"The hunting group is back!"
"The young patriarch has returned with them!"
Joyous shouts erupted outside the tribe.
Upon hearing this, Lia ignored the stunned expressions of those around him and ran toward the border without hesitation. The gathered crowd snapped out of their stunned silence and rushed after their high priest and patriarch, their hearts pounding with a mix of fear and anticipation.
Ziqian is the God's messenger?
If what the high priest said was true, then how could they have dared to speak ill of the sub-beast?
How sinful their words now felt.
Some people's faces turned pale, ashamed of what they had said just moments ago. Others exchanged uneasy glances, minds racing with other thoughts.
If Ziqian truly was the God's messenger, then his oracle was real, and something terrible has indeed happened to the hunting group.
The families of the beastmen who were part of the hunting group pushed forward anxiously, desperate to see their loved ones safe.
But among them were also those who still harbored doubt—they wanted to see Ziqian with their own eyes and judge whether his oracle had truly happened.
The tribe buzzed with fear, guilt, curiosity, and anticipation as everyone surged toward the border.
~
On the vast plains at the edge of the tribe, several winged beastmen could be seen flying in the sky.
And the one leading them was a majestic white tiger streaked with black stripes, its fur faintly glowing with a soft blue sheen. An overwhelming, intimidating aura radiated from him, dominating the other beasts behind him.
"It's them…"
"They're back!"
The crowd waiting on the ground immediately burst into excited murmurs.
The arriving beastmen were clearly exhausted from the long journey. They had traveled day and night, pushing themselves to return to the tribe as quickly as possible.
With Ziqian guiding them, they only encountered a few monsters despite carrying a large amount of prey. That alone deepened their admiration for the sub-beast.
When the border of the tribe finally came into view, and with it the sight of so many people waiting for their return, the weariness weighing on them was washed away.
Relief and joy replaced their fatigue.
At last, we're home. They all unconsciously thought.
The first thing the onlookers noticed was the massive monster being carried by several beastmen. It has a long, rock-scaled body and a spiked tail. From a distance, it looked like a four-horned beast, but a closer look revealed a fifth, smaller horn protruding at the center of its head.
Gasps of awe rippled through the crowd.
Ziqian's oracle was real!
Bei noticed it before anyone else, and his expression immediately darkened. He reached for Lia's hand, holding it firmly, ready to support his wife at any moment.
Ziqian had said that this was the monster that attacked Huo. Even with all his experience and strength, Bei knew he wouldn't be able to defeat such a creature alone. And knowing Huo's capabilities…
For the first time, the usually expressionless patriarch showed a trace of sorrow. In his heart, he was already bracing himself for the worst.
Upon the group's descent, with their strong momentum, a powerful gust of wind swept across the surroundings.
When the beastmen landed and transformed back into their human forms, the gasps of awe after seeing the corpse of the five-horned rock lizard turned into quiet cries and murmurs of unease. Families rushed forward, hands trembling as they searched for familiar faces among the injured.
Because aside from the warriors brought by Xue, more than half of the hunting group were visibly injured.
On their journey back, Ziqian paid close attention to all the wounded, especially Huo and Rei. Those with only superficial injuries now had scabbed wounds, leaving behind faint scars. For those who had suffered more severe injuries, Ziqian continued to clean and redress their wounds along the way.
Beastmen possessed strong natural healing abilities, and relying too heavily on antibiotics could slow their recovery in the long run. That was why Ziqian chose to let their body heal naturally.
Aside from Huo and Rei, the others were already recovering well and only needed a full day of rest to heal completely. Even so, the sight of the beastmen filled the crowd, especially their family and loved ones, with distress.
Lia's gaze swept frantically across the group, desperately searching for Huo. Then he saw an unconscious figure being carried by Xue.
Strong emotions surged through him all at once—worry, guilt, and overwhelming relief. Tears uncontrollably streamed down his face as he rushed forward.
As the High Priest of the tribe, he had learned to remain calm and act rationally at all times, but in this moment, controlling his emotions was simply impossible.
