“You know this eagle?” Fan Zhou asked in surprise. “Is he a beastman from the Sanctuary?”

“Yes,” Feng Xun nodded.

“The Sanctuary occasionally sends beastmen to patrol the Wildlands. Eagle Soar can fly for long periods and is very fast, so they almost always send him to the Wildlands.”

“His beast form is about the same size as Songli’s, which matches Yingxiao’s description. Barring any surprises, it’s him.”

“Then hurry up and go—don’t let him get away.” As soon as he heard the words “fast,” Fan Zhou immediately urged him on: “But don’t use your top speed. If you can’t catch him, you can’t catch him—your health comes first.”

Feng Xun hummed in response, a smile spreading across his face—he loved hearing that.

He grabbed Fan Zhou’s shoulders, planted a kiss on his lips, and then left the cave, heading straight for the forest.

Ying Xiao quickly covered his head with his little wings—he hadn’t seen a thing!

Fan Zhou touched his lips; the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. However, seeing Ying Xiao sneakily poking his little head out from under his wings to size him up, he said impatiently, “Go get Bao Cheng and tell him to wait at the foot of the mountain.”

“Got it!” Ying Xiao called out loudly, spread his wings, and hurried off.

Fan Zhou returned to the thatched hut to continue weaving hemp cloth. He was a bit distracted—the beastmen from the Sanctuary had tracked him down so quickly. News sure travels fast.

Just as he finished weaving the third piece of hemp cloth, Feng Xun finally returned.

Actually, at Feng Xun’s speed, it should’ve only taken him five minutes to get back.

But this time, Ying’ao hadn’t come alone; he had a companion named Xiang’er. Xiang’er was tall, which made it difficult for him to get close to the tribe, so his hiding spot was quite far away. It took Feng Xun a while to find him, which is why he was a bit late returning.

Feng Xun tied Ying’ao and Xiang’er up like rice dumplings and left them at the foot of the mountain.

Bao Cheng and Ying Xiao had been waiting at the entrance to the cave for quite some time. Bao Cheng had seen Ying Ao before; at that time, Ying Ao had been with three other beastmen, and they had called out to him, hoping to gather some information.

However, Ying Ao had looked down on him and refused to speak, standing on a tree branch and eyeing him from above; it was another beastman who had asked the questions.

He never expected that when they met again years later, he would be standing while Ying’ao was tied up.

Now, he was the one looking down on Ying’ao from above.

Thinking of Ying’ao’s incredible speed, he glanced at Feng Xun with admiration—to be able to capture Ying’ao, who possessed such blinding speed, was truly remarkable!

Fan Zhou stepped out of the cave and curiously examined the two bound figures.

Ying’ao was in beast form, about half a person’s height. Though his eyes were small, he was straining to open them wide and glare angrily at Fan Zhou. Combined with his hook-like beak, he did indeed look somewhat intimidating.

A bird of prey!

Xiang Er was in human form—a bit chubby and rather large in build.

Fan Zhou was somewhat surprised—Xiang Er must be eating well. In all the time he’d been in this world, this was the first time he’d seen a chubby beastman. Xiong Wu was also big, but Xiong Wu wasn’t fat—he was just muscular.

After taking them in, Fan Zhou was just about to ask a question when, out of the blue, Xiang Er blurted out, “Are you that Tu Zhou who’s impersonating the High Priest?!”

“How dare you talk to Tu Zhou like that?!”

Ying Xiao, standing nearby, heard this and immediately raised his little wing, delivering a hard slap right across Xiang Er’s face.

Though he wasn’t very strong, he could still take down a snow grouse as big as an ostrich. Plus, he’d put all his might into that slap. Caught off guard, Xiang Er’s ears immediately started ringing.

Ying’ao’s eyes widened even further as he stared in disbelief at the tiny Ying Xiao—how dare he hit Xiang Er?!

“Xiang Er is Li Zhong’s younger brother. He’s never been hit like that in his entire life.”

Feng Xun’s gaze toward Ying Xiao took on a note of approval.

