The Clan Leader nodded hurriedly.
“Go on.
As long as you’re willing to stay, we’ll agree to any condition.”
“First, everyone who bullied my Zaizai must apologize to them and earn their forgiveness.”
“That’s no problem.” ‘Just an apology.
Simple.’
“Second, from now on, anyone who seeks my treatment must pay with equivalent goods.
Salt, beast hides, or food will all do.”
“That’s no problem either.
Is there anything else?” They also traded food for help from the witch doctor.
Xi Yao shot the witch doctor a meaningful glance.
“Third…
Between me and the witch doctor, only one can stay.”
“This…”
The Clan Leader looked troubled.
Xi Yao ignored his troubled expression, crouching down to begin treating Bo Ya.
The Healing Technique slowly flowed into his body.
His complexion visibly improved, and the bleeding from the wound on his leg stopped.
She withdrew her hand and looked at the Clan Leader.
“Have you considered my terms, Clan Leader?”
The Clan Leader was still reeling from the ability she had just displayed.
Speculation was one thing, but to see it confirmed with his own eyes was something else entirely.
Watching Bo Ya’s wounds heal so quickly, the surrounding clansfolk let out gasps of amazement.
Even those who had harbored doubts were now completely won over by Xi Yao’s medical skills.
The witch doctor’s face turned foul.
She bit her lower lip, her hands unconsciously tightening around her Witch Staff, her eyes filled with resentment and indignation.
“H-how is this possible?”
‘Is Xi Yao really a Priest?’
She didn’t want to believe it, but the proof was right before her eyes.
She had no choice.
The Clan Leader snapped back to reality, the elation on his face not yet gone before he was once again caught in a dilemma.
The witch doctor had been with the clan for many years, treating countless injuries and illnesses.
Although her skills couldn’t compare to Xi Yao’s, the Clan Leader couldn’t bear to simply drive her out.
Yet, the power Xi Yao had demonstrated was impossible to ignore.
Keeping her would undoubtedly bring greater benefits to the clan.
“Xi Yao, the witch doctor has served the clan well.
Is it possible…”
The Clan Leader tried to plead on her behalf, but Xi Yao cut him off before he could finish.
“Clan Leader, since I’ve made this my condition, I have no intention of changing it.
I don’t want someone trying to undermine me while I’m treating patients.
You’ve seen what I can do.
With me here, the clan’s injuries and illnesses will all receive better treatment.” Xi Yao’s tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
The Clan Leader wanted to try persuading her further, but seeing Xi Yao’s unyielding stance, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
He knew in his heart that the conflict between Xi Yao and the witch doctor would be difficult to mediate.
The witch doctor had targeted Xi Yao time and time again, trying to drive her and her children out of the clan.
It was because of her words that Xi Yao’s Zaizai were ostracized by everyone and treated like monsters.
‘If I were in her shoes, I’d find it hard to forgive, too.’
The Clan Leader was caught in a dilemma.
He had pleaded with the witch doctor many times before she agreed to join their clan.
Although her medical skills were no match for Xi Yao’s, she had saved many clansfolk over the years and had built a strong network of support.
Kicking her out rashly would inevitably cause discontent among some members, and might even make them lose heart in the clan.
Xi Yao was a Priest.
Her importance to the clan was self-evident.
Not to mention, once her identity as a Priest became known, more Beastmen would choose to join their clan, offering a chance to grow their numbers.
His gaze shifted back and forth between Xi Yao and the witch doctor, his mind endlessly weighing the pros and cons.
He remained silent, unable to make a decision.
Xi Yao chuckled.
“No need to put yourself in a difficult position, Clan Leader.
I’ll take the Zaizai and leave tomorrow morning.”
Xi Bei ran over, wrapping his paws around her calf.
“Wherever Mother goes, my brother and I will go.”
“Okay, my sweet babies.
Mother will take you with me no matter where I go.”
Xi Nan came over and lay down at her feet.
