Zhi Le and Ji Liang exchanged a glance and leaned in to whisper. They really did trade a few spots for some beastmen, settling the matter in just a few sentences before pointing someone out to Si Shuo.

Si Shuo tilted her head curiously. ’Who did they end up choosing?’

Zhi Le chuckled and stepped forward. "Kitty, do you see that blond male in the tigerskin standing below the platform over there?"

Si Shuo nodded. "If I remember correctly, he’s one of your Fathers?"

Zhi Le grunted in affirmation. "Yes. My first Father died early, and my Mother paid me no mind. It was Father Yi Wan who secretly found food to raise me and taught me how to hunt.

"But he has a cold exterior and a warm heart. Once I was old enough to be independent, he stopped looking after me, saying he had repaid the debt of my Father saving his life back then. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"From then on, he would only listen to my Mother’s orders, and I was nothing more than a stranger to him.

"But I know he secretly helped me out a lot when I wasn’t looking. Even the fact that Ji Liang was able to find me in time might have had something to do with him..."

"So you want to make him the High Priest of Golden Lion City?"

"Mhm. Father Yi Wan is quite capable in all respects. He’s fair and just in his dealings and isn’t afraid of the powerful.

"Back in the Luoni Tribe, whenever the Clan Leader, Wu Chuan, handled something unfairly, everyone would go to him.

"He was also the one who led the tribesmen on hunts, traveled to various places to trade for goods, and attended all sorts of gatherings every year. He’s seen and experienced a lot..."

Si Shuo nodded. "He sounds pretty good, but..."

Zhi Le narrowed his eyes, the corner of his lip curling up. "But the greatest misfortune in his and my Father’s lives was meeting my Mother.

"If he becomes the High Priest, it’s very likely my Mother will become even more tyrannical."

"What is Father Yi Wan’s relationship with your Mother like?"

"Indifferent, I guess. Father Yi Wan doesn’t have any cubs. Aside from the rainy season and the coldest season, he spends most of his time away." Zhi Le pursed his lips. In his heart, Father Yi Wan was like a second father to him.

Si Shuo’s eyes darted about before she whispered in his ear, "Zhi Le, since we’ll be staying in Golden Lion City for a while, we can observe Father Yi Wan and see if he can properly balance his public duties and private affairs.

"If it really doesn’t work out, we can just pick someone else who’s qualified to be High Priest."

Zhi Le smiled in agreement and ruffled her hair.

By now, nearly half of the Beastmen in the city had arrived. Standing below the stage, the City Lord, Xinba, had a cold and somewhat gloomy expression, his lips pressed tightly together as he remained silent.

Sweet Ring, nestled atop Ji Liang’s head, hissed, "Father, is that male sitting on the skulls just pretending to be asleep to deliberately keep everyone waiting?

"We’ve been here for so long, and the assembly still hasn’t started."

Ji Liang smiled and nodded. "Why don’t you check and see if he’s faking it?"

Sweet Ring tilted its head and hissed, "Then I hope a bird bomb falls from the sky right onto the tip of his nose..."

It had barely finished speaking when a large bird appeared from nowhere, squawking as it flew past. SPLAT! A glob of white, sticky goo landed right on Dao Yuan’s nose, splattering all over his face!

The Beastmen had sharp eyes. Many of them saw it, and ripples of stifled laughter spread through the crowd.

Dao Yuan smelled the foul stench, opened his eyes, and instinctively wiped his face. Feeling the stickiness on his face and hand, his expression turned as dark as ink.

The entire square fell silent, but no one could hide the amusement in their eyes.

After Yu Jiao helped him wash his face, Dao Yuan finally glanced at her.

Understanding his cue, Yu Jiao puffed out her chest, stepped forward, cleared her throat, and announced arrogantly, "Today, the Golden Lion Beast God is especially displeased. Someone in our city has dared to disrespect His Eminence.

"As everyone knows, Golden Lion City is a very tolerant Beast City. We don’t forbid you from continuing to believe in the Beast God, who has become a mere decoration, but we will not allow anyone to show contempt for the Golden Lion Beast God.

"I am the city’s witch. I will be studying under my master to succeed her as the Witch Doctor, and I am the Golden Lion Beast God’s most loyal believer!

"But today, as many of you saw, I was humiliated, beaten, and cursed by Si Shuo and her family... Even though Si Shuo is my own sister, I represent the honor of the Golden Lion Beast God! If this matter is treated lightly today, who will dare to believe in and respect the Golden Lion Beast God in the future?"

Dao Yuan, sitting lazily on his bone chair, nodded. "Correct. The Golden Lion Beast God protected us from the Beast Tide, so he deserves all of our respect.

"Si Shuo’s family passed through here and moved in without registering. And they act so brazenly.

"If we don’t punish them severely, others will follow their example, and our Golden Lion City will descend into chaos!"

Si Shuo was stunned for a moment. ’Wow, how sanctimonious. If I weren’t the one being accused, even I would think I’d gone too far...’

Yin Jiang stepped in front of Si Shuo and asked coolly, "What do you want?"

Yu Jiao sighed and said gravely, "It’s not about what we want. It’s that Si Shuo has gone too far. Even as her older sister, I cannot cover for her wicked behavior.

"Hand her over to the Golden Lion Beast God for punishment! Our Golden Lion Beast God is a Fire God, so we will tie Si Shuo up and burn her. If the Golden Lion Beast God forgives her, he will naturally send down rain.

"Otherwise, she can only offer her body and soul as a sacrifice to appease the Golden Lion Beast God’s wrath, lest everyone else suffer along with her..."

Some of the Beastmen had been brainwashed. The moment they heard they could be implicated because of Si Shuo, they raised their fists and shouted, "Burn her! Burn her!"

"Despising the Golden Lion Beast God will bring us disaster! We must burn her to appease his fury... We’re tired of living as homeless wanderers; we can’t let this female ruin everything..."

Yu Jiao raised an eyebrow smugly. "Si Shuo, don’t blame your sister for not pleading your case. It’s what everyone wants.

"If you kneel and kowtow on the gravel around the stage to admit your wrongs, perhaps the Golden Lion Beast God will see your remorse and sincerity and won’t require you as a sacrifice.

"It would save your Beast Husbands from suffering after the Golden Lion Beast God takes you... Surely my dear sister wouldn’t want that, would she?"

Si Shuo stepped out from behind Yin Jiang and smiled. "I’d actually like to meet this so-called Golden Lion Beast God.

"If my information is correct, this year, whether it was males receiving their imprints or females receiving their blessings, you all still knelt to the Beast God, not some Golden Lion Beast God dug up from who-knows-what obscure corner.

"Is your Golden Lion Beast God dependent on the Beast God?

"I am a Female Saint chosen by the Beast God himself. Aren’t you afraid of incurring the Beast God’s wrath by touching me?"

It wasn’t just Yu Jiao; many of the Beastmen present hesitated. She was right. For imprints and blessings, they still relied on the Beast God, not the Golden Lion Beast God.

The status of a Female Saint was special; they had always been favored by the Beast God.

They all turned their heads to look at Dao Yuan.

He snorted coldly. "Nonsense meant to delude the masses! So the Golden Lion Beast God’s benevolence and tolerance have become a point for you to attack wantonly?

"The Golden Lion Beast God was already angered just now. Must you insist on getting every Beastman who doesn’t believe in him driven out of the city before you’re satisfied?"

His words immediately made the Beastmen nervous. They didn’t want to be driven out, so how could they dare to hesitate? They resumed their denunciation: "Female Saint Si Shuo, you should hurry up and kneel to apologize..."