[Master, Xiongli is back.]
Yusu thoroughly searched Xiongli's house, taking everything valuable before heading to the tribe leader's house. He stowed away the money beads and pearls in his space.
Conveniently, the tribe leader was absent, making Yusu's actions easier.
After taking their belongings, Yusu heard from the omniscient elf that Xiongli had returned.
"Coincidentally, he's back now. I hope he hasn't divined something again."
[Hard to say.]
"Perfect. Let's meet this Xiongli."
Yusu decided to wait in the tribe. Seeing Xiongli return with a sense of urgency, Yusu became more certain that the old man had sensed something significant.
Though Xiongli appeared very old and frail, he moved swiftly, contradicting his aged appearance.
[There's a dark energy in his body, right in his chest.]
With the help of the omniscient elf, Yusu quickly learned about Xiongli's issue.
"Dark energy? Related to the evil god he worships?"
The scrolls and black-faced stones Yusu found in Xiongli's house indicated that he wasn't an ordinary witch doctor but devoted to an evil god.
[Likely. The energy feels unsettling.]
Yusu became more cautious and didn't approach Xiongli immediately upon his return.
Seeing Xiongli head straight to the temple upon his return, Yusu soon heard Xiongli's furious voice emanating from inside, alarming the entire Xiongli tribe.
"What happened?"
"It seems there's trouble in the temple. Xiongli is furious."
"Oh? He won't take it out on us, right?"Yusu noticed that many people in the Xiongli tribe spoke of the temple and Xiongli with a fearful attitude. Instead of checking or expressing anger when the temple had trouble, their first reaction was fear of dying as a consequence.
Squinting his eyes, Yusu realized that the people in this tribe didn't wholeheartedly believe in the temple or trust Xiongli; instead, they feared them.
This Xiongli tribe wasn't impervious.
Even their own people harbored more fear than a sense of belonging.
At this moment, Xiongli hurriedly rushed out of the temple, ordering the entire village to search for the intruders who entered the temple.
Upon hearing this news, the villagers hastily retreated into their homes, closing their doors tightly, displaying a fearful demeanor.
The leader of the Xiongli tribe emerged from the Gentle Town, puzzled by Xiongli's aggressive actions.
"Lord Xiongli, why search the tribe?"
"Somebody broke into the temple."
Xiongli gritted his teeth, having left for only two days, and the temple's fruit tree had been burned to ashes, completely destroyed!
Xiongli, both furious and terrified, didn't know who could have done this. His first suspicion fell on the tribe's leader. Since he was the only one who could enter the temple in Xiongli's absence, he was the likely culprit who could burn the fruit tree and keep the tribe calm.
Under Xiongli's accusing gaze, the leader of the Xiongli tribe sweated nervously.
"Lord Xiongli, it's not my doing; I've never entered the temple."
People around the leader could vouch for him. He had either been in Gentle Town or was on his way there during Xiongli's absence, and the guards at the temple confirmed that they hadn't seen anyone enter.
In this moment of suspicion, Xiongli doubted that the leader controlled everyone in the tribe. He suspected that they were all lying to him and that something unseen had entered the temple.
He refused to believe that anything could enter the temple without alerting anyone, unless it was a true divine presence. So, he directed his suspicion toward the tribe's leader.
Gazing at the leader, Xiongli's tone turned chilling, "Trouble in the temple benefits none of us."
The tribe's leader, feeling unjustly accused, insisted, "Lord Xiongli, this has nothing to do with me. I haven't entered the temple."
People around the tribe's leader could testify; he hadn't set foot in the temple during the last two days.
Xiongli was caught in a moment of tremendous doubt. He suspected that the people in the tribe were under the leader's control, lying to him. He believed there was something invisible in the temple.
His eyes turned toward the tribe's leader as he coldly said, "If the temple is in trouble, none of us will gain anything."
The tribe's leader was genuinely distressed; he had truly not entered the temple.
"Lord Xiongli, how can you suspect me?"
"Yes, Lord Xiongli, the leader would never disrespect the temple."
However, despite their defenses, Xiongli felt a profound sense of panic. These people lied without a hint of guilt or flaw.
He had always believed he controlled the tribe, but now he realized it wasn't the case. The people in the tribe were much more cunning than he had imagined.
"Lord Xiongli, you haven't told us what happened in the temple. Did the slaves who ate the fruit die?"
"If they did, we can replace them. It's not worth your anger."
Xiongli stared at them, trying to find a flaw in their expressions. "What happened? Was the fruit stolen?" asked the tribe's leader.
The guards at the temple hesitated before stating, "Leader, it's not that the fruit was stolen; the entire fruit tree is gone!"
