Chapter 495: You Are Biased
The Golden Lion cubs bristled at her words.
"We didn’t hit you! You started it!"
"That’s right! You’re lying."
But no matter how the Golden Lion cubs explained themselves, Yuanyuan insisted that they were the ones who had hurt her.
As they argued heatedly, Qiao Qiao came to Qiao Xixi’s side.
"Mother."
Qiao Xixi lowered her gaze to her. "Qiaoqiao, what are you doing here?"
Qiao Qiao pointed at Yuanyuan and said, "I was the one who treated the Long-haired Ape cub this morning."
Hearing this, Qiao Xixi crouched down. "Tell Mother, what were the cub’s injuries like at the time?"
Qiao Qiao had treated quite a few cubs recently, so she had some understanding of the severity of different injuries.
"She was pretty badly hurt, all black and blue. But some of her injuries looked like bad scrapes, the kind you get from rolling down a hill."
This surprised Qiao Xixi. "Qiaoqiao, are you sure?" ’It’s not that I don’t believe my own cub,’ she thought, ’but she’s still young. It’s possible she might not be able to tell the difference.’
To her surprise, Qiao Qiao nodded with certainty. "Mother, I’m sure. She had a lot of scrapes on her body."
Qiao Xixi nodded at this and told the Golden Lion cubs to stop arguing.
"Where did you guys fight?"
A Golden Lion cub replied, "On that patch of grass in the center of the tribe."
Qiao Xixi knew the place. ’The grass there is thick,’ she mused. ’It would be nearly impossible to get bad scrapes there.’
"You said that after you scuffled with her, you saw she couldn’t follow you anymore, so you left. Is that right?"
The Golden Lion cubs nodded. "Yeah, we left."
Qiao Xixi’s gaze suddenly shifted to Yuanyuan. ’Was it my imagination?’ she wondered. ’I could have sworn I saw a flash of venomous hatred in her eyes.’
But when she tried to get a closer look, Yuanyuan just had the same dazed expression as before.
Qiao Xixi murmured to herself, ’Did I see it wrong?’
"After they left, did you walk back on your own, or did your mother and father find you and carry you back?"
"I went back by myself."
Yuanling also chimed in. "At the time, I realized Yuanyuan was missing. I was just about to go look for her when I saw her walking back covered in blood. I was terrified and immediately had my mate go get the witch doctor."
Qiao Xixi nodded and had someone go fetch the witch doctor immediately. In the meantime, she questioned Yuanyuan, "You went straight home and didn’t go anywhere else, correct?"
Yuanyuan paused, staring directly at Qiao Xixi. It was impossible to know what she was thinking. After a long moment, she slowly nodded.
"Mm, I see."
After saying this, Qiao Xixi fell silent, quietly waiting for the witch doctor to arrive.
None of the beastmen knew what Qiao Xixi was thinking, and none dared to ask. The potent bestial aura continuously radiating from Sunxiao, who stood behind her, filled them with fear.
The witch doctor arrived quickly, having been briefed on the situation on the way.
Upon arrival, the witch doctor first went to greet Qiao Xixi, then described Yuanyuan’s condition at the time.
"This Long-haired Ape cub’s injuries were indeed frightening. She was covered in blood, with severe scrapes. It looked very serious."
Just as the witch doctor finished speaking, a beastman from the patrol team came over.
"Clan Leader, I had the Golden Lion cubs take me to the scene of yesterday’s incident. I found no traces of blood on the grass."
Qiao Xixi nodded and looked at the Long-haired Ape males.
"When you saw your cub yesterday, she was covered in blood, right?"
The Long-haired Ape male frowned and nodded.
"It didn’t rain in the tribe yesterday, so that patch of grass is just as it was when the Golden Lion cubs left. Yet, there was no blood. Doesn’t that mean your cub wasn’t bleeding when she left that spot? Otherwise, why would there be no trace of it on the grass?"
The beastmen weren’t stupid, they just tended to think in simple terms. Hearing Qiao Xixi’s analysis, the Long-haired Ape males began to have their doubts.
’After all, the witch doctor had no reason to side with the Golden Lion cubs.’
A Long-haired Ape male turned back to look at Yuanyuan. "Yuanyuan, tell Father the truth. What really happened? Where did the blood on you yesterday come from?"
Yuanyuan’s face was taut with anger. She gritted her teeth and insisted, "They’re the ones who hit me! It was them! They’re all bad guys!"
Qiao Xixi thought for a moment before addressing the Long-haired Ape males. "I will investigate this matter thoroughly and give you a satisfactory resolution. However, if either of your groups starts a violent conflict in the tribe before then, don’t blame me as your Clan Leader for being merciless."
As soon as Qiao Xixi finished, Yuanyuan suddenly shrieked.
"It was obviously the Golden Lion cubs who hit me! Why aren’t you punishing them? Why are you favoring them? As Clan Leader, do you just hate our Long-haired Ape clan? Is that why you’re saying this on purpose?"
At these words, the expressions of the Long-haired Ape males changed as they looked at Qiao Xixi.
Qiao Xixi’s expression slowly darkened, and her gaze toward Yuanyuan grew more probing.
She didn’t direct her anger at the cub, but instead looked at the Long-haired Ape males. "Do you... think so as well?"
The Long-haired Ape males clenched their fists and said nothing, but it was clear they shared the sentiment.
Qiao Xixi’s face was stern, her gaze heavy. "Fine. Then I’ll have someone investigate this right now."
After speaking, Qiao Xixi turned and whispered something to Sunxiao.
Sunxiao frowned upon hearing her words, but he still nodded and turned to leave.
Before he left, his crimson, snake-like eyes swept coldly over the Long-haired Ape males, his warning clear.
The Long-haired Ape males were all somewhat frightened and didn’t dare say another word.
No one knew what Qiao Xixi planned to do, so they all waited in silence.
Sunxiao didn’t keep them waiting long. To everyone’s surprise, he returned carrying a pile of rocks.
Sunxiao came before the crowd and threw the rocks down in front of the Long-haired Ape males.
At first glance, there was nothing unusual about the rocks, but upon closer inspection, one could clearly see dried bloodstains on them.
"This..."
A stunned Long-haired Ape male picked up a rock and sniffed it. His expression changed drastically as he looked at Yuanyuan in disbelief.
"Yuanyuan, tell Father, why is your scent on these rocks?"
The moment Sunxiao appeared with the rocks, Yuanyuan’s face had already changed, the sinister look in her eyes growing even more intense.
’She never imagined Qiao Xixi would actually be able to find these rocks.’
Only then did Qiao Xixi speak. "There’s an earthen slope in our tribe, left over from when we first built it. It’s not too high and not too low, but rolling down it won’t kill you, though it will get you hurt. Little cub, were your injuries caused by rolling down that slope?"
In that instant, all eyes fell on Yuanyuan.
Whether from anger or fear, Yuanyuan suddenly squeezed her eyes shut and burst into tears with a loud WAIL.
"I... I don’t know... WAHHH... Mother, I’m scared..."