Chapter 241

Seeing Zhu Teng’s cautious expression, Qi Bai asked curiously, “Ma Liang? What about Ma Liang?”

Zhu Teng replied, “I don’t know exactly. I think Ma Ling caught him at the threshing ground.”

Ma Liang was a member of the third production team and did tend to spend more time in the tribe than others.

But the threshing ground wasn’t some kind of restricted area. What was so strange about a tribesman being there? Why would it escalate to the point of someone getting caught?

Zhu Teng shook his head. Anyway, he felt that Lang Ze’s expression when he heard the news was terrifying.

Qi Bai didn’t believe Lang Ze or Ma Ling would arrest someone without reason. This matter probably wasn’t that simple. He nodded at Zhu Teng and said, “Alright, I’ll head over now.”

There had been too many things going on in the tribe lately. The pottery workshop, the iron smelting room, and the blacksmithing room were all temporarily closed. As Qi Bai walked through the area, he didn’t run into anyone.

But as he neared the edge of the training ground, Qi Bai heard Ma Liang shouting: “Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”

Qi Bai frowned and was about to speed up when a faster figure suddenly overtook him from behind.

Even though it was just a flash, Qi Bai instantly recognized him—it was Ma Chong, who was missing his right arm.

Ma Chong quickly found Ma Liang in the forest behind the training ground. Ma Liang had been tied up hand and foot, collapsed in fear beneath a large tree.

Lang Ze’s gaze was cold as frost. The look he gave Ma Liang was as if he were staring at a dead man. No wonder Ma Liang was so terrified.

Ma Chong stepped in front of Ma Liang, using his one arm to shield the fallen sub-beastman. His eyes were red as he said, “What are you doing? We’re also members of the Heishan Tribe!”

There had been many people at the threshing ground. Even though Ma Ling had moved swiftly, someone still saw her taking Ma Liang away—and that someone happened to be a beastman from the Ma Clan. Naturally, he informed Ma Liang’s partner, Ma Chong.

Ma Chong had searched everywhere in the tribe and hadn’t found Ma Liang. If he hadn’t seen Qi Bai heading toward the training ground, it wouldn’t have occurred to him that Ma Ling and Lang Ze had brought him here.

Lang Ze said coldly, “Before you question us, why don’t you ask him what he’s done?”

Qi Bai had now caught up and stood beside Lang Ze. He asked, “What happened?”

Ma Ling slapped the tree trunk beside her forcefully. “Ma Chong, you know we’re all part of the Heishan Tribe. Then tell me—if someone betrayed the tribe, what should we do?”

Although Ma Chong had stopped hunting and patrolling after losing his arm, Ma Ling still felt a sense of camaraderie from their time fighting together. Now, seeing him stand on the opposite side because of Ma Liang, she was fuming.

Betrayed… betrayed the tribe?

Ma Chong turned sharply to look at Ma Liang, so shocked he could barely speak. “You… you…”

Ma Liang tried to get up, but the ropes binding his limbs kept him down. He shook his head frantically. “Chong, I didn’t do anything!”

“You still dare say that?!” Ma Ling spat. “He wanted to trade the tribe’s pottery and iron-making techniques to the three tribes of Beihuang. If I hadn’t noticed his sneaky behavior, he would’ve gotten into the Yun Gu tribe’s tent.”

Of course, when Ma Liang was first caught, he had denied everything. He claimed he was just curious about the outsiders and came to take a look.

Unfortunately, after interrogating Ji and Sang Xi these past few days, Ma Ling had developed a sharp instinct for lies. Ma Liang’s evasive answers only raised more suspicion.

And Ma Ling hadn’t even used a fraction of the interrogation techniques she used on Ji and Sang Xi before Ma Liang completely broke down and confessed.

Now, Ma Liang turned to Qi Bai, who was standing beside Lang Ze. He pleaded desperately, “Bao Bai, I really didn’t do anything. I never even met the beastmen of the Yun Gu tribe. I never shared the tribe’s secrets with Qi Shanmu, Mu San, or Xi Li—or anyone else. Bao Bai, please save me!”

After being questioned by Lang Ze and Ma Ling, Ma Liang was genuinely terrified of these two horned beastmen.

He knew Qi Bai was one of the few kind-hearted beastmen in the tribe. Begging Lang Ze or Ma Ling was useless. If only Qi Bai would plead for him, Lang Ze would surely let him go.

Hearing Ma Liang’s indirect admission, Ma Chong’s one arm fell limply to his side, as if he had lost all strength.

“Why? Why would you try to give the tribe’s secrets to outsiders? Why…”

Ma Chong muttered in a daze.

Qi Bai made no move to help, and under Lang Ze’s cold gaze, Ma Liang’s hope rapidly vanished.

“Why?” Ma Liang suddenly stopped trembling, and his fear faded, replaced by something almost maniacal. “Why? I only did it so we could live a better life!”

He wore a twisted smile, tears streaming down his face. “If I gave them the methods for making pottery and iron, they’d definitely reward me—maybe one hundred pieces of beast meat… no, maybe two hundred! With that much meat, we wouldn’t fear even the longest winter. Our child would never go hungry…”

“We already have food!” Ma Chong broke down, staring at Ma Liang. “We can both work. The tribe gives us food every day. Ever since we arrived at Heishan, our child has never gone hungry.”

