At this moment, a sliver of hope arose in Xiao Man's heart. She was grateful she had learned medicine, a skill she owed to Feng Moran. Despite their becoming mortal enemies, it couldn't change the fact that Feng Moran had taught her a great deal.
In the Barbarian Tribe, almost every household had someone falling ill. The sickness spread like a plague through the tribe, bringing immense suffering to this people who lived by the grace of heaven.
Shanda watched Xiao Man examine the patients, a mixture of anxiety and unease churning within him. "How is it? Can you save them?"
Xiao Man stood up and looked at Shanda. "Find two people and come with me to find the medicine."
"You can cure them?" Excitement flared in Shanda's eyes. "Can you really cure them?"
"Yes, but it requires medicinal herbs. I need someone familiar with this place to guide me." Xiao Man scanned the crowd. Immediately, a young lad stepped forward, a long braid on his head and a homemade spear in his hand.
"I'll lead the way for you."
Xiao Man glanced at him and turned to walk out. The young lad promptly followed. Just as they stepped out, they saw Shanyun waiting outside with a woven basket on his back.
"I guessed you might go herb picking, and I happen to know some medicinal plants. Perhaps I can help." Shanyun walked alongside Xiao Man. "Besides, I know this terrain better than anyone."
"Shanyun, I'll go. You can rest at home."
"The Goddess saved my life and is helping to save the villagers. I'm merely offering my humble strength." Shanyun was gentle in nature but remarkably resilient.
The young lad looked at Shanda, who had followed them out. Shanda glanced at Shanyun but said nothing. Seeing this, the young lad fell silent and moved ahead to lead Xiao Man to gather herbs.
"Goddess, are you a physician?" Shanyun asked curiously, then immediately thought that in a place like the Barbarian Tribe, there would be no physicians.
Xiao Man shook her head and expertly plucked the required herbs. Shanyun was somewhat astonished by Xiao Man's familiarity with medicinal plants. She had studied pharmacology since childhood alongside the shaman, yet she couldn't match Xiao Man's skill in identifying them at a glance.
Xiao Man instructed the two to gather herbs separately. Watching them pluck herbs without hesitation, a flicker of doubt crossed Xiao Man's mind. Weren't they afraid she would run away?
After the two returned with the herbs, Xiao Man asked, "You left without any precautions. Aren't you afraid I'll escape?"
Hearing this, the young lad chuckled. "If you want to escape, then by all means, escape."
"I always keep my word. Since I said I would save you, I will definitely save you." As they walked back, miasma began to rise from the forest.
Xiao Man stopped. The two behind her didn't notice and bumped into her. The young lad rubbed his bruised nose. "Why did you stop?" Sudan Novel Network
"Miasma is rising." Xiao Man frowned, looking at the sky. It wasn't yet evening, yet the miasma was already beginning to form.
"This level of mist is nothing to worry about." Qi Hong walked ahead of Xiao Man and strode forward, completely unfazed by the rising miasma.
Xiao Man took a step back and walked parallel to Shanyun. "Are all your tribesmen this foolish and brainless?"
Shanyun gave an awkward smile. "Goddess, his strength lies in his recklessness and fearlessness."
"No wonder so many people are sick, and it's all the strong adults," Xiao Man said, popping a pill into Shanyun's mouth and swallowing one herself. Then, she walked back with Shanyun.
"Thank you, Goddess, for the medicine."
"My name is Xiao Qin. Stop calling me Goddess. Just call me Xiao Qin." Xiao Man was using a pseudonym for traveling. When the situation was unclear, she couldn't easily reveal her identity, as it would bring her danger.
"Alright."
Qi Hong, who had been full of vigor, began to sway as he walked. After a few wobbles, he stopped and shook his head vigorously. He turned back to look at Xiao Man and the others. "Are you feeling dizzy at all?"
Both of them shook their heads in unison.
Qi Hong intended to suggest taking a rest if they felt dizzy, but he hadn't expected that neither of them felt anything. Was he just too tired lately?
Qi Hong turned away and patted his head hard. He felt a bit better, but his breathing became heavy, his legs felt sluggish, and he could barely move.
Shanyun watched Qi Hong slow down, growing worried. She wanted to tell Qi Hong to stop, but before she could speak, Qi Hong stumbled and fell to the ground. Shanyun looked at Xiao Qin for help. "Xiao Qin, he..."
"It's fine. He's just caught in the miasma," Xiao Man said casually. "Your tribe members are all getting sick because they've been breathing in miasma for a long time."
"Is this mist really the cause of the illness?" Shanyun asked in astonishment.
"Yes," Xiao Man nodded. "While inhaling a little won't be fatal, living in such an environment for extended periods will cause the body to be invaded by miasma, leading to malaria."
"Is there a cure?"
"If there wasn't, why would I have brought you out to collect herbs?" Xiao Man said with a smile. "However, some people need to suffer a bit to learn that one must have reverence, especially for the unknown."
"Reverence, like toward the Snake God?"
"Silly girl, that's a beast, not a god. To believe in a beast over people is utterly foolish!" Xiao Man took a herb from the basket. "Feed this to him."
"Isn't this common mint?"
"Don't underestimate it. It refreshes the mind and has excellent effects. His mind is muddled now. A single leaf can bring him back to clarity."
Shanyun heard this and quickly stepped forward, plucked a mint leaf, and put it into Qi Hong's mouth. Moments later, Qi Hong's eyes fluttered open. He sat up dazedly, spitting out the mint leaf.
"What happened to me?"
"You were overcome by miasma and fainted." Shanyun plucked another mint leaf and put it into Qi Hong's mouth. "Don't spit it out. Eat it. The benefactor said this can refresh the mind."
Qi Hong's face flushed. He obediently chewed and swallowed the mint leaf. Although the taste was pungent, he found it exquisite, even better than his mother's braised pork.
Xiao Man glanced at Qi Hong, who was blushing to himself, and chuckled. "Indeed, fools are often blessed."
Qi Hong felt a flicker of indignation at being called foolish by Xiao Man, but when his eyes met Shanyun's, he immediately looked away. He dared not meet Shanyun's gaze. When Shanyun was chosen as a sacrifice, he had desperately wanted to take her place, but he hadn't dared to defy the tribe's rules. He didn't want to see Shanyun walk to her death, but he lacked the courage to fight the Snake God.
When Xiao Man appeared and saved Shanyun, he rejoiced, but he also resented his own powerlessness. How could a warrior of the great Barbarian Tribe be less courageous than a woman? He could only stand by and watch the woman he liked be sent to the sacrificial altar, unable to do anything.