Chapter 416: Under Everyone's Gaze

"Among us humans, defying orders while pretending to obey is a death sentence. If you can't say one, two, three, I'll personally behead you on that square in the Beastmen Village."

The old lizard clan chief went completely limp under her stare, his scales slightly opening from fear.

He crawled on the ground, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "Med… yes, we have medicine, but… we… our tribe is too many, too many… it's inevitable that some are missed!"

"That's unavoidable! I was just careless, you can't treat me like this!"

"Missed? Careless?"

Cheng Shuili's voice carried undisguised mockery: "I personally oversaw the distribution of medicine to the bear tribe according to the roster, and every beastman who took it has a record! You tell me this is a miss? Just carelessness?"

She snorted coldly, stepped forward, and her shadow fell over the old lizard trembling like a sieve:

"I see you don't want this chance."

"In that case, Xiong Ji—"

Cheng Shuili drew out her voice, the echo not yet faded, when the old lizard clan chief screamed: "I'm just following orders! Really! I don't want to do this either! But a beastman's life is worth one million game coins, that's one million game coins!"

One million game coins.

Cheng Shuili suddenly laughed, though the smile didn't reach her eyes, icy and piercing.

This guy confessed, but not fully, dying struggle, stubborn as a dead duck, Cheng Shuili found it annoying.

"You want one million game coins, right? You need to have the life to claim it. Got it?"

She stopped wasting words, gesturing toward Xiong Ji.

Xiong Ji stepped forward immediately.

"He's the Rat King's attendant!"

Just before Xiong Ji acted, the old lizard screamed out the mastermind behind the scenes.

The beastmen of the bear tribe present erupted in an uproar.

But this was naturally no surprise to Cheng Shuili's medical expertise; she felt satisfied, her face showing nothing, instead she swept a cold gaze over every startled bear tribesman.

The paralyzed old lizard was frightened into limpness on the ground, unable to recover for a long while.

Instead, Cheng Shuili turned directly to Xiong Ji and issued the order:

"Now, immediately isolate these few critical cases! Administer medicine!"

Her gaze swept over the few beastmen whose faces showed resistance, her tone cold and hard: "If you won't drink, I'll pour it down your throat!"

"Second, fully blockade all beastmen settlements, inspect each one. Leave no hiding place unchecked. Whenever an unsedated beastman is found, bind the clan chief and bring him to the square! Especially this one!"

Cheng Shuili's gaze flicked over the old lizard, without a trace of pity.

Xiong Ji replied in a deep voice, waved his hand, and bear tribe guards stepped forward to carry out the order.

The news spread like wildfire through the Beastmen Village.

After Cheng Shuili settled the lizard tribe's affairs, she led Xiong Ji and the guard squad to the square, where already a crowd of beastmen from various tribes who had heard the news had gathered.

They whispered among themselves, forming three layers inside and three outside, their eyes darting over the bound old lizard in the center and the few other small tribe chiefs escorted by bear tribe guards, the air thick with unease and suspicion.

"What happened? We were just told to come to the square, nothing else was said?"

"Your clan chief didn't make it clear? He said the medicine wasn't distributed properly."

"Not distributed properly? Isn't the medicine handed out personally by the clan chief? Handing it out personally and still not getting it right? What? Are your own tribesmen's lives not lives?"

"Isn't that interesting? I heard this matter is also related to the Rat King."

As those two words were spoken, the murmuring lowered further.

"Rat King? What's going on? Explain in detail."

"When that human arrived, didn't he already make it clear? It seems like some kind of bet with the Rat King…"

"Oh~ I was wondering why this human would be so kind, turns out there's this too. So what's the situation now?"

Several beastmen exchanged glances, sharing information, attracting the attention of many beastmen.

The specifics of the situation were clearly stated by the bear tribe guards when they made arrests—there are no impenetrable walls in the world, plus beastmen love a spectacle, so the news spread quickly.

"Did the Rat King do it? Really?"

Although this voice was kept low, beastmen with pricked ears were everywhere, naturally impossible to hide from anyone.

"That old lizard has already confessed, saying it was done by the Rat King's attendant. Everyone knows this position—if it weren't the Rat King's own order, how could it happen? Saying it was the attendant's doing is actually the Rat King's command."

He spoke with such certainty that many beastmen shrank their necks in fear.

