Chapter 97
The beastmen's faces lit up with joy upon hearing this, and they rushed out to welcome them.
At a glance, it seemed all the beastmen who had gone out to search had returned, along with many others who had been scattered during the beast horde while out hunting.
However, every beastman was injured, some even unconscious... their faces deathly pale, leaning on each other for support...
But the fact that they were alive was, at this moment, the greatest comfort to everyone.
Just as their expressions brightened, an aged voice called out.
"...Xiao Ruo... where is the new leader?"
The healer trembled as he stepped forward from the back, his clouded eyes quickly scanning the crowd. When he saw that Qin Ya, not Xiao Ruo, was leading the returning group at the front, his heart sank. He asked again, this time with urgency in his voice.
"Where is the leader?!"
"That's right, where's Xiao Ruo?" Xiao Ruo's father, Deng Ming, his a-die Yong ger, and his elder brother Da Nuo had already searched the crowd once without finding him. Anxiously, they turned to the returning beastmen, echoing the healer's question.
The beastmen's expressions darkened, all remaining silent.
The three of them paled instantly and began searching the crowd again, one by one. Seeing this, Qin Ya gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Stop looking. Xiao Ruo... the leader, he..."
Qin Ya choked up, unable to continue. The healer's withered hand gripped his wrist tightly as he pressed, "What happened to him?"
"We followed the leader's plan to lure the beasts into briefly scattering, and we managed to find everyone. We should have returned immediately, but Uncle Qi's son, A-Zhang..." Qin Ya paused, glancing at Qi ger, who was also searching for someone.
Hearing this, Qi ger froze, ears pricking up to listen.
Qin Ya clenched his jaw and said bitterly, "He refused to come back. He said there were still beastmen he had led out deeper in the forest, and he had to save them. Xiao Ruo... the leader clearly said it was too dangerous during the beast horde and that we needed to return first to regroup before venturing deeper. But A-Zhang wouldn't listen..."
The little color that had returned to Qi ger's face drained away completely.
Qin Ya tightened his fists. "Not only did he refuse to listen, but he also used the leader's name to pressure the injured beastmen into following him to rescue the others. The beastmen he had led out still saw him as their leader and obeyed him, ignoring our protests and charging deeper. And then..."
And then...
The crowd gasped, a chill seeping into their bones.
During a beast horde, charging deeper into the forest while injured... was practically suicide.
Pain flashed in Qin Ya's eyes. "Xiao Ruo... the leader had no choice but to take us to help... trying to persuade them while stopping them from going further. But the delay allowed the beasts we had lured away to regroup and surround us..."
"..." The crowd's hearts turned icy, as if plunged into winter.
Qin Ya's voice trembled. "The leader stayed behind to hold off the beasts, buying us time to escape and return."
"!" Everyone was stunned. Xiao Ruo wasn't even of age—how could he have such courage?
Tears welled in Deng Ming and his family's eyes. "Xiao Ruo..."
Their beastman was still just a child...
"Where is that bastard A-Zhang now?" Deng Ming asked, voice thick with hatred.
Qi ger shuddered at the question, his red-rimmed eyes still holding a sliver of hope as he looked at Qin Ya.
Qin Ya spat out bitterly, "He... he stubbornly pressed on and was dragged into the depths of the forest by the beasts."
"..." Qi ger swayed as if his support had been ripped away. The hope in his eyes dimmed, turning dull and lifeless, like a stone long buried in the earth...
Mu ger and Wang Jin hurried forward to steady him, carefully supporting him.
"He brought it on himself! If not for him, we wouldn't be so badly injured, and Xiao Ruo... the leader wouldn't have..." Qin Ya's nose stung with unshed tears.
Xiao Ruo's a-die, Yong ger, sobbed, "Even if he was dragged into the forest, it won’t bring my Xiao Ruo back... He deserves to die a thousand deaths! My Xiao Ruo..."
Heartbroken, Qi ger, supported by Wang Jin and Mu ger, stepped forward and suddenly knelt before the three of them.
Wang Jin and Mu ger were startled, reaching to pull him up, but he refused.
"Yong ger... Deng Ming, Da Nuo... my son has wronged you."
With that, Qi ger could no longer hold back his tears. His reddened eyes swept over the crowd, their expressions heavy with grief—even the aged healer, his wrinkled lips trembling as if he wanted to speak but was too overcome with sorrow.
Still kneeling, Qi ger turned toward the returning beastmen. "My son has also wronged the Danmu tribe..."
Then he bowed his head deeply to them.
