novelraw Chapter 420 - 419: This Is Too Cruel for Them
Chapter 420 - 419: This Is Too Cruel for Them
The Outer Clan Beastmen knew they were in the wrong, so they just snorted, hurled a few threats at Xiao Quan and Guang You, and then departed with their belongings.
For the first time, the Three-tailed Blue Fox Clan Members felt a great weight lifted from their shoulders. Instead of sullenly enduring humiliation and bullying, they cheered with joy, even hoisting Dupont into the air and running gleefully around the square.
The elders watched with cheerful smiles. "It’s been a long time since everyone was this happy!"
"You can say that again. It’s all because certain people were cowards, willing to sacrifice the happiness of others just so they could live a quiet life, deceiving themselves and everyone else. Well, I, for one, am done with those miserable days..."
"Today was so satisfying! I see it clearly now—those guys are just bullies who pick on the weak and fear the strong. If they act tough, we’ll act tougher! Heh, they want to threaten us? Fine, we’ll fight to the bitter end. Let’s see who’s really scared!"
Once the excitement died down, the crowd turned their cold gazes on Xiao Quan and Guang You, who were surrounded with no chance to escape.
The crowd began to voice the humiliations they had suffered, one by one. "Great Elder, High Priest, Witch Doctor, and elders, you must bring us justice! My son, Gu Xia... you all knew him. He was so handsome he was almost androgynous, considered one of the most beautiful in the clan."
"But one night, he was kidnapped. When he finally escaped and dragged himself back, covered in wounds, he had just enough time to tell us of his tragic ordeal before *he*—the Clan... no, *Xiao Quan*—struck him dead, claiming he was a Rogue Beast launching a sneak attack! He even threatened us..."
"He was afraid Gu Xia would reveal the truth!"
Xiao Quan gritted his teeth, glaring at the male who had spoken. "Don’t just sling mud at me. If I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it."
"Ha! See? He thinks that just because my son is dead, there’s no proof! He, Xiao Quan, conspired with certain clan members to capture handsome young males and offer them to other Beastmen for their amusement!"
"If my son hadn’t managed to escape, we all would have just assumed that the youths who disappeared were out traveling or had met with some accident. We never would have suspected there were villains within our own clan..."
As the Beastman finished speaking, many whose handsome sons had left home and never returned began to tremble with rage. "No, that can’t be possible, can it? My son was quite strong. Before he left, he swore he’d bring back a beautiful young female and that they’d have two litters of cubs... How... how..." They couldn’t bring themselves to finish the sentence.
The thought was too cruel for them to bear.
"Xiao Quan, you’d better tell the truth, or I’ll make you wish for death!" another male snarled, his muscles tensed with rage, looking as if he wanted to tear Xiao Quan to pieces.
Xiao Quan said gravely, "Don’t listen to them. This is likely their own evil deed, and they’re just pinning it on me to usurp my position."
"I will not admit to something I haven’t done!"
Suddenly, on Xiao Cheng’s other side, Shi Si also tugged on his father’s ear and whispered, "Father, if I have an object belonging to one of the missing Beastmen, I might be able to track where they are."
Si Shuo said with surprise, "Xiao Cheng, they really are fox cubs, aren’t they? The superpowers they’ve awakened are both crucial to the clan’s survival."
Xiao Cheng nodded. "Shi Si does have that superpower, but we should avoid revealing it if we can. We’ll figure out how to handle this in a bit."
’The cub is too young and can’t protect himself yet. It would be too easy for others to target him. Awakening a superpower this early isn’t necessarily a good thing. He’d be a prize in the eyes of others.’
Xiao Chun sneered. "Xiao Quan, Heaven is watching. If you did this, we are willing to give you a chance to atone for your crimes. Lead our people to bring those poor Beastmen home."
"Otherwise, if we find any proof that you’re involved, every method you used to torture those thugs will be used on you!"
Xiao Quan still refused to confess, gritting his teeth. "Investigate all you want. Everything I did was for the clan. I was just a little selfish."
"For generations, my family has made countless contributions to this clan. Now you’re pinning everything on me. Aren’t you just using this as an excuse to overthrow me and install someone else?"
The crowd laughed in anger. A little selfish? He gave all of this year’s Fox Blessings to outsiders! That’s severing the clan’s very roots—a major crime!
But Xiao Quan was certain that as long as he didn’t confess, they wouldn’t find any definitive proof against him.
As expected, the crowd was at a loss. After discussing with a few elders, Xiao Chun announced, "We can’t prove you’re involved in this, but we can’t prove you’re innocent either. Therefore, Xiao Quan will be confined to the dark cave for the time being. We will decide what to do next after our investigation is complete."
Xiao Quan whirled to glare at Xiao Chun. "I see what this is! You’re using your position to settle a private score, deliberately slandering me! I’ve done nothing wrong! Why should I be locked in the dark cave?"
But now, everyone knew he had taken bribes. Anyone who associated with him would be seen as an enemy of the clan. Who would dare speak up for him?
So, despite his protests, Xiao Bei and another able-bodied Beastman stepped forward and dragged him and Guang You away to the dark cave.
"I won’t go...!" Xiao Quan’s miserable cry echoed across the square.
Xiao Cheng gloated, whispering in Si Shuo’s ear, "Si Shuo, do you know what the dark cave is?"
Si Shuo shook her head. She didn’t know; she only knew about the female cave.
"It’s where they imprison clan members who’ve done wrong. Haha, when Xiao Quan was Clan Leader, he was a total despot and oppressed a lot of people!"
"The males locked up in the dark cave are a violent bunch. Tsk, Xiao Quan will be lucky to get out of there with his skin intact... and Guang You won’t fare much better..."
Si Shuo bit her lip to stifle a laugh. "I remember the clothes Xiao Quan is wearing are made from his own transformed fur, right?"
"Right. It’s a signature of our clan. The weather is temperate right now, so for big events like this, most of us wear clothes created by Transformation..." Xiao Cheng paused for a second, then chuckled. "In that case, Xiao Quan is really in for it. If they strip those clothes off him, he’ll be left with nothing at all!"
Even after the Clan Leader and the former High Priest were taken away, the crowd remained deeply unsettled.
"Great Elder, our young ones... they couldn’t have really been kidnapped and forced to act as females, could they?" What an incredible humiliation!
"I think Uncle San is an honest man. He doesn’t seem like the type to lie. And Gu Xia did look as delicate as a young female; it’s true he would have been coveted..."
"Elders, if we don’t get to the bottom of this, I’m afraid it won’t be safe for our young males to leave the clan anymore..."
One huge problem had just been solved, only for another to appear. To put it bluntly, it was still a case of Beastmen from other powers bullying the Three-tailed Blue Fox Clan because they were weak, too afraid to fight back, and unable to win even if they did.
Xiao Chun felt a headache coming on. ’He had no idea how long this had been going on. It would be incredibly difficult to investigate from the very beginning.’
Carrying the two cubs on his back, Xiao Cheng sidled up to him and whispered, "Father, I know a Beastman with a special superpower. But they’ll need an item that belonged to one of the missing."
Xiao Chun’s downcast eyes lit up for a moment, but his expression remained impassive. "Everyone, disperse for now. If you have a family member who left home long ago and has not returned, come and register with me. It would be best if you could bring an object they once used..."