Not bad—he’s got good instincts, knowing how to stand up for the rabbit.

“Li Zhong’s younger brother? Wow, isn’t that the younger brother of the new Beast Emperor? Royal family!”

Fan Zhou was utterly astonished.

Li Zhong was the beastman who had once vied with Feng Xun for the title of Beast Emperor; his beast form was an elephant, and his original name was Xiang Zhong.

Like Feng Xun, after becoming the strongest beastman in the Sanctuary, Xiang Zhong took “Li” as his surname and changed his name to Li Zhong.

This Xiang Er standing before them was Li Zhong’s younger brother—what an impressive background! No wonder he was so chubby; it turned out he was a prince.

But how did such a noble prince end up on the Barbarian Wastes?

Bao Cheng was also taken aback. Was this elephant the new Beast Emperor’s younger brother?

“It’s enough that you know who I am! Let me go right now, or if His Majesty the Beast Emperor finds out, he’ll surely wipe out your little tribe!”

Xiang Er was so furious he was about to explode; he stuck out his neck and bellowed.

“Smack!” Ying Xiao’s wing slapped him on the head again: “Speak properly!”

Xiang Er: “!”

His head was knocked askew once more. He turned his head and glared at Ying Xiao with hatred.

If he weren’t tied up, he could crush this damn bird with a single finger!

Yingxiao snorted, tucked her wings at her waist, and scolded loudly, “What’s so great about your Beast Emperor? If he dared come to the Waterfall Tribe, he’d definitely end up tied up just like you!”

Upon hearing this, Xiang Er snorted in defiance.

But seeing Yingxiao raise its wings again, he ground his teeth and didn’t dare voice his true thoughts.

Fan Zhou raised an eyebrow. Shut up after just two slaps? Wasn’t he going to shout a few more words to defend his Beast Emperor brother?

He clicked his tongue twice and turned to Ying’ao beside him, asking, “With a status as exalted as Xiang Er’s, how did he end up on the Barbarian Wastes?”

Ying’ao didn’t answer; he simply locked eyes with Fan Zhou.

Seeing this, Ying Xiao immediately flapped his wings, ready to fly over and teach him a lesson in proper speech. Sensing Ying Xiao’s intent, a flash of panic crossed Ying’ao’s eyes.

If he, the ruler of the skies, were to be beaten by this little runt, he might as well just die.

He quickly spoke up: “Xiang Er killed a beastman, so His Majesty the Beast Emperor had him locked up. But Xiong Ye refused to accept this punishment and led a group of beastmen in a riot, threatening that if Xiang Er wasn’t banished to the Wildlands, they’d publicize his actions during the Divine Sacrifice.”

“His Majesty the Beast Emperor had no choice but to banish Xiang Er to the Wilderness Continent. Since Xiang Er wasn’t familiar with the Wilderness Continent, His Majesty asked me to accompany him there for a while.”

Fan Zhou: “……”

So that’s how it was.

But Feng Xun grew anxious: “Xiong Ye? What happened to him?”

Fan Zhou looked at him; seeing worry etched across his handsome face, he took his hand.

Fan Zhou knew this Xiong Ye—he was also a panda and Feng Xun’s companion.

Back when Feng Xun was framed, it was Xiong Ye who stood in front of him and argued forcefully with the High Priest, securing for Feng Xun a chance to survive by being exiled from the Central Continent.

If Xiong Ye hadn’t stepped forward, Feng Xun would certainly have been executed on the spot by the High Priest.

Now, Xiong Ye was once again using Shen Ji to threaten Li Zhong, forcing him to expel Xiang Er from the Central Continent. Given the treachery of the Old Beast Emperor and the High Priest—those two old foxes—Xiong Ye’s situation was indeed cause for concern.

“Xiong Ye is fine. He’s still at the Sanctuary.”

Ying Ao didn’t understand Feng Xun’s worry and explained what he knew.

To ensure Xiang Er really left the Central Continent, Xiong Ye followed him and Xiang Er until he saw them cross the Bridge of Reflection, and only then did he return to the Sanctuary.

