Chapter 116: New Leader

When Mo Lie left, Hua Zheng remained standing in the center of the arena.

Xiang Sa stared at the figure that vanished into the night, his complexion paler than paper.

From that recent thrust, he realized the opponent's strength surpassed his; had the blade's tip not deviated, it would have pierced his own throat.

His bodily strength began to drain away after he thought of this.

The earlier plan to flee, then gather strength and strike back, grew faint.

Xiang Sa's two brothers offered little resistance; under the gazes of all the watching Beastfolk, they clenched their teeth and pledged to follow.

Hua Zheng ceased further harassment, waited for Xiang Sa to tend his wounds, then led the two brothers to quell the disputes across Xicheng.

The sounds of fighting faded, and the Leader of Xicheng Qu changed hands overnight.

Having waited too long, Lin Manzhi unintentionally fell asleep, clutching a blanket.

Before long, the person Lin Manzhi had waited for through the night finally returned.

Mo Lie, as usual, upon returning first washed away the blood scent and night chill from his body, changed into a comfortable soft black nightgown, and only then returned to the bedside.

The battle fervor that he could not calm within himself melted away when his lowered gaze met her.

So beautiful…

Mo Lie thought with a slight curl at the corner of his mouth.

He lay beside her with barely a sound, turned his body, slipped a hand around Lin Manzhi's slender waist, drew her into his embrace, and gently nipped the Little Female's fair, slightly pink ear cartilage.

Lin Manzhi's eyelashes fluttered; in her drowsy haze, the itch between her ears vanished, and she instinctively shifted to a comfortable posture within the familiar scented embrace, letting sleep carry her into dreams.

Early the next morning, Lin Manzhi, still pondering, rose a bit earlier than usual, but when she opened her eyes and looked to the side, no one was there.

She rubbed her eyes, sat up, stretched lazily, and furrowed her brows in confusion: "No way, missed it again…"

She recalled that she had deliberately waited for Mo Lie to return last night, then fell asleep at an unknown time, but midway she vaguely sensed that Mo Lie had held her as she fell asleep!

Sighing, Lin Manzhi got up, finished washing, donned her cloak, walked into the hall and opened the big door; a female voice came from beside her: "Master, you're awake. May I ask if you need breakfast now?"

Lin Manzhi turned her head and looked toward the source of the voice.

She saw two females in teal long robes standing at the doorway, their fine eye wrinkles suggesting middle age, looking at her anxiously.

"Who are you?" Lin Manzhi asked, a bit surprised.

One of the females lifted her head, smiling: "We were sent by Boss Hua to follow you. I'm Mu Qiao, and she's Mu Qian. We're willing to serve you from now on."

After the territory of Xicheng changed hands, the male beasts submitted to the new Leader; among their ranks were a group of females who, having been taken by force, naturally did not wish to stay.

They were brought to present to the new and old Leader but were rejected; Hua Zheng, looking at the thirteen females, felt no further interest and released them outright.

Everyone else left, except two females with no Pheromone Value who stubbornly refused to go. They were older, and no young strong male beasts were willing to be their Beast Husband; returning to their original tribe seemed worse than staying here.

After consulting Mo Lie, Hua Zheng renamed them and arranged for them to stay and serve the Wooden Female daily.

Lin Manzhi listened as they finished their backstory.

She looked left and right, gazing at the two females: "No need, I'm used to handling things myself."

Mu Qiao hurriedly said: "You're the female of the new Leader; please accept us, otherwise we'll be driven out!"

Lin Manzhi, a bit puzzled, replied: "It's not that serious, right? You're females; wherever you are, you're welcomed. No need to follow me, a female with no Pheromone."

Mu Qiao: "In Kuangsha City, females don't hold as high a status as on the mainland. Each male beast rarely bonds with a female; they need Pheromone soothing before they consider seeking a female…"

Mu Qian lifted the veil wrapped around her head, looked at Lin Manzhi and honestly said: "We're inherently weaker than the male beasts, the protection of the Wushen Temple here is scarce, and without Pheromone Value we truly cannot endure the beasts' rough treatment any longer; being driven out would just have us seized by other forces and locked away… so please let us stay by your side."

Lin Manzhi lifted her gaze, seeing the two anxious females; although she had little need for their service, granting them nominal protection was acceptable.

Moreover, when she becomes busy later, she will indeed need extra hands.

In her view, any position only requires diligent, honest Beastfolk; gender makes no difference.

She nodded: "Don't rush. If you're willing to follow me, then follow me."

Hearing her, Mu Qian and Mu Qiao instantly exhaled a sigh of relief, attentively brought her breakfast, and after she finished eating, Mu Qiao hurried to clear the dishes.

Mu Qian suddenly slapped her head and said, "Ah! I forgot to report to the Leader! He instructed you to notify him as soon as you woke up!"

Leader?

Lin Manzhi instantly realized who she was referring to.

Those two characters are obviously a title for Mo Lie; in Xicheng Qu the various factions call their heads 'bosses', and only the supreme decision‑making beasts are honored as Leader.

Come to think of it, this counts as the covert ambition of Kuangsha City's five great Leaders… while other City Lords are called 'Lords', Kuangsha City also claims the 'Ling' character.

Lin Manzhi smiled: "It's fine."

She stood up, "Where is your Leader now? Take me to him."

Mu Qian, who had just worn a worried expression, nodded hurriedly at this. The terrifying black‑clad Leader… hopefully, upon seeing this female, won't blame them.

Lin Manzhi tightened the snow‑white shark‑silk veil on her head, glanced at the outside, now as hot as an oven with the sunrise, lowered her head, and followed the two outward.

…

Inside the council chamber.

Mo Lie, cloaked in a black robe that concealed his features, revealed eyes as cold as ice and snow.

He sat in the highest seat of the council chamber, his gaze lowered as he examined the Beastfolk below.

After last night, Mo Lie led over six hundred Beastfolk from the district, swiftly defeating the various factions of Xicheng within days; without waiting for the matter to be exposed, he then led several thousand Beastfolk to seize the Xicheng Leader, becoming the new master of Xicheng Qu.

His speed was such that Xiang Sa didn't even notice to react; meanwhile, the other four Leaders of Xicheng Qu, whose transition disappeared, received no word.

After the new Leader took over, the various gang and clan heads of Xicheng, having received Hua Zheng's notice, rushed over before dawn to meet the new Leader.

He rose early and couldn't wait for Lin Manzhi to wake before arriving here.

These Beastfolk of Xicheng, having undergone several Leader transitions, now employed the routine everyone knows: visit the new Leader, present gifts, fervently declare loyalty, and preserve the power they hold.