Chapter 46: Banishment from the Tribe

Su Lie let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Hmph? Am I framing you? The only way to keep a secret is never to have done it in the first place. Did you really think what you did was flawless? That nobody would ever know?"

At this, he paused briefly before continuing, "Lang Yi has already told me that he ran right into you and caught you two having a secret rendezvous."

In truth, nothing of the sort had happened; Lang Yi was still busy investigating Mu Qing and Qing Yan at that moment.

Su Lie said this merely to bluff her.

Upon hearing this, Mu Qing's face instantly drained of color, panic welling up in her eyes.

It was over. Su Lie had found out about her and Qing Yan. What should she do now?

Not only was Su Lie a chieftain of the Wolf Tribe, but he was also a formidable sixth-tier beastman.

Qing Yan was only a fourth tier and was no match for Su Lie whatsoever.

Yet, she had no spare thought to waste on Qing Yan's life or death; she was only concerned about saving her own skin.

Qing Yan was merely one of her lovers.

There was also Ling Feng of the Leopard Tribe, Lei Wo of the Fierce Lion Tribe, and Han Xiao of the Serpent Tribe. All of them were her lovers, and she had borne children for each of them.

If Su Lie were to discover the whole truth, he would undoubtedly tear her limb from limb.

Panic and chaos raged within her heart, but on the surface, she forced herself to remain calm.

She must not let a single flaw show, and she absolutely could not admit to it.

With this thought, she raised her head to look at Su Lie, feigning anger as she snapped, "That is absolute nonsense! Qing Yan and I are completely innocent. We barely even speak to each other on normal days, so how could it possibly be as Lang Yi claimed? He is framing me."

"Framing you?"

Su Lie sneered. Lang Yi had heard Mija call her "Mother" with his own ears, and Mija was Qing Yan's child. Could it be that for the past twenty years, Qing Yan had been raising someone else's child?

Was that even possible?

Unless it was their own flesh and blood, who would raise another's child?

Qing Yan was, after all, a fourth-tier beastman with decent strength; he wasn't out of his mind to play the fool and raise a cuckold's brat.

Besides, beastmen could sense bloodlines to determine whether a child was truly their own.

With this in mind, he stepped forward, suddenly reaching out to pinch Mu Qing's chin, forcing her to look up at him. He sneered, "Mu Qing, do you really take me for a fool? Would I be saying these things to you if I didn't have conclusive evidence?"

Mu Qing frowned slightly. The posture made her uncomfortable and felt deeply humiliating, and her chin throbbed with pain from his grip, but she dared not move and could only endure it in silence.

Not daring to meet Su Lie's eyes, she averted her gaze slightly and said coldly, "I will say it again: Qing Yan and I are completely innocent and have no relationship whatsoever."

"Heh..."

Su Lie emitted a short, derisive chuckle, his eyes brimming with mockery as he sneered, "You truly refuse to shed tears until you see the coffin."

***

With those words, he released his grip and let go of her chin.

He raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

Shortly after, a tall beastman walked in.

He had a high bridge of nose, deep-set eyes, and a stern expression. A long scar marred his left cheek, and a piece of animal hide was wrapped around his waist.

This was Su Lie's personal guard, Lang Er.

As soon as Lang Er entered, he felt the taut, hostile tension in the air, especially given the chieftain's gloomy expression, which made his heart tighten. He immediately dropped to one knee and spoke respectfully, "Greetings, Chieftain."

Su Lie did not look at him, simply stating coldly, "Go quickly and summon Lang Yi back here. I have questions for him."

Lang Yi had gone to investigate the affair between Mu Qing and Qing Yan and was not present.

"Yes, Chieftain."

Lang Er gave a respectful acknowledgment, instantly transforming into a large gray wolf, and swiftly darted out of the stone house, vanishing into the night in the blink of an eye.

Watching this unfold, Mu Qing felt a fresh wave of panic and turmoil wash over her.

It was over. This time, it was truly over.

Judging by Su Lie's demeanor, he clearly had obtained the evidence and was merely waiting for Lang Yi to return so they could confront her face-to-face.

No, she could not simply sit here and wait for death. She had to find a way to escape and seek help from her other lovers.

