Chapter 76
Chapter 76
Xiao Che studied the men without overlooking the greed in their eyes.
Without drawing attention, he moved the women and children behind him.
The people of the Red Fox Tribe dressed very differently from those of the Central Plains.
Each wore a braided cord around his head, colorful paint across his forehead, and wolf fangs or bone ornaments at his waist or neck. Tattoos covered their exposed skin.
Most of the designs depicted foxes, so the tribe’s totem was probably a fox.
Among the five or six men was their chief, Sude.
The Red Fox Tribe had its own language and almost no contact with outsiders, but Old Han understood their tongue.
Xiao Che left the negotiation to Old Han.
Unable to understand their words, Xiao Che could only judge from their expressions and gestures.
Throughout the negotiation, the Red Fox Tribe’s men never took their eyes off the Xiao Family’s women.
After a long while, Old Han returned in a fury.
“Marquis, the Red Fox Tribe wants women and children as payment for the crossing. I refused and said we could offer supplies or money instead. They’ve gone to discuss it.”
Xiao Che’s face darkened too. Most of these mountain tribes remained uncivilized, concerned only with survival and producing descendants. Culture was something distant to them.
Sude came over again.
“We have decided. One roe deer for each person.”
Old Han translated his words for Xiao Che.
Only then did Xiao Che relax.
“Old Master Han, ask if we can substitute animals of similar size. We don’t have roe deer.”
There were more than ten people in their group. Where could they find that many roe deer so quickly?
Apparently, in the tribe’s eyes, one woman was worth one roe deer.
After asking, Old Han told Xiao Che, “They agreed.”
To prevent the Red Fox Tribe from trying anything, Xiao Che sent the women across in separate groups.
He carried Jin Bao and accompanied Pei Wanqing and Old Madam Xiao.
The officers, Old Han, and Xiao Jinghao protected the others.
Half an hour later, everyone finally reached the opposite shore.
Sude immediately ordered his people to surround the Xiao Family.
“Payment. Roe deer. If you don’t pay, we’ll take the women and children.”
Old Han hurried to mediate. The Red Fox Tribe was notoriously hot-tempered and could turn hostile in an instant. If enraged, a fight would benefit neither side.
“Chief, don’t be angry. Let’s talk. You can take all of this as an initial payment. Can we deliver the rest later?”
Sude immediately pounded his chest and howled at the sky. The other tribesmen grew angry as well.
Xiao Che knew something was wrong.
“What happened? Why did he suddenly lose control?”
“Marquis, this is bad. They want payment now. Even all the jerky we’ve saved over the past ten days isn’t enough. When I asked for more time, they refused. They’re about to turn on us. Everyone, prepare yourselves.”
Zhu Laosan and Li Si immediately placed their hands on their official sabers and shielded the women.
Xiao Jinghao and Xiao Che assumed defensive stances.
Their actions only enraged Sude further. He believed Xiao Che’s group meant to attack the Red Fox Tribe.
He shouted toward the birch-bark huts.
A crowd of men rushed out, each carrying a long staff tipped with a sharpened bone blade.
They swarmed forward and surrounded Xiao Che’s group.
“Marquis, what do we do?”
Old Han kept watch as he asked quietly.
“Negotiation seems impossible. Then we’ll fight. I can handle more than ten of them.”
Apart from brute strength, the tribesmen did not appear to possess any fighting techniques.
“Marquis, do you see their bone spears? They’re coated in deadly poison. If we fight, we won’t escape unscathed.”
“Then what do you suggest? I don’t want to fight either, but I will never hand over my wife and daughter.”
Old Han had never meant to suggest that. Fighting simply was not the best choice.
Just as the tension reached the breaking point, a woman ran out of a birch-bark hut.
After she rattled off a string of words, the Red Fox Tribe’s chief abandoned Xiao Che’s group and ran away with her.
Xiao Che was baffled. What had happened?
“Old Han, what did they say? Why did everyone leave?”
Once the chief ran, the others followed as quickly as they had come, leaving only a few men to guard the Xiao Family.
“It seems Sude’s younger brother was poisoned and is dying. Sude went to see him.”
“The Red Fox Tribe has very few people and refuses to marry outsiders. Half their children die each year, so the entire tribe panics whenever someone falls ill-especially when the patient is the chief’s own brother.”
Xiao Jingmo listened quietly and looked thoughtfully toward the huts.
“Father, perhaps we have a solution.”
Everyone turned toward him.
“Mo’er, what are you thinking?”
Xiao Che also hoped to resolve the situation without violence, but that currently seemed impossible.
Unless another opportunity appeared.
“If Aunt Lu cures Sude’s brother, perhaps they’ll waive the remaining payment or give us time to deliver it. At least then we can solve this problem without fighting.”
Xiao Che nodded. “That could work, but we don’t know what illness he has. If we fail to cure him, won’t they direct all their anger at us?”
Xiao Jingmo had considered that too.
“Father, think about it. If we do nothing and his brother dies, they’ll take twice as much anger out on us. If we try and cure him, we’ll have an opportunity. Whatever happens, trying is better than waiting here.”
Lu Shuangshuang thought it was worth attempting.
“Marquis, the Second Young Master is right. I’m willing to try.”
Seeing everyone wait for his decision, Xiao Che considered briefly before telling Old Han, “Please pass them a message, Old Master Han.”
Old Han gladly agreed. If they cured Sude’s brother, Red Fox Tribe custom would consider the Xiao Family a Red Fox Immortal sent by heaven to save them, and the tribe would honor them as distinguished guests.
After Old Han spoke with the guards, one hurried away to find Sude.
They did not wait long before Sude returned with an old woman.
Old Han quickly explained, “The woman with Sude is the Red Fox Tribe’s Witch Doctor.”
The Witch Doctor was elderly. She leaned on a staff covered in bone ornaments, and oil paint covered her face in the image of an entire fox.
Lu Shuangshuang quickly covered Xiao Jingyu’s eyes.
The Witch Doctor looked terrifying. Her eyes had no pupils, only white, yet she walked across the ground without difficulty.
The riverbank was full of potholes and puddles, but she avoided every one.
Curious, Li Si waved a hand in front of her face. The Witch Doctor did not react.
“Is she truly blind or pretending?”
Li Si muttered, but Zhu Laosan pulled him aside. “Don’t cause trouble. Everything here is strange. Be careful.”
Sude stepped forward and examined each member of the Xiao Family. “You said you could treat my brother. Do you understand medicine?”
Old Han translated back and forth between them.
“That’s right. We have a physician who can examine him. If we can’t cure him, we won’t interfere. If we can, we’ll do everything possible.”
Xiao Che set the terms in advance so they could not blame the group if the man died.