Chapter 60: The Dungeon

She pondered for a moment and then said, "My ability does indeed possess self-healing properties, but I only awakened it recently and my rank is still quite low. I can only treat minor injuries, and the number of times I can use it is limited."

Hearing her words, everyone nodded in understanding.

It was true that Su Xiyue had only awakened her ability not long ago, so a low rank and limited healing capacity were completely normal.

Besides, the Tribe Doctor had awakened her ability decades ago and could still only treat relatively severe injuries and conditions; bringing back the dead was simply beyond anyone's reach.

Given that Su Xiyue had just awakened, even if she could only heal simple wounds, it was already extraordinarily precious.

Still, a few females secretly curled their lips in skepticism, believing she was merely boasting, though they kept it to themselves.

After chatting a little longer, the group set off together toward the Moonlight Forest near the tribe.

Because the Moonlight Forest was close to the settlement and had long been cleared of large predatory beasts for the safety of the tribe's beastmen, only a few relatively harmless wild animals remained.

The females of the tribe would occasionally visit the Moonlight Forest to forage and could wander in and out frequently without any danger.

The group laughed and chatted along the way, everyone revolving around Su Xiyue, crowding close to her with cheerful and flattering words.

Miya stood at the entrance of the cave, watching from afar as the tribe's females surrounded Su Xiyue with smiles and laughter, her expression cold and twisted with jealousy.

Over the past few days, she and Miyao had been dealing with Qingyan's final arrangements.

It was nothing more than finding a pleasant spot, digging a hole, and burying him to prevent his corpse from being dug up and eaten by wild beasts.

They placed a few weapons and ornaments he had used during his lifetime inside as burial objects, filled the earth to cover him, and finally found a stone to use as a marker, bringing the matter to a close.

At this moment, seeing Su Xiyue treated like the moon surrounded by stars by the tribe's females, Miya felt consumed by a mad jealousy.

She was the most beautiful female in the tribe; these females should be revolving around her instead.

That cheap wretch Su Xiyue was merely the chieftain's daughter. Despite being so ugly, she had managed to secure five top-tier beast husbands, awakened an ability, and now even looked considerably more attractive while possessing so much knowledge. It was enough to drive someone crazy with envy.

No, she absolutely could not let this cheap female continue to be so triumphant.

Thinking of this, Miya's expression grew even colder and more venomous. With a cold snort, she turned and walked back into the cave.

She needed to think carefully about how to make this cheap wretch lose everything she had right now.

It would be best if she turned back into an ugly monster, causing Lingye, Molin, and the others to despise her all over again and turn to pursue her instead.

As she thought about it, Miya couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.

She envisioned the five top-tier beastmen—Lingye, Molin, Baiqi, Qingzhu, and Xuanming—all kneeling before her, looking at her with deep affection, and speaking words of love and devotion, begging to mate with her.

And she would accept it all with arrogant detachment, favoring whichever one she pleased at night.

"Hahahaha..."

At this thought, Miya laughed happily, her laughter exceptionally carefree.

Just then, Langya walked over, looking puzzled when he saw her laughing so merrily.

Qingyan had just died, and moreover, he had been brutally tortured to death by Su Mu right in front of the entire tribe, suffering a miserable end.

Shouldn't Miya, as his daughter, be heartbroken? Why was she laughing so happily?

"Miya, what are you laughing about so merrily?"

Langya stopped right in front of her, staring at her with a perplexed expression.

Miya's laughter cut off abruptly, her smile vanishing instantly. Her expression turned icy as she averted her gaze and said coldly, "What are you here for?"

The mere thought of Qingyan being tortured to death by Su Mu in front of all the tribe's beastmen, while Langya—whom she had begged for help—pretended not to see, stirred an unnamed fury in her chest.

Even after several days, she could not swallow this grievance.

Seeing her attitude, Langya naturally understood the reason and felt quite helpless.

Yet, such a matter could not be blamed entirely on him.

At the time, had he dared to speak up and plead for Qingyan, leaving aside the fact that it would have been useless, he likely would have incurred the chieftain's wrath himself.