"How is your brother?" Lia asked hoarsely, his voice breaking with sobs. "What happened? Where was he injured?"
"He's fine now," Xue replied calmly. "Ziqian saved him." His eyes shifted fondly toward the quiet sub-beast standing beside him.
Still Lia's trembling hands reached out to check Huo's pulse, and the steady rhythm beneath his fingers nearly made his knees give way. After confirming his son was truly safe, only then did Lia allow himself to breathe.
Beside him, Bei also finally released a sigh of relief, softening his usually stern expression.
Lia turned and grasped both of Ziqian's hands, thanking him again and again, his words tumbling over one another through tears.
When he saw the corpse of the massive five-horned monster, his knees nearly gave way. He can't imagine Huo standing against such a creature.
In that moment, Lia understood that saving his son would never be an easy task.
When he checked Huo's pulse, his heart nearly sank. The damage taken by his bones and internal organs was severe—it is now slowly healing, but it was then that Lia truly realized the limits of his own ability.
He could not cure Huo.
He doesn't know how Ziqian did it, but if not for the sub-beast, his son would already be dead.
~
The moment they returned to the tribe, all the fatigue Ziqian had accumulated over the past few days came crashing down on him at once.
He was exhausted and slightly absent-minded, unable to clearly comprehend what was happening around him. Even so, when Lia grasped his hands and broke down in tears, he still tried to comfort him.
Xue immediately noticed the sub-beast's condition and suggested that they return to the tent first to report everything that had happened.
Bei and Lia agreed without hesitation.
They were just about to leave when sudden screams and anguished cries tore through the air.
"Rei!"
"What happened to your brother?!"
Rei lay unconscious as Ras carried him forward, his expression grim and heavy. Both parents of the two were present. The moment their mother saw his youngest son's condition, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, crying miserably.
The crowd erupted into chaos.
Panic rippled through the crowd when they saw Rei's condition. The young beast had lost both his right arm and leg and lay motionless in Ras's arms, unknown if he was still alive or not.
Fear started creeping to their chest as they hurriedly searched the returning group for familiar faces.
"Where is my husband?"
"My son! Where is my son?"
Desperate cries rose one after another, heavy with grief and terror, as families frantically searched for their loved ones.
Ras carefully handed his sleeping brother to their father. Then, without another word, he turned back toward the group and dragged a bound man forward.
"Ask him," Ras said coldly. "Ask him where your sons and husbands are."
He shoved the battered figure to the ground before the wailing crowd.
It was Lin.
Kea froze when he recognized his husband—bloodied, bruised, barely able to lift his head. Ras and Lin had always been close. They had a good relationship.
What happened?
Kea was already disoriented from seeing Huo unconscious, and now this sudden situation left him completely shaken.
Lin coughed violently as he hit the ground. He tried to push himself up, only for the ropes on his wrists and ankles to pull him back down again.
"Speak," Ras said, his voice low and shaking with barely restrained fury. "Tell them."
Ras had been waiting for this moment. He wanted the tribe to see what kind of person Lin truly was—someone who was willing to sacrifice his own tribesmen to save himself.
Lin couldn't speak. He had been beaten several times and had no strength left—but even if he did, he wouldn't confess his crimes. As long as he denied everything, he believed himself innocent. To him, it was all just an accident.
Ras had known Lin for far too long to be fooled by his silence. He sneered, then began to recount everything in a harsh, furious voice—from the moment Lin convinced them to pick pitaya fruits to how he used Rei as bait without hesitation and, finally, how he deliberately led the monster straight to their temporary camp.
Each of Ras's words struck like a blow.
The crowd erupted in outrage. Gasps turned into shouts, and shouts into furious accusations.
Lin's silence no longer looked like innocence.
It looked like guilt.
Amid the growing chaos, Ziqian swayed as the shouts drilled into his already throbbing head. Every part of him screamed for rest.
In his hazy consciousness, he felt someone catch him in a steady embrace.
Then the world went black.
Ziqian fainted.