Chapter 638 - Xiao Rongs Help (1/2)

“Great Leader Xiao Rong, if you guys don’t come out now, then the people who saved you will be taken away by some bad people. I don’t think refusing to repay a boon is Great Leader Xiao Rong’s personal style!” Yu Xiaocao raised her voice.

“Ha ha ha——” A bout of clear and resounding laughter could be heard. The expression on Lei Tengfeng’s face immediately changed. He had never expected that the ancient saying, ‘the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind’, would actually apply to him today!

Suddenly, a group of several hundred warriors seemed to appear from out of nowhere. In the blink of an eye, this group had easily surrounded Lei Tengfeng’s group of men and Xiaocao’s group. After looking more closely, one would discover that these men had all been disguised with mats woven from fresh gra.s.s. When a person laid down on the ground with the mat on top, they blended seamlessly into the gra.s.s prairie. It was truly a good disguise.

“Miss Yu, how did you know that my men and I were in the vicinity?” A fine looking steed trotted forward from the dust, stopping not far from her. The person sitting on top of that horse was the current leader of the Tuha'erhanbu tribe, Xiao Rong.

“Chief Xiao, I trust you have been well since we last met?” Yu Xiaocao had a bit of admiration in her heart for Xiao Rong. He was decisive and confident in his actions while being brave and intelligent. In the period of short months, he had managed to not only quell his tribe’s inner turmoil but also swallow up a few small tribes in their vicinity. If he had been born in the Great Ming Empire, he would absolutely become a wise and great general there. Having such a man as an enemy would not be an easy thing to deal with!

Lei Tengfeng interrupted the greetings between the two people as he coldly huffed, “Chief Xiao, I, Lei Tengfeng, have long admired you for being a true man. Who would have thought that a mighty chief would become the mere dog of the Great Ming Empire! Such an utter waste of your talents ah!”

“Esteemed Heavenly Teacher, Xiao Rong has also heard that you are a person of the Central Plains. A citizen of the Great Ming Empire is asking for my help because of a grievance between you two. Esteemed Heavenly Teacher, are you in any position to criticize me at this point?” Xiao Rong easily dismissed the other man’s attempts at sowing dissension between them.

“Absolutely true! Does someone who has betrayed their own country have any qualifications to criticize other people? That being said, the Great Ming Empire and the Tuha'erhanbu tribe are in a mutually beneficial diplomatic relations.h.i.+p with each other. How is this one country commanding another then?” When Yu Xiaocao learned that Lei Tengfeng was a traitor from the Medicine King Valley Sect, she felt even more disdain towards the other man.

“Since the Tuha'erhanbu tribe is not being commanded by the Great Ming Empire, then it’s best, Xiao Rong, if you don’t b.u.t.t into today’s matters. That way you can avoid rousing the ire of all of the other outer tribes!” Lei Tengfeng noticed that the other man had almost the same number of men as he did. When added onto the bodyguards that Yu Xiaocao brought along, that would make victory uncertain for him if Xiao Rong decided to interfere.

Xiao Rong smiled slightly and leisurely replied, “At that time, when I was at my lowest and severely injured, Miss Yu had helped me out. If it weren’t for her help, then this world would no longer have me anymore. The warriors from the Tuha'erhanbu Tribe always return a boon for a boon and an eye for an eye. We are honorable warriors. Today, I will consider this as returning the favor that Miss Yu had shown when she had nursed me back to health!”

Yu Xiaocao slightly bowed towards him and said, “Chief Xiao is too kind. As a student of the medicinal arts, I’m not like some pract.i.tioners who only know how to rely on my skills to harm others. I was only doing my duty when I had helped you out!”

A particular pract.i.tioner's expression changed before he managed to wrest his face back under control. Lei Tengfeng spoke to Xiao Rong, “If Chief Xiao doesn’t interfere today, then I, surnamed Lei, will be willing to supply a year’s worth of medicines to the Tuha'erhanbu Tribe for free!”

Yu Xiaocao sneered and said, “Do you think you’re the only one who knows how to make medicine? As a medicinal pract.i.tioner, for your own benefit, you even dared to set poison down at the stud farm. Who would dare to use medicine made by such an immoral person? What if you decided to add something a little extra to your pills…”

Lei Tengfeng had seen that his words had somewhat tempted Xiao Rong. Thus, when he heard Yu Xiaocao’s reb.u.t.tal, his face immediately darkened and he raged furiously, “Shut up! I, surnamed Lei, am willing to use my reputation as a guarantee…”

“Ps.h.!.+ Does someone who has betrayed his own masters, who have taught him everything, have a reputation left?” Yu Xiaocao pressed on her advantage and wasn’t giving the other person an opportunity to maneuver! He Wanning would have never expected that Younger Sister Xiaocao, who had been born in a peasant farmer’s family, could have such an imposing manner and not back off when against a formidable enemy. The admiration and wors.h.i.+p in her heart towards the other girl increased until it almost overflowed. She regarded the younger girl with stars in her eyes.

“Chief Xiao,” Yu Xiaocao wasn’t going to give Lei Tengfeng a chance to speak. She looked at Xiao Rong head on and addressed him solemnly, “Once the problem at the stud farm has been resolved, this princess will immediately send a request up to the emperor once I get back to capital to ask him to allow the addition of the Yu’s Medicine Stall to the mutual marketplace between our two countries. This stall will sell some commonly used medications and will sell to the Tuha'erhanbu Tribe alone. However, it will only contain the common types of medications. That’s the most I can guarantee at this point!”

Xiao Rong was immensely delighted by her promise and nodded his head repeatedly, “Many thanks, Miss Yu! I am extremely grateful for this!” One had to realize that the weather in the lands north of the border was cruel and bitter. It wasn’t an easy land to live in. Every year, many of the tribe’s old and weak would end up peris.h.i.+ng from some common illnesses as they weren’t able to get enough medications for treatment. Xiao Rong had long known of the efficacy and might of the Yu’s Pharmaceuticals.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a branch of ‘Tongren Medicine Hall’ outside of the borders. Thus, one could only buy the Yu’s Pharmaceutical’s products within the border. Furthermore, these products were extremely popular and as soon as they were restocked on the shelves they were sold out. Xiao Rong had sent a few of his subordinates to the nearby Zhou Prefecture. They had waited for over half a month before they were finally lucky enough to buy two bottles of the Yu’s cough and cold medicines. These medicines were now regarded by the tribe as heavenly cures.

Last winter, these medications were a saving grace for Xiao Rong. His stupid younger brother’s die-hard supporter, one of the highest ranking generals of the tribe, only had one son. That son had gotten heavily ill from the cold and was at death’s door. It was only after taking some of the Yu’s medications that he survived. Because of that, that general had switched allegiances to Xiao Rong out of immense grat.i.tude, making his victory over the internal turmoil of the tribe that much easier!