Chapter 189 - 188: The Slap in the Face Came a Little Too Quickly

"But I heard Cheng Miao and the High Priest of the Alien Flower Clan both went. Doesn’t that tell you something?"

Someone in the crowd said this, and the quiet hall suddenly erupted into a noisy clamor.

"That’s true... So, has something really happened to the leader?"

"We just joined and now this happens. Without a leader, what are we supposed to do?"

"The leader is just unconscious, not dead! What is all this nonsense you’re spouting?"

...

The clamor grated on Xiong Jiaojiao’s nerves. She had reason to suspect someone was intentionally pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

Especially that last voice. She had never heard it among the Great Elders before.

She tried to find the person who spoke, but after searching for a long time, it was as if the voice had been a figment of her imagination; she couldn’t find its source.

Because of that voice, Xiong Jiaojiao’s previous words had completely lost their effect.

Xiong Jiaojiao knew that no one would believe her if she insisted nothing was wrong with Chu Liangyu, so she changed her approach.

"It’s true that the leader is injured, but it’s not impossible for her to be cured. There’s no need for everyone to worry."

"Besides, everyone here has received the leader’s favor at one time or another. Don’t tell me you’re all planning to abandon the Xihe Tribe just because she’s seriously injured?"

Xiong Jiaojiao’s words were powerful and resonant. As expected, after she finished speaking, the chaotic scene began to calm down.

"What are you talking about? We’re not that shameless. We were just worried about the leader’s injuries, so we got a little anxious."

"That’s right. We haven’t seen the leader in a long time, so we’ve been very concerned."

Quite a few people felt this way, but there were also those who didn’t. They simply kept their thoughts to themselves.

"Alright, the leader will be back in a few days. Don’t make a fuss. Everyone, go back."

Xiong Jiaojiao was well aware of this. Not wanting to give an opportunity to those with ulterior motives, she offered a few more words of comfort and sent the Elders on their way.

After everyone had left, Xiong Jiaojiao could no longer maintain her composed expression. Her face fell completely.

Her gaze drifted toward Ten Thousand Beasts City as she unconsciously muttered, "I really can’t handle all this. Sister Liangyu, you have to come back soon."

Chu Liangyu’s soul had followed the men Jiang Li sent to the Xihe Tribe, and this was the scene that greeted her.

She floated opposite Xiong Jiaojiao, her heart filled with utter helplessness as she thought, ’I want to come back soon too, but... reality won’t allow it.’

’Perhaps I’ll never get the chance.’ At this thought, the light in Chu Liangyu’s eyes dimmed a little.

Back at the tribe, Xiong Jiaojiao was doing her best to stabilize the situation. Perhaps because Jiang Li had no intention of dealing with the tribe first, he merely spread rumors and didn’t resort to any other tricks.

Chu Liangyu stopped paying attention to the situation there, and her soul returned to her body in Ten Thousand Beasts City.

The Beast Husbands who remained there took turns watching over her day and night. They were all listless, as if they had lost their own souls over what had happened to her.

Among them, only Hu Qiumu and Xiang Qiancheng were doing slightly better. Remembering the task Chu Liangyu had given them, they decided to take care of it.

It was a bit late, but what needed to be done still had to be done.

The two of them conferred and were about to take action, but before they could do anything, Chi Yizhong sent someone to tell them that the matter had already been resolved and they no longer needed to concern themselves with it.

The two exchanged a look, frowning in unison.

"He’d do something like this?"

"He’d do something like this?"

It had to be said, the two of them were in perfect sync at that moment. Not only did they think the same thing, but they even said the exact same words.

Hu Qiumu pondered for a moment, then said, "Don’t you think Chi Yizhong has been a little strange lately?"

"I can’t put my finger on it, but I just feel like he’s not himself," Xiang Qiancheng said, nodding as he voiced his suspicion.

Hu Qiumu’s eyes lit up, and he gave him a look of approval. "I have the same feeling."

"The Female Master hasn’t woken up yet. We can’t let everything fall into chaos. We have to investigate this."

Hu Qiumu’s expression darkened as he said this to Xiang Qiancheng.

Xiang Qiancheng didn’t refuse. This thread of suspicion seemed to rouse them from their stupor, and they began to investigate Chi Yizhong.

Chu Liangyu watched from the side, utterly astounded. ’These two... their intelligence is almost demonic!’

They were able to sense something was wrong from such a subtle difference.

After all, Jiang Li was a cautious person. Even when victory was within his grasp, he wouldn’t drop his disguise until he had truly succeeded.

For Hu Qiumu and Xiang Qiancheng to still notice something was amiss, it only proved how formidable they themselves were.

Because of these two masterminds, the despair in Chu Liangyu’s heart was replaced by a flicker of hope.

’My brilliant strategists, I’m counting on you! You have to pull through!’

Filled with hope, Chu Liangyu followed the two of them day after day, praying they would discover her own abnormal situation.

Ideally, they would be able to get the antidote from Jiang Li and wake her from her coma!

That was what she hoped, but reality was cruel. A few days later, her hopes were brutally crushed.

Their investigation did not escape Jiang Li’s spies. On the third day, Hu Qiumu was drugged and thrown into the Water Prison.

As for Xiang Qiancheng, thanks to his enhanced sense of smell, he detected the poison and managed to avoid the trap.

When the soft approach failed, Jiang Li could only resort to force. As a result, Xiang Qiancheng found himself confronting him.

"I didn’t expect the two of you to be so perceptive. To think you’d discover the anomaly so quickly."

Xiang Qiancheng looked at the man who was no longer bothering to disguise himself, and his heart sank.

This meant that Chi Yizhong... wanted to kill him!

"You’re not Chi Yizhong. Who are you?"

Xiang Qiancheng subtly took a few steps back, planning to alert the others so they could face him together.

"Don’t even think about running. It’s useless."

A long white sword materialized in Jiang Li’s hand. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes, and in the next instant, he lunged at Xiang Qiancheng.

One had to understand, Jiang Li was on the same level as Chu Liangyu. While her Beast Husbands were powerful, against him, they could only hope to survive a few extra moves.

Chu Liangyu didn’t need to watch to know how this would end. She closed her eyes and turned away, unable to bear it.

Her two masterminds were a lost cause, after all.

Xiang Qiancheng was killed in battle. And Hu Qiumu, after being locked in the Water Prison, also died from poison.

When they died, both of their eyes were wide open, and both were staring in the direction of Chu Liangyu’s body. It was clear they died with regret.

How could they be at peace, having died before uncovering the truth?

Moreover, both were intelligent men and had likely guessed that Jiang Li was connected to Chu Liangyu’s coma. But before they could pass the information on to the others, they had already fallen for Jiang Li’s treacherous plot.

To see hope appear only to have it snatched away so quickly... the blow to Chu Liangyu’s heart was immense.

But what did it matter? She was just a useless soul now. There was nothing she could do.