"Oh my, when you come to visit, bringing a generous gift is plenty. There’s no need for such a grand ceremony," Xiao Cheng said cheerfully, pulling Si Shuo to stand before them and insisting on receiving their full, formal kowtow.

The men got a mouthful of dirt, their eyes wide with anger as they scrambled up from the ground, faces red.

However, before they could even get their footing, a sudden gust of wind from nowhere knocked them off balance. Unprepared, they all tumbled to the ground in unison, their heads hitting the dirt with a THUD.

From the corner of her eye, Si Shuo saw Xu Chi emerge from the house. ’Looks like bad habits really do rub off,’ she thought.

Xiao Cheng laughed and raised a hand. "Everyone, don’t be so polite! Was one kowtow not enough that you had to do it again? You people from Golden Lion City are just too enthusiastic. You’re making us feel rather embarrassed."

Si Shuo bit her lip to keep from laughing, pinching the soft flesh at his waist.

Xiao Cheng hissed in pain and grabbed her hand, giving her a wounded look. ’Hey, that hurts...’

Si Shuo’s gaze shot back. ’I know. The wound is on your body, but the pain is in my heart. When you’re in pain, I can finally stop myself from laughing!’

With a helpless smile, Xiao Cheng pulled her hand away and began to lightly tickle her palm.

Si Shuo’s eyes widened. ’Xiao Cheng! Don’t do that, it tickles so much... I’m going to lose it!’

The rascal knew exactly how ticklish she was. She lasted all of five seconds before grabbing Xiao Cheng’s arm and bursting into a loud "BWAHAHA!"

As she laughed, she waved at the crowd, who had fallen into a furious silence. "I’m sorry, I... I didn’t mean to laugh... Haha... I can’t control it... Just ignore me, haha... Xiao Cheng, let me go..."

Yin Jiang, unable to watch any longer, pulled her into his arms. He gently stroked her back and said in a low voice, "Shuo’er, let’s not play with him."

Si Shuo nodded emphatically, wrinkled her nose at Xiao Cheng, and buried her face in Yin Jiang’s chest, nuzzling against him.

Xiao Cheng puffed out his cheeks. Seeing the group getting up again, he made a slight motion with his hand, and countless metal beads shot out, striking them fast, accurately, and ruthlessly on the tendons just below their kneecaps.

The onlookers watched as the men’s legs shot up in unison, causing them to fall heavily backward!

"You all couldn’t have come to visit just to perform some fancy kowtowing ceremony, could you? First you bow forward, then you fall backward. How very particular of you," Xiao Cheng asked lazily.

Among the group, Dao Yuan was so furious his beard trembled. He climbed up from the ground, his black robes now covered in dust, completely devoid of his earlier imposing aura.

"Fine. Very good. You’re only acting so wantonly because you have Yi Wan backing you, aren’t you?" Dao Yuan said with a cold sneer, gripping his Scepter tightly. "But do you really think that just because he was alive to leave, he’ll be alive to come back?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

His words made the crowd of onlookers gasp.

Xia Ming froze, her face deathly pale as she asked, "Wh-what do you mean?"

Dao Yuan smiled and patted the dust off his clothes. He said lightly, "Not just anyone can be the High Priest. Even if I don’t have the High Priest’s ability to communicate with the Beast God, I can still control all of Golden Lion City.

"If the High Priest Yi Wan dies, the Beast God will just appoint a new one. No matter who he designates, I’ll get rid of them. I imagine the Beast God wouldn’t want to see his divine authority utterly disgraced, right?

"He’ll have no choice. He’ll have to choose me!"

"Impossible!" Zhi Li roared. "How could the Beast God be manipulated by a weakling like you?"

"And why is that impossible?" Dao Yuan scoffed. "The Beast God cannot rashly interfere in the affairs of Beastmen. He can only watch helplessly as I slaughter the Divine Servant he chooses. Unless he wants me to slaughter everyone on the entire Southern Continent, his only option is to continue choosing me as High Priest."

Such shameless boasting. Even Si Shuo was shocked by his words.

"Besides, when I was the High Priest, I established plenty of dealings with the surrounding tribes and Beast Cities. Only with me as the High Priest of Golden Lion City can they continue to profit.

"Naturally, they’re willing to cooperate with me and don’t want Yi Wan to replace me. So, while that fool Yi Wan is off trying to persuade them to send their Elite Beastmen to the Secret Realm for training, he’s actually just a lamb walking into a tiger’s den. He’s not coming back!

"He’s not coming back, and there won’t be a new High Priest. So tell me, who will be in charge of the entire Golden Lion Beast City?

"Xinba? HAHA! He’s just a coward who’s always been too scared to say what he really thinks of me." As he spoke, Dao Yuan’s murky gaze lingered on Si Shuo and Xia Ming. "Don’t worry. If you’re obedient and willing to be of use to me, I’m not an unreasonable man. I’m willing to spare your lives, and the lives of your cubs."

Zhi Li moved to shield Xia Ming, his fists clenched, looking like he might leap up and attack at any second.

Zhi Le put a hand on his shoulder, a smirk playing on his lips. "Father, you don’t need to get involved in such a small matter."

With that, he rushed forward. Lightning gathered in his palm, and he sent a current through the group, paralyzing them and causing them to collapse limply to the ground once more. "I didn’t want to get physical either, but you came shouting at our doorstep. If we don’t teach you a lesson, anyone will think they can come and walk all over us. Don’t worry, I’m just helping you loosen up your muscles. You’ll be fine after resting for three to five days."

Easy for him to say. They all relied on hunting to feed their families. Resting for three to five days meant going hungry for several days. A male who lost his Combat Power, even temporarily, would be met with scorn and ostracism.

Worse, those they had bullied in the past would take this opportunity to get their revenge!

Only then did terror finally dawn on the Beastmen’s faces—not just because they were now completely powerless and devoid of Combat Power, but because they hadn’t even been able to withstand a single one of his moves.

Lying on the ground, the man who looked like Dao Yuan suddenly burst out laughing. "Do you think you’ve defeated my actual self?" As he spoke, his appearance began to change. "This is just one of my body doubles. You can cripple him, but there are countless more of me. Heh. As long as I’m around, your enemy is more than half of the Southern Continent!

"You’ve really pissed me off this time. When I catch you, I’ll have the males castrated and thrown into the female cave along with the females, all for everyone’s amusement... HAHA! The feeling of having an enemy in the shadows... isn’t it just thrilling?

"You hate me, but you can’t touch me... And believe me, it won’t be long before you receive news of Yi Wan’s death. No need to thank me too much, by the way. After all, I gave specific instructions that he must experience the agony of being flayed, having his bones scraped, and his tendons pulled out. He won’t be allowed to die until the very last moment... HAHA..."

The Beastman then reverted to his original appearance, drooling and giggling like an idiot.

The incident made everyone’s hair stand on end. "What in the world just happened? Wasn’t that Dao Yuan? How did he turn into the Curled Horned Sheep Beastman, Wu Qi?"

"It’s over. Yi Wan is definitely not coming back this time... Aigh, our Golden Lion City is going to be controlled by Dao Yuan again, and he’ll only become more ruthless..."

It was as if the dark clouds that had just begun to disperse had gathered once more. Everyone’s hearts grew heavy, and any good mood they’d had from watching the spectacle was completely gone.

Xia Ming gripped Zhi Li’s arm tightly, her voice choked with tears. "Zhi Li, Yi Wan will be okay, right? He’s the High Priest chosen by the Beast God, and he brought a lot of High Level guards with him. He’ll definitely return safely, right?"