Chapter 232: Chapter 232: The Matriarch

The chieftain didn’t seem surprised by Qing’s stubbornness. Her eyes were just filled with disappointment as she spoke. “You’ve enjoyed many privileges in the tribe under the title of witch doctor, but have you ever truly done anything for our people?”

Qing’s face paled at the sudden question. She was the daughter of the previous witch doctor. Her mother had taught her the arts of a witch doctor since she was young, but she had never managed to learn them.

After her mother passed away, she was supposed to take over the position of witch doctor. Unfortunately, her skills were so poor that she couldn’t shoulder the responsibility at all. Even so, the tribe still treated her as a semi-witch doctor and showed her respect.

But in truth, she had never really done anything for the people of the tribe. When tribespeople fell ill and sought her out, she was never able to treat them. Over time, people just started saying they wouldn’t bother her anymore, when in reality, they simply didn’t trust her.

How could she not know? It was precisely because she knew that she panicked upon hearing a new witch doctor had arrived in the tribe—one who could even treat Hunt, who was cursed by the Dark God.

She hadn’t only said those things to Luan; she had said them to many of the women she was close to. She wanted to make everyone reject the new witch doctor. It would be best if they ostracized her, making it impossible for her to stay in the Canghe Tribe. That way, her own status would be secure.

But the truth was, despite all she had said, only a fool like Luan had believed her.

But she couldn’t admit any of that. “I admit my skills are lacking, and I truly haven’t made many useful contributions to the tribe, but I really…”

“Oh, I remember now! Qing did tell us before that the new witch doctor was a fraud and that we shouldn’t believe her. It was almost exactly what Luan just said.”

Just as Qing was trying to defend herself, a woman’s voice rose from the crowd in the plaza, interrupting her. As soon as she spoke, several others chimed in. “I remember now, too. Qing told me the same thing, but I figured we’d have to see for ourselves to know if she was a fraud, so I didn’t listen to her. Thinking back on it now, though, her words were definitely meant to be suggestive.”

“I thought it was strange at the time. Qing had never even met her, nor had she seen her treat Hunt with her own eyes, so how could she know she was a fraud? It’s obvious now she was just worried about losing her status in the tribe. But what status does Qing even have? Everyone says she knows medicine, but her skills are barely better than nothing. Isn’t that something we all already knew?”

As more and more people spoke up, Qing’s face grew increasingly pale.

The chieftain didn’t stop the discussion, her gaze fixed on Qing. After a long while, when the murmuring had grown to a clamor, she finally spoke. “Alright, that’s enough. Qing, I’m asking you one last time: do you know what you did wrong?”

Qing slumped to the ground, knowing full well that if she kept denying it, she would most likely be exiled from the tribe.

She immediately scrambled up and knelt before the chieftain. “I was wrong, Chieftain, I know I was wrong! I’ll never do it again! I beg you, please spare me!”

“Good. In that case, you and Luan will go apologize to Lady Lu Xiao and ask for her forgiveness. Once you have it, this matter will be considered closed.”

The chieftain’s tone was still gentle when she spoke, but it was clear her decision was final.

The thought of having to apologize to *that woman*—and even having to obtain her forgiveness—made resentment flash in Qing’s eyes. But faced with the alternative, she could only lower her head. “Fine. Fine, I’ll go. I’ll go!”

By this time, Lu Xiao had already returned home. Fred, having chopped a good amount of firewood, was now stacking it. When he saw Lu Xiao return alone, he couldn’t help but frown. “Didn’t Mao come back with you?”

“Yes, something came up on the way, so he went on ahead.” Lu Xiao didn’t elaborate. She hadn’t really taken Qing and Luan’s words to heart; after all, she had never planned to win the approval of everyone in the Canghe Tribe, since they never intended to stay here permanently from the start.

’Since we aren’t going to settle here, and this place is just a decent stopping point, what does it matter if the people here accept us or not?’

After speaking with Fred, Lu Xiao went back into the house to check on Ares.

She found that the white wolf on the bed was gone. In its place was Ares, back in his human form.

“You’re back, Xiao Xiao.”

Ares greeted her with a smile while Lu Xiao was still frozen in surprise.

Snapping out of it, Lu Xiao rushed over and threw her arms around him. “You can change back to your human form now?”

Ares caught her. “I’ve always been able to. It’s just that I heal faster in my beast form. I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“As long as you’re okay. How does your leg feel now?” As she spoke, Lu Xiao went to lift the blanket covering Ares. She saw that the leg that had been broken was now fully healed, and her eyes instantly lit up with joy. “It’s healed?”

“Your method was excellent. It healed perfectly.” Ares didn’t stop her, letting the young woman look. He knew this was the only way to put Lu Xiao’s mind at ease.

“That’s wonderful! But you still shouldn’t get out of bed yet. It just finished healing, so you need to rest more.” Listening to Lu Xiao’s instructions, Ares nodded. “Okay, I’ll listen to Xiao Xiao.”

Lu Xiao was overjoyed that Ares had recovered so well. It felt as if a great weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders.

Just as the two of them were talking, a crowd suddenly gathered outside their door.

Seeing the commotion, Fred walked over warily. “What do you all want?”

Before anyone could answer, Shield and Mao emerged from the crowd with the chieftain, who had Qing and Luan in tow. Shield spoke up. “Sir, is Lady Lu Xiao at home? We have come to apologize to her.”

’Apologize?’

Fred’s brow furrowed. Though he was confused, he didn’t press for details. “Please wait a moment.”

He turned to get Lu Xiao, but she had already heard the commotion and was emerging from the house.

She walked to the doorway. “Chieftain, what brings you here?”

Seeing that Lu Xiao was still so respectful toward her, the old chieftain felt much more at ease. Her impression of Lu Xiao improved even more.

Clearly, Lu Xiao was not a petty person; on the contrary, she was quite magnanimous.

She took Lu Xiao’s hand. “I know you were wronged just now, so I’ve come to see justice done for you. It is my failure for not teaching my tribespeople properly, allowing them to spread baseless rumors about you. I have brought them here. Whether or not you forgive them is up to you.” Then, she turned to the girls behind her. “Now, get over here!”

To be honest, Lu Xiao was somewhat surprised to hear the old chieftain’s intentions.

She hadn’t expected the chieftain to act so swiftly. The incident had only just occurred, yet the chieftain had already made a clean, decisive judgment. She didn’t even try to protect them or downplay the situation just because Qing and Luan were members of the Canghe Tribe.

Because of this, she couldn’t help but see the old chieftain in a new, more respectful light.

No wonder the Canghe Tribe had developed so well; it was inextricably linked to its wise old chieftain.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep