Chapter 288 – Princess of the Prairie Rules the World – It’s Junfu (13)
Rong Ningjing thought it over carefully and finally decided to temporarily keep the matter to herself. Right now, the tribe was in the middle of a major relocation. Long Qian was a respected healer in the tribe, and exposing him at this time would only cause trouble without any benefit.
For one, she had no witnesses — she was the only one who saw Long Qian administer the medicine. For another, even if she presented the physical evidence, Long Qian could still argue that he gave the medicine to ensure the cattle and sheep would make it safely to their destination. Cycleweed not only clears heat and detoxifies but also refreshes the mind — it doesn’t necessarily have to be used only when there’s an illness.
This incident also made Rong Ningjing realize that relying on others was not as reliable as relying on herself. If she were a skilled healer, or had martial skills as strong as Tuoba Jingyao, she could have acted without hesitation and captured Long Qian the moment he tampered with the animals.
Once she confirmed that Long Qian was the one behind it, Rong Ningjing could no longer talk and laugh with him as before.
Long Qian, preoccupied with his own thoughts, didn’t pay much attention to Rong Ningjing’s changed demeanor. Besides, it wasn’t just her — almost no one in the tribe was smiling. With the tribe leader and his wife gone, who could still find joy?
Rong Ningjing had a good relationship with Bai Tang. Later, she discovered that Long Qian’s target had been her all along. Bai Tang had died for her sake — this left Rong Ningjing both guilt-ridden and full of hatred.
She had always been kind and avoided making enemies in the tribe. What had she done to offend Long Qian so deeply that he wanted her dead? Or perhaps, had the original owner of this body had some unresolved grudge with Long Qian before she crossed over?
Either way, it was unforgivable. No conflict should justify taking a life. She couldn’t let Bai Tang die in vain.
At her current age, Rong Ningjing had already missed the prime time to learn martial arts. All that was left for her was medicine — something she excelled at. In the past, she had devoured medical texts thicker than bricks on a daily basis — and not just one or two. She had long since trained herself to memorize quickly, so learning came easily to her.
Master Xin had sighed more than once that Rong Ningjing was a rare talent. After seeing how hard she worked, even he began to waver in his principles. Was it really so important to only pass down his knowledge to men? Rong Ningjing had told him herself — she wanted to contribute to the tribe. The tribe grew stronger every year, and the more healers it had, the better. Only with flourishing growth could the tribe thrive for generations to come.
Rong Ningjing didn’t make things difficult for Master Xin. She didn’t ask him to formally take her as a disciple. She simply consulted him humbly whenever she encountered something she didn’t understand.
Basic medical knowledge was universal — observing, listening, questioning, and taking the pulse. There was nothing secretive about teaching these fundamentals. In fact, Master Xin was more than happy to instruct Rong Ningjing in them. Moreover, Rong Ningjing already had a solid foundation in modern medicine, so her progress was incredibly fast. The other disciples often gave her a thumbs-up in admiration.
Rong Ningjing’s improvement only increased the pressure on Long Qian. The more time Master Xin spent with her, the more obvious his appreciation became. It was a pity he hadn’t managed to get rid of her on the cliff. At this rate, Rong Ningjing was bound to take his place sooner or later.
After nearly ten days of travel, the tribe finally arrived at their destination.
The place was shielded from the wind, blocking most of the cold winter drafts. There was no need to worry about the tents being blown away in the middle of the night.
Everyone began dividing up the land and setting up their tents.
Although Tuoba Jingyao and Bai Tang had fallen off the cliff and their chances of survival were slim, as the saying goes: “If alive, we must see the person; if dead, we must see the corpse.” A disappearance did not necessarily mean death.
Tuoba Jingyao’s personal guards split into two teams — one returned to search for him, while the other remained at the main camp to watch over the tribe.
Rong Ningjing understood Long Qian’s petty and vindictive nature. Anyone who had offended him would eventually be repaid in kind. To prevent him from misusing communal resources for personal revenge and escaping punishment under that pretense, she applied — with support from Master Xin and Tuoba Jingyao’s guards — to take on the role of tending to the livestock through the winter.
