For taking away this underage person, Han Cheng didn't act on a whim or out of sudden kindness; he had his considerations.
The child was indeed sick, but based on Han Cheng's previous experience with frequent colds, it didn't seem like a severe illness. However, at this time, if such a cold wasn't taken seriously, it could indeed be fatal and even lead to the tribe's extinction.
Although the Fire Tribe's methods were somewhat cruel, it was the most correct approach given the circumstances. However, without medicine, resorting to burning alive was excessively cruel.
Han Cheng wanted to take the underage person away because of what he had discovered yesterday, the suspected Chaihu herb. He originally planned to wait until autumn to confirm whether it was Chaihu by observing its flowering. However, the appearance of this feverish underage person changed his mind.
The best way to determine the effectiveness of a medicine is through clinical trials. This feverish, underage, primitive person would be the perfect test subject. If the medicine worked, he would save a life, and the tribe would gain another person who would become an adult in a few years. Most importantly, obtaining a life-saving remedy would be invaluable for the tribe.
If the medicine didn't work, the underage person would still have a couple more days to live without the need for the cruel method of burning alive. Moreover, since it would be a stranger who died, there might be some discomfort but not excessive grief.
While this idea might seem cold, reality is often just that cruel. For now, Eldest Senior Brother and the others couldn't be explained to, so they were unaware.
Han Cheng felt that the Fire Tribe had no reason to refuse him. After all, leaving this underage person here would mean certain death, whereas letting him leave might offer some hope.
That's how Han Cheng thought, but many times, things don't go as planned. In his certainty, the head of the Fire Tribe shook his head.
The head of the Fire Tribe was relatively kind and didn't want to see this tribe, already appearing strange and weak, led to its demise by this underage person.This illness, something strange to their tribe, was something they had no experience with. Their tribe had suffered painful lessons before...
Seeing the head of the Fire Tribe shake his head, Han Cheng was surprised, but Eldest Senior Brother and the others appeared extremely happy, relieved that a huge weight was lifted off their chests.
"Tell them I might have a way to cure him," Han Cheng said seriously to Eldest Senior Brother.
"Really?" Eldest Senior Brother instinctively asked, then realized he was stating the obvious.
He remembered how the tribe had thought someone was already dying but ended up alive, bouncing around, and even fathered children.
So, without waiting for Han Cheng to confirm again, he began conveying Han Cheng's message to the head of the Fire Tribe.
The others who heard Han Cheng's words also breathed a sigh of relief, transitioning from confusion and anxiety to reassurance tinged with excitement.
After Han Cheng's reminder, they all remembered the divine child's miraculous healing methods. Liang was particularly delighted.
Upon understanding Han Cheng's meaning from Eldest Senior Brother, the head of the Fire Tribe widened his eyes, appearing incredulous.
How could this strange underage leader of an odd tribe possibly have a way to cure the illness that had caused many deaths in their tribe and instilled fear in them?
He wanted to refuse again but then realized that if it turned out to be accurate, it would be a tremendous boon for their tribe.
After some thought, he conveyed to Eldest Senior Brother his agreement for Han Cheng to treat the underage person. However, he didn't allow him to be taken away; instead, he insisted on treating him right there.
Han Cheng furrowed his brow. As the saying goes, "Illness comes like a mountain but goes away like a strand of silk." This child was quite ill. Even if that suspected Chaihu herb was effective, it would take at least two to three days to see any noticeable results.
When they left the tribe, it was the third day of the month, and now eleven days had passed. He had told the shaman when they left that they would return before the end of the month.
However, the return journey was against the current, much slower, and Han Cheng also wanted to cut some bamboo to bring back, which would take up another day.
If they delayed here for another two to three days, they would not return to the tribe by the end of the month.
After thinking about it, Han Cheng had Eldest Senior Brother tell them that he and his group needed to hurry back to the tribe and couldn't afford to delay any longer.
The other party quickly responded, saying they wanted to know how to treat this illness.
Han Cheng couldn't confirm whether the herb was indeed Chaihu. If it wasn't, wouldn't that mean causing harm to this tribe? But if he didn't propose a solution, the tribe wouldn't allow them to take the sick person away. It was a dilemma.
After pondering briefly, Han Cheng said, "As for whether that method can cure him, I'm not sure. We'll come back in autumn. If the method works, we'll let them know."
After understanding Han Cheng's meaning, Eldest Senior Brother conveyed it to the head of the Fire Tribe.
After a while, the other party's response came back.
What is autumn?
Han Cheng and the others from the Green Sparrow Tribe laughed.
Indeed, these people hadn't heard of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl story, didn't have calendars, and never celebrated New Year's, so naturally, they didn't know what autumn meant. It was something unique to their tribe.
Eldest Senior Brother explained the meaning of autumn to the head of the Fire Tribe with a smile.
The head of the Fire Tribe was puzzled, saying it would be much better to say "when the leaves turn yellow and many fruits ripen" rather than this strange word "autumn."
The head of the Fire Tribe agreed to Han Cheng's proposal and allowed the people from the Green Sparrow Tribe to take away this underage person who should have been burned.
The Eldest Senior Brother and the others wanted to carry the sick underage person, but Han Cheng refused. Under his request, two people from the Fire Tribe carried the curled-up underage person, walking with them toward the riverbank.
The rest of the Fire Tribe's people followed behind, wanting to see where this strange tribe came from.
Oars and punting poles hidden in the bushes were found, and the canoe floating on the water was pulled to the shore.
Watching Han Cheng and the others board the canoe, glide into the water, and drift farther upstream, all the people from the Fire Tribe who witnessed this scene widened their eyes.
They had initially thought that Han Cheng and the others had come downstream along the river, but they hadn't expected them to come from the water!
This event had a significant impact on them. When could people start floating on water?
For the next long period, this strange tribe suddenly appeared and then suddenly left, becoming the most popular topic among the Fire Tribe.
Their strange language, attire, weapons, the peculiar rules followed by an underage person, their fearless appearance of illness, and the strange behavior of traveling from the water became topics of discussion.
Of course, when discussing the men of that tribe, the men from the Fire Tribe sometimes chuckled proudly.
When the women of the Fire Tribe gathered to discuss the men they called the "Water Tribe," they also chuckled for a while, but their expressions were tinged with nostalgia...
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter