Chapter 296

Witnessing the deaths of the Ten Thousand Bones Great Shaman and City Lord with their own eyes, and seeing the three Shaman's Sons bound tightly, the Ten Thousand Bones beastmen, who had little will to fight to begin with, quickly surrendered without resistance.

The captured Lai Wuzi, disheveled and with hair strewn about, spat defiantly at Ben Wuzi standing beside Zhao: "I never expected you, always so timid and shrinking, to also be a traitor!"

Ben Wuzi crossed his arms, raising his eyebrows with an air of smug complacency. "This isn't called being a traitor, this is called being able to read the situation clearly. Lai Wuzi, I advise you to save your strength. The days to come probably won't be so easy for you, oh~"

If you asked whether Ben Wuzi had made any real contributions, well, not really. But his cleverness lay precisely in doing nothing. Among the six Shaman's Sons of Ten Thousand Bones, only Ben and Zhao were from the Fierce Lion tribe, and most of their subordinates were also Fierce Lion tribesmen. Because of this connection, although he didn't know the specifics of Zhao's plan, Ben had long been aware of Zhao's clandestine activities.

However, unlike the other Shaman's Sons who jumped up and down trying to execute Zhao on the spot, Ben Wuzi kept his troops stationary from start to finish, riding the "fence" and observing both sides. It wasn't until the "storm" blew up last night that he decisively jumped into Zhao's camp.

Listening to the curses of the other three Shaman's Sons, Ben smiled even more triumphantly. Indeed, he was the smartest among all the Shaman's Sons.

On another front, after declaring sovereignty over the city, Ji turned to the unsettled Mu Shenshi: "Shenshi, Shēnshǐ dàrén - Lord Shenshi, the Evil Bone Great Shaman and City Lord first killed Ye Shenshi, then killed Du Shenshi and the six Si Shi. You witnessed all of this. Our actions were a choice made out of necessity."

These words, spoken outright and implied between the lines, clearly aimed to pin the deaths of all the temple personnel squarely on the heads of the Evil Bone City Lord and Great Shaman.

"The (Shéndiàn - Divine Temple) worked hard to establish a Middle City. We don't wish to see this city abandoned, so we are taking over on behalf of the (Shéndiàn) to establish a new Songwu City."

Beads of sweat dripped from Mu Shenshi's forehead despite the winter cold.

This person, in just a few words, had described this earth-shattering change as fēndān fánnǎo - sharing the burden / helping out) for the Shéndiàn. The city built by the Evil Bones had been transformed into the Shéndiàn property.

This way, even though Ji had led troops to occupy Ten Thousand Bones City, they were technically without fault in name. Even if this matter were brought before the Central Temple, the Blazing Tiger tribe would be in the right.

Not to mention, the Blazing Tiger tribe was hardly a small tribe; they were one of the seven great families of the Beast God City. Even if the Blazing Tiger were currently in decline, their foundation remained. Furthermore, there was still a Fu Shensi within the Central Temple today. Provoking them was certainly not a wise choice.

Was the Blazing Tiger tribe's brazen occupation of Cang Shensi's Middle City a sign that the two Shensi were formally starting their fight?

Mu Shenshi couldn't help but overthink. The reason the Ten Thousand Bones Great Shaman could be so reckless and disregard him was because he had Cang Shensi backing him. He, Mu Shenshi, had come all this way to help, only to nearly be killed. He remembered this grudge. Switching his allegiance to Cang Shensi was absolutely impossible.

In that case, he might as well find a reliable patron for himself.

Of course, the most important reason was that as Mu Shenshi looked at the composed Ji, he had a (yùgǎn - premonition) that if he didn't agree with Ji's version of events, the other party wouldn't hesitate to add one more Shenshi to the Evil Bones' murder list.

Mu Shenshi wiped the sweat from his forehead, forcing out a pale smile. "Chéngzhǔ - City Lord Ji is right. I will truthfully report the events at Ten Thousand Bones City to the Upper City and the Central Temple. I believe the Temple will also commend your actions today."

Qi Bai and the others were quite satisfied with Mu Shenshi's compliance, but now was not yet the time to let him leave.

Ji called Hu Liao over and instructed him to properly settle Mu Shenshi.

At this moment, within the entire city, no one was happier than Hu Liao.

