Chapter 409: Half the Energy Stones

This newly ascended Bear King—that little human right before their eyes—had merely raised a hand and waved, and all the energy stones they had brought vanished!

Moreover, this little human was extremely certain that the quantity of energy stones they had brought was not a problem.

The Tiger Clan and the Lion Clan had been at loggerheads for years, yet at this moment they shared a remarkable tacit understanding—with just a single glance at each other, they saw their own thoughts reflected in the other's eyes.

To put it bluntly, it came down to four words: profound reverence!

So this was a human who possessed a wondrous artifact—no wonder they could become the Bear Clan's new king.

Combined with the matter of the miracle drug, not only did the Lion and Tiger Clans now understand why the Bear Clan had acknowledged this little human as their king, they also cursed the Bear Clan's cunning several times over in their hearts!

Those beastmen of the Bear Clan all looked honest on the surface, but in reality, every single one of them was shrewder than the last.

Take this fellow Xiong Ji alone—their intelligence was well-informed; the fact that the Bear Clan's king was a human had only come out for the very first time today!

And after this human appeared today, they were led to the dean's office by an orthopedist called Lang Yu.

What had happened in between, what deal Xiong Ji had struck with the human, coupled with the fact that the miracle drug had appeared at such an opportune moment—it was truly hard for them not to let their imaginations run wild.

In the eyes of the Lion Clan and Tiger Clan beastmen who had come to deliver the energy stones, it was simply that Xiong Ji had discovered this human's special qualities early on, and then used threats and inducements to make them their king!

Truly... truly cunning!

The energy stones had been delivered, so the two beastmen naturally had no need to linger.

Just as they were about to take their leave of this new Bear King, the Leopard Clan beastmen came walking over with heavy steps, carrying boxes.

Unlike the Fox Clan's efficiency or the Tiger and Lion Clans' eagerness to be first, the Leopard Clan's procession seemed somewhat sluggish; the Leopard Clan warriors carrying the boxes all wore displeased expressions, their eyes darting away, bearing a clear reluctance.

The one leading them was none other than Bao Wen, who had stormed out earlier.

His face was still ugly, but compared to his earlier fury in the conference room, there was now more forbearance and stifled resentment. Clearly, pressure from within his clan had forced him to bow his head and personally carry out this "donation" matter.

Seeing that the Lion Clan and Tiger Clan representatives were also present, he was first startled, then his expression darkened further as he gave a cold snort and turned his head away.

The Lion Clan and Tiger Clan beastmen had indeed been planning to leave, but upon seeing his expression, they abandoned that thought entirely.

They also knew a thing or two about this Leopard Clan king's behavior at the meeting.

To be so unwilling, yet still come in person—didn't that mean there was a spectacle to be watched?! Spectacles involving other races were indeed plentiful, but spectacles involving other races' kings were far too rare!

The two beastmen immediately halted their departure, crossed their arms, and stood to the side, their expressions insufferably smug.

Bao Wen had originally thought he could chase these two beastmen away; seeing their posturing, a vein on his forehead throbbed again, but given the Lion Clan and Tiger Clan's special status, he could not lose his temper, so he could only force down his pent-up fury, turned to Cheng Shuili, and said in a stiff voice:

"The Leopard Clan's one thousand energy stones are right here!"

Cheng Shuili took in all of his reactions without the slightest ripple in her heart; she merely nodded faintly, stepped forward as before, and reached out to brush her hand over those boxes.

Under Bao Wen's uncertain, astonished gaze, the energy stones glowing with pure white luminescence inside the boxes vanished in an instant.

This miraculous display stunned all the Leopard Clan beastmen who were seeing it for the first time, while the Tiger Clan and Lion Clan beastmen on the side looked utterly unfazed, their gazes toward the Leopard Clan beastmen even tinged with disdain.

As if to say: "A bunch of backwater bumpkins who've never seen the world."

Bao Wen's just-improved complexion turned ugly again under those undisguised looks, but soon, as if he had thought of something, he cast a provocative glance at Cheng Shuili, his expression brightening considerably, even bearing a kind of petty-triumph pride.

Cheng Shuili saw his expression and knew at once that something was probably wrong with the energy stones.

She opened her panel to check—well now, the quantity had only increased by five hundred, short by a full half!

Cheng Shuili sneered inwardly, but kept her face impassive; she merely slowly withdrew her hand and looked at Bao Wen with a calm gaze.

Bao Wen felt a prickle of unease under her stare, but still maintained that "what can you do to me" expression, even lifting his chin slightly.

The Lion Clan representative beside them could not help but scoff, and the Tiger Clan representative shook his head as well—both clearly saw through the deception.

"Leopard Clan..." Cheng Shuili finally spoke, her voice not loud, yet it reached every beastman's ears clearly. "There seems to be a discrepancy in the number of energy stones donated."

Bao Wen's expression changed; he stiffened his neck and said, "What nonsense are you spouting! A full one thousand stones, not one less! And! You already took the energy stones—these things left the sight of all of us beastmen, who knows what tricks you pulled in secret, and now you're coming to make trouble for us?!"

When he first opened his mouth, there was a hint of bluster masking weakness, his tone betraying a guilty conscience.

But as he went on, it was as if he had convinced himself; not only did his tone grow firm, it carried a smugness at having gotten away with a petty gain.

An ordinary person might not see these emotions clearly, but to a well-experienced beastman like Xiong Ji, they were no different from being written right on Bao Wen's face!

He gave a cold laugh, stepped forward, thrust his hard, cold face right up to Bao Wen's, and stared him dead in the eye.

The suddenly magnified pupils before him made Bao Wen subconsciously retreat a step, his legs going weak, nearly landing flat on his backside.

This wretched sight was truly laughable; the Leopard Clan beastmen did not dare make a sound, but the Lion Clan and Tiger Clan beastmen held back nothing at all—the moment he stepped back, laughter spread through the air.

Bao Wen, coming back to his senses, furrowed his brow deeply, trying to use anger to mask his embarrassment; he parted his lips but for the first time no sound came out, and only after clearing his throat did he finally demand of Xiong Ji with a face full of fury, "What is Dean Xiong doing? Standing this close—did flowers bloom on my face or something?"

Flowers bloom on his face?

Cheng Shuili thought his brain must have been caught in a door.

Xiong Ji did not beat around the bush with him either; with an unquestionable authority, he said, "The energy stones you brought are short in number. You now have only two paths before you: either make up the full amount as quickly as possible, or be listed as a defaulter, confiscate the energy stones you have currently submitted, and as punishment, you and your entire clan will receive your medicine distribution last!"

"On what grounds?!"

Bao Wen had not originally had the courage to clash head-on with Xiong Ji; even though their Leopard Clan was considered one of the five great beast clans, that was only a glamorous appearance!

The other four races all had work that allowed their clansmen to settle down and make a living, except the Leopard Clan...

Gold on the outside, rot on the inside.

The true situation was something he, as clan leader, knew best.

It was precisely for this reason that he resisted this "donation" so strongly.

What donation was this—it was simply cutting flesh from his body with a dull knife!

"On what grounds?" Xiong Ji fired back, glanced at Cheng Shuili's expression, then said coldly, "On the grounds that these medicines were brought out by our king! And the rules were set down from the very beginning: we allow donating less, even allow not donating at all. But someone like you, who registered a donation amount and then brought energy stones clearly short of that amount to hoodwink us—that calls for punishment!"

Xiong Ji delivered these words with righteous conviction.

Cheng Shuili immediately followed, her voice rather cool and detached, merely stating a fact, with no personal emotion mixed in: "The energy stones brought by the Leopard Clan number only half of one thousand—five hundred."

As this news came out, the other beastmen watching the spectacle began to discuss among themselves:

"Only five hundred? Aren't all five great beast clans supposed to donate one thousand?"

"Seriously? They agreed to donate one thousand, and they only bring half to fool Dean Xiong? That's awfully bold, isn't it?"

"Dean Xiong isn't the Bear King anymore," this beastman winked and said with sarcastic irony, "that human is."

……

Hearing this, the Lion Clan and Tiger Clan could hold back no longer. The Tiger Clan was the first to chime in: "Dean Xiong is right! Donating is donating, not donating is not donating. Someone who said they'd donate and then didn't should be punished — if not them, then who deserves punishment?!"

The Lion Clan quickly followed suit: "Bao Wen, if your Leopard Clan couldn't afford this amount, you shouldn't have played the big shot in the first place! What is this now? How ugly does this look?"

Caught in a pincer attack from both sides, Bao Wen's face alternated between green and white. The Leopard Clan beastfolk he had brought all hung their heads, not daring to meet anyone's eyes.

The number of energy stones he had brought was indeed wrong.

Though Bao Wen was the clan chief, he couldn't truly make decisions on behalf of the entire race.

To him, the clan's face was absolutely more important than anything else.

It was precisely for this reason that he had slapped his own face swollen to look fat, following those few races in reporting a number of one thousand energy stones.

But the moment he returned to his race, those elders rained curses on him from all directions, and in the end tossed him out along with five hundred energy stones.