Xi Mo, hiding behind the crowd, lay on the ground to conceal his broken tail, remaining silent.
Her heart aching, Xi Yao picked him up.
Xi Mo was sensitive to begin with, and after his injury, he had become even more reluctant to go outside or see anyone.
He never would have come here today if it hadn’t been for her.
“What about you, Ah Mo?
Do you want to come with Mother?”
Xi Mo snuggled into her embrace and let out a soft “mhm.”
Xi Yao planted a kiss on his antler.
“Such a good boy.”
Just as Xi Yao was preparing to leave, Bo Ya propped himself up, his voice no longer as weak as it had been when he was carried in.
“Clan Leader, Xi Yao is the one who saved my life.
Without her, I’m afraid I would have been stuck with this crippled leg for the rest of my days.”
“I don’t know everything that’s happened before, but I know that when Ni Duo was bitten by a venomous snake, the witch doctor pronounced that she couldn’t be saved.
But Xi Yao saved her.
And just now, the witch doctor declared that my leg was crippled and told me to go home and wait to die.
Without Xi Yao, does this mean that anyone in the clan who gets seriously injured from now on can only wait to die?”
Bo Ya’s words struck a chord with many of the people around them.
This was especially true for the Beastmen of the Hunting Team.
They dealt with ferocious beasts every day; injuries were inevitable.
When they saw Bo Ya’s injury, they knew he was a lost cause.
Even if the witch doctor managed to keep him alive, the end result would still be expulsion from the clan.
The world of the Beastmen was a cruel one.
Any who lost their ability to hunt were driven out of their clan and left to fend for themselves.
Especially during the cold season when food was scarce, many of the old, weak, and injured Beastmen—excluding the females—had nothing to eat.
Even if they weren’t driven from the clan, they would starve or freeze to death.
Hearing this, the witch doctor’s eyes blazed with fury.
“I have served this clan with all my heart for so many years!
Is there any injury, big or small, that I haven’t tended to?
And now you want to drive me out, all because of one Xi Yao?”
The Clan Leader, seeing that Xi Yao was about to leave, finally made his choice.
He looked at the witch doctor.
“Witch Doctor, you’ve seen what Xi Yao can do.
For the future of the clan, we have to make a choice…”
Hearing the Clan Leader’s decision, the witch doctor’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Her finger trembling, she pointed at Xi Yao and shrieked, “You can’t do this to me!
I’ve been in this clan for so many years!
What right does an outsider like her have to take everything from me?!” But her only answer was the silence of the clan members.
“Fine!
A fine pack of ungrateful wolves!
I hope you don’t regret this!”
Of all the clan members she had healed over the years, not a single one stood up to speak for her now.
The rage in her heart burned even hotter.
The witch doctor laughed, her anger twisting into a sneer.
She turned and stormed back to her cave.
Her cave was the largest in the clan, and the most well-stocked.
The best things in the clan were always given to her first.
She swept all the herbs and neatly arranged medicinal tools onto the floor.
Still furious, she stomped on them several times.
She had worked so hard to climb to this position, only to have it all destroyed because of one Xi Yao.
After her outburst, the witch doctor collapsed to the floor, staring blankly at the wreckage around her.
Her mind kept replaying the respectful, trusting faces of the clan members who had come to her for healing.
Before today, they had hung on her every word.
But now, everything had changed.
…
Xi Yao had someone carry Bo Ya back to his cave.
His leg injury was severe—a comminuted fracture.
The bone fragments had to be removed before she could proceed with the treatment.
She told them to prepare clean beast hides and hot water, and to wait for her.
Now, the way everyone looked at her had changed.
The hostility was gone, and they were even polite to her Zaizai.
“Xiao Nan, Little Bei, Ah Mo, let’s go home.”
After all the commotion, it was already afternoon.
The Zaizai must be hungry, so she decided to take them home to eat first.
Then, she would go perform the surgery on Bo Ya.