Chapter 111
Su Yi looked at Hunter in surprise. What did Hunter mean by his words?
This sudden change left everyone feeling caught off guard.
Hunter and Jells were close, it was something that everyone knew. So, even if people had doubts about Ian, they didn’t dare voice them openly.
After all, they believed that even if they spoke up, Hunter wouldn’t actually do anything to Ian.
Now that Hunter had suddenly changed his attitude, everyone was left speculating, whispering among themselves.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. What’s happening?”
“Did the leader discover something?”
The murmurs grew louder, and even Su Yi could hear them clearly.
Ferosa, hearing Hunter’s words, suddenly brightened. Though tears still streaked her face, she smiled and asked, “Really? Leader?”
Hunter looked at Ferosa, his expression serious, devoid of his usual gentleness.
Seeing Hunter nod, Ferosa finally lowered the bone knife. She happily grabbed Luoxi’s hand. “Luoxi, did you hear that? I told you, an orc like Ian would face retribution.”
Luoxi didn’t smile. He couldn’t smile in public. Dragged along by Ferosa, he frowned at Hunter. Clearly, he hadn’t expected Hunter to say such a thing.
Mino stared wide-eyed at Su Yi. “Su Yi, what’s going on with the leader?”
Su Yi didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled Mino away.
After spending time with Hunter, Su Yi knew what kind of person he was. Hunter appeared gentle, but he was firm in his decisions. Given his friendship with Jells, Su Yi didn’t believe Hunter would suddenly turn against Ian. There must be something Su Yi didn’t know.
Su Yi decided to go to Ian’s place to ask him directly.
Mino, seeing Su Yi silent, muttered to himself, “What’s going on? Isn’t Hunter Jells’ friend? Why is he suddenly treating Ian like this? Ian’s so pitiful. How could he side with Ferosa?”
When the two arrived at Ian’s house, they found several people already there, all familiar faces.
Dilson, seeing his partner, walked over with a silly grin. He took Mino's hand and said, “Why are you here?”
Mino looked at Dilson and the others, sensing something was off, but his mind couldn’t quite grasp what it was.
“What are you all doing here?” Mino asked curiously.
Dilson glanced at the others, then smiled and pulled Mino aside to explain.
Su Yi entered the room. Ian’s house wasn’t large, and with so many people inside, it felt stifling.
Jero was the first to speak, scratching his head awkwardly. “Uh, Su Yi, what brings you here?”
Su Yi glanced at him. “What are you all planning?”
Jero coughed, about to explain, when Ian spoke up. “Su Yi, they’re trying to help me. I know we should’ve told you, but we can’t always rely on you.”
Su Yi nodded. “And? You’re not going to tell us the plan?”
Ian sighed. “Jero, take him to see. He’ll understand.”
Jero quickly led Su Yi away, taking him to Old Taylor’s house. This was where they had all lived together before moving out. Now, it had a fence around it.
Jero didn’t dare speak along the way. He led Su Yi into the yard and to a hidden corner.
Jero lifted an old fur, and Su Yi stepped forward. When he saw what was hidden beneath, his eyes widened in shock.
Afterward, Su Yi returned home.
Feeling reassured, Su Yi relaxed.
Back home, he saw Sinoer helping little Eli learn to walk. When Eli saw Su Yi, he wobbled toward him.
Su Yi didn’t move, waiting for Eli to reach him before crouching down to hug him.
The soft and sweet Eli said, “Mother, I really want to go outside.” He pointed at the window with his chubby arm. Su Yi smiled, walked to the window, and closed it, then pulled the fur curtain shut. The curtain was Su Yi’s way of blocking the wind. Though the room was warm with the window closed, Su Yi worried Eli was too young to handle the cold, so he had added the curtain.
Eli, confined to the bedroom, was probably bored.
But without Su Yi’s permission, Eli could only roll around on the bed, playing by himself. Eli was Sinoer’s child, and after his transformation, many people worried he would inherit Sinoer’s unknown orc traits. But when Su Yi took Eli out, they saw that Eli was just like any other young orc, healthy and without any issues.
This discovery made many people realize that unknown orcs weren’t so different from ordinary orcs. Before Sinoer, no unknown orc had a partner or children. Now that Sinoer had set this precedent, some families with young females began interacting with single unknown orcs. Of course, the only single unknown orcs left were Jero, Dino, and Redra.
Redra’s house had been receiving visitors lately. A single orc with a young female had visited Redra multiple times, but after Redra said something, the orc stopped coming.
Three days later.
Su Yi left Dino to watch Eli and went out with Sinoer.
Sinoer, still bundled up, followed Su Yi as they trudged through the snow. In the past, Sinoer would have been hibernating by now. He feared the cold and would sleep through the harsh winter.
But now, with the house so warm and wearing so many layers of clothes, he didn’t feel cold at all.
They arrived early at the valley’s central square, where only a few people were chatting. When they saw Su Yi and Sinoer, they greeted them.
After waiting for a while, they saw Hunter leading a group over, with Ian among them.