Wang Jin couldn’t bear it any longer and stepped forward to help him up. "This isn’t your fault, Uncle Qi. Please get up."
"Jin ger, I know you and Heng boy are kind-hearted... but my son committed a grave mistake, and as his father, I bear responsibility. It’s just... too late now. If only I had disciplined him better, persuaded him more, maybe none of this would have happened..."
Qi ger wept bitterly, guilt etched across his face. Everyone knew his pain wasn’t just from losing his son—it was the crushing guilt over his son’s actions bringing ruin to the tribe and costing them a promising leader.
Though only middle-aged, not yet old, he seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, his hair even reflecting faint silver in the sunlight...
"..." Wang Jin didn’t know how to comfort him and could only stay by his side.
Seeing this, Mu ger crouched down and said gently, "Uncle Qi, don’t be like this. Leader Xiao Ruo might still be alright. Didn’t A-jin also fall into a beast horde once and return safely? And Xiao Ruo was taught by Brother Heng—he’s the leader of the Danmu tribe. He’ll surely overcome this, right?"
Mu ger looked up at the crowd, hoping for their agreement to ease the poor man’s guilt. After all... this truly wasn’t his fault.
The crowd seemed to realize this too, comforting Qi ger—or perhaps comforting themselves—as they chimed in.
"That’s right, Xiao Ruo might still be fine."
"When he returns, he’ll be the finest leader the Danmu tribe has ever had."
"I’ll never say Xiao Ruo is too young or lacks capability again. When he comes back, I’ll call him ‘Leader’ with respect and follow his every word."
"You’d better mean what you say."
Suddenly, a voice rang out from above.
Everyone looked up to see a majestic white tiger descending from above.
Its spread wings folded back, kicking up a swirl of dust.
As the dust settled, the tiger shifted into human form. In front of him lay two tigers—one large, one small—both yellow with black stripes.
"Brother Heng!" The crowd cried out joyfully.
Deng Ming and his family spotted the smaller tiger and rushed forward in relief. "Xiao Ruo!"
The little tiger seemed to hear them, twitching slightly as if trying to move but too exhausted to do more. Worried, the three looked at Yuan Heng, who pressed his lips together and said, "He’s just worn out. No life-threatening injuries."
Only then did they relax. The crowd’s expressions also softened. Yuan Heng glanced around, understanding that Xiao Ruo had, in misfortune, won their loyalty.
Their attitude toward Xiao Ruo had shifted—and toward him as well. Gone was the previous blame, replaced only by trust and relief.
Yuan Heng felt a weight lift from his chest and said firmly, "Don’t forget what you just promised—to acknowledge Xiao Ruo as the Danmu tribe’s leader, to respect and follow him."
"We will!" the crowd vowed before turning to organize the wounded in an orderly manner.
Yuan Heng instinctively scanned the crowd for a certain young man—only to find him crouched before the kneeling, dazed Qi ger.
He paused, then walked over. Before he could act, the young man noticed him and rushed into his arms.
Cheng Bai, surrounded by the injured, missed the scene entirely.
"Brother Heng..." That soft, sweet voice never failed to melt his heart.
Yuan Heng’s gaze warmed as he ruffled the young man’s hair, then turned to help Qi ger up. "Uncle Qi... go see him."
He gestured to the other tiger he had brought back—a fully grown beast with powerful limbs, once majestic but now battered and bloodied.
Qi ger approached on trembling legs, afraid to touch the wounded tiger. Its body was covered in injuries, not a single patch unmarred.
Tears fell again as Qi ger’s voice shook beyond recognition. "A-Zhang..."
He called several times, but the beastman gave no response. Qi ger turned to Yuan Heng, who shook his head. "When I found him, he was already like this. The healer will need to assess his injuries..."
Before Yuan Heng could finish, Qi ger had already dragged Cheng Bai over, eyes pleading. "Save him."
The crowd fell silent. Qi ger’s son had made countless mistakes, even defied the leader... Should they really expend effort to save him now?
All eyes turned to Cheng Bai, as if the decision rested with him.
Cheng Bai studied the injured beastman. He had been with the Danmu tribe long enough to know what this man had done to his precious one. Though he hadn’t been there to protect him before, that didn’t mean he would now heal someone who had once harmed him.
But the young man stood before him now, eyes silently pleading...
Even after all the cruelty, he still wanted to save this man?
Just because his father had ties to Yuan Heng? For Yuan Heng’s sake, was he willing to endure this injustice?
The realization made Cheng Bai even more unwilling.
For a long moment, he stood frozen in silence.
"Getting Young Master Cheng to heal someone... won’t be that simple."
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