Chapter 43: Verifying the Corpse to Prove Innocence

"It was you who made me do it, you said you wanted that White‑skinned Female to die by your hand, you let me act for you and gave me the Female to use, you forgot, huh?"

Hearing this, Ying's bow and arrow immediately aimed at Xi He, "You?"

Xi He suddenly let out a loud shout, "Ying, if you have the ability, kill me!"

"Looking for death."

Suddenly, Ying's bow and arrow lunged toward Xi He; Xi He leapt up and fled, and Ying instantly gave chase, "Stop!"

"Hey, Ying."

Seeing the fight outside, Nan Qinghuan felt nervous, "Dashan, grab that little mound."

When she ran out, Ying had already disappeared; outside it was pitch black, nothing could be seen, "Ying."

"Qinghuan, stop chasing; Ying will definitely catch Xi He."

Axi grabbed her arm, "Return to the Cave and wait for him to come back."

For some reason, Nan Qinghuan always felt that Xi He wasn't that simple; she turned to look at the tribe members behind her, and they stepped forward, "Goddess, rest assured, the Clan Leader will definitely cut off Xi He's head and bring it back. Thank you for finding the one who killed the Old Clan Leader for him."

Most of the tribe still believed Nan Qinghuan; now they were all clamoring for clarity, and everyone further trusted her Goddess identity without doubt.

It was midnight, wind was rising outside, the jungle was bottomless, Nan Qinghuan's gaze turned to the distance; for some reason, she felt a bit worried about Ying. Since she arrived here, she had been under his protection, and this time she also wanted to help him.

Finally, she turned her head toward the back, "Axi, I'm going to find him."

She thought bringing a flashlight would be fine.

When she said she'd go find Ying, Axi kept shaking her head, "Qinghuan, no. At night we can't see the road; even if you have a treasure it won't help. It's too dangerous outside. Rest assured, Ying can handle it; this is his territory, no one can escape his pursuit. Ying also has Mos and Xiao Guai helping him. Come, I'll take you back."

Axi wanted to take her back, but she was also afraid she would run away; this time she truly hadn't thought about fleeing. Human hearts are made of flesh—if she runs, she must wait for Ying to return safely before she can run, but she also knew that once he returned safely she wouldn't be able to run at all!

For the first time, she felt a bit conflicted inside.

"Fine, I won't go. Don't stare at me like that. Let's just bury the Old Clan Leader, let him rest in peace."

Axi didn't understand what "rest in peace" meant, "Qinghuan, our tribe has a rule: the dead must be cremated to ascend to the heavens."

"Cremation?"

They were gathering firewood here to burn the Old Clan Leader's corpse. From a cliff in the jungle stood a woman with disheveled hair; her lower half wore a skirt, her upper half was clad in bark, looking quite wild.

"Shamaness."

From behind came Axi's voice, "Shamaness, that Female is so powerful."

Hearing Aning's words, A Yue turned her head, a bit displeased, "Did that idiot Xi He fail?"

Aning said helplessly, "It was originally a success; Xi He had already persuaded the tribe members to force Ying to hand over that demoness, but we didn't expect that demoness…"

"What about her?"

"She went to see the Old Clan Leader's corpse and, in front of Ying, identified the little mound. Now the little mound has been captured by Dashan, and Ying is also going after Xi He. Shamaness, we have failed; Mos and Xiao Guai are helping…"

Aning felt a bit scared; if Nan Qinghuan truly is a Goddess, then they are desecrating a deity and will be struck by disaster!

"Nonsense, what Goddess? That's all Axi's brat spouting nonsense, the tribe too. I, A Yue, have been in the tribe for over ten years, healing and praying for them. Now it's fine, but that Female came and stole my Ying, stole the tribe's trust in me. Now Ying doesn't even want to see me, and my body also…"

"Shamaness, what did you say?"

"Where is that Female?"

"They are preparing to cremate the Old Clan Leader, Shamaness, you should go once, to send off the Old Clan Leader."

A golden light streaked across the sky.

Sunlight pierced the jungle; before a blazing bonfire, the tribe members stood circling it, while Nan Qinghuan stood watching the Old Clan Leader's corpse being reduced to ash.

"Old Clan Leader, rest assured, Ying will avenge you."

Although she hadn't been here long, she had already built a good relationship with the tribe; she felt she was getting along with them more and more, and had earned their sincere trust.

But… "Shamaness has arrived."

"Shamaness has arrived, let's sing the Soul‑Sending Song for the Old Clan Leader."

Soon, A Yue came slowly carrying a Bronze Drum and the Ritual Scepter toward here; although the people didn't trust her much now, she was still the chosen Shamaness by birth.

They still had to respect her, and without a Shamaness's blessing, the Old Clan Leader would descend into an endless inferno.

"Shamaness, send off the Old Clan Leader."

A Yue, holding the Scepter, walked to Nan Qinghuan's side; her gaze was sharp and fierce. Nan Qinghuan didn't flinch and met her eyes, "What are you looking at? Aren't you going to sing the Soul‑Sending Song?"

A Yue, seeing that she was being ordered, sneered, "You dare make me do things, on what grounds?"

Nan Qinghuan coldly looked at her, "On what grounds? Because I am now Om. When you see Om you must respectfully bow to me. Axi, what punishment awaits those who are disrespectful to Om?"

Axi hurried forward; now that A Yue constantly targeted Qinghuan, Axi couldn't stand it any longer, and neither could the tribe members.

"A Yue, although you are a Shamaness, you still must pay homage to Om."

The speaking tribe member was Lei Ji, a tall, broad‑shouldered man who immediately stepped in front of A Yue, "Om is Ying's Female; you should respect her just like us."

"You…."

A Yue didn't expect that Nan Qinghuan's arrival would win back the tribe's hearts; she stamped her foot in frustration, "Fine, I'll go sing the Soul‑Sending Song."

A Yue actually relented, which made Axi very happy, "Qinghuan, you finally earned everyone's favor. Great."

"Yes, Om, you are our tribe's only Om. Axi, quickly send Om back to rest; we're going hunting. The other Females, follow me to the forest to pick fruit."

The tribe members can't just idle; they must survive. Ying is now chasing Xi He, but the work still needs to be done. Ji is Ying's capable assistant, and he obeys Ying just like Dashan does.

"Everyone, follow me."

Seeing they were going hunting, Nan Qinghuan hurried, "Ji, be careful."

After Ji left, that group of Females prepared to follow A Mu away; the Old Clan Leader's death made everyone sad, but they still needed to fill their stomachs.

"Hey, wait, where are you going to pick fruit?"

Upon hearing her question, A Mu hurried, "There are many fruits on the distant mountain; we'll go there to gather."

"A Mu, I'll go with you; I know where there are more and better fruits."

Hearing this, A Mu was a bit puzzled, "More fruits, Qinghuan, you want to go?"