Whether she went to the Leopard Tribe to find Ling Feng, the Fierce Lion Tribe to find Lei Wo, or the Serpent Tribe to find Han Xiao, she would be able to live comfortably.

She could even reunite with her other children along the way.

As for that old man Su Lie—not only was he old, but he was also less handsome than her lovers. Had it not been for his hunting skills and formidable strength to protect her, she would have wanted to sever her bond with the old man long ago.

Now that the old man had found out, there was no longer any need to keep up the charact.

With her mind made up, Mu Qing secretly plotted how to seek rescue from her lovers.

As for what Su Lie would do to Qing Yan, Mija, and Mi Yao after she fled, she no longer had the capacity to care.

Before long, Lang Er returned with Lang Yi.

Upon stepping into the stone house, Lang Yi felt the palpable hostility hanging in the air.

Seeing the chieftain's grim expression alongside Mu Qing's visibly panicked state, he instantly understood what had transpired.

He hurried forward, dropped to one knee, and said respectfully, "Greetings, Chieftain."

Su Lie fixed his gaze upon him and skipped the pleasantries, asking coldly, "How did the investigation go? Is Mi Yao also the daughter of Mu Qing and Qing Yan?"

Without the slightest evasion, he asked the question right in front of Mu Qing.

***

Mu Qing's face paled, her expression a mix of fury and panic.

The old man really did know, and he had even sent Lang Yi behind her back to investigate her.

Sensing the chill emanating from the chieftain, Lang Yi lowered his head even further and replied respectfully, "Reporting to the Chieftain, Mi Yao is indeed the daughter of Mu Qing and Qing Yan. This subordinate also discovered that as early as twenty years ago, Mu Qing had already hooked up with Qing Yan. Both Mija and Mi Yao were children they secretly bore together."

He had gone through painstaking efforts to unearth this information.

He had even captured Mu Qing's mother—Mija and Mi Yao's grandmother—to interrogate her, resorting to threats before finally confirming Mi Yao's identity.

Su Lie's face turned ashen, like a biting winter gale sweeping through, dropping the surrounding temperature by several degrees.

He whipped his head around to stare at Mu Qing, his gaze as cold as a blade. "Mu Qing, do you still have anything to say?"

Mu Qing was utterly panicked now, well aware that further pretense was useless.

She looked up at Su Lie, pleading, "Su Lie, listen to my explanation! Things are not how you think. Between Qing Yan and me—"

"Shut your mouth."

Su Lie coldly cut her off, his icy glare fixed upon her as though looking at a corpse. "Mu Qing, do you really take me for a fool? At a time like this, do you think cunning excuses will still work?"

With that, he suddenly lunged forward, grabbed Mu Qing by the chin, and forced her to look up at him. Every word seemed squeezed out from between his clenched teeth:

"I, Su Lie, have maintained a brilliant reputation my entire life, only to be played in the palm of your vile female's hand. How utterly pathetic."

The thought of his devotion and trust toward Mu Qing over the past twenty years—only to discover that she had betrayed him all along, cuckolded him, and birthed bastard children behind his back—

filled him with sickening disgust and white-hot rage, making him want to choke the life out of her right then and there.

Yet, in the end, he held back; killing Mu Qing outright would be letting her off far too easily.

He wanted this vile female to wish for death yet be unable to die, making her fully understand the consequences of betraying him.

With this thought, he released her chin and shoved her violently to the ground. "Someone come here! Take this vile female away and lock her in the dungeon. No one is permitted to visit her without my explicit permission."

Thinking of Qing Yan, he added coldly, "As for Qing Yan, break his legs and banish him from the Wolf Tribe."

He actually wished he could kill Qing Yan, but Qing Yan was still a member of the tribe. If he were to murder him outright, it would inevitably brand him as cruel in the eyes of others and stir up gossip.

Thus, he dismissed the thought.

Even so, Qing Yan's fate would be no better.

A beastman without the protection of a tribe became a stray beast, and unless one possessed formidable strength, survival was nearly impossible.

Let alone having broken legs in a savage world fraught with peril; death was practically guaranteed, and being devoured by fierce beasts was merely a matter of time.