"Who’s the one pushing their luck here?" Wang Jin shot back, chin raised. Mu ger and Yao ger paled, frantically signaling him to stop.
Seeing the two about to clash, Yu ger quickly stepped between them and asked the leader, "Brother, why did you come here, anyway?"
Only then did the leader remember his original purpose.
He composed himself, though his tone remained displeased. "Jin ger, as a beastman, I’m not one to pick fights, but if you go too far, I won’t hold back. So stop spreading those rumors. Yue ger has treated you well, you shouldn’t repay him like this."
"!" Wang Jin’s eye twitched. "I’m spreading rumors? He treated me well?"
The other three gers also looked at the leader with strange expressions. The leader, assuming they’d all been deceived by Wang Jin, said, "All of you, stop listening to nonsense. Jin ger, I understand you have misunderstandings with A-Yue. Tomorrow, A-Yue is inviting you to a banquet. Mu ger and Yao ger, you’ll come too. All the gers in the tribe will be there. If there’s anything to say, say it openly in front of everyone. No more underhanded tricks. I’ll be there too. Despite his illness, A-Yue still wants to clear things up with you, don’t let him down."
"I won’t—" Wang Jin began to refuse, but Mu ger tugged his sleeve and shook his head. Wang Jin fell silent.
The leader narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You won’t go? Even though A-Yue went to such lengths? Even though I came to invite you personally?"
"..." Wang Jin said nothing. Mu ger answered for him, "He’ll go! A-Jin will be there tomorrow!"
Wang Jin frowned and looked at Mu ger. Mu ger shot him a meaningful glance, but Wang Jin snorted coldly and turned his face away.
Seeing Mu ger speak like this, the leader's expression softened slightly before he turned and walked out.
After a few steps, as if remembering something, he said to Yu ger, "Why are you still standing there? Go back!"
Yu ger pouted in dissatisfaction, glanced back at Wang Jin, and reluctantly followed the leader away.
Yao ger watched the two leave, then turned to Wang Jin and Mu ger with astonishment. "The leader was just quarreling with Yue ger earlier, they were in a cold war! I live right next to them, so I noticed everything. And yet, in just one morning, Yue ger managed to sweet-talk the leader again. He’s really something!"
Wang Jin remained silent. Mu ger sighed and said, "Exactly. If he weren’t this capable, how could he have made Yu ger suffer like that?"
Hearing this, Yao ger chuckled lightly. "Well, Yu ger turned misfortune into blessing. After losing weight, he gained so many admirers!"
Mu ger smiled along, though it seemed forced. Yuan Heng had only just left today, and Yue ger was already making big moves.
Before Yuan Heng left, he had instructed Lai Yuan and Mu ger to take good care of Wang Jin. Yue ger’s actions were truly unsettling.
Noticing that both of them were still preoccupied with what had just happened, Yao ger asked, "What gifts are you bringing to the banquet tomorrow?"
"Gifts?" Wang Jin and Mu ger exchanged glances.
Yao ger was surprised. "You’re not planning to go empty-handed, are you? You’re not close with Yue ger, you definitely shouldn’t go without a gift..."
"You’re right," Mu ger agreed. "It’s best we draw a clear line with Yue ger. Since he invited us, we’ll return the courtesy—that way, no one owes anyone anything. A-Jin, what do you think?"
"Mmm," Wang Jin grunted in response, then pointed at a wine jar in the corner. "I’ll just bring a jug of wine. You two can take some if you need it."
"Everyone knows this wine was brewed by you, so we won’t take it, it’d seem insincere. We’ll just grab something random from home," Mu ger said.
Yao ger nodded. "Same here."
Wang Jin felt a suffocating frustration in his chest. He took a fierce gulp of cold water and spat out, "This is so damn humiliating!"
Suppressing his anger, he said, "This isn’t an invitation, it’s a forced summons! And now we have to bring gifts too?"
Mu ger lowered his voice to console him. "A-Jin, don’t be angry. The leader invited us, it’s not appropriate to refuse. With Brother Heng gone, it’s best to avoid trouble. We’ll wait... until he returns."
Yao ger also chimed in, "That’s right. Whatever happens, let Brother Heng deal with the leader when he’s back."
Wang Jin pressed his lips together and stayed silent.
The man had said he would retrieve something to stop the leader from abusing his power, but Wang Jin wasn’t sure how he planned to do it. If this humiliation continued, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could endure it...
____
The next day, the leader’s courtyard was filled with tables and chairs, set with fresh fruits and tea.
Gers trickled in one after another.
Inside the house, Yue ger watched the scene in the courtyard, gripping a small cloth pouch hidden in his sleeve, a shadow flashing in his eyes.
Today is the day. Today, everything will be settled.
He stood up, closed the door, and stealthily slipped out through the back, carefully avoiding the crowd as he made his way to the kitchen.
Inside, many prepared dishes were covered. A separate tray held three or four exquisitely prepared dishes, specially made for Wang Jin under Yue ger’s request, using the excuse of resolving their misunderstandings.
All the food had been prepared by the leader’s a-die along with Zhen ger, Jia ger, and Yu ger. Yue ger had deliberately avoided involvement, keeping himself completely detached.
Now... he had slipped in unnoticed. No one knew he was here.
Clutching the small pouch, Yue ger slowly approached the tray. If he poisoned these dishes, unless Xi ger recognized the toxin, no one would ever trace it back to him.
And Xi ger... had already gone to gather herbs. With winter approaching, he needed to prepare medicinal plants in advance, there was no way he’d return in time.
He had also coated the banquet chairs with wax earlier. Once Wang Jin ate the poisoned food and succumbed, chaos would erupt. Then, he would set the place on fire, Wang Jin’s corpse included. By the time Xi ger returned, there’d be no way to identify the poison...
And the witnesses would all testify to his innocence.
His plan was flawless.
All he had to do was administer the poison, and everything would be over.
Yue ger sat at the table, staring at the tray, his fingers trembling so violently he could barely hold the pouch.
His heart pounded so fiercely it felt like it would burst through his chest. He didn’t know whether he was more nervous or excited...
Using his other hand to steady his shaking right, he evenly sprinkled the powder onto the dishes.
Watching the powder blend into the food, he felt success within his grasp.
But then—
"What are you doing?!" A shout from the doorway startled Yue ger, making him drop the pouch onto the table.
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