Chapter 282 – Princess of the Prairie Rules the World – Love Rival Becomes Advisor (07)
Rong Ningjing’s worries didn’t last long. Master Xin’s disciples soon returned from gathering herbs, and among them were medicinal plants that could treat the lambs’ illness.
She and Master Xin ground the herbs into a paste and applied it to the sores on the lambs’ tongues—yet another major task.
The lambs weren’t inanimate objects; their tongues were already sore, and now they had to endure the bitter medicine. Of course, they resisted. Even if they were sick, they wouldn’t just sit there obediently.
So, once again, the grassland was filled with the chaotic scene of lambs running and people chasing…
After Bai Tang’s health improved a bit, although he was still upset about Tuoba Jingyao’s insensitivity, he couldn’t stop worrying about the sick lambs.
When he arrived at the pasture, the lambs he had helped treat immediately ran over and affectionately licked his palms.
“Hahaha… That tickles…” The boy’s soft, sweet laughter echoed across the grassland.
Rong Ningjing had just managed to catch a lamb and was bringing it back when she saw Bai Tang arrive. Concerned, she said, “Little cutie, why are you here? We’ve got this covered—go back and rest.”
She had learned from Master Xin that Bai Tang’s body was weak and that he shouldn’t be exposed to the wind, especially since today’s breeze was rather strong. If he got sick again, it wouldn’t be good.
“I’m fine~ I’m very healthy!”
The female lead of this world wasn’t pretentious or scheming—Bai Tang had a good impression of her.
“What are you doing? Let me help.”
As a little squirrel with a wood-type ability, Bai Tang carried the aura of nature, which made the lambs especially fond of him.
The lamb Rong Ningjing had been holding also walked over to Bai Tang, crouched slightly, and affectionately nudged him like a spoiled child.
Bai Tang stroked the wool on the lamb’s back.
“You have to be good, okay? If you obediently take your medicine and let us apply it, you’ll get better faster. In a while, we’ll have to migrate for the winter together~”
The lamb bleated in response and, as if by magic, stopped struggling. It even stuck out its tongue, allowing Rong Ningjing to apply the medicine.
Rong Ningjing was so surprised her mouth dropped open. She looked at Bai Tang in astonishment.
“Little cutie, what kind of magic do you have? I tried everything, and they still wouldn’t cooperate with me! Quick, come with me—see if you can coax this one too!”
Rong Ningjing pulled Bai Tang over to the area where the sick lambs were being kept in isolation.
Standing at the edge of the pen, he waved at the lambs.
“Come on over and take your medicine~”
“Baa——”
“Baa baa——”
The lambs came over in a flock, gathering tightly around Bai Tang.
Sensing the spiritual energy on the boy, their pain, which had tormented them for days, seemed to ease. This made the lambs like Bai Tang even more—they practically wished he could live in the pen with them forever.
Rong Ningjing was utterly speechless. Snapping out of her daze, she threw her arms around Bai Tang in excitement.
“Tang tang, you’re an angel! I love you to death…”
As long as Bai Tang was there, there was no need to worry about the lambs not cooperating.
Unexpectedly, this scene was witnessed by Tuoba Jingyao, who had come looking for Bai Tang. Seeing the two of them smiling so happily, his heart twisted with discomfort, and a blaze of jealousy ignited within him.
Tang Tang had pushed him away, yet was here hugging another woman and smiling from ear to ear—what was that supposed to mean?
“What are you two doing?” Tuoba Jingyao’s voice cut through the moment.
Rong Ningjing was afraid of Tuoba Jingyao. Oh no—she’d gotten carried away and got caught red-handed.
She looked at the expressionless Tuoba Jingyao approaching, her face full of panic.
The smile disappeared from Bai Tang’s face. He replied flatly, “Condensing and I were applying medicine to the lambs.”
“Oh? You and Ningjing seem quite close,” Tuoba Jingyao’s tone was unreadable, but Rong Ningjing could sense an impending storm.
She spoke up weakly, “I—I’ll go give medicine to the lambs. Their illness can’t be delayed.”
