Chapter 293

"Boom."

The massive stone gate was pushed open. Rows upon rows of beastman warriors entered Wangu, then vanished into the alleys, heading toward the Grand Wu Hall at the center of the city.

The beastmen in the slums were awakened by the unending noise outside their thatched huts.

No one went out to look. They huddled together, covering the mouths of their young, not daring to make a sound.

An old corpse-carrier beneath the city wall looked up at the sky.

Thick clouds slowly covered the moon, making the city even darker.

Shadows flashed by in front of him, merging into the night as if it had been created just for them.

At the very center, where all the warriors were converging, a lavish banquet had only just begun.

Inside the Grand Wu Hall, two rows of long stone tables stood opposite one another. Smoke curled around each table, and the scent of roasted meat drifted lazily through the air.

On the table in front of the main seat, cooked beast meat had already been laid out.

A good-looking slave knelt behind the table, pouring hot soup for the four people seated at the head table.

The Wangu Grand Wu did not touch the food on the table but instead said to the person beside him, “This journey must have been hard on Mu Shenshi. In the days to come, you must rest well here in the city.”

Mu Shenshi, who looked to be in his seventies or eighties, had mostly white hair. The long journey had left him visibly tired. With some regret, he said, “The hardship doesn’t matter. I usually make one or two trips a year. I only regret that Piao Sishi couldn’t hold on until I arrived.”

He sighed and asked, “Where exactly was Piao Sishi injured?”

The Grand Wu lifted his drooping eyelids, a trace of death-like aura flashing in his eyes. “Piao Sishi was stabbed in the shoulder. We used hemostatic wu medicine, but unfortunately, it was ineffective.”

Mu Shenshi opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to ask more, but the Grand Wu tapped his fingers lightly on the back of his hand and asked, “Why don’t I see the Little City Lord of Qingchi City?”

As expected, Mu Shenshi was diverted by the change in topic. He shook his head and said, “Though the Little City Lord is young, his health is quite poor. He’s had diarrhea for a few days and could barely walk today. He’s currently recovering in the residence arranged by Lai Wuzi. I prepared some herbs for him, but at this rate, he likely won’t recover in a few days.”

“With Mu Shenshi here, the Little City Lord is sure to get better quickly.”

Mu Shenshi clearly enjoyed this kind of praise. He stroked his beard with a smile and glanced at the distracted Du Shenshi beside him. Then, leaning back slightly, he said, “Du, we haven’t seen each other in years. You don’t look too well. Come by my place tomorrow—let me check you over.”

The two had worked together for many years in the Jicheng Temple, though Du Shenshi hadn’t been much valued back then. As a result, few of the other temple envoys had close ties with him. Mu Shenshi was one of the rare few who had some rapport with Du Shenshi.

Otherwise, just for an injured Sishi, and during such a harsh winter—even with benefits from Cang Shensi—few would be willing to travel far.

As Mu Shenshi finished speaking, the Grand Wu paused slightly in his movements. He then adjusted the position of his bone staff and turned his head toward the two men.

Du Shenshi turned to face them. Dark hollows under his eyes glowed like deep pits under the firelight, but his spirit was high. “Don’t you know my body by now? I’m just a little tired. Why bother with all that trouble? And enough with this ‘your place, my place’—just come back with me to the Shenshi Hall later. Don’t stay in the place they arranged for you.”

Hearing this, Mu Shenshi didn’t press further and instead began eating heartily from the table.

Even Jicheng, one of the three major cities, had seen a decline in beastmen harvests and offerings this year. The temple envoys, too, only received half the rations they used to.

Frankly, it was a bit shameful. Mu Shenshi hadn’t eaten this well in the temple for a long time.

He hadn’t expected that Wangu, just a mid-sized city, would have such abundant food. This had turned into a pleasant surprise.

“What fun is there in just eating?” said Du Shenshi, glancing at Ke Sishi seated below. “Wangu has some interesting toys. Go get a few Gold-Eating Slaves to spar for our entertainment.”

The Grand Wu said calmly, “Du Shenshi, there are still envoys from the tribes here.”

“I almost forgot!” Du Shenshi slapped his forehead and said to Mu Shenshi, “I’ll check you out later.”

“Go find a few ordinary slaves.”

Ke Sishi stood up and replied, “Shenshi, everything is ready. I’ll have them brought in now.”

As he spoke, several beastmen carried in a large wooden cage, set it down, and herded two slaves into it.

The Grand Wu Hall couldn’t accommodate two beastmen in their full beast forms. But if only two humanoid slaves were thrown in to fight, it wouldn’t be very entertaining. So the beastmen of Wangu came up with a new amusement.

On the top of the cage was a row of hanging bone spikes. On both sides, beastmen pulled at grass ropes, slowly lowering the spikes until they touched the ground.

Inside the cage, only one corner was free of bone spikes. The beastmen inside had to reach this safe zone before the spikes descended fully, or else they’d be impaled.

Obviously, the safe zone could only fit one standing beastman. In other words, once inside this cage, only one would survive.

