However…
With his hands now tied in front of him, Qing Xue was led to the cooking fire where the rest of the soldiers were.
Just as he reached it, the soldier who first saw that he was awake emerged from the largest tent, followed a few steps behind by another person.
What Qing Xue immediately noted was that this person was not a soldier. They were shorter and had a slight build. Their face was painted in white, red, and black lines, and at first glance, Qing Xue could not tell whether this person was a man or a woman.
When next he took in the person’s odd clothing—which seemed to be made from various animal furs adorned with trinkets made of fangs and small bones—his eyes caught on a small object that he knew did not belong there: a golden ring that hung near the hollow of their throa