With that, she quickly grabbed a lamb and moved aside, coaxing it to open its mouth so she could squeeze the medicine onto its sores.
“Tang Tang, are you upset?” Tuoba Jingyao, determined to solve the problem, asked directly since he didn’t understand what was wrong.
Bai Tang turned his back to him.
“No, I’m not.”
Though he said he wasn’t upset, his expression clearly said, “Hurry up and coax me.”
But he forgot that he was facing away from Tuoba Jingyao. With his low emotional intelligence, and unable to see Bai Tang’s face, Tuoba Jingyao completely missed the hidden message.
“I thought I did something wrong and made you unhappy. But if not, that’s good,” Tuoba Jingyao said.
Bai Tang had waited and waited—only to get that response. He was nearly furious.
Just say a few sweet words to coax me—would that kill you?!
Bai Tang turned around and saw the faint smile on Tuoba Jingyao’s face, and it only fueled his internal fire.
The boy shouted at him, “You did great—amazing!”
Then he ran off toward the larger flock, leaving behind a thoroughly confused Tuoba Jingyao, who had no idea whether Bai Tang was angry or not.
Bai Tang knew he was being a bit unreasonable, but he just couldn’t control his emotions.
In the past, his dear hubby had always been attentive, never missing a single world. After being doted on for over a dozen lifetimes by his husband and Qiu’er, the little squirrel’s temper had become somewhat spoiled. Later on, another Xiao A even joined in to continue spoiling him. That Bai Tang didn’t turn arrogant or overbearing was entirely thanks to his inherently kind and pure nature.
While applying medicine to the lambs, Rong Ningjing kept glancing over at Bai Tang and Tuoba Jingyao. When she saw Bai Tang angrily stomp off, and Tuoba Jingyao still looking clueless, she became anxious.
Go after him! Hurry up and chase him! Rong Ningjing watched in frustration.
In the end, Tuoba Jingyao really didn’t go after him. Rong Ningjing was thoroughly speechless. In her memory, this leader was intelligent and resourceful, brave and skilled in battle—so how could he be so completely dense when it came to relationships? Even a block of steel wasn’t this straight.
After Bai Tang stormed off, the twelve lambs he had healed sensed the shift in his emotions and worriedly followed behind him.
Thankfully, the boy didn’t run far. He stopped in front of the larger flock, still within view, so there was no need to worry about anything happening.
Rong Ningjing went to retrieve more medicine. As she passed by Tuoba Jingyao, her face carried a “so disappointing it hurts” kind of expression.
When she returned with the medicine and saw Tuoba Jingyao still just standing there watching Bai Tang instead of going after him to console him, she finally couldn’t hold back.
“Chief,” she called.
“Speak.”
Realizing the speaker was the woman who had hugged Tang Tang earlier, Tuoba Jingyao’s tone was not particularly friendly.
Suppressing her fear, Rong Ningjing said, “Don’t you think there’s something wrong with your approach?”
Tuoba Jingyao wasn’t sure what she was referring to, so he said nothing and waited for her to continue.
Rong Ningjing cleared her throat and pressed on, “This isn’t how you pursue someone. Whether it’s a boy or a girl, if you keep going like this, you’re basically destined to be single forever.”
Tuoba Jingyao didn’t understand the term “destined to be single forever,” but just by the sound of it, he knew it wasn’t anything good.
Tuoba Jingyao mulled over Rong Ningjing’s words and realized she didn’t have romantic feelings for Bai Tang. So he asked, “Then do you have any good ideas?”
Tuoba Jingyao, now genuinely seeking advice and no longer wearing a cold expression, eased Rong Ningjing’s nerves quite a bit. She smiled and said, “Little Cutie is the kindest person I’ve ever met. I don’t know what you two were arguing about, but it’s obvious to me—he still cares about you. Just now, he was waiting for you to coax him. And what did you say? ‘It’s good if you’re not upset.’ Anyone would be infuriated by that! Chief, have you seriously never dated anyone before…?”