"What?!" The leader was shocked. How could the fruit tree disappear?
"See for yourself." The guard gestured.
The leader hurriedly entered the temple, only to find the place where the fruit tree was planted reduced to ashes.
Dumbfounded, the leader couldn't comprehend how the fruit tree had been burned!
At that moment, Xiongli, accompanied by guards, entered. The guards followed his command, blocking the exit of the temple.
He addressed the tribe's leader, "The fruit tree wouldn't burn on its own, especially when I was away. Leader, don't you owe me an explanation?"
The leader's expression turned grim. "You suspect me of burning the fruit tree?"
"Who else could have done it but you?"
"I didn't do it! Even if you're a witch doctor, you can't accuse me without evidence!"
Xiongli, infuriated by the leader's denial, felt a surge of killing intent.
Unfortunately, at this moment, a crowd outside the temple demanded to see the tribe's leader.
Learning this, Xiongli became more convinced that the leader was responsible for the incident. Otherwise, why would these people arrive so quickly, seemingly coordinated, as soon as they saw the leader blocked inside the temple by him?
The tribe's leader, feeling relieved upon hearing that people wanted to see him, feared Xiongli might attack him.
The crowd outside was substantial.
Xiongli had no choice but to release the leader.
The leader immediately rejoined his group, saying to Xiongli, "Lord Xiongli, the burning of the fruit tree has nothing to do with me. Many people can vouch for me."
Hearing the leader's words, the people were shocked. The fruit tree was burned?
After their shock, they testified for the leader.
"Lord Xiongli, the leader really hasn't entered the temple. These days he has been with us, and the slaves in my house can testify."
"I can vouch too. I was with the leader."
Standing on the steps, Xiongli gripped his staff tightly, watching them. His heart sank as he realized that these people were completely bought by the tribe's leader.
Looking into the distance, he saw the fear in the eyes of the tribe's people, avoiding his gaze.
Because of the fruit incident, many people were afraid of him. He had previously dismissed this fear, but now he realized things weren't simple.
These people intentionally burned his fruit tree, deliberately making him lose something to rely on.
They wanted to take away his power!
It was wishful thinking. Even without the fruit tree, he remained the witch doctor of the tribe!
Yet, Xiongli quickly calmed down. The burning of the fruit tree was irreversible. If he confronted these people directly now, he would be the one at a disadvantage.
For now, he could only consult the Lord of Darkness on what to do and then deal with these people.
Taking a deep breath, Xiongli said, "Since you all vouch for him, I'll temporarily trust him. But you know the consequences of burning the fruit tree. Let's discuss a solution!"
The leader's face turned ugly. "We know."
He warned the people around him, "Don't spread this incident, especially to the witch slave warriors. Whoever lets it slip, I'll kill them!"
"Yes."
The two groups hastily separated.
Yusu, observing the entire process, noticed that when Xiongli intended to take action against the tribe's leader, someone pretended to leak the
information to the tribe's people. Otherwise, those people wouldn't have arrived so quickly.
However, he didn't anticipate that Xiongli would suspect the tribe's leader and even contemplate killing him.
This unexpectedly sparked a conflict between the two sides.
Interesting.
And...
"Why don't they want the witch slave warriors to know?"
[Perhaps they fear they'll cause trouble?]
But why fear them causing trouble?
Yusu felt it necessary to understand this, so he followed the group led by the tribe's leader to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Once inside the leader's large house, they closed the door.
"Leader, what should we do now? With the fruit tree burned, those witch slaves won't be under control anymore."
"Those witch slave warriors follow our orders because they must eat the fruit once a year. Without it, they'll surely rebel."
"Then we can't let them know!"
The tribe's leader was troubled.
Yusu, listening to their conversation, finally understood why they didn't want the witch slave warriors to know about the burned fruit tree.
"And, they still haven't noticed that the money beads and pearls stacked in the warehouse next door are missing. Their defense is too lax."
[How could they anticipate you boldly taking things?]
Yusu and the omniscient elf couldn't help but chuckle.
"If Xiongli finds out his house has been searched, do you think he can stay as composed as before?"
[Certainly not. He would probably suspect the tribe's leader stole those things.]
"His expression must be priceless. Let's go check it out."
Yusu was now interested in watching this drama unfold. However, as he prepared to leave, he realized he hadn't mastered the art of passing through walls. The house was sealed, and leaving now might raise suspicion. He decided to wait until these people finished their discussion and dispersed.
Upon reaching Xiongli's house, he found it also guarded, with a group of people inside.
"Hmm, they're holding secret meetings with each other. I wonder if Xiongli has realized his things are missing."