even easily decide the life and death of a tribe.

She was just a lowly slave; it was a great blessing that she had survived. What could she do to the beast king? A single roar from it could take her life.

"How dare you lie to me?"

The voice from above came again, cold and authoritative, as if carrying an invisible sense of oppression, causing Qiu's body to tremble involuntarily.

Bai Ya let out a sob, and the terrible oppressive feeling eased, making Qiu feel much more relaxed.

Jiang Ning glanced at Bai Ya, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end just shook her head.

"I'll give you one more chance. State your purpose."

Qiu dared not hide it any longer, her voice weak: "I first saw it when I was migrating with the tribe, and its powerful strength has stayed with me ever since. After arriving in the Jiang tribe, I learned that it was your battle pet. I never expected that it would allow someone as lowly as me to approach it. I did try to please it. On one hand, I really like it, but on the other hand, and more importantly, after others see it, they will not dare to bully me anymore."

Her eyes held a hint of fear and unease, as if she were ready to be punished at any moment.

"I...I just..." Qiu's voice trembled, almost breaking into a sob, "I just...I was so scared..."

Her voice was weak and broken, like a withered leaf swaying in the wind, as if it could be torn apart at any moment.

Her fingers gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, as if it were the only thing she could hold onto.

"I don't want to die! I want to be a warrior too!" Her voice suddenly rose, filled with a heart-wrenching despair and resentment.

Tears finally welled up in her eyes, sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto the cold ground. Her body trembled slightly, as if all her grievances and anger had erupted at that moment.

"Why! What did I do wrong! Why am I a slave! Why can I only... only live like an ant!" Her voice echoed in the stone house, carrying a heartbreaking sorrow.

"If I was born guilty, why did the tribe allow me to be born? Since they allowed me to be born, why can't they give me a chance? What makes me worse than them?"

Images of those warriors flashed through her mind—clad in armor, wielding weapons, accompanied by their war pets, standing majestically in the sunlight, receiving the reverence of their people.

She, however, could only hide in the shadows, doing the most menial jobs, and didn't even have the right to look up at them.