“Feng Xun, don’t worry. Xiong Ye is very powerful, and with the Beast God’s divine edict on his side, the High Priest wouldn’t dare do anything to him openly,” Fan Zhou said comfortingly.

But in truth, his own anxiety was no less than Feng Xun’s. Most Beastmen were simple-minded and straightforward; they wouldn’t resort to underhanded schemes or set traps.

But the High Priest and the Old Beast Emperor—those two old foxes—were experts at such dirty tricks!

Sigh. Let’s hope Xiong Ye is smart enough—with Feng Xun’s precedent to learn from—not to fall into the trap set by those two old foxes. Hearing Fan Zhou’s words of comfort, Feng Xun’s anxiety didn’t lessen in the slightest; after all, even though he was stronger than Xiong Ye, he’d still nearly been crippled.

But since he was all the way back at the Waterfall Tribe, worrying was pointless… Or maybe he should just go check on the Holy Temple?

Putting that thought aside for the moment, Feng Xun looked at Ying Ao and asked, “Who was the orc that Xiang Er killed?”

“It was an orc from the Blackstone Tribe. The Blackstone Tribe wanted to trade for a Beast Spirit Hua to cure their chief warrior’s strange illness, so they offered a piece of Nightstone! A huge piece! The High Priest really liked it.”

“Xiang Er had his eye on Catstone, the youngest son of the Blackstone Tribe’s chieftain. He wanted to have sex with Catstone, but Catstone refused, so he got into a fight with the orcs of the Blackstone Tribe.”

“He was in his beast form at the time. He wrapped his trunk around one of the orcs and hurled him away. The orc’s head hit a rock, and he died.”

Fan Zhou: “……”

Forcibly taking a civilian man.

And he killed someone in public.

In the end, it took Xiong Ye threatening to use the Divine Sacrifice to force Xiang Er out to the Barbarian Wilderness!

A raging fire flared up in his heart: “He openly killed a beastman, and yet Li Zhong still wants to cover for him? You, the new Beast Emperor, are also a traitor—you’ve betrayed the Beast God!”

Upon hearing this, Ying Ao lowered his head and said nothing.

Of course he knew that the High Priest, the former Beast Emperor, and even the current Beast Emperor had all violated the Beast God’s commandments. But if every Beastman were held to Feng Xun’s exacting standards, how could they possibly survive?

Who hasn’t made a mistake?Xiang Er didn’t really intend to kill that Beastman. Xiang Er isn’t a fool—why would he kill someone in front of so many Beastmen?

But that beastman was just unlucky—his head happened to hit a rock.

“Your silence means you admit it. Your Sanctuary has rotted to the point where you no longer hold the Beast God’s Commandments in any regard. You are no longer worthy of remaining in the Sanctuary. Sooner or later, I will drive you all out!”

“As for now, you’re in the Waterfall Tribe. The Waterfall Tribe is a place under the Beast God’s watchful eye—it’s the light and hope of the beastmen! We strictly adhere to the Beast God’s Commandments. Since Xiang Er has killed an innocent beastman, we must put him on trial, then pass judgment and carry out the execution in public!”

“Before the Beast God’s Commandments, all beastmen are equal!”

“Well said!”

No sooner had Fan Zhou finished speaking than Leopard Cheng couldn’t help but shout.

That’s right—before the Beast God’s commandments, all Beastmen should be equal!

As Beastmen of the Barbarian Wilderness Continent, we’re no match for those of the Central Continent. But if Xiang Er can kill a Beastman from the Central Continent and go unpunished, then surely killing a Beastman from the Barbarian Wilderness Continent would go even more unpunished.

The High Priest is truly just!

“High Priest, I support you! Xiang Er deserves to be punished!” he shouted, clenching his fist.

“You—you lowly, godforsaken creatures—how dare you judge me!”

Xiang Er was furious and terrified; he instinctively opened his mouth to hurl insults.

