Chapter Fifty Return in Triumph

  Although I have made great progress in my skills, I don't feel any joy at all. Mu Yue's matter has always been like a huge boulder weighing on my heart.

  When Gu Feng and Gu Yun saw me, they weren't too surprised. They looked at me with inquiring eyes, but I could only give them a helpless look. They stood behind Gu Chuan without saying anything, but I could tell that their eyes held some anger and disappointment towards me. Despite this, I still have good feelings towards these two brothers who value relationships and righteousness. In the future, when there's an opportunity, I will definitely explain things clearly to them.

  Kogawa looked at me with a puzzled expression, then turned back to his two sons, Kotofū and Kumon, who were standing with their heads hung low like cicadas in winter, clearly intimidated by their father.

  Furukawa's father said: "What is the relationship between this human kid and you beastmen?"

  Father suddenly said, "Didn't Su Zhe tell you? He's not human, his name is Lei Xiang, he's my third son. Because his mother was a human, he has human blood and appearance, but he also has the excellent blood of our Bi Meng tribe."

  Furukawa looked me up and down in surprise, and it was not hard to see the doubt in his eyes. "So you're his son. I heard from the remnants of Sojo that our previous army of 200,000 was defeated, and he had a lot to do with it."

  "My father nodded and said, 'Of course, I am the bravest warrior among all the Moe tribes. Don't be afraid to tell you that this surprise attack was led by Lei Xiang. I'm old now, and in the future, he will inherit my position as the highest commander of the Beastman tribe.' As he spoke, a hint of vicissitude and fatigue appeared on his face."

  Not just Furukawa was surprised, I too was shocked, taking a step forward and hastily saying: "Father, you..."

  Father raised his hand to stop me from asking questions and said to Furukawa, "Old Furukawa, let's get started." As he spoke, he took out two contracts that had been prepared long ago.

  Kokawa took over the contract, glanced at it roughly, and nodded: "Good, under the witness of heaven and earth, I, Kokawa, represent the demon tribe."

  "I am Rio, representative of the Beastmen tribe."

  The two of them shouted in unison: "Sign this treaty of peace between the two clans, may heaven and earth abhor anyone who violates it." The two of them separately bit their fingers, and a blood character appeared in mid-air. The two blood characters merged in mid-air, shining with white light. Father and Furukawa simultaneously raised the contract books in their hands, and the white light imprinted a complex seal on each of the contract books.

  The light gradually disappeared, and Furukawa's father stretched out his right hand. Father bent down, also stretching out his right hand to make three hits with Furukawa.

  "Alright, my troops are ready, after we return, we will immediately retreat 50 miles."

  Father nodded and said: "We beastmen will definitely keep our promise. That governor, I'll leave him in his own mansion, you handle it yourself."

  Furukawa smiled contentedly, "The green hills remain unchanged, the green waters flow forever, Lei brother, we will meet again." After finishing speaking, Furukawa led his two sons to turn around and head towards their own camp. Gu Feng and Gu Yun kept staring at me as they left, I transmitted a sound to Gu Feng saying: "Gu big brother, next time there's an opportunity, I'll explain everything to you." As I spoke, I discovered that Furukawa's ears moved slightly, could it be that he was eavesdropping on my transmission?

  "Let's go back too," said