Mu Yuan suspected that his injuries this time might have something to do with his old rival. Perhaps He had secretly plotted behind the scenes to clear obstacles—otherwise, why would this accident have happened precisely inside the tribe?
Already resentful toward his fellow tribe members, Mu Yuan's sudden transformation into a cripple only made his mental state even more extreme.
If He knew what Mu Yuan was thinking, he would probably have scolded him: If you were really that ruthless beastman, you would have driven them out long ago. Why wait until winter?
Mu Yuan remained in hiding until the last night of winter. In the dim morning light, he secretly opened the tribe's fortified gate.
The gate of the tiger tribe's territory was extremely sturdy. Normally, during the cold season, its mere presence eliminated the need for guards, giving Mu Yuan his chance to act.
Watching the waves of wild beasts pour in, Mu Yuan, who had been lying in wait, curled his lips into a cruel, cold smile.
Bai Youran, standing beside him, felt a surge of panic. She hadn't expected this man to be so ruthless, capable of striking even his former tribe members without mercy.
Qinghua, who was on her way, used the robot she had left in the tiger tribe to make noise, alerting the cave's beastmen.
The original Bai Youran had at most resentment toward the indifferent tribe members, not hatred. There was no need to let them die unnecessarily.
The huge boulders thrown by the robot quickly awakened the tiger tribe's beastmen. When they stepped out, they soon saw the approaching wild beasts.
"Wake up! The beasts are entering the tribe!"
He acted decisively, issuing a firm command: "I and some of the warriors will break through first to close the tribe's gate. The remaining warriors stay at the cave entrance to protect the females and the young."
"Understood. Don't worry, tribe leader, be careful…" the beastmen murmured, quietly reassuring their responsible leader.
He's proactive leadership moved the others. When Mu Yuan was in charge, he would always send others into danger while he stayed safely in the back, claiming to "protect the more vulnerable."
Thanks to He's effective command, the crisis caused no casualties as Mu Yuan had feared—only a few male beastmen were injured.
In the beastman world, as long as injuries didn't involve broken limbs or tendons, their rapid recovery meant the wounds were not life-threatening.
Afterward, He examined the gate, clearly tampered with using stone knives, and realized this was no accident—it was deliberate. The question was, by whom?
Just then, Li came to report: "Tribe leader, Mu Yuan and that strange female have already left. This morning, while defending against the wild beasts, someone noticed they were gone."
"Li, don't you find this suspicious? Just as they leave, our tribe faces this crisis."
He voiced his concern. He trusted Li, who had once followed Mu Yuan, but Li's loyalty to the tiger tribe outweighed everything.
"I think it's possible. Besides, Mu Yuan has always been ruthless."
Li spoke candidly, revealing his true opinion.
He quickly made a decision: Mu Yuan was intimately linked to the tribe's crisis. If any beastmen encountered him outside the tribe, he must be captured alive.
From then on, Mu Yuan remained in hiding, fearful of leaving any traces that the tiger tribe could discover.
The system was surprised at Qinghua's timely tip-off and, out of curiosity, asked:
"Host, weren't you supposed to only focus on the task target and ignore these trivial matters?"
"No, no. I was just anticipating the target's thoughts and lent a little help. Haven't you noticed that the original Bai Youran had very little resentment toward those indifferent tribe members in her past life?"
"Oh, I see. So she only wanted us to punish the real culprit who caused her harm."
Seeing the system still naïve, Qinghua didn't mind. Having a less intelligent system was beneficial—it allowed her to subvert it.
She didn't reveal her true suspicion: she felt the task target still cared, in some measure, about those former tribe members. If she let Mu Yuan fully enact revenge, it might affect her own point gains, since her meddling had partly fueled his madness.
After completing these matters, Qinghua continued flying eastward in her small aircraft.
Half a month later, gazing at the endless ocean ahead, she murmured: The east ends at the sea… could this be the place the Beast God mentioned?
The more she thought, the more plausible it seemed. To verify, she retrieved the tiger-head staff for another divination.
Seconds later, the familiar glow appeared. A new message came: "You must find a sea-turtle beastman familiar with the route to guide you, only then will you reach the final destination."
Looking at the vast ocean, Qinghua realized that without a precise guide, finding the destination alone was unlikely.
But where could she find such a sea-turtle beastman?
As she contemplated another divination, the staff remained silent. It seemed only one divination was possible for now.
Ah, she still had the system's shop. Many worlds had gone unused, but this could help.
Browsing carefully, she found an item called the "Pathfinder." It could solve her current problem.
The price? A whopping 10,000 points.
"System, isn't this price inflated?"
The system quickly set down its gaming console and explained:
"Host, it's not my fault. The system bureau sets all prices uniformly. I have nothing to do with it!"
"Fine. At least explain the Pathfinder's functions so I know what I'm paying for." Qinghua still wanted clarity.
"The Pathfinder is remarkable. Just input the final destination, and it will chart the shortest route. It's the best tool for navigation and has unlimited uses."
In the end, Qinghua bought it. Ten thousand points for a permanent, reusable tool wasn't a bad deal.
A few hours later, Qinghua gazed at the engraved "Beast God City" characters atop the stone wall, astonished—there was a city here after all.