After all, in the eyes of beastmen of all races, the two words "Rat King" represent supreme authority.

Even if the Rat King did something despicable, they'd only exchange meaningful glances, whispering among themselves; if they spoke loudly and the Rat King or a little mouse heard, the matter would become huge.

The speaker was a fox tribe beastman, his clothes extremely luxurious, clearly a high-status member of his tribe. He didn't understand these twists and turns, his eyes full of excitement at having scooped a big melon.

"Be quiet!"

Xiong Ji let out a low roar, like rolling thunder across the square, instantly silencing all the noisy chatter.

The bear tribe guards stood firm all around, an invisible pressure causing the beastmen to instinctively hold their breath.

Cheng Shuili then slowly walked to the center of the square; she didn't look at the bound clan chiefs, her gaze calm yet weighty as it swept over the entire crowd.

"It seems some words have already spread."

Her voice was clear, without anger, yet each word struck the hearts of the beastmen present: "Not bad, I indeed have a deal with the Rat King—I handle the plague, he pays the price. This is fair."

She shifted her tone, suddenly icy: "But this doesn't mean anyone can use your tribesmen's lives as chips in this deal's game! Nor does it mean your clan chiefs' foolishness and some superiors' dark thoughts can override the most basic rule of survival!"

Her gaze fell on the few bound clan chiefs, like looking at a pile of useless trash.

"These few, following the Rat King's attendant's hint, deliberately withheld medicine, letting their own suffer in illness and insect bites, just to show that ridiculous loyalty to the Rat King. I want to ask everyone here—"

Cheng Shuili's voice suddenly rose, carrying a penetrating power: "When did your lives become tools for others to show loyalty?!"

The square fell into dead silence.

Many beastmen lowered their heads, clenched their claws.

Those originally just watching the spectacle gradually had their eyes stained with anger and dread.

Yeah, what if the one being abandoned today is oneself?

"I'll set my words here today," she surveyed the surroundings, each syllable landing like a hammer, "The Rat King has handed me the authority over treatment, so here, until this plague is completely eradicated, my word is the rule!"

"Anyone who dares to outwardly obey while secretly defying, hoarding medicine and hiding people—whether they're a clan leader or some Rat King attendant—will meet the same fate!"

She raised her hand, pointing at the bound clan leaders.

"Xiong Ji!"

"Present!"

"Whip these clan leaders who treat the lives of their people like weeds, thirty lashes in public, as a warning! After the execution, escort them before the Rat King's palace so he can see what loyalty looks like under his command!"

"Yes!"

Xiong Ji did not hesitate, taking the whip himself.

The heavy whip sliced through the air, its dull thud on flesh and the clan leaders' wails echoing clearly across the square.

Each lash seemed to strike at the lingering luck and fear in some beasts' hearts.

Cheng Shuili stood there, expressionless, watching.

She intends to use these fools' flesh and skin to firmly establish her own rule, and to use the Rat King's own hand to shatter his behind‑the‑scenes schemes.

Xiong Ji's strength was perfectly gauged; having previously served as the bear clan's leader, he was no stranger to executions.

The whip concealed clever force; each strike came with a slicing sound and a full‑blown pain when it hit the back.

The first lash struck, and the old lizard clan leader seemed to have his tendons ripped out, crying out in agony as he tried to collapse to the ground, but the ropes binding him prevented movement, forcing him to writhe in futile pain.

When the second lash fell, he finally seemed to face reality, his snarling face turning toward Cheng Shuili as he roared, "I'm a follower of the Rat King! How dare you—"

Mid‑roar, the old lizard clan leader was cut off as Xiong Ji's wrist twitched; the third lash, whistling sharply, struck his mouth precisely, tearing flesh open, blood and a few broken teeth spattering, silencing all further threats and shouts, leaving only a painful whimper.

Cheng Shuili's gaze did not waver, she said coldly, "Continue."

The whipping continued in the dead‑silent square, only the whip's whoosh and the condemned's suppressed moans filling the air.

"The Rat Lord has arrived!"

The shout rippled across the quiet square like a stone tossed into a calm lake.

The beastfolk stirred, instinctively parting to form a passage.

The Rat King emerged slowly, surrounded by a cluster of attendants.

Cheng Shuili did not stand; she even crossed her legs.

She knew she was on the Rat King's turf and was fully aware of the safety zone's rules.

