Chapter 354: Nice to meet you

Chapter 354: Nice to meet you

"¥4!"

The leader of the Fire Tribe stood there for a while longer, then turned and said something. Following that, someone picked up the not-yet-dry leaves and placed them onto the burning fire.

Thick smoke quickly rose, standing out prominently against the clear sky...

"Why are those guys still lighting fires?"

The air was crisp and the sky was clear, with an unobstructed view. Han Cheng and his companions, drifting down by boat, saw the rising column of smoke upstream of the river.

It felt as if time had crossed back for a moment, returning to the first time they came here and saw the smoke column.

Han Cheng muttered to himself, wondering if someone in that tribe had fallen ill again and was being burned in that cruel way.

"Bai Xue."

Han Cheng, thinking of something, called out. Bai Xue didn't respond. In the past, she would have answered immediately whenever Han Cheng spoke.

Puzzled, Han Cheng turned his head and saw that Bai Xue was also staring at the column of smoke.

Her large eyes were full of fear, her face, already pale, was now almost deathly white, and her body was trembling slightly like a lone leaf quivering on a branch by the river in the cold wind.

"Bai Xue, don't be afraid, Brother Cheng is here."

Han Cheng's heart ached. He quickly walked over to embrace the lonely and helpless little child bride, gently comforting her.

He didn't need to ask to know that the smoke column had reminded Bai Xue of her previous experiences and those terrifying scenes.

Bai Xue, in terror and somewhat dazed, stared at the smoke column. Feeling the warm and solid embrace and hearing the familiar voice by her ear, much of her fear subsided.

Instinctively, she clutched Han Cheng's hand tightly, as if holding onto the last lifeline.

Yes, with Brother Cheng here, Brother Cheng who saved her from the fire and cured her illness, she wouldn't be thrown into the fire again...

Han Cheng gently patted Bai Xue's back, feeling heartache and reassurance.

He felt heartbroken for Bai Xue's tragic past and her current fragile, helpless state.

Reassuring was Bai Xue's reaction now, which assured him that even if the Fire Tribe people came to ask, the little child bride wouldn't return to the tribe that had once brought her nightmares.

As long as Bai Xue was unwilling to return, no one could make her stay.

Han Cheng's concern was not without reason. At this time, the most valued things in the tribe were twofold: food and people.

Seeing Bai Xue unharmed, the Fire Tribe people might indeed demand her return to the tribe.

The weapons were for self-defense and, if necessary, for stealing a bride. The gifts were for presenting to the tribe.

After all, the Fire Tribe could be considered his in-laws, and he had taken a girl from their tribe as a child bride, so he had to bring some betrothal gifts.

Although people of this era did not know these customs, Han Cheng, as a modern person from the future, did not want to take advantage of the Fire Tribe.

Of course, the premise of giving gifts was that the Fire Tribe did not do anything excessive. If they did something Han Cheng did not want to see, then what happened next would be unpredictable.

"Hello, hello everyone."

As the boat gradually approached the shore, Han Cheng, holding Bai Xue's hand in one hand and a small bundle of dried Chai Hu roots in the other, responded in Mandarin to the Fire Tribe people who were excitedly greeting them from the shore.

Han Cheng also raised the hand holding the dried Chai Hu roots, waving it slowly towards them, the roots swaying gently.

Making a gesture of greeting was enough; it didn't matter if they understood.

As instructed earlier, Shang, Third Senior Brother, and the others went ashore first. After ensuring some level of security on the shore, Han Cheng led Bai Xue, whose eyes were blinking slightly, ashore.

Six people remained on the boat. Unlike previous times, when no one was on the shore, they had to leave a few people to guard the boat this time.

These people were skilled archers. They stayed on the boat to guard it and, if necessary, to provide long-range support for Han Cheng and the others on the shore.

As Han Cheng walked slowly ashore, he carefully observed the Fire Tribe.

There were quite a few Fire Tribe members, about forty or fifty gathered here.

The youngest children were slightly younger than Han Cheng; the rest were all adults with no younger children.

The previous incident of burning the sick person seemed to be some kind of ritual for the Fire Tribe, so everyone had come, but this time it was different.

The Fire Tribe leader stood at the front, smiling, with the men and women of the Fire Tribe behind him. Although they were holding weapons, they were relaxed and showed no signs of wanting to fight.

It was the female primitives, most of whom were still bare-chested, that made Han Cheng shiver slightly.

These people looked at them with eyes gleaming as if they wanted to eat them all up.

In contrast, the male primitives of the Fire Tribe appeared much more peaceful, though their smiles were somewhat meaningful. Some even chuckled as if thinking of something amusing.

Han Cheng was basically certain that the Fire Tribe had no hostile intentions, which made him feel much more at ease holding Bai Xue's hand.

When they reached the Fire Tribe leader, he spread his arms as if to give Han Cheng a warm bear hug. Han Cheng quickly let go of Bai Xue's hand and took the Fire Tribe leader's hand instead.

Putting on a solemn expression, he gently shook the leader's hand while saying, "Hello, hello."