No one who wished to contribute to the tribe would ever be refused. Rong Ningjing’s initiative not only won approval, it also earned her newfound respect among the tribespeople. Her diligence and kindness didn’t go unnoticed — everyone saw it and remembered it.
Gradually, Rong Ningjing’s good reputation began to spread throughout the tribe. Everything was developing in exactly the opposite direction of what Long Qian had hoped. It filled him with silent, bitter resentment.
Meanwhile, Tuoba Jingyao was making his way back to the main camp with Bai Tang. Though they had not yet arrived, winter had already set in, making their journey even more difficult.
At night, Tuoba Jingyao built a fire and held Bai Tang in his arms to keep him warm.
The sweet scent of roasted sweet potatoes wafted from the fire. Bai Tang, unable to resist, eagerly reached out — but just before he could grab one, another hand intercepted his.
“They’re not done yet. Wait a little longer,” Tuoba Jingyao said, covering Bai Tang’s hand. If he had been a second slower, the boy would have burned himself.
Bai Tang leaned against Tuoba Jingyao’s chest and asked in a soft, childish voice, “Ah Yao, how much longer until we catch up with the tribe~?”
“Soon. At our current pace, we’ll be home in five days.”
Squirrels had a natural instinct to hibernate. Even though he had taken on human form, that instinct was hard to change. The colder the weather got, the sleepier he became.
Sure enough, the boy who had just been waiting eagerly for roasted sweet potatoes was now fast asleep in Tuoba Jingyao’s arms.
Tempered steel turned to gentle thread — that phrase now described Tuoba Jingyao perfectly.
He held the boy in his arms, resting his chin gently on Bai Tang’s head, softly and tenderly rubbing it.
When the herd of cattle and sheep began to wander off, Tuoba Jingyao let out a single call. The straying animals slowly turned and began to make their way back.
The sound startled Bai Tang awake.
“Wh-what happened? Did something happen? Is there danger? Ah Yao, run~!” he cried in panic.
Seeing the fear on the boy’s face, Tuoba Jingyao gently patted his back in comfort.
“It’s alright. The cows were wandering too far, so I called them back. Sorry, did I wake you?”
Bai Tang counted the animals around them — none were missing.
“Good… that’s a relief.”
“It’s okay. I fell asleep before I even got to eat the sweet potatoes Ah Yao roasted~” Bai Tang rubbed his eyes and tried to perk up.
“Are they ready yet? I want sweet potatoes~”
Tuoba Jingyao picked one up, peeled the skin, but didn’t hand it over. Instead, he held it to Bai Tang’s mouth.
“They’re still hot. I’ll hold it for you. Take your time, Tang Tang.”
The golden flesh of the sweet potato gave off a rich, sweet aroma. Bai Tang carefully bit into it from Tuoba Jingyao’s hand, the natural sweetness spreading through his mouth.
“Mmm, it’s so good~” The boy beamed with joy. He blew on the sweet potato and took a big bite, cheeks puffed out like a squirrel, clearly satisfied.
“Ah Yao, you eat some too! It’s really tasty~” Bai Tang pushed Tuoba Jingyao’s hand toward his own mouth, urging him to take a bite.
Tuoba Jingyao bit into the spot where Bai Tang had just eaten. After swallowing, he smiled and said, “It really is delicious.”
Little squirrels were easily pleased — fruit, greens, anything vegetarian, Bai Tang enjoyed it all.
But Tuoba Jingyao didn’t see it the same way. The boy’s simplicity and easy contentment only made him feel more guilty.
Bai Tang deserved a better life than chewing on sweet potatoes by his side.
Even after sitting by the fire for so long, the boy’s hands and feet were still cold. Tuoba Jingyao cupped Bai Tang’s hands and breathed warm air onto them.
“Tang Tang, I’ve made you suffer.”
