Lai Yuan and Xiao Ruo’s expressions darkened. They had risked their lives to divert the beasts, not for Yue ger’s sake, but to save Wang Jin. They had even discussed this with the leader beforehand...
Never had they imagined the leader would abandon Wang Jin and only bring Yue ger back.
They had assumed he simply couldn’t find Wang Jin... but no—he had deliberately left him behind.
The two clenched their fists so tightly their nails dug into their palms.
They stared at the leader, their eyes burning with defiance.
They demanded an explanation.
Seeing this, the leader impatiently explained, "What? What’s wrong with all of you? Should I not save my own ger? Lai Yuan, Xiao Ruo, what’s with those looks on your faces? Displeased? Is this really the time for displeasure? Right now, we should be finding a healer to save Yue ger! We must unite to fight the beast horde!"
"Unite?" Xiao Ruo took a deep breath, furious. "How can we unite now? We said that if we found Jin ger, we must bring him back, yet you abandoned him for your own ger! He… he’s Brother Heng’s ger!"
They had often been cared for by Yuan Heng in the past, and before he left, he had entrusted Wang Jin to them. Now…
How could they face Brother Heng like this?
Lai Yuan pressed his lips together and said, "Yue ger knew raw meat would attract beasts, yet he still hung it in Jin ger’s home. His actions violated the tribe’s rules, he is a criminal of the tribe!"
"What criminal?! Yue ger just wanted Wang Jin dead! The place he hung the meat was the most remote part of the tribe, it wouldn’t endanger the entire tribe. None of you were harmed, were you? Now that he’s already suffered for it, what more do you want?!"
"!" The crowd stared at the leader in shock. One of the beastmen whispered, "Leader, are you serious?"
"What? Did I say something wrong?" The leader lifted his chin defiantly.
"……" The crowd fell silent, their hearts chilled to the core.
The tribe was the foundation of every beastman—their sanctuary and stronghold. Bringing danger back to the tribe, even to its most remote corners, violated their most sacred law. This was the absolute line that no beastman should ever cross.
Beastmen had always seen their tribe as their shield, but how could a tribe that disregarded their lives and survival still be called a shield?!
How could this man protect his own ger to such an extent… Did he even deserve to be a proper leader?!
Slap!
A crisp sound rang out, startling everyone as they turned to look at Mu ger.
Mu ger’s fingers trembled as he pointed, tears in his eyes, his words dripping with venom. "You are utterly unworthy of being a leader!"
The leader was stunned for a long moment, clutching his face in disbelief as he stared at Mu ger. Rage slowly filled his widened eyes, and he raised his hand as if to strike back—but Lai Yuan quickly pulled Mu ger behind him, shielding him. Seeing this, Xiao Ruo also stepped forward.
"Was A-Mu wrong? Luring giant lizards into the tribe is unforgivable! Just because Yue ger is your ger, you shield him like this, you don’t deserve to be leader!" Lai Yuan said, his neck stiff with defiance.
Xiao Ruo added, "The leader mixes personal feelings with duty… At least A-Yuan and I are beastmen of the tribe. Mu ger is even pregnant, yet as victims of this incident, you dare say ‘we’re fine’? And Jin ger, who contributed so much to the tribe, you abandoned him without hesitation. It’s chilling, and it goes against all rules!"
Hearing this, the leader glared at the two beastmen with fury, about to strike—but then he saw all the beastmen step in front of Mu ger, their faces dark as they stared at him, not a trace of respect left.
The leader was taken aback, his expression souring. "What? Are you all blaming me now?"
He sneered. "You want rules? Fine. I’ll tell you, that Wang Jin is vicious. He killed Xiao Yu. By the rules, he should be exiled. Saving him only to exile him later would be pointless. Abandoning him now just settles Xiao Yu’s debt!"
Xiao Ruo retorted, "Even if it’s settling a debt, we must wait for Brother Heng to return! There’s no rule that allows punishing a ger when his beastman isn’t present! Besides, there are still doubts about this matter!"
"Are you the leader, or am I?!" The leader, enraged, slammed his palm down and shattered a table in the yard. "Is the Danmu Tribe still under my command or not?!"
The crowd remained silent. Yue ger, seemingly in great discomfort, suddenly let out a weak moan. The leader’s heart clenched, and he shouted urgently, "I say he’s guilty, so he’s guilty! Exile is exile! Now move aside! Find a healer and save A-Yue!"
"!!" Mu ger, who had been too furious to speak, finally forced out a sentence through gritted teeth.
"Jin ger is innocent!"
The leader, impatient, didn’t even glance at Mu ger. Seeing that no one moved, he carefully picked up the unconscious Yue ger, intending to carry him inside to find a healer. Mu ger chased after him, shouting, "Xi ger has already been saved by Brother Hua! He examined Yu ger, Yu ger died from Heart-Severing Poison! That poison belongs only to Yue ger! The murderer is Yue ger! Jin ger had nothing to do with it! He’s completely innocent!"
"!" The leader’s steps faltered. He turned to look at Mu ger, whose entire body was trembling, his frail frame looking as if it might collapse at any moment. His face was deathly pale, yet his eyes were bloodshot, filled with hatred as he glared at the leader—like a vengeful spirit.
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