But before he could say another word, Feng Xun raised his hand and struck the back of his neck. His body went limp instantly, and he collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, Ying Ao folded his wings and tucked his neck in, trying his best to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

Although Xiang Er had spoken the truth, the truth was hard to swallow—he certainly didn’t want Fan Zhou to take his anger out on him!

“The Forsaken?” Fan Zhou snorted. “Ying’ao, is this how you people from the Central Continent view the beastmen of the Wild Continent?”

“……”

Having been called out, Ying’ao dared not remain silent. He spoke in a low voice: “That’s what everyone says.”

“Then listen up. From now on, Xiang Er and those traitors from the Sanctuary are the ones forsaken by the gods. The Wildlands are the land chosen by the gods, and the beastmen here are also the chosen ones.”

As Fan Zhou spoke, he raised his left hand. A water whip appeared in his hand; it bound Xiang Er and then flowed toward a large tree not far away.

The water whip suspended Xiang Er from the tree.

Ying’ao watched the scene in disbelief, his eyes bulging so wide his eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets. W-what’s going on?

Weren’t those lies he’d heard at the Treehouse Tribe just fabrications Feng Xun had concocted to deceive people?

Could it be that Tu Zhou really possessed divine powers?!

An unprecedented fear engulfed him. How could this be…

He looked at Fan Zhou with trembling eyes, his body shaking uncontrollably. It was too terrifying!

After hanging Xiang Er up, Fan Zhou turned to Ying Ao with a cold expression: “Why are you trembling? Have you killed a beastman too?”

“No, no, no! I didn’t!” Ying’ao quickly shook his head in denial. By the Beast God, he really hadn’t killed any beastmen!

“Then you can rest easy—I won’t deal with you for now. How did you two end up at the Waterfall Tribe?” Fan Zhou still had a lot of questions he needed answers to.

“We heard some things about you at the Treehouse Tribe, so we wanted to come and see for ourselves.”

Ying’ao didn’t dare hide anything and quickly recounted the entire story in detail.

After he and Xiang’er arrived on the Wild Continent, Xiang’er had a hard time adjusting. He complained about the poor food and lack of sleep, and that they didn’t even see a single beastman all day long.

Every day, he had to hunt, find a place to stay, and put on a cheerful face to deal with Xiang’er—he was getting really fed up with it all.

As it happened, they were only two days’ journey from the Treehouse Tribe, so he took Xiang Er there, intending to have the beastmen of the Treehouse Tribe provide them with food and drink.

As it turned out, at the Treehouse Tribe, he heard those earth-shattering revelations: the High Priest and the Old Beast Emperor had betrayed the Beast God; the Beast God, in His wrath, had caused the Beast Spirit Flowers to become extinct; and the Beast God had chosen a new High Priest!

Every word terrified him so much that even eating meat lost its appeal, and he was distracted while hunting.

He didn’t know the reason for the extinction of the Beast Spirit Hua, but the High Priest and the Old Beast Emperor had indeed violated the Beast God’s commandments.

However, that wasn’t particularly important to him.

Whether or not Tu Zhou was the Beast God’s newly chosen High Priest wasn’t all that important either.

But the fact that Tu Zhou could cultivate Beast Spirit Hua—that was extremely, extremely important!

The Sanctuary also had Beast Spirit Hua; this patch had been discovered by Feng Xun on the peak to the right of Twin Peaks. On the backside of the right peak was a long stretch of vertical cliff face. In the past, no Beastmen had ever managed to scale that vertical cliff, so they didn’t know there was actually a huge cave hidden within it.

Hundreds of Beast Spirit Hua grow inside this cave. After these Hua were discovered, the Sanctuary became the only place to possess them.

But now this newly emerged Tu Zhou not only knows how to weave hemp cloth but can also cultivate Beast Spirit Hua!

Tu Zhou says he wants to build a second Sanctuary—and that’s entirely possible!

So he and Xiang Er rushed to the Waterfall Tribe. They didn’t take the Waterfall Tribe seriously; they shared Quan Zhi’s view that all of this was likely just a story Feng Xun had made up.