Bai Tang blinked in surprise. Then, seeing the guilt in Tuoba Jingyao’s eyes, he gently touched his face and smiled.
“I don’t like seeing that look in your eyes, Ah Yao. You’re doing great. I liked it better when you were confident and full of spirit.”
From Bai Tang’s habits and the things Master Xin had mentioned about his physical condition, it wasn’t hard to imagine how refined and comfortable the boy’s life used to be. Now, traveling with Tuoba Jingyao, he had to eat in the wind and sleep under the stars — not even winter brought a stable roof over his head.
Tuoba Jingyao kissed Bai Tang’s fingertips.
“I’ll give you a good life, Tang Tang. Safe and steady, warm in winter, cool in summer. You won’t have to endure this kind of hardship anymore.”
Looking into his eyes, Bai Tang saw the sincerity and replied, “I believe in you, Ah Yao~”
When he said those words, “I believe in Ah Yao,” his eyes seemed to shine like a sky full of stars — bright and beautiful.
Tuoba Jingyao slowly leaned in.
“Tang Tang…”
Bai Tang shyly closed his eyes, and they shared a tender kiss.
But just as things were getting intimate, a sudden commotion broke the moment. Tuoba Jingyao stood up and pulled Bai Tang behind him protectively.
He waited on high alert as the figures approached. As they came closer and stepped into the firelight, he realized — they were his own personal guards.
“Chief!” one of the men cried out in joy.
He and his brothers had been searching along the riverbank — whether dead or alive, they had to find either a person or a body.
While they were resting, they vaguely spotted a firelight in the distance. He had been sent to investigate, and to his surprise, it turned out to be the very people they were looking for — the chief and his consort.
“Ah Qi, why are you out here? How’s the tribe?” Tuoba Jingyao asked. According to his estimate, everyone should’ve already set up camp by now.
“Everything’s fine. The tribespeople all arrived safely. We split into two teams — Ah Yi and the others are managing things back at the camp, while our squad came out to search for you and the furen“
The term furen (夫人) was usually used for women. But the little squirrel was male, and he poked his head out from behind Tuoba Jingyao to softly correct, “Not furen, it’s junfu~”
Tuoba Jingyao pulled Bai Tang out with a smile and playfully tapped his nose.
“That’s right — he’s my junfu.”
“Uhh~” The little squirrel, still flustered from being so close and affectionate with his husband just moments ago, was interrupted by the arrival of the others. Embarrassed, he quickly hid back behind Tuoba Jingyao. He didn’t care if it seemed rude — he just didn’t want to face anyone right now.
It was hard for anyone to resist the squirrel’s cuteness. The man chuckled and said to Tuoba Jingyao, “Chief, I’ll go let the others know that you and the—uh, junfu—are here.”
The cattle and sheep were scattered, grazing on their own, and gathering them all would take some time.
The man happily went to inform the rest of the search party. Before long, several men arrived in front of Tuoba Jingyao.
“Chief—!”
“Chief, Chief—!”
Everyone had told themselves: If alive, we must see the person; if dead, we must see the body. They hadn’t held out much hope when they set out — yet heaven had given them a miracle.
The chief was alive. The chief hadn’t died. And the consort was with him.
“You’ve all worked hard,” Tuoba Jingyao said — just one sentence, but it nearly brought tears to their eyes.
“Not at all,” they replied in unison.
Bai Tang, ever straightforward with his concern, chimed in, “Do you guys want some sweet potatoes? Ah-Yao roasted them. They’re really tasty~”
“Furen, we—”
“It’s junfu~” Bai Tang corrected them seriously, his earnest little face especially adorable.
Author’s Note:
Bai Tang (seriously): It’s junfu.
Tuoba Jingyao: That’s right. Not furen, junfu. My junfu is right.
Note :
“君夫” (junfu) is a gender-reversed or gender-neutral term modeled on “君妻” (lady/spouse of a ruler) or “夫人” (lady/wife) — but here, “君夫” implies male spouse of a ruler or chief, i.e., a “lord’s husband” or “male consort.”