Chapter 61
Chapter 61
Tie He hurriedly ordered breakfast prepared and led the Xiao father and son toward the main felt tent.
Xiao Che lagged a step behind with Jin Bao in his arms.
“Good girl, did you really hit that uncle just now?”
Jin Bao nodded obediently.
“Yes, but Baby didn’t hit very hard. He wouldn’t let Baby see Daddy and her brothers, so Baby just pushed him. Baby didn’t hit Uncle.”
She blinked her large eyes and explained with complete seriousness.
Xiao Che knew she was telling the truth. If he had not witnessed her new power last night, he might also have thought the guard was falsely accusing his daughter.
Now he felt only pride, though he still needed to warn her.
“Good girl, you had a high fever last night. Does anything feel uncomfortable today?”
Jin Bao tilted her head and thought before nodding.
“A little. Baby feels like she has more strength than she can ever use up.”
Relief spread across Xiao Che’s face. Other than poison, there was probably little left in the world that could harm his daughter.
“Good girl, may Daddy ask you for something?”
Jin Bao nodded eagerly. “Yes! Daddy, tell Baby.”
Xiao Che stroked the two buns of hair on her head.
“If someone bullies you, hit them back. But if Daddy or your brothers are there, you mustn’t fight. All right?”
Her faint brows twisted like caterpillars. She pursed her lips and wrung the front of her clothes, looking deeply troubled.
Only after a long while did she mumble, “Daddy, Baby might not be able to do that. If someone bullies Daddy, Baby’s hands won’t listen. But Baby doesn’t tell them to hit anyone. They do it themselves.”
Xiao Che burst out laughing.
“Fine. Do as you please. You’re my daughter. I’ll protect you.”
Jin Bao was already extraordinary. She could foresee danger, and now she possessed divine strength. Anyone with ambition would covet those two abilities.
To protect her, he truly needed to accept Mo’er’s advice and prepare early.
He had intended to warn her not to reveal her secrets, only to surrender completely to her adorable reasoning and become her shield instead.
Up ahead, Xiao Jingmo had been discussing plans against the Vulture Tribe with Tie He when he heard their laughter.
“Father, Little Sister, what made you so happy?”
“A secret. I’m not telling you.”
Xiao Che looked smug. Jin Bao was usually closer to Xiao Jingmo, which had made him jealous. At last, he and his daughter shared something too.
Jin Bao made a face at Xiao Jingmo.
“Secret! Hee-hee. Baby won’t tell Second Brother.”
Xiao Jingmo smiled and shook his head as they entered Tie He’s felt tent.
Breakfast had already been laid out.
One look at it finally told Xiao Jingmo why the tribes constantly clashed.
Several bowls of burnt-looking paste sat on the table, and nothing else.
“Young Master Xiao, this is the Roasted Flour Tea we serve our most honored guests. One bowl in the morning keeps us going until noon.”
The name reminded Xiao Jingmo of descriptions he had read about tribal foods.
Roasted Flour Tea was made by mixing barley, millet, and other grains with a little coarse salt, frying them on an iron plate in mutton fat until toasted, then grinding them into powder and stirring the powder into boiling water.
Some tribes added dried meat or a spoonful of mutton fat when entertaining honored guests.
Kneeling behind the table, Xiao Jingmo saw that this Roasted Flour Tea was thicker than the versions described in books. It contained plenty of visible dried meat, with a layer of fat floating on top.
Tie He was clearly entertaining them with genuine sincerity.
Xiao Jingmo sat beside Xiao Che, who kept Jin Bao in his arms the entire time.
“Wow! Smells so good. Baby’s tummy is thundering again. Baby wants paste.”
Jin Bao could not take her eyes off the bowl. A bright thread of drool hung at the corner of her mouth, leaving her lips pink and glossy.
Yet no matter how badly she wanted it, she did not reach for the bowl.
Mommy had said children must mind their manners around others and wait until the adults began eating. Jin Bao remembered every word.
Tie He laughed heartily.
“Please, everyone.”
After the customary courtesies, Jin Bao finally tasted the Roasted Flour Tea.
At first, she smacked her lips thoughtfully. It was salty and toasted, with a faint taste of meat. Strange, but delicious.
She drank more than half a bowl from Xiao Che’s hand. Only after bubbles puffed from her lips and she gave a loud burp did she stop opening her mouth.
After breakfast, Pei Wanqing took Jin Bao away. Xiao Che, Xiao Jingmo, Tie He, and his subordinates remained around the table discussing their plan.
Their discussion continued until noon.
Meanwhile, Jin Bao had already befriended the tribal children and was racing wildly through the encampment with them.
Children’s friendships were simple. Even without a common language, they could play happily together.
Tie He had ordered everyone to treat the Xiao Family as honored guests, so their confinement had been lifted, though they could move only within the tribe.
Three tents away from Tie He’s, Zhou An paced anxiously.
“Why won’t Tie He see me? We had an agreement yesterday. How can he break his word and lock us up? Is he trying to imprison us? They didn’t even give us breakfast. Is this how the Blackstone Tribe treats its guests? Do they still want supplies from us?”
Zhou An raged while his companions fretted.
“We should have accepted when he raised the price. Something must have changed. Our master ordered us to take away the Star Maiden, but now we can’t even leave this tent. If this continues, we’ll be in danger.”
Zhou An glanced at Wang Liu and grew even more irritable.
“If necessary, I’ll contact the Vulture Tribe tonight and destroy the Blackstone Tribe. We’ll take the people, and they can have the supplies. Their chieftain won’t refuse.”
Wang Liu looked outside. “Getting out may be difficult.”
They had entered disguised as merchants and lacked the strength to fight the Blackstone Tribe. Even if both sides suffered, Xiao Che’s group would benefit.
Their only solution was to provoke a war between the tribes and reap the rewards.
“I’ll go myself tonight. I learned their guard rotation yesterday. We can’t wait any longer.”
Night fell, and silence returned to the grassland.
At midnight, Zhou An opened his eyes and sat up.
He went to the entrance. Seeing no guards outside, he slipped out.
Without pausing, he dodged the patrols and safely left the Blackstone Tribe.
He never noticed Ye Ba following at a distance.
Under the cold moonlight, two figures raced one behind the other through the endless night.