Thus she refrained from insulting this king who appears a gentleman but is a petty villain behind the scenes.

The Rat King ignored Cheng Shuili, his gaze sweeping over countless beasts before landing on the blood‑splattered clan leaders in the square's center, his face darkening instantly.

"What is this?" the Rat King tapped the floor with his staff, asking as if genuinely clueless, "Xiong Ji, if I recall correctly, I only granted you temporary authority. Punishing other clan leaders? You shouldn't have that right, right?"

Xiong Ji gave him a glance.

The hierarchy among beastfolk is strict; logically, Xiong Ji should have stopped immediately, trembling with fear and apologizing to the Rat King at once.

But the king's command clearly trumped everything.

Without hesitation, Xiong Ji raised his hand again, and in front of the Rat King, administered another whipping to the old lizard.

The Rat King's complexion turned iron‑blue instantly, his eyes seeming ready to burst into flame.

That unhesitant lash from Xiong Ji was essentially a brutal slap to his face under everyone's gaze!

"Xiong Ji! How dare you!" the Rat King bellowed, thudding his staff heavily.

Cheng Shuili kept an eye on the limits; after all, this was someone else's domain, and she couldn't be too reckless, right?

She called out to Xiong Ji in time, "You may stop now."

Xiong Ji instantly put the whip away, his face stern as he stood behind Cheng Shuili.

The Rat King finally had to face Cheng Shuili directly.

Their gazes met, and only then did Cheng Shuili leisurely rise.

She faced the Rat King's almost murderous stare, yet her face bore a perfectly timed hint of confusion: "Rat Lord, what kind of fury is this? Xiong Ji was only executing my command, and the authority was granted by you yourself. Isn't all this simply to quickly resolve the plague?"

She deliberately paused, her gaze sweeping over the moaning clan leaders on the ground, her tone turning helpless: "I just didn't expect the greatest obstacle in the treatment process to come from within."

"Rat Lord, some are outwardly obedient but secretly defiant. These guys hoard the life‑saving medicine, refusing it to the gravely ill, letting them die. This not only sabotages treatment but also challenges the rules you set, damaging your authority. If I don't punish them severely, how can I command the masses? How can we ensure the plague is fully eradicated?"

All the beastfolk present knew exactly what was happening.

But Cheng Shuili's indirect scolding was airtight; under everyone's watch, the Rat King could only keep speaking, even though it would chill the clan leaders' hearts.

Yet compared to the loyalty of these minor races, the Rat King valued his own face even more.

Being choked like this in front of a crowd was a first in many years.

The Rat King couldn't swallow his fury, yet had to descend the steps Cheng Shuili offered. He lifted his lips and finally forced a sound out between his teeth:

"There actually… such a thing!"

"These idiots dare such outward obedience and hidden defiance, disregarding the lives of their people—truly… they deserve their punishment!"

His words amounted to tacitly endorsing Cheng Shuili's handling and completely extinguishing the last hope of those clan leaders.

They collapsed on the ground, too afraid to speak before the Rat King, their eyes filled only with despair.

The Rat King turned to Cheng Shuili, forcing a veneer of calm: "You acted correctly. Since I've entrusted the entire treatment matter to you, I naturally trust you can clear all obstacles. It's just…"

He shifted his tone, trying to regain some footing, "If such incidents arise again, I hope you'll inform me in advance, to avoid unnecessary… misunderstandings."

He uttered the final two words extremely slowly, his tone saturated with a threatening implication.

Meanwhile, Cheng Shuili smirked inwardly, her face displaying a compliant demeanor, even flashing a brilliant smile.

Since the Rat King had arrived, she naturally couldn't let him leave so easily.

The grand banquet set today wasn't it meant to deal with the Rat King's behind‑the‑scenes troublemaker?

When it comes to what is most trustworthy, of course it's the system's contract.

"Rat King, you really are thorough, but since you've come, all the beastfolk of the various tribes are here too, today can be considered an auspicious day." Cheng Shuili smiled and said: "Since nobody wants this situation to happen again, why not, under everyone's witness, we sign a trade contract together?"

Rat King looked at Cheng Shuili's dazzling, almost blinding smile on her face, and alarm bells rang in his heart.

He certainly understood why Cheng Shuili demanded signing a contract, but he knew even more clearly that ending the plague was the heartfelt wish of all races.

Under the gaze of everyone, he simply could not refuse.