Chapter 30: The Patriarch and Matriarch Commit Joint Suicide

"Fourth Elder, what are you implying?" Hu Wei sensed that something ominous was unfolding and turned to confront Bao Si.

"Thirty years ago, the Yuejia Tribe," Bao Si replied with only those eight words. Upon hearing them, Hu Jia’s face turned deathly pale.

"This is an act of tribal betrayal incited by the orphans of the Yuejia Tribe. Do you all intend to betray the Luyu Tribe?" Great Elder Shi Yue demanded, questioning the group of over four hundred beastmen.

"Elder, we never intended to betray the tribe. We only joined this gathering because we felt Hu Wei was a decent leader," Hu Xing stepped forward from the ranks of the supposed traitors to explain.

"Great Elder, what is going on here?" Many, both among the dissenters and those opposing them, were bewildered. How had things escalated to the point of tribal betrayal? And why were other tribes involved? Someone needed to tell them the truth.

"This morning, after Qi Yue exposed the events of three years ago, the Shaman discovered that the tribe’s development had taken a wrong turn. However, the divination results over the past decade had all appeared favorable, leading to suspicions about the divination tools. With the five of us elders as witnesses, we shattered the tools and discovered they had been tampered with. Tracing back to the damage and reconstruction of the tools ten years ago, the most suspicious individual was the Matriarch, Hu Jia, as that was exactly when the tribal leadership was being changed," Second Elder Hu Man stepped forward to clarify.

"Do you have any proof?" Hu Jia demanded, her voice trembling despite her attempt at a fierce facade.

"Proof? Isn't the fact that so many of you are gathered here the best proof? Don't tell me this is just about seeking justice for Hu Wei or supporting him as chief—why didn't you do this during the day? The assembly bell is right there; did any of you ring it? Look at yourselves, all armed—if this isn't tribal betrayal, what is? Did you intend to seize power by force if we didn't agree to let Hu Wei remain chief?" Fifth Elder Lang Qian rebuked them.

The crowd was left speechless, though they truly had not intended to betray the tribe.

"Hu Jia, what were your mother Hu Mi’s final words?" Bao Si asked. Hu Jia remained silent.

"Hu Yi, do you know your mother’s dying words?" Bao Si turned to Hu Jia’s older brother, Hu Yi, who was also the father of Hu Wei’s guard.

"Mother spoke much to my younger sister before she passed, but she did not allow us to listen in," Hu Yi replied, looking lost.

"My mother’s last words were intended for me. By what right do you force me to reveal them? Does it not shame you to have so many beastmen pressuring a single female?" Hu Jia countered.

"Actually, it does not matter whether you say it or not. From this day forward, all members of the Yuejia Tribe and their descendants who were taken in back then are banished!" The Great Elder dismissed her testimony.

"On what grounds?" Hu Jia asked, unable to believe her ears.

"On the grounds that every single beastman among those I just ordered to be banished is standing in your ranks right now. Is that not enough? We truly should never have taken you in," Shi Yue declared indignantly.

"Hahaha..." Hu Wei suddenly burst into laughter. "I, Hu Wei, have always considered myself loyal to the tribe, the finest beastman among us, yet now I am branded a traitor because of you. I have loved and cherished you since we were children; I never imagined you would use me like this!"

Hu Wei picked up a bone knife and pointed the tip toward his own heart. "Tell me, what exactly did your mother make you do?"

"Hu Wei! No! Don't!" Hu Jia panicked. She had been married to Hu Wei for over twenty years; she had never doubted his feelings for her, and she had never imagined what she would do if he were gone.

"Hu Wei, put the knife down! I'll tell you, I'll tell you! Mother held a grudge against the Luyu Tribe for not helping the Yuejia Tribe, while at the same time poaching our best beastmen and females and driving away my mother’s father and others. She wanted me to find a way to fracture Luyu and cause its decline so it would suffer the same fate as Yuejia. But I only tampered with the Shaman’s divination tools—I did nothing else!"

"Heh, is that not enough? You altered the trajectory of Luyu’s development and severed our connection with the Beast God for ten years. All the disasters and misfortunes of the last decade occurred because you deprived Luyu of the Beast God’s warnings." With those words, Hu Wei plunged the bone knife into his chest.

"No!" Hu Jia cried as she rushed forward, kneeling to cradle Hu Wei’s head in her lap. "No! Hu Wei, don't leave me!"

"Jia'er, you have made it impossible for me to return to the embrace of the Beast God. For the sake of the tribe, I can only pay for my sins with my life. You have failed the love I held for you, and I am taking it back. In the next life, I hope never to meet you." Hu Wei spoke in broken gasps before closing his eyes.

"No, this cannot be." Hu Jia struggled to pull the bone knife from Hu Wei's body and thrust it into her own left chest. At that moment, the guardian stone around her neck fell and shattered into two pieces, while Hu Wei’s body gradually grew larger, reverting to his beast form.

The beastmen looked on, sighing at the sight of the two dead before them.

"Elder, we are not traitors," Hu Xing said, stepping out from the crowd of rebels.

Soon, others who had been incited also began to step away, leaving only the beastmen of Yuejia and their descendants who were slated for banishment. Hu Wei’s guard stepped forward and knelt. "Elder, we never intended to betray the tribe. We did not know that my aunt and grandmother harbored such thoughts. I was born in this tribe, and I have half Luyu blood; please, Elder, do not banish us."

Shi Yue turned to Fifth Elder Lang Qian. "Fifth Elder, take two hundred beastmen to bring back the elders, females, and children from the Holy Mountain. It is cold tonight, so take plenty of furs. Once they return, we will discuss the fate of these people with the Shaman, as well as the punishment for those who were incited."

Three hours later, the females and young were brought back, wrapped in furs. Only Qi Yue was not wrapped; because of Feng Yu’s beast form, she sat atop the Fire Phoenix, shielded from the cold by the heat radiating from him.

Deep down, Qi Yue felt a sense of relief. During this trip to the Holy Mountain, she had secretly dug up the ashes of her father and mother, which were currently stored in Feng Chi’s spatial storage. She never wanted to return here again; there was no need for their remains to stay in this place.

Such an act was forbidden in the beast world. When a beastman passed, they were supposed to return to the embrace of the Beast God; there was no concept of relocating graves. Once buried, the dead were never to have their rest disturbed.

Qi Yue did not care. This tribe had disappointed her deeply; why should her parents remain here?

When everyone returned to the plaza, they dispersed to find their kin. The female relatives of the rebels began to weep, some kneeling and begging for mercy.

After consulting with the Shaman, the five elders decided that all rebels must take a solemn oath of loyalty to the Luyu Tribe, never to betray it for the rest of their lives. Hu Li'er, brought back by Hu Yi, remained banished from the tribe, and the original verdict for the guard remained in effect.