However, Feng Xun was still very powerful, and they’d heard his leg had healed, so they sneaked in quietly, intending to assess the situation first.

But as soon as they arrived today, before they even had a chance to gather any information, he and Xiang Er were captured!

What terrible luck!

Seeing Ying’ao with his head hanging low, all trace of his earlier defiance gone, Fan Zhou snorted coldly and asked again, “Who is the Sanctuary’s new Deputy Punisher?”

“There is no new Deputy Punisher. The High Priest feels the other beastmen aren’t fast enough and aren’t worthy of the role.”

“What about Lang Sheng?” Fan Zhou turned to Feng Xun.

Lang Sheng was Feng Xun’s younger brother—a secondary character created by Feng Xun’s parents.

According to Feng Xun’s speculation, the reason these despicable parents had sided with the High Priest to stab him in the back was likely because they believed Lang Sheng could become the next Deputy Punisher.

But now the position of Deputy Punisher was vacant?

Feng Xun sensed Fan Zhou’s gaze. He looked at Fan Zhou and clasped his right hand tightly.

He understood what Fan Zhou meant; he really wouldn’t feel sorry for family like that anymore.

“Lang Sheng won’t do—he’s too young to command respect,” said Ying Ao.

“Then what if another orc makes a mistake? Won’t they be punished?” Fan Zhou pressed.

“The High Priest and His Majesty the Beast Emperor will handle it.”

“……”

I see.

That old fox, the High Priest—fearing the new Punisher might not obey—simply decided to have himself and Li Zhong occupy the position.

That’s quite the scheme.

How could ordinary beasts possibly outmaneuver such tactics?

I wonder how Feng Xun’s parents are feeling right now. Hah.

With that thought in mind, Fan Zhou naturally asked about Feng Xun’s parents.

Ying’ao cast a cautious glance at Feng Xun before saying, “Lang Sheng still has some influence; he can ensure that Lord Feng Xun’s parents have enough to eat.”

Of course, the days when everyone fawned over them are long gone.

Hearing this, Fan Zhou couldn’t help but sneer. Serves them right.

Feng Xun’s expression remained unchanged, and his heart remained unruffled. His thoughts were now on Xiong Ye; given the High Priest’s petty nature and scheming ways, he found it hard to feel at ease.

Fan Zhou asked about the situation at the Sanctuary as well, but since Feng Xun had only been away for a few months, there hadn’t been any major changes there.

Once the questioning was over, Fan Zhou asked Bao Cheng to keep an eye on Ying Ao for the time being. He sent Ying Xiao to the sorghum fields to deliver a message: after lunch, he would hold a public trial for the entire tribe at the foot of the mountain.

Every beastman could speak their mind aloud; he would take everyone’s opinions into account before delivering the final verdict.

Upon hearing his instructions, Ying Xiao flapped her wings and hurried off. Wow, what a big event!

The beastmen are sure to be very interested!

The beastmen were indeed very interested. The Beast Emperor’s younger brother—and Feng Xun had actually captured him! Plus, they’d get to put this Xiang Er on trial.

How fascinating!

This Xiang Er has gone too far—he actually killed someone in public! Even if it wasn’t intentional, he deserves to be punished!

The beasts discussed the matter while they worked, and even during meals. After lunch, instead of returning to their caves to sleep, they gathered at the entrance to Fan Zhou’s cave.

Fan Zhou splashed Xiang Er, who was hanging from a tree, with stream water to wake him up. The moment Xiang Er opened his eyes and saw a large crowd of beastmen staring at him, he was startled.

Soon, he realized his predicament. He tried to let out a howl, but Fan Zhou immediately sealed his mouth with a water seal.

Then Fan Zhou stood on a tree stump and, looking at the beastmen who were staring intently at him, pointed at Xiang Er and said, “Xiang Er killed a beastman, which violates the Tenth Commandment of the Beast God: ‘Thou shalt not kill thy own kind.’”

“In the past, a beastman who committed such a grave error would be punished by the Beast God himself.”