"This is all there is! Not a single one more! Either you come up with the rest yourself, or just donate five hundred!"

Bao Wen's chest heaved violently, his fingers clenched tightly, his nails nearly digging into his palms.

He glared fiercely at Xiong Ji, then swept his gaze past the gloating Lion Clan and Tiger Clan representatives, and finally fixed his eyes on Cheng Shuili, who had remained calm and unruffled throughout.

That human girl's eyes were too clear, too deep, as if they could see through all his shameful thoughts, leaving him nowhere to hide.

This feeling of being completely seen through was more unbearable than facing Xiong Ji's aggressive pressure or the mockery of the Lion and Tiger Clans.

He had originally intended to explain the truth directly, but once here, with the Lion and Tiger Clans present as well.

To say it in front of them — what difference would there be from sweeping his face through the dirt?!

This was something Bao Wen absolutely could not tolerate.

He had planned to take advantage of the counting time to quietly inform Xiong Ji, or the human before him who could make decisions. Who could have known that the human would have such a trick up her sleeve, directly making those energy stones disappear?

Since they were gone...

Since they had already vanished right under everyone's eyes, now, who could say for certain?

Bao Wen, as if grasping at the last straw, glared viciously at Cheng Shuili and said: "The energy stones have all been taken away by you! What the actual quantity is, whether there's any difference from the number I reported, right or wrong — it all comes down to your word alone!"

He seemed to have grown much cleverer all at once. He glanced at the beastfolk of the Lion and Tiger Clans, then continued: "Just because I offended you in the conference hall, you have to embarrass me like this?! Humans, truly are such despicable creatures!"

If before it had only been a question of whether the Leopard Clan's energy stone count was correct, now the question had become whether Cheng Shuili, this human, was deliberately targeting beastfolk.

The former concerned only Bao Wen, but the latter was intimately connected to all beastfolk.

As soon as these highly provocative words came out, Xiong Ji's expression changed drastically. He was about to rebuke her angrily when Cheng Shuili gently raised a hand to stop him.

She took a few light steps forward and circled around Bao Wen a few times.

She naturally understood that whatever she said now would have no effect. The only way was to produce the most concrete evidence and slap it in Bao Wen's face, leaving him powerless to refute!

Cheng Shuili circling him was naturally not for nothing. While her gaze rested on Bao Wen, she was also inspecting the surroundings.

It wasn't until she casually noticed the wooden crates the beastfolk had used to transport the energy stones, and the straw inside the crates, that she finally thought of a way to break the impasse.

While Cheng Shuili was thinking, nearly all the beastfolk's gazes converged on her — some with the attitude of watching a good show, others with looks of hostility.

Unlike the other beastfolk, Xiong Ji felt more worry than anything. At this moment, no matter how the King refuted, it would seem somewhat feeble, and would only give others ammunition for nothing.

Xiong Ji had never doubted his own judgment, but he felt that Cheng Shuili was, after all, young, unable to keep her composure, and her way of handling things was not as seasoned as those of them who were older. He was just about to say something when he saw Cheng Shuili raise her foot and kick the rear of a Bear Clan beastman standing blankly nearby.

Then she leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words.

That beastman, as if receiving an order, instantly turned serious and moved the crates containing energy stones from the Tiger, Lion, and Leopard Clans together.

"When you make claims," Cheng Shuili's voice rang out, "you need evidence."

She glanced flatly at Bao Wen. "It's not whatever you say goes."

After those two short sentences, Cheng Shuili turned around and addressed the many beastfolk who were watching the spectacle: "I understand that what everyone cares more about is whether I treat each race fairly, and the answer to that question lies in these crates."

As her words fell, whispers immediately rose from the crowd of onlooking beastfolk:

"What does she mean?"

"What difference is there between these three crates? Aren't they exactly the same?"

"Look, the one on the left is what our Tiger Clan brought!"

"Hmph," a member of the Lion Clan snorted coldly and shot back: "So what? The one on the right was brought by our Lion Clan!"

A bewildered beastfolk asked: "Then the one in the middle belongs to the Leopard Clan? So what?"

"So what?" The beastfolk standing next to this one had a gleam in his eyes. "When we transport things like energy stones, to prevent the stones from breaking, we always pad the bottom with straw. The Lion Clan and Tiger Clan both have one thousand energy stones, so the thickness of the straw padding is naturally the same. But the Leopard Clan only has five hundred, so the thickness of this straw..."

The speaker was a Cat Clan beastwoman. Her voice wasn't particularly loud, but with all the beastfolk's attention focused on this matter, these words, like the revelation of an answer, became exceptionally clear.