He never could have imagined that everything would proceed so smoothly, that such a large Middle City could truly be taken by Ji. Even the Silver Moon and Sacred Antelope people, whom he had initially been wary of, hadn't raised the slightest objection.

Hearing Ji assign him a task, he immediately responded with eager delight.

Sealing the city gates, conducting city-wide searches—the reckoning in Ten Thousand Bones City had only just begun.

***

Inside the courtyard where the envoy group had stayed.

Qi Bai and Lang Ze pushed open the stone door, and a thick smell of blood assaulted them.

The stone room was full of people, all anxiously watching the beastman lying on the stone bed.

Hearing the door open, Lang Lian, sitting by the stone bed, turned around. Seeing who had arrived, he immediately stood up: "Dà jìsī - Great Priest, please save my father! Save him!"

They had been outside the Great Shaman Hall all last night, so Lang Lian had naturally witnessed Qi Bai's healing methods. He believed that as long as Qi Bai was willing to help, he could certainly save Lang Shuo.

Lang Shuo lay on the stone bed. The bone knife piercing his chest was still lodged there. His face was devoid of color, his eyes unfocused as they stared at the ceiling.

Such a severe penetrating injury would be difficult to save even if a great immortal arrived, let alone the fact that Qi Bai had no desire to save him at all.

Lang Zhan punched the stone wall: "Lang Shuo, you have only yourself to blame for ending up like this! The crimes you've committed warrant not just death once, but death twice, death ten times over!"

Lang Lian shook his head tearfully: "It's not like that... there must be some misunderstanding... Father would not betray the tribe... Great Priest, please save..."

"Lian..."

"Father." Lang Lian returned to the bedside.

"Help me up..."

Lang Lian suddenly had a bad feeling: "Father..."

"Help me up! Cough! Cough!"

Lang Shuo repeated, his agitation disturbing the wound on his chest, causing him to cough uncontrollably.

Lang Lian didn't dare dissuade him further and could only follow Lang Shuo's wishes, helping him sit up.

Lang Shuo looked at the tall and imposing Lang Ze standing at the door, then at the weeping Lang Lian by his side, and squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

He had lost. He had utterly and completely lost. Whether it was himself or his child, he could never compare to that person, never compare to the Wolf King praised by everyone on the grassland.

When he opened his eyes again, Lang Shuo's expression was extremely calm: "I acted alone in everything."

Lang Kai grabbed his hair in agony, turning away in pain.

The few horned beastmen beside him, however, didn't understand what the Tribe Leader was saying.

Only three people were allowed into the Great Shaman Hall; the remaining five of them had waited in the stone room. They just never expected to wait until dawn, only for Lang Shuo to return severely wounded.

The five had long been anxious, running around in circles. If Lang Shuo hadn't stopped them, they would have already gone out seeking help: "Tribe Leader, whatever it is, let's talk after you're better. If he won't save you, we'll go beg the Shenshi from the Upper City. The Shenshi will surely be able to save you."

"Lang Shun was unfit to be the Silver Moon Tribe Leader. He had no ambition, only wanting to guard the Great Marsh and live... Cough, cough..."

The steps of the several men heading outward halted abruptly. They turned their heads incredulously to look at the beastman on the stone bed.

Lang Shuo coughed violently, streams of blood flowing from the wound around the bone knife: "But Silver Moon was the most powerful tribe on the grassland! Silver Moon should have become stronger! It should have become an existence that makes everyone look up in awe! He lacked the capability, so he should have given his position to me!"

Lang Ze's fingers slowly clenched, his knuckles cracking.

"Nonsense!" Qi Bai said through gritted teeth. "Tribe Leader Lang Shun was a hero of the grassland! He brought stability and prosperity to the grassland! The beastmen on the grassland respected him! And you? You are nothing but a petty man filled with jealousy and selfish desires! You can never be compared to him!"

Lang Shuo stared fixedly at Lang Ze and Qi Bai, uttering the words buried deep in his heart for decades:

"So what if that's true? We were both our father's children! Why could he become the Tribe Leader, while I could only be a hunting party captain?"

Lang Shuo snorted dismissively: "But it doesn't matter. As long as he died, the next Silver Moon Tribe Leader would definitely be me. Of course, I couldn't do it myself. So I found an accomplice."

Lang Kai buried his head deeply in his arms. Suppressed sobs reached everyone's ears.

The other five beastmen's eyes were also bloodshot.

"That year, the young City Lord of Qingchi City came to the grassland. The leader of that envoy group was the current Cang Shensi, who was a Shenshi at the time."

Lang Ze narrowed his eyes: "Was Qingchi City involved?"

"No. The City Lord of Qingchi City didn't know he was a Temple Shenshi. He merely thought he was a powerful (liúlàng shòurén - wandering beastman) and wanted to recruit him into Qingchi. Cang Shensi, meanwhile, zhènghǎo needed an identity to investigate the entire grassland. Sending the envoy group into the grassland was pushed from behind by Cang Shensi."

After saying so much in one breath, Lang Shuo's body could no longer hold on. His breathing gradually weakened as he spoke.

Cang Shensi's appearance had given him a perfect opportunity. He just needed to lead the wolf tribe elites away. After they killed Lang Shun, he would bring his men back, thus preserving the Silver Moon's strongest fighting power.

Not to mention Cang Shensi had also promised that upon success, he would help Silver Moon establish a city on the grassland...

Lang Shuo closed his eyes. A long time passed. Just as Qi Bai thought he might have died, Lang Shuo finally spoke: "They promised me... they would only kill Lang Shun and his close associates..."

"Ah!" A horned beastman threw his head back and let out a (bēngkuì ) roar. "Ah! Ah!!"

The bodies of the other few men also swayed unsteadily. They couldn't believe that the person they had followed for over a decade was actually the culprit behind their loved ones' deaths.

The scene of their territory soaked in blood reappeared before their eyes.

"My child... my mate..."

"I killed them... If I hadn't left, they wouldn't have died... I killed them! I killed the Tribe Leader!"

As if hearing the words "Tribe Leader," Lang Shuo, like a final flicker of life before death, suddenly sat up straight. He pointed at each person in the stone room, sīhǒuzhe: "It was you! It was all because of you! If you hadn't been wholeheartedly devoted to Lang Shun! If you hadn't only obeyed Lang Shun's orders! Why would I have been driven to this step!"

"You forced me!"

After speaking, Lang Shuo grabbed the bone knife in his chest and pulled it out in one swift motion.

Pfft! Blood sprayed out along with the bone knife. Lang Lian, closest to the stone bed, had his vision blurred by the blood.

Lang Lian stared blankly as Lang Shuo slowly collapsed. His body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds; he couldn't even lift his arms. Only his lips trembled incessantly: "It can't be... It can't be..."

Lang Lian was pushed aside. A beastman rushed forward, grabbing Lang Shuo's shoulders, shaking him incessantly: "This isn't true! Speak! Speak to me!"

***

On the way back, Lang Zhan seemed lost in a daze.

Lang Zhan didn't see Lang Ze, who had stopped walking, and only snapped back to attention after bumping into him: "Young Tribe Leader, why did you stop suddenly?"

Lang Ze showed a rare expression of weariness: "What do you want to say?"

Lang Zhan shook his head subconsciously, then paused, his face full of struggle as he spoke to Lang Ze: "Those tribesmen... we..."

Although Lang Zhan's words weren't explicit, Qi Bai and Lang Ze understood his meaning.

Lang Ze rubbed the space between his brows: "You go back first."

Qi Bai held Lang Ze's hand, accompanying him as they walked on aimlessly.

The few Silver Moon tribesmen they saw today seemed to be living poorly. If they were truly innocent, then as the Silver Moon Tribe Leader, Lang Ze should bring them back, reunite the tribespeople.

But after all, they had lived with Lang Shuo for over a decade. Could they be trusted? Silver Moon already had so few tribespeople left; they couldn't withstand any more upheaval.

The two walked all the way to the outskirts of the slums. Not far away, Zhao, with a look of reluctance, was following Ji, ladling soup for the beastmen in the slums.

"Let's go take a look," Qi Bai said softly. "What kind of people they are... we'll only know by seeing for ourselves."

The deep furrow on Lang Ze's brow instantly smoothed away: "Okay."

"Lang Ze! Bao Bai (Qi Bai)!" Ling Ping's voice rang out. "I finally found you!"

Qi Bai rubbed his somewhat stiff cheeks and asked, "What are you looking for us for?"

Ling Ping was beaming with joy: "The Tribe Leader said that after the battle is over, you must come to the Sacred Antelope tribe."