“But the Beast God has not appeared for many years, so now, as the newly appointed High Priest, I will mete out punishment to Xiang Er on the Beast God’s behalf.”

“Do you all approve of this decision?”

“We approve!”

All the beastmen shouted in unison, their voices soaring to the heavens.

That made perfect sense.

The Beast God was watching Fan Zhou; as long as the Beast God hadn’t appeared to veto Fan Zhou’s decision, it meant the Beast God tacitly approved of his actions.

“Very good,” Fan Zhou nodded with satisfaction.

At that moment, Feng Xun, standing nearby, handed him a piece of bark paper and a charcoal stick. He took the paper and pen and looked at Lang Tian, who was standing in the front row.

“Chieftain, how do you think we should punish Xiang Er?”

“Break one of his legs first, then send him to a labor camp.”

Lang Tian replied without hesitation.

He had already thought it through.

Kill him? That was definitely out of the question—apart from the Beast God, no one was allowed to kill a Beastman.

Imprisonment? That wouldn’t work either. The Waterfall Tribe didn’t keep idle beastmen; Xiang Er had to work!

But if he just worked, the others wouldn’t accept it, so breaking a leg it is.

Hanging from the tree, Xiang Er heard these words and began struggling frantically in terror—it was too cruel!

Ying’ao, meanwhile, curled up tightly to avoid drawing the other beastmen’s attention.

“Exactly. Break his leg first, then make him do the heaviest labor—and don’t let him eat his fill. His rations will definitely be worse than when he first arrived from the Axe Tribe.”

Mao Yu stood beside Lang Tian and added with her usual bluntness.

Fan Zhou nodded, jotting this down, then turned to Xiong Jing, who was standing next to Mao Yu. “Mao Yu is right.” Xiong Jing agreed with Mao Yu.

……

Next, nearly every orc agreed with Maoyu—this was the harshest punishment they could think of.

Of course, some orcs thought it best to break both of Xiang Er’s legs. There were orcs in the Axe Tribe who had done just that; while they worked more slowly, they were still capable of labor.

However, most beastmen felt that if they actually did that, Xiang Er would be practically crippled. It was rare to find a beastman who seemed so capable of hard work; they couldn’t afford to cripple him—they needed him to do as much work as possible.

After listening to everyone’s opinions, Fan Zhou ultimately decided to adopt Maoyu’s suggestion.

The premise of making use of a “useless” person is that they can’t be too useless.

He announced his decision publicly; no orc objected. And so, under Xiang Er’s terrified gaze, the water whip wrapped around his left leg and yanked it outward with great force.

The next second, his left leg was severed.

The excruciating pain caused him to pass out. Fan Zhou ordered the orcs of the Waterfall Tribe to take him and Ying Ao back to the tribe’s communal cave for guarding.

With the trial over, the orcs returned to their homes satisfied, and Fan Zhou and Feng Xun also went back to the cave.

Feng Xun went to the stream to continue pounding the fibers of the tooth-cleaning grass, but he was clearly preoccupied; his movements were much slower than before, and he kept glancing at Fan Zhou under the shelter.

“If you have something to say, just say it.” Fan Zhou set down the burlap in his hand, preparing for a long conversation.

He could guess what Feng Xun was going to say.

Sure enough, Feng Xun dawdled his way over to him, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly. Finally, unable to bear watching any longer, Fan Zhou took the initiative and asked, “Are you thinking of going to find Xiong Ye?”

“…Yes.” Feng Xun nodded.

“So when do you want to go?”

“Now,” Feng Xun said, taking Fan Zhou’s hand. His handsome face was etched with deep, lingering worry. “I want to bring him to the Waterfall Tribe—and my other companions, too. I want to bring them all to the Waterfall Tribe.”

After learning many characters from the rabbit, he had become much smarter than before.

Reflecting on the actions of the High Priest, the Old Beast Emperor, he realized just how terrifying these two truly were. Xiong Ye and his group stood no chance against them, and he didn’t want anything to happen to Xiong Ye and his companions.

He wanted to go to the Sanctuary right now.