Chapter 509: Sangze Was the Killer
"We have to catch that monster, quick!"
"So much nonsense."
Sangze raised an eyebrow, his cold gaze sweeping over the Long-haired Ape Beasts that had surrounded him.
"So noisy."
With a flicker, Sangze’s form dissolved into a black mist and shot off in the direction the dark red mist had disappeared.
The Long-haired Ape Beasts stared, their eyes wide with shock.
"He... he’s a monster! A monster!"
"Quick, get back to the clan and tell the Clan Leader!"
The Long-haired Ape Beasts were thoroughly terrified. They frantically hoisted the bodies from the ground and hurried back to their clan.
Inside the inner city.
Qiao Xixi took the freshly bathed cubs back to their respective rooms. Only after watching them fall asleep did she slip out.
Down on the first floor, Feili and Sunxiao were still talking about something.
Qiao Xixi heard a noise from the inner door. She looked down and saw that Feiyan had returned.
Her heart ached for him, and she turned and went downstairs.
"Feiyan, you’re back."
Feiyan was about to speak to Feili and the others, but when he saw Qiao Xixi coming down the stairs, he changed direction and walked over to her.
"I had a couple of bites on the way back to the clan."
Qiao Xixi frowned. "That can’t be enough. I saved you some food in the kitchen. I’ll go get it."
"Okay."
Feiyan went to wash his face, then sat down at the table.
Feili saw the exhaustion on the young man’s face and poured him a glass of water. "How did it go? Did you find the female?"
Feiyan’s expression turned grim as he nodded. "We found her, but she was already dead. We found her in the nest of a Wing Clan beast."
Feiyan was about to say more, but he stopped short when he saw Qiao Xixi coming out with the food.
"You found Shuangrong’s body?"
Feiyan nodded. "Yes. We’ve brought her back. The others are still staking out the area near the nest, waiting to see if they can catch the Wing Clan beast."
Qiao Xixi placed the food in front of him. "How did Shuangrong die?"
Feiyan glanced up at Qiao Xixi. He hadn’t wanted to say anything for fear of scaring her, but since she had asked, he couldn’t keep it from her.
"She was no longer breathing when we found her. All the blood had been drained from her body." Her skin was frighteningly pale; even he couldn’t help but frown at the sight.
"All her blood was drained... What kind of Wing Clan beast has a habit of drinking blood?"
From what Qiao Xixi knew, even Wing Clan beasts like the Golden Eagle Beasts ate the flesh of their prey. She had never heard of one that only drank blood.
Feiyan shook his head. "None that we know of. That’s why we have to catch this thing, to keep it from harming anyone else in the clan."
Qiao Xixi hummed in agreement. "You should eat something and get some rest first."
Feiyan had barely slept since yesterday.
"Xixi is right. You need to get a good night’s sleep."
The words had barely left his mouth when a guard rushed in, his expression urgent.
"Clan Leader, there’s been trouble! Some beastmen from the Long-haired Ape clan were killed by a monster!"
Qiao Xixi’s face darkened. "A monster?"
"Yes! The survivors have made it back. Clan Leader, you should go take a look."
"Alright."
Feiyan and Feili stayed behind to look after the cubs, while Qiao Xixi and Sunxiao followed the guard out of the inner city.
The guard explained that the incident occurred while the Long-haired Ape clan members were searching for Yuanyuan. After the attack, they feared the monster would reappear, so they brought their companions’ bodies back first.
As Qiao Xixi and the others approached, they heard piercing wails from a distance. She recognized the voice as Yuanling’s.
"The Clan Leader is here."
Someone in the crowd shouted, and the onlooking beastmen parted to make a path for Qiao Xixi.
In the center of the crowd lay the bodies of several males. The cause of death was identical for all of them: throats slashed by sharp claws.
Yuanling was sobbing heartbrokenly before one of the bodies. Qiao Xixi recognized two of the males lying on the ground as her beastman-husbands.
"Clan Leader, my Yuanyuan is still missing, and now my husbands have been killed by that monster! You... you have to catch it and avenge them!"
Qiao Xixi comforted her. "Try not to be so distraught. Can you tell me what happened?"
The Long-haired Ape male who had first discovered the bodies stepped forward.
"We were looking for Yuanyuan when we heard screams coming from the riverbank. When we got there, we found a black panther male standing among the bodies. He’s the one who killed our clan members! Just as we were about to capture him, he suddenly turned into a cloud of black mist and escaped."
Qiao Xixi was startled. "A black panther male?"
"Yes, a black panther male."
Qiao Xixi and Sunxiao exchanged a look. As Qiao Xixi stepped forward to examine the bodies, Sunxiao checked the tracker for Sangze’s location. He discovered that Sangze wasn’t in the cave at all, but had instead gone to the mountain forest on the other side of the river.
Qiao Xixi circled the bodies once before addressing the crowd. "Rest assured, I will send people to track down this monster. For now, all females and cubs are to remain inside the clan grounds. Males should travel in groups. If you discover anything, report to me immediately."
After speaking, she went to help Yuanling up and instructed her remaining beastman-husbands to take good care of her. Then, she had the patrol team carry the bodies away.
"Everyone, please go get some rest for now."
Having received Qiao Xixi’s word, the crowd dispersed.
As they walked, Qiao Xixi pulled Sunxiao aside and said in a low voice, "I could feel the aura of dark power on the bodies of those dead males."
Sunxiao added, "I just checked the tracker. Sangze is no longer in the cave."
Qiao Xixi’s expression changed slightly, and her grip on Sunxiao’s hand tightened. "Could it be? Did Sangze lose control again?"
Sunxiao squeezed her hand back reassuringly. "I’ve already sent someone to the cave to check on the situation. Don’t worry yet."
Qiao Xixi pressed her lips together. ’Normally, Sangze would never kill those males without reason. But if he lost control... ’ She couldn’t be sure. After all, when he lost control, he didn’t even recognize her.
News of the Long-haired Ape males’ murder and Shuangrong’s death spread throughout the clan that night. Everyone agreed there had to be a connection—that perhaps a single monster was responsible for both.
Just before dawn, the Wing Clan male who had been sent to check the cave flew back.
"The three who went with him yesterday are dead. Lord Sangze is also missing."
Qiao Xixi’s expression was grim. This was the last thing she wanted to hear.
’Could it be that Sangze killed all those people when he lost control?’
Regardless, the most urgent task now was to find Sangze.
With Sangze’s power, very few in the clan were his match. Searching for him rashly could lead to serious injuries or deaths if they ran into him.
As if sensing what was on Qiao Xixi’s mind, Sunxiao spoke quietly, "I’ll take some men and look for him."
Qiao Xixi looked at Sunxiao and frowned. With Sunxiao’s strength, he was the most suitable person for the job, but she couldn’t help but worry.
After all, deep down, she didn’t believe Sangze had killed those people. That meant there might really be a monster outside the clan grounds. She was worried Sunxiao would be in danger if he encountered it, even though the possibility was extremely small.