Su Yi didn’t greet them but pulled Sinoer aside. Su Yi scanned the area but didn’t see Luoxi or Ferosa. Sinoer leaned down and whispered, “What are you looking for?”
Su Yi smiled. “Nothing.”
Su Yi had told Sinoer about Ian’s situation the night before, so Sinoer wasn’t surprised to see Ian brought out.
As more people gathered, Luoxi and Ferosa finally arrived.
When they appeared, Su Yi’s gaze locked onto them. His stare was quickly noticed by Luoxi, who looked back and gave a shy smile. Su Yi returned the smile, but his was filled with mockery.
Luoxi froze, his expression darkening.
Sinoer watched their interaction silently, standing behind Su Yi like a steadfast support.
Hunter, seeing that most people had arrived, pulled Ian to the front. Everyone’s eyes immediately focused on them. Ian, uncomfortable with the attention, shivered slightly. Hunter patted his back, seemingly encouraging him.
Ian lowered his gaze and suddenly spoke. “You must be wondering why I suddenly hit Luoxi?”
This opening stunned everyone. This wasn’t what they expected. Wasn’t Ian supposed to be on trial? Why did they sense something unusual?
Luoxi's face turned pale, he was furious and glared at Su Yi.
Su Yi smiled. Luoxi was indeed clever, already sensing something was off before it even began.
Ian seemed to struggle with how to share his painful past. Just as he mustered the courage, Ferosa suddenly rushed forward.
Ferosa moved quickly, catching everyone off guard. Before anyone could react, she slapped Ian across the face.
Ian who was fair-skinned, now bore a red mark on his cheek.
Hunter was furious.
He grabbed Ferosa’s wrist as she raised her hand again.
“What are you doing?!”
Hunter threw Ferosa to the ground.
Ferosa's eyes were red, he pointed at Ian. “This Ian is trying to bully Luoxi again. I was just getting revenge for Luoxi.”
Ferosa spoke with conviction, glaring at Ian as if he wanted to devour him.
Hunter frowned coldly. “Shut up. If you keep spouting nonsense, go home.”
Hunter, usually gentle and smiling, was truly angry. Ferosa was acting like a fool.
Ian, initially stunned, now looked at Luoxi with anger.
Ian didn’t care about Ferosa’s stupidity. What infuriated him was that Luoxi, the real villain, stood there as if nothing was wrong.
Chaos erupted.
Su Yi sighed and stepped forward. Ian wasn’t good with words, and facing someone as articulate as Ferosa and Luoxi, he wouldn’t stand a chance. Though Su Yi knew Ian wanted to handle this himself, the situation was too chaotic for Ian to manage.
When everyone saw Su Yi approach, they fell silent. Su Yi walked up to Ian, who looked embarrassed. He had told Su Yi he wanted to handle this himself, but now he couldn’t even control the situation.
Su Yi didn’t mind. He understood Ian’s feelings. Without saying anything, he stood before the crowd.
“Alright, I know many of you have issues with me and Ian because of what happened. I’ll take this opportunity to explain.” Su Yi’s voice rang out, and everyone turned to him, waiting for his explanation.
Ferosa, seeing Su Yi, stood up angrily. “Don’t believe him! Su Yi and Ian are in this together. Don’t trust him!”
Su Yi frowned, his expression darkening. “Your parents probably didn’t teach you not to interrupt when others are speaking.” Su Yi’s voice was calm, but those nearby saw the icy glare he directed at Ferosa.
Ferosa shrank back, feeling as if Su Yi’s gaze could kill.
With Ferosa silenced, Su Yi pointed at Luoxi. “Luoxi, come here. Don’t be afraid. Everyone’s watching. I won’t do anything to you in front of everyone, right?”
Hearing this, everyone turned to Luoxi. If he didn’t come forward, it would make him look guilty. He walked over reluctantly.
Once Luoxi was there, Su Yi continued. “I heard Luoxi was captured by unknown orcs many years ago?” Su Yi asked calmly, his eyes fixed on Luoxi. He used a questioning tone, prompting others to share the story.
Sure enough, a female chimed in. “Yes, Luoxi’s had a hard life. First, he was taken by unknown orcs, then by wandering orcs.” She looked at Luoxi with sympathy.
“Right. So, who can tell me who saved him?” Su Yi asked curiously, as if making small talk.
In criminal investigations, Su Yi was a veteran. He often used this method to train newcomers. By posing questions and letting others find the answers, the story became more convincing.
Hearing Su Yi’s question, everyone began to recall.
Luoxi, though clever, was only clever in small ways. When he returned, everyone had been curious and skeptical about how he managed it. Now, with Su Yi bringing it up again, they all looked at Luoxi, waiting for an explanation.
Su Yi remained silent, waiting to see what Luoxi would say.
Luoxi’s expression remained grim. He opened his mouth and said, “Someone saved me back then.”
“Who?” Before Su Yi could ask, others couldn’t help but inquire.
Yes, who? Luoxi’s answer had always been vague.
“A… a wandering orc,” Luoxi said, his voice trembling as he tried to stay calm.
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