With a complicated expression, Langya frowned and explained, "Miya, I am also very sad about your father's fate. But there was nothing I could do in that situation. Your father committed such an act; no male could tolerate it, let alone the chieftain. You know the chieftain's temper—whoever stood up at that moment would have come to a bad end."

Miya's expression did not soften at all; she remained cold and disdainful. "Langya, do you think I'll believe your bullshit? You're just cowardly, timid, and afraid of death. All that talk about being helpless is nothing more than finding excuses for yourself."

With that, she didn't want to waste any more breath on Langya and strode straight past him.

Langya watched her retreating figure, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.

...

Inside the dungeon, the air was cold, dim, damp, and thick with a rotting, moldy, and foul stench that blended into a nauseating and unbearable miasma.

Mu Qing was imprisoned in the innermost cell, her hands tightly bound with highly elastic beast tendons, her entire body suspended from a wooden rack with her toes barely touching the ground.

Her hair was disheveled, her face pale, and her gaze hollow. The exquisite beast-skin skirt she had worn was now tattered, covered in dust and bloodstains.

In just a few short days, she had suffered every form of torture: whipping, bone needles piercing her fingertips, soaking in the water dungeon...

She had been tortured until she looked neither human nor ghost.

She desperately wanted to call out for help to Lingfeng, Leiwo, and Hanxiao.

However, the dungeon was heavily guarded and airtight; absolutely no one was able to pass messages for her.

Even that ungrateful Miya hadn't come to visit her once.

And she had been so good to Miya in the past, secretly giving her all the best things and shielding her fiercely.

"Truly an ungrateful wretch."

Mu Qing cursed angrily.

Thinking of Su Xiyue next, her expression grew even uglier.

She had always suspected that this cheap female was the whistleblower; it must have been her, it must have been her who told Su Lie about this.

Otherwise, how could a secret kept for over twenty years, which Su Lie had never suspected, suddenly be uncovered as an affair between her and Qingyan?

Although Mu Qing had no idea how Su Xiyue had discovered the matter, it didn't stop her from resenting and cursing her.

All sorts of vicious words and curses poured from her mouth without a moment's pause, completely forgetting that Su Xiyue was also her biological daughter.

At that moment, Su Lie appeared outside the cell with a freezing expression.

Listening to the curses directed at Yue'er ringing in his ears, his face grew even colder.

He ordered the beastmen to open the cell door and stepped inside.

His gaze pierced Mu Qing like shards of ice. Looking at her miserable state, there was no sympathy or pity in his eyes—only intense fury and disgust.

Over the past few days, he had uncovered quite a few other things as well.

It turned out that this cheap female did not have Qingyan alone as a lover.

Lingfeng of the Leopard Tribe, Leiwo of the Frenzied Lion Tribe, and Hanxiao of the Snake Tribe were all secretly involved with her as well.

Worse still, this cheap female had even given birth to children for each of them.

He had been kept completely in the dark about all of this until Lang Yi investigated thoroughly and brought it to light.

The mere thought that he had been sharing his mate with other beastmen all this time, no different from anyone else, made Su Lie wish he could strangle Mu Qing to death.

He strode up to Mu Qing, reached out, and tightly gripped her chin, sneering, "How have these past few days tasted?"

Mu Qing was forced to raise her head to look at him, her eyes filled with venom and fury as she gnashed her teeth and said, "Su Lie, you old bastard, if you know what's good for you, you'll release me immediately. Otherwise, once those lovers of mine find out and join forces to attack, the Wolf Tribe will be finished!"

She no longer feared Su Lie knowing the full truth; the torture of the past few days had made her realize that Su Lie had no intention of letting her go anyway.

Su Lie looked at her with mocking derision. "Your lovers? Do you mean those three fellows: Lingfeng, Leiwo, and Hanxiao? Mere fourth-rank beastmen of ordinary strength and status—do you think they have the capability to attack the Wolf Tribe?"

Not to mention that Tu Ci, the chieftain of the Leopard Tribe, Liyan, the chieftain of the Frenzied Lion Tribe, and Fengsun, the chieftain of the Snake Tribe, were all on good terms with him.

What were this cheap female's lovers supposed to be? Forget about them not daring to come; even if they dared, he could wipe them out with a single hand.