The three men sitting at the very end of the hall instantly saw through the setup.

The youngest of them, a boy with traces of youth still on his face, frowned deeply. He was just about to rise when the middle-aged man beside him held him back.

“Father!” the boy growled. “Even if they’re slaves, they shouldn’t be treated like this!”

The middle-aged man’s cheeks were sunken, and a deep scar ran down the side of his face, making him appear gloomy and menacing. “Sit still.”

“Lin, your father’s right,” said another beastman, trying to calm him. “This isn’t the tribe. You can’t act impulsively here. If you don’t like it, then just eat more food.”

The cage door slammed shut with a metallic clatter. The bone spikes on top began descending slowly.

The two beastmen inside roared and charged at each other. Blood quickly splattered the cage.

Lang Lin clenched his fists, furious and powerless. In the end, he turned away in frustration. “What’s so great about cities? I’m never coming back.”

The middle-aged man forced his head back. “This isn’t about what you like. This is the real world. He’s not a child anymore—it’s time he saw things clearly.”

“Otherwise, how could I entrust him with Yinyue?”

Lang Lin bit his lip, tears welling up. Just as the others were about to notice, Lang Kai hurriedly intervened: “That’s enough, Zhuo. These things can take time. Let go already.”

Once Lang Zhuo let go, Lang Kai quickly pulled Lang Lin back behind him.

He gently rubbed Lang Lin’s reddened neck and sighed as he looked at Lang Zhuo’s back. Over the years, Lang Zhuo had become increasingly unpredictable—even with his own child, he showed no restraint.

In stark contrast to the tense atmosphere at the far end, Mu Shenshi on the main seat was laughing heartily at the “new toy.”

“Interesting. This cage is fascinating. I can’t wait to see what you were talking about, Du.”

Hearing their exchange, the Grand Wu glanced at the Wangu City Lord sitting to his left.

Since the banquet began, the so-called city lord hadn’t said a word of polite welcome. Instead, he’d been leering and fondling a young beastman.

The Grand Wu’s eyes were shadowed and unreadable. Finally, he lightly tapped his bone staff.

From across the hall, Lai Wuzi, who was talking to four other Sishis, seemed to hear it instantly. He ran over immediately. “Grand Wu, what are your orders?”

“Why are there only a few of you?”

Lai Wuzi replied, “Zhao went outside the hall to welcome the envoys from Yanqu City.”

The Grand Wu kept looking at him. Clearly, what he really wanted to ask wasn’t about Zhao, but about **X

un Wuzi**.

Lai felt jealous of how much importance the Grand Wu placed on Xun, but didn’t dare show it. He took the opportunity to say, “Xun’s team hasn’t returned yet. He’s probably been relaxing outside so much that he forgot the time, even on a day as important as this when envoys are arriving.”

The Grand Wu frowned slightly. He didn’t know why, but he felt a faint sense of unease at this news. Still, it was too late to go look for Xun now. He pulled a small ceramic bottle from his beast-hide robe and whispered, just loud enough for the two of them to hear: “Have the Shenshi and Sishis drink some meat soup laced with ‘Divine Water’.”

Lai quickly took the bottle, unable to hide his delight. “Right away.”

Hidden beneath his cloak, Lai’s hand gripped the small bottle tightly. This was Divine Water crafted by the Grand Wu himself. He’d never had a chance to touch it before. This time, he would prove that he was no less capable than Xun.

He dismissed the slaves boiling soup at the back of the hall and poured the Divine Water into the pot, stirring thoroughly.

Looking at the empty back courtyard, Lai cursed under his breath. “Damn it. Even now, someone dares to slack off!”

Though he scolded fiercely, he knew today’s security was arranged by him. He didn’t want others pointing out mistakes. He thought of the head guard in charge of the courtyard and decided to punish him right after the banquet.

Lai personally carried a jug of soup into the main hall and poured it into the clay bowls of Mu Shenshi and the four Sishis.

Watching each of them drink it down, the Grand Wu’s lips curved into a slight, unnatural smile.

Now, he had nothing to worry about.

He looked up at the cage, where the fight had just ended—and saw four figures slowly entering the hall behind it.

Their entry didn’t catch much attention. Everyone thought they had come to pay respects to the Shenshi and Grand Wu.

But the Wangu Grand Wu’s pupils shrank sharply.

Lang Ze, filled with murderous intent, said: “Egu Grand Wu, Egu Clan Chief—we finally meet again.”

The moment those words left his mouth, everyone's expressions changed drastically. The names Egu and Grand Wu were still familiar—but Egu Clan Chief? How many years had it been since anyone had heard that title?

What did he mean? The Egu didn’t even have a clan chief anymore. The one on the main seat was clearly the City Lord of Wangu.

The Wangu Grand Wu stood up, eyes cold. “Who are you? How dare you cause trouble in Wangu?”

Lai shouted, “Guards! Where are the guards?! Drag these intruders out!”

But no matter how loudly he yelled, the once-bustling guards and slaves had vanished as if into thin air.

The vast Grand Wu Hall had become like a deserted island—cut off completely from the outside world.