Chapter 231: Chapter 231: Talking Tough

“Who knows if you’re just putting on an act to deceive these foolish males?” Qing tilted her chin up, glaring at Lu Xiao, refusing to back down.

Evidently, this grudge hadn’t formed just today. Qing had likely hated her from the moment Lu Xiao first arrived in the tribe.

How could Lu Xiao fail to see it? She smiled contemptuously. “Whether or not I’m putting on an act is something many in the tribe have witnessed for themselves. It’s not something you can decide with a single sentence. What *is* true, however, is your inability to cure the Dark God’s curse. Regarding today’s events, I expect the Canghe Tribe to give me a reasonable explanation.”

After saying her piece, Lu Xiao gave Shield a cool glance, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Seeing her just walk away, Qing immediately shouted, “You’re not allowed to leave! We haven’t settled things with Luan yet! Where do you think you’re running? Grab her and bring her back!”

“That’s enough, Lady Qing. Lady Lu Xiao is a true witch doctor. Hunt has already regained his senses thanks to her treatment. Please, stop making a scene. I will report this matter to the chieftain and let her decide. You should prepare yourself.”

Shield said his piece, then ignored Qing, who was cradling Luan in her arms, and left with Mao.

Stunned that Shield would choose to side with Lu Xiao, Qing shrieked, “Shield, come back! What do you mean by this? Aren’t we from the same tribe? I can’t believe you won’t help me, but you’re helping *her* instead! How could you do this?!”

But Shield didn’t even pause his stride in response to Qing’s screams.

Walking beside him, Mao was filled with anxiety. “Brother, do you think Lady Lu Xiao is angry? What if she refuses to help us anymore? I just went to see Hunt, and his condition has only just begun to improve.”

“Even if Lady Lu Xiao decides to do that, we have no choice but to accept it. We were in the wrong first for not showing her the respect she deserves!”

Mao nodded. “W-we should go see the chieftain first.”

The two men led their people to the chieftain’s treehouse, where Mao recounted the entire incident. The chieftain slammed her hand on the table in anger. “Outrageous! I thought Qing was a sensible person, but now it seems her obedience was all just an act. Bring her and Luan to me. This matter must be dealt with severely.”

Seeing the chieftain’s reaction, both Shield and Mao breathed a sigh of relief.

’The chieftain isn’t trying to downplay this just because Qing and Luan are females of the tribe. This means Lady Lu Xiao will be treated fairly, and Hunt can still be saved.’

Before long, Qing and Luan were brought before them.

Luan was already conscious when she arrived. Other than one slightly red cheek, she was uninjured.

The moment the pair came before the chieftain, they burst into tears and complaints. Anyone who didn’t know the truth might have thought they were the ones who had been grievously wronged.

The chieftain was unmoved. She simply said to Shield, who stood beside her, “Summon everyone in the tribe to gather here.”

Upon hearing this, Qing immediately spoke up in a weak voice, “Chieftain, why are you summoning everyone? It’s such a trivial matter, there’s no need for all this…”

The chieftain shot her a look that silenced her. Qing’s heart clenched, and she didn’t dare say another word.

She was now uncertain of the chieftain’s intentions, and the unease in her heart began to spread.

Shield rang the bell hanging from the treehouse. It was the instrument used to summon the tribe whenever a major event occurred.

In no time, people began arriving from all directions.

Once most of the people had gathered, the chieftain spoke. “Qing, do you admit your mistake?”

Qing trembled slightly but forced herself to stand firm. “I don’t know what I did wrong.”

The crowd began to murmur in surprise when they heard the chieftain call out Qing’s name.

“Is that Qing up front?”

“It looks like Luan is there too. What did those two do wrong?”

“There must be some misunderstanding. Qing is such a well-behaved girl. What could she have possibly done wrong?”

“Yeah, Qing is so kind!”

…

The chieftain, unmoved by the murmurs from the crowd, continued, “You failed to distinguish right from wrong, incited your friend, and were disrespectful to Lady Lu Xiao. Do you still think you’ve done nothing wrong?”

“You’ve wronged me, Chieftain! I only saw Luan collapsed on the ground, and I didn’t know if she was alive or dead. I was so anxious that I spoke rashly! I never meant to be disrespectful to Lady Lu Xiao!”

“So, are you saying this was all Luan’s idea? That she acted on her own? If that’s the case, then as of today, Luan is banished from the tribe. She may no longer claim to be a person of the Canghe Tribe.”

“No! Chieftain, please don’t!” Luan cried out. “Qing, say something! Weren’t you the one who told me that Lu Xiao isn’t a real witch doctor and that she’s fooled everyone in the tribe? You said she stole Mao from you and that she couldn’t tolerate you because you know healing arts!”

“Luan, I never said anything like that. You must have misheard.” Qing kept her head down, not daring to meet Luan’s eyes, but her words were heard clearly by everyone present.

Someone in the crowd immediately piped up, “Yeah, Qing is always so sweet. How could she say something like that? Luan, you must have misheard her.”

“Luan, don’t try to drag others down with you just because you did something wrong!”

Faced with these accusations, Luan’s face went deathly pale. “It’s not like that! What I said is the truth! How can you deny it? Does this mean… you’ve been using me all this time? Ahhh, I’m going to kill you!”

Shield immediately grabbed Luan to hold her back. Qing had already scrambled aside in fear, her eyes red as she said in a frail, helpless voice, “Luan, I really don’t know what you’re talking about! Don’t frame me!”

Luan was practically exploding with rage.

The chieftain let out a cold laugh. “Luan, how does it feel? When you were making baseless accusations against Lady Lu Xiao, did you ever imagine you would end up in this position?”

Luan’s fight instantly drained out of her. She squeezed her eyes shut as tears streamed down her face. “I was wrong, Chieftain! I shouldn’t have listened to Qing! I shouldn’t have caused trouble for Lady Lu Xiao! I’m willing to apologize to her!”

Luan knelt on the ground, sobbing her heart out.

By now, it was clear she had finally realized that the friend she had held so dear was nothing but a vile person who had been using and manipulating her all along.

Seeing her sincere repentance, the chieftain said no more. Her gaze shifted to Qing, who was hiding amongst the crowd.

Her eyes filled with disappointment. “Your mother was the best witch doctor our tribe has ever had. Before she left, she entrusted you to my care, and she told me then that while you appear obedient on the surface, you are in fact petty and narrow-minded. You can’t stand to see anyone do better than you. That is why you could never master the healing arts, no matter how much she taught you. She told me that if you ever made a terrible mistake, I was not to be lenient. She said that might be the only way for you to truly learn and change.”

“Impossible! My mother would never have said such a thing about me!” Qing stared at the chieftain in disbelief. ’If that’s really what my mother thought of me, how can I possibly face anyone in the tribe ever again?’

“I will ask you one last time: Do you admit that you were wrong today?”

“I didn’t do anything! What wrong could I have possibly done?!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep