Chapter 282: Accidental Discharge

Chapter 282: Chapter 282: Accidental Discharge

The crowd was in an uproar, unwilling to listen to anything they said.

Some of the agitated Beastmen even charged forward, trying to attack Zhu Xiu.

Bai Wanwan immediately patted Zhu Xiu’s back. "Zhu Xiu, put me down."

In a situation like this, it would be easy for a fight to break out.

Zhu Xiu wasn’t the type to take abuse lying down. If they angered him, Bai Wanwan worried he would kill all of these Beastmen.

The aftermath would be impossible to handle.

After all, the Clan Leader of the Golden Lion Tribe had treated them fairly well.

This whole affair was already suspicious. Escalating the conflict would mean falling right into their enemy’s trap.

"It’s too chaotic here. I can’t let you down," Zhu Xiu said, glancing back to reassure her.

In that split second, two males charged, their sharp claws aiming to pierce Zhu Xiu’s abdomen.

But their claws struck something as hard as rock, failing to penetrate at all.

HSSS...

Zhu Xiu whipped his head around, his massive jaws gaping as he lunged for the two males.

"Zhu Xiu, don’t kill them!"

Bai Wanwan felt Zhu Xiu’s body freeze for a moment. He then clamped his jaws on the two Golden Lions and, with a flick of his head, hurled them out of the crowd.

This only enraged the surrounding Golden Lions further. "You outsiders! Just because you have a high-level Talent, you think you can bully and kill our people whenever you want!"

"That’s right! Let’s team up and kill them!"

The Golden Lions surged forward in a furious wave.

Xin Feng transformed into his Silver Wolf form, preparing to attack at a moment’s notice.

Panic seized Bai Wanwan as she watched the scene unfold.

’Maybe I should just hit them all with itching powder and let them scratch themselves for a while.’

’Might as well just do it...’

At this point, she couldn’t worry about the consequences. If a real fight broke out and these Beastmen were accidentally killed, the situation would be impossible to resolve.

Just as she was about to confirm the purchase of the itching powder, Jin Cang Clan Leader’s furious voice boomed from outside the throng of beasts.

"Stop! What do you all think you’re doing?"

Jin Cang Clan Leader, leading Jin Yue and other males, pushed through the crowd and strode into the clearing.

He, too, was surprised to see the bodies of several Beastmen on the ground.

At the sound of their Clan Leader’s voice, the out-of-control Golden Lions gradually calmed down, slowly backing away to clear a path.

But the indignation and anger on their faces remained.

"Clan Leader, these outsiders murdered our people! We ask you to deliver justice!"

"Yes, kill them! Avenge Jin Xi!"

Jin Cang felt a headache coming on. ’My intention was to build a good relationship with the Holy Female, Bai Wanwan,’ he thought. ’But with a mess like this, if I don’t handle it properly, we could end up as enemies instead.’

He raised a hand, signaling for all the Beastmen to quiet down.

To the Beastmen of the tribe, the Clan Leader’s authority was absolute.

The clamor of voices finally died down.

Jin Cang Clan Leader turned to face Bai Wanwan, Zhu Xiu, and Xin Feng.

"This is a grave matter. I ask that you answer my questions truthfully."

"Clan Leader, we didn’t kill these males," Bai Wanwan said. "As for anything else, we will answer all your questions truthfully."

Hearing Bai Wanwan’s words, Jin Cang felt a wave of relief.

’As long as they weren’t the ones who killed Jin Xi, there’s still a chance to resolve this.’

"So they were already dead when you arrived?"

"That’s right. We discovered them just moments before the other members of the Golden Lion Tribe did," Xin Feng replied.

"Clan Leader, they’re definitely lying!"

"When we got here, there was no one else around! They must have killed Jin Xi!"

Jin Cang Clan Leader raised his hand to quiet the crowd before continuing his questions. "Then why did you come here? Did you have a grudge against Jin Xi?"

’That was a difficult question. Answering truthfully would only make them look more suspicious.’

Just as Bai Wanwan hesitated, unsure how to respond, Zhu Xiu spoke up. "No need to ask. We didn’t kill these males. But I did chase him over here with the intent to kill him."

The crowd immediately erupted. "Clan Leader, you heard him! This outsider has absolutely no respect for us Golden Lions!"

"Please punish them, Clan Leader!"

Zhu Xiu’s scarlet, slitted pupils shifted, fixing on the Beastmen who had just spoken.

"I will investigate this matter thoroughly," Jin Cang announced. "None of you saw them kill Jin Xi with your own eyes, and they claim they arrived only moments before you did."

"Wait..." An idea suddenly struck Bai Wanwan. She spoke up, asking, "Why did all of you rush over here just now?"

"Was it because a Beastman told you a female was being harassed here?"

"Yes, that’s right! We heard a male was harassing a female."

"That settles it, then. The Beastman who lured you here is the real one who killed Jin Xi. Their goal was to make you suspect us..."

Jin Cang thought, ’It’s a good thing I already knew about Bai Wanwan’s status as a Holy Female, as well as the grudge between her and Zhuo Ling.’

’Otherwise, if I had been in the dark, I might have truly suspected them for Jin Xi’s murder, creating an irreparable conflict.’

"You all heard her," Jin Cang announced. "There are still suspicious elements to this case. Disperse for now. I will have someone continue the investigation."

The Clan Leader had spoken. That, combined with the growing feeling that something was indeed amiss, caused the crowd to slowly disperse.

Soon, only Bai Wanwan and her Beast Husbands remained.

Jin Cang then turned to them. "Do you know who did this?"

Bai Wanwan shook her head. "We didn’t see any other Beastmen when we arrived. If I knew, I would have told you already. But please, believe me, we really didn’t do this."

"Yes, I believe you," Jin Cang said. "With your Beast Husband’s power, killing them would have been effortless. He would have no reason to lie about it."

Jin Cang sighed. "It’s not safe outside these days. Try not to leave the tribe. If you must go hunting, take several other males with you."

Bai Wanwan hesitated for a moment before asking, "Did the Young Clan Leader already tell you?"

"Yes. He said he was the one who killed Xiong Zong, but I know it wasn’t him."

Zhu Xiu lowered his gaze and admitted it outright. "I killed him. He laid a hand on Wanwan. I wasn’t going to let him leave alive."

Jin Cang’s wise, world-weary eyes turned to him. "As a male, I might have made the same choice. But... this situation arose because of you. I hope you can find it in you to forgive those Golden Lions from earlier. If we need your help in the future, I hope you’ll be willing to lend a hand."

Jin Cang Clan Leader hadn’t expected Zhu Xiu to agree; he was merely testing the waters.

The tribe was now facing danger. If Bai Wanwan could be convinced to stay permanently, her powerful Beast Husbands would become a pillar of strength for the tribe.

To his surprise, Zhu Xiu didn’t hesitate at all, simply nodding in agreement.

"Fine."

Jin Cang Clan Leader smiled, but it was a heavy expression.

Bai Wanwan pressed her lips together and said to him, "I’m sorry, Clan Leader. This incident happened because of me, and it’s caused trouble for the Golden Lion Tribe."

Jin Cang Clan Leader smiled and shook his head. "No, it has nothing to do with you. You’re the one who was dragged into this. This is a centuries-old conflict between us and the Bear Clan. It has simply become irreconcilable now."

’With Xiong Zong gone, the Bear Clan is certain to retaliate against our tribe!’