Chapter 323: with translation of chapter title

Ha Ri Cha Gai ran to the wooden trough, crouched down, picked up a small piece of broken salt, placed it on the tip of his tongue and licked it.

The next second, he spat with a "pei", his face changing dramatically:

"Wrong! This is the taste of 'drunken horse grass'! This stuff only poisons horses, not people!"

"Drunken horse grass?" The faces of several herders turned white in an instant.

"That thing only grows on the cliffs of Yin Mountains; we don't have any here!" the shaman said with a trembling voice, "Horses can't do without salt; even knowing it's bitter, they'll still lick it!"

At this, everyone understood.

The shaman beat his chest: "Who did this? Are they trying to wipe out my Ulan tribe?"

Su He walked over, his face dark as iron, staring at the brown salt brick in the trough: "What a vicious scheme!"

"Change the salt!" he roared, "Empty all the salt troughs! Bring clean water and scrub them clean!"

"The drunken horse grass must be neutralized with licorice-boiled water! Quick! Get licorice! Boil water!"

The herders all sprang into action with a roar.

Men rushed to the river to fetch water, women lit fires to boil licorice.

"Not enough licorice! Too many sick horses!"

Ha Ri Cha Gai swung onto his horse: "I know where there's licorice! Follow me!"

Four or five youths, hearing that, swung onto their horses and galloped off after him.

Several people, seeing the situation, also went over to help.

Tuan Tuan crouched beside a red-flame horse, stretched out her little hand, and lightly pressed it against its neck.

"Good horse, don't be afraid," she whispered, "after drinking the medicine, you'll be all right!"

Tuan Tuan held up the boiled licorice water to its mouth.

The horse strained to lift its head, licked a little, then weakly drooped its head again.

Tuan Tuan grew anxious: "You have to drink it, or you won't get better, come on, take a big gulp!"

The horse actually struggled, then continued to slowly lick, finishing the whole bowl of licorice water down to the last drop.

Soon, Ha Ri Cha Gai returned with people and camels carrying big bundles of licorice, all boiled into a thick soup, which was fed to the horses one by one.

This bustle continued until dusk gradually fell.

Finally, the horse that Tuan Tuan fed was the first to stand up.

It flicked its mane; although its limbs still trembled a bit, it stood firm.

Then came the second, the third… cheers rose from the herders on the pasture.

"May Eternal Heaven bless us! The horses are healed!"

"Our Ulan tribe is saved!"

"Thanks to that Zhongyuan girl!"

Su He lifted his sleeve, fiercely wiping the sweat from his forehead: "The foundation of the Ulan tribe has at last been preserved."

When the sunset had fully sunk into the horizon, more than half of the horse herd was already standing on the pasture.

Although they were still weak, their spirits had clearly improved a lot.

Su He, facing Xiao Ningxun and the others, slammed his right hand against his chest: "Everyone, please follow me into the tent! The Ulan tribe ought to toast the benefactor with a bowl of wine."

Several people followed him into the large tent.

In the center of the large tent, a pit stove had been dug, filled with burning red cow dung.

A whole fat sheep was roasting on a rack, its skin turning golden and crisp, oil dripping down with a sizzle, the aroma filling the entire felt tent.

Bowls of horse milk liquor, milk tofu, fried pastries, and wind-dried meat filled the low table.

Chief Su He personally cut the first piece of lamb rib and placed it on the wooden plate in front of Tuan Tuan.

"Little benefactor," he raised his wine bowl, "if it weren't for you pointing out that the salt brick was poisonous, the Ulan tribe's thousand-year-old horse herd would likely have been wiped out in my hands."

"This bowl of wine, I toast you! And I toast Eternal Heaven for bringing you to the grasslands."

Tuan Tuan lifted the small bowl before her, earnest: "I toast the horses, may they all recover quickly!"

Everyone in the tent laughed.

Just as Tuan Tuan was about to take a sip, Xiao Ningxun reached out, took it away, and gave her a bowl of sheep's milk instead.

Tuan Tuan pouted.

Xiao Ran chuckled low: "Little one, you liked this the most when you were small—drink up."

Tuan Tuan glared at him: "Hmph!"

Qing Qing whispered: "Chief, I am a retainer of the Second Prince. Do you know what's been happening lately in the Royal Court?"

Su He looked him up and down: "Are you someone from Jifeng's entourage?"

Qing Qing pulled out an armguard and showed it to him.

"Ah, it's you!" Su He suddenly realized.

Qing Qing never shows her true face, constantly switching between male and female, old and young, so Su He naturally couldn't recognize her.

But he recognized the item Qing Qing produced—it was Jifeng's usual possession, later given to Qing Qing.

He set down his wine bowl: "Retainers of the Crown Prince have been frequently moving among the tribes lately."

"They've been sending lots of gifts, trying to win us over."

Xiao Ran wondered: "They're giving gifts to you too? Doesn't he know you, Chief, are Jifeng's anda?"

"He knows, which is why he's using such a vicious method." Su He sneered, "If the red-flame horses truly died out, the Ulan tribe would collapse completely."

He looked at Tuan Tuan, his gaze complex: "Little benefactor, your kindness to my Ulan tribe is as weighty as a mountain!"

Tuan Tuan hadn't heard what they were talking about at all, happily chewing on fragrant mutton, her little mouth full of oil: "It's really delicious!"

Su He looked at her appearance and couldn't help but laugh.

After the meal, Su He personally escorted everyone to the specially prepared felt tent: "You've worked hard today, rest well."

The tent flap fell, and the fatigue from a day's journey surged up; everyone quickly fell into sleep.

In the dead of night, the moonlight was cold and clear, all was silent.

"Whoosh—bang!"

The sharp whistling arrow split the night sky, immediately followed by a deafening roar!

Outside the tent, a shout exploded: "Enemy attack—! Black Wind Cavalry night raid!"

Xiao Er was the first to spring up, his eyes not fully open, he grabbed his side blade and drew it.

Xiao Ningxun scooped up Tuan Tuan in one arm, holding her close to his chest.

Lu Qi lifted a corner of the tent flap and saw the horse corral direction lights flickering chaotically, figures intertwining, the clashing of weapons, horses' startled neighs, and angry shouts and cries all mixed together.

Over twenty black-clad horse bandits seemed to have burst out from underground.

They were obviously prepared, in pairs they charged straight for the Red Flame Horses that could already stand in the corral, the lassos flashing cold light in the fire.

Ha Ri Cha Gai gritted his teeth: "Again they're after the horses!"

Su He had already led people forward, but the horse bandits were cunning, they didn't engage in combat, they just seized the horses and fled outward.

The Red Flame Horse that Tuan Tuan had personally fed medicine to was being simultaneously throttled by three lassos around its neck, being dragged outward.

The horse neighed angrily and struggled, its hooves digging up large patches of turf.

Ha Ri Cha Gai's eyes turned red with fury: "That's the Horse King! These damned bandits!"

"The villains come to steal the horses? You poisoned them, made them sick, and now you're stealing them again?"

Tuan Tuan broke free from Xiao Ningxun's embrace and ran to her own belongings.

She pulled out the embroidered pouch, took out a horseshoe fragment she had just picked up today, and muttered, "Let the villains' horses all lie down to sleep!" As she loosened her grip, a faint light flashed and the fragment disappeared.

"Hmph! Let you come steal horses in the middle of the night! The horses need to sleep! So do I!"