Chapter 591: This is easily handled

Everyone looked at her in unison.

Alete sprang up from the ground with a whoosh: "Little girl, do you have a way?"

Xiao Ningxun bent over and pulled his sister into his arms: "Tuan Tuan, what have you thought of?"

Tuan Tuan blinked her big eyes: "Uncle Ji's place is short on salt; we always have to bring something to trade. We could sell it to him!"

Xiao Ningyuan blinked: "Xilu?"

"Exactly!" Tuan Tuan nodded vigorously: "Uncle Ji said before that on the grassland, the thing most lacking is salt; each time we have to bring lots of cattle and sheep to trade, which is a hassle!"

Xiao Ningxun couldn't help laughing: "That really is a good idea."

The old man's brow remained furrowed, still shaking his head: "Little girl, what's the difference between selling this and selling to other countries in the Western Regions? It's just as impossible to keep secret."

Xiao Ningxun looked at the old man: "Elder, you don't know this."

He lowered his head to glance at the sister in his arms, the corner of his mouth lifting: "This sister of mine is the Holy Maiden of the Xilu grasslands. The Uncle Ji she spoke of is none other than the current Great Khan of Xilu."

"'The grassland… Holy Maiden?' the old man stared, stunned."

Alete opened his mouth wide and couldn't close it for a long time.

Tuan Tuan proudly shook her little head, grinned, and her two little dimples sank deep: "Exactly! I am the grassland Holy Maiden!"

Kang An looked up at her in surprise: "Holy Maiden? Tuan Tuan?"

Xue Tong's eyes widened as he snatched Tuan Tuan from Xiao Ningxun's arms: "Disciple, why have you never mentioned this to your master?"

Tuan Tuan looked completely matter-of-fact: "I'm the grassland Holy Maiden—of course I'm only a Holy Maiden when I'm on the grassland; this place isn't the grassland!"

Xue Tong: "……"

Everyone burst out laughing.

The old man fixed his gaze on Tuan Tuan: "Little girl, you, you mean you know the Great Khan of Xilu?"

Xiao Ningxun nodded: "More than just knowing—we are sworn brothers through life and death."

"If you sell the salt to him, he will keep it sealed tight and will not let the local officials get even a hint of it."

"In that case," Xiao Ningyuan interjected, "your salt will have a long-term, reliable buyer, and you won't have to worry about the officials causing trouble."

Alete's face turned red with excitement: "Then… then we won't have to worry anymore, will we?"

The crowd erupted:

"Great! We'll be able to live a good life from now on!"

"This is a little fairy sent by heaven!"

"What little fairy? She's a Holy Maiden! The grassland Holy Maiden!"

Cheers rose wave after wave; even the women who had been hiding in the mountain crevices came over with their children, all smiling.

"Our tribe will surely grow strong!"

"Exactly! With salt, what can't we obtain?"

"May heaven bless us! May heaven bless us!"

The old man raised his hand to stop the cheering, then, trembling, knelt before Tuan Tuan.

Seeing this, all the tribespeople knelt down in unison.

Xiao Ningyuan and Xiao Ningxun both reached out to help: "Elder, please rise!"

Tuan Tuan hurriedly slipped from Xue Tong's arms to the ground, squatting before the old man: "Grandpa, get up quickly! Come on, speak!"

The old man lifted his head, his cloudy eyes full of tears.

He gently took Tuan Tuan's small hand, his voice trembling badly: "Little girl, you have saved us all!"

"Not only have you given us fine salt, but you've also pointed out a way to live, so the whole tribe can survive and live better than before!"

He paused, drew a deep breath: "From now on, you are our tribe's great benefactor!"

"Our entire tribe, generation after generation, will never forget your kindness!"

Having said that, he bowed his head and knocked three times on the ground in deep respect.

All the tribespeople followed suit, foreheads touching the ground.

Tuan Tuan knelt helplessly before the old man: "Grandpa, my little knees hurt; won't you get up?"

"This mustn't be! I don't deserve this!" the old man, feeling both heartache and emotion, hurriedly helped her up before rising himself, and the tribespeople all got to their feet.

Tuan Tuan looked up at him with her small face, smiling so her eyes turned into slits: "Just live well, build the tribe big, and I'll be happy!"

Xiao Er and Lu Qi smiled, thinking, "The young lady is truly wonderful!"

Kang An stared at Tuan Tuan, his blue eyes shimmering with pure admiration.

Xue Tong nodded silently, thinking his judgment had indeed been spot‑on—this disciple was truly a fine catch.

Xiao Ningxun turned and pointed to a guard: "You must go at once to Xilu, report this to the Great Khan, and bring their people here to familiarize themselves with the route."

"After that, you needn't come looking for us—just return directly to the Xibei Main Camp."

"Yes!" the guard leapt onto his horse and galloped away.

The old man's face filled with gratitude: "Thank you so much."

But when he turned his head and saw the pool of emerald‑green water in the pit, the smile on his face faded bit by bit.

Xiao Ningxun asked softly: "Elder, do you still have any worries? As for Xilu, you can rest assured—we…"

The old man shook his head, cutting him off: "I'm not worried about that."

He raised his head and looked at Xiao Ningxun: "You've done us a tremendous favor; if I didn't trust you, would I even be human?"

Xue Tong frowned: "Then what else is there?"

The old man fell silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh: "These scattered tribes of ours may be small, but we merely scrape by guarding the salt lakes."

He raised his hand toward the distance: "But when added together, our numbers are actually not fewer than those of the big tribes. In daily life we often keep in touch, helping each other get by."

"'Here I can see our days are about to improve, but they,' the old man paused, his voice trembling, 'still live a hard life.'"

Thinking of this, my heart feels as if a stone is lodged in it, uncomfortable.

Xiao Ningyuan's expression turned solemn, his gaze toward the old man gaining a touch of respect: "The old man puts himself in others' shoes; now that his own life is just improving, he thinks of others' hardships."

He paused, then clasped his fists and said: "Such benevolence, I, Xiao, admire."

Xue Tong nodded: "Those who uphold righteousness are often the scoundrels; the common people of the world are all so kind."

Tuan Tuan lifted her little face, looking at the old man: "Do they also have salt lakes there?"

The old man nodded: "Yes. The salt lake is our sole means of survival."

But in recent years, the water in many salt lakes has been dwindling,

He gave a bitter laugh: "I never expected that the salt lake here would dry up overnight."

Although this event, thanks to your arrival, turned misfortune into blessing.

The old man's eyes faintly glistened with tears: "But if they also had such a salt spring, how wonderful that would be! Everyone's life could then improve."

Tuan Tuan tilted her little head, thought for a moment: "What's so difficult about that? It's easily done!"