As she spoke, Rong Ningjing grew bolder, eventually launching into full-blown lecturing.
Surprisingly, Tuoba Jingyao didn’t get angry.
“I only love Tang Tang,” he said.
Rong Ningjing, mid-rant, suddenly choked on her words. Damn, even now she was getting hit with dog food.
If you’ve got the guts, go say that to Tang Tang! What’s the point of telling me how much you love him?
Standing around chatting was wasting time, so Rong Ningjing and Tuoba Jingyao started applying medicine to the lambs while simultaneously drafting a “Win-Back-Tang Tang Plan.”
But this very scene was spotted by Bai Tang, who had turned back, still sulking, to look for Tuoba Jingyao.
From afar, he saw the two sitting very close together, chatting intimately. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but their relaxed expressions and friendly body language—it was almost like they were whispering secrets to each other.
Tears welled up in the little squirrel’s eyes. He squatted down on the grass, sobbing with short, shuddering breaths.
“He never talks to me like that… but with some other woman, he can go on forever. If he doesn’t want to be with me anymore, he should just say so. I’m not some clingy, unreasonable person…”
The lambs bleated anxiously, circling around Bai Tang in concern.
“Tang Tang, don’t be sad! If that male lead dares to wrong you, I’ll castrate him!”
Qiu’er, who had been busy preparing some new dish with Xiao A, suddenly burst out. Wielding a bloodied kitchen knife, he waved it furiously in Tuoba Jingyao’s direction.
Xiao A said, “Don’t lose hope yet, Host. I’ll go spy on the male and female leads’ progress.”
He wanted to find out if Tuoba Jingyao had really betrayed the host. If he had, then honestly, he’d support Qiu’er’s approach—there’s no excuse for that kind of scumbag behavior. Trying to have it both ways? Not gonna happen.
After a while, Xiao A returned with the scoop. Upon learning the actual plan between Tuoba Jingyao and Rong Ningjing, Bai Tang broke into a teary smile. Wiping his still-damp cheeks, he sniffled, “He could’ve just told me directly…”
Xiao A could understand Tuoba Jingyao’s actions. After all, back when he was trying to pursue Qiu’er, there was no one around he could consult. And at the time, the host was off honeymooning with the male lead.
The female lead had essentially become the male lead’s emotional advisor, personally coaching him on the art of romantic dates.
For the straightforward men who grew up on the grasslands, the concept of romance simply didn’t exist—survival was their top priority. With no time for scheming or emotional games, they developed a habit of speaking bluntly and directly.
Tuoba Jingyao was thoughtful and strategic when it came to serious matters, but he didn’t know how to apply that same thoughtfulness to his relationships.
Take, for example, the time he stood guard outside Bai Tang’s tent all night. If Bai Tang hadn’t woken up in the middle of the night and been startled, no one would’ve known that someone had silently stayed by his side while he slept.
Trying to “sow discord” between the male lead and Tang Tang had become Qiu’er’s little hobby—but only on the condition that the male lead didn’t make Bai Tang suffer. When Qiu’er gave Bai Tang tips and ideas, it was all in hopes that the male lead would learn to truly cherish him.
They had originally come here to complete a mission—to break up a couple. But now that they were emotionally invested, if the male lead didn’t treat Tang Tang well, wouldn’t that be a huge loss?
Qiu’er said, “The female lead does have a point—the male lead really is lacking in the romance department. But since he’s putting in the effort now, maybe we should work with him a little…”
Qiu’er and Xiao A came up with a plan for Bai Tang: continue acting angry for now, and occasionally give the male lead the cold shoulder. That way, he’d feel pressured and anxious, creating a sense of crisis. The harder he had to work to win Bai Tang back, the more he’d value him in the end. The things you fight hardest for are always the ones you treasure most.
Author’s Note:
Rong Ningjing: I just transmigrated, okay? I’ve endured way more than I signed up for…
😂😂😂
Don’t worry—now that the male lead has the female lead’s help, there won’t be any angst.
They’ll make up in the next chapter~