“It’s not fair!” Ma Liang screamed hysterically. “We both work for the tribe. You lost an arm, and Quan Liu was assigned to guard the sheep—he gets easy work and still earns points. But you? You were sent to the smelting room to stoke fires. That’s way harder! Now the smelting room is shut, and with just one hand, how many rocks can you even break in a day?”

“Every time they distribute meat, we get the least! We can’t even compare to others. Even Tu Ruo and Quan Liu get more food than us! I’m not willing to accept that!”

Ma Liang shouted these words like a man possessed.

Ma Chong opened and closed his mouth, speechless. He had never known his partner harbored these thoughts.

When he lost his arm, Niu Xi, who managed the quarry, had even offered to lighten his daily workload—but he refused.

He was a horned beastman. If even the weak slaves could complete the work, then he, with one hand, should be able to as well.

But right now, Ma Chong felt a defeat he had never experienced before.

Despite losing an arm, he had always considered himself lucky.

The Heishan Tribe hadn’t cast him out as cursed by the Beast God. This busy tribe had given a disabled horned beastman like him the chance to work, to feed his partner and child.

More importantly, Ma Liang had never left him.

In this tribe, it wasn’t uncommon for beastmen to part ways after a year together or once they had children. If Ma Liang had abandoned him after he lost his arm, no one would’ve questioned it.

They’d been together since the Xishui Tribe, and they only managed to keep their surviving child after losing two others.

The memories flashed before Ma Chong’s eyes. He bit his lip and said, “Lang Ze, Ma Liang did something unforgivable. Even banishment would be justified…”

“If I still had my arm, I would’ve taken him and our child and left the tribe immediately.”

His eyes filled with tears as he punched his right shoulder with his left fist. “But like this… like this, I can’t even hunt enough food to survive…”

“Please, spare him just this once. I’ll stake my life on it,” Ma Chong suddenly looked up and pointed to the tribe’s wall. “I swear on my life—from this moment on, Ma Liang will never step outside the tribe again, and he will never accept another bite of food from the tribe.”

Hearing this, the fire in Ma Liang’s eyes slowly dimmed into despair. Without food, what was the point of staying in the tribe? He might as well die.

Ma Chong stopped him and pleaded with Lang Ze and Qi Bai. “Please, he hasn’t actually passed on the tribe’s secrets. Don’t banish him. Just spare his life.”

Lang Ze stared at Ma Chong, weighing his words.

This matter with Ma Liang could be viewed as very serious—or not, depending on perspective. Yes, it was treason, but he hadn’t actually done anything yet. There was still a chance for redemption.

More importantly, Ma Chong had lost his arm during a hunt. The tribe did owe him something.

After a moment, Lang Ze finally spoke: “Are you sure? You’ll receive no help from the tribe from now on.”

Ma Chong nodded eagerly. “I’m sure. I can support him and our child alone. I’ll make sure he behaves.”

With Lang Ze’s approval, Ma Chong struggled to untie the ropes on Ma Liang’s hands and feet with his one arm, then helped him up.

Before they left, Qi Bai suddenly said, “Whether it’s Zhan Xiong, Yun Gu, or Ju Lu—those three tribes will never trade for our pottery and iron-making techniques.”

The two stopped walking. Ma

Liang lowered his head, disinterested.

“You might not know yet, but Heishan Tribe is about to start building a city. Those three tribes will be part of it. They’ll learn these techniques sooner or later. If you had gone to them, the only result would’ve been them turning you over to Lang Ze.”

Ma Liang’s back gradually stiffened, then suddenly slumped like something had broken inside him.

“If that really happened, even if Lang Ze wanted to spare you, the other tribes would never agree. Take care of yourself.”

Qi Bai wasn’t trying to break him with these words. On the contrary, if Ma Liang still didn’t understand the consequences, then he really would be beyond saving.

As Ma Chong and Ma Liang’s silhouettes disappeared across the training ground, Qi Bai couldn’t help but recall the look Ma Liang gave him before leaving.

Though they were from the same tribe, Qi Bai had barely spoken to Ma Liang. This was the first time he’d truly looked at his face.

Early thirties, average height, a typical lean horse-beastman’s face. His animal-skin clothes were muddy but neat.

But those eyes left an impression.

Qi Bai found them both familiar and unfamiliar.

Familiar—because that kind of murky gaze, unclear whether it held resentment or regret, reminded Qi Bai of some Blue Star people who tried to cheat others and only ended up hurting themselves.

Unfamiliar—because Qi Bai rarely saw such expressions on beastmen.

Most beastmen he encountered lived muddled lives, taking each day as it came. Some were carefree by nature, while most were numb, with little hope for the future.

Though life in Heishan was improving, and Qi Bai had intentionally exposed them to more knowledge, helping them see the world, their peers, and themselves differently…

Still, it would take time for beastmen—who knew nothing beyond gathering and hunting—to develop rich thoughts and unique personalities.

Most were still in the early stages of awakening. Everything Qi Bai had done was just the beginning.

That’s why a calculating and self-serving man like Ma Liang was so surprising.

In a way, Ma Liang was one of the few “awakened” members of the Heishan Tribe.

He could think about what other tribes needed. He could plan how to trade for greater benefits.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t used his cleverness in the right direction.

“What are you thinking about?” Lang Ze noticed Qi Bai had spaced out while watching Ma Liang and Ma Chong, and asked.

Qi Bai shook his head. “Nothing.”

But the situation with Ma Liang definitely needed reflection. Qi Bai thought for a moment and said, “I’ve realized we have a major problem. If we were just a tribe, it might not matter, but we’re about to build a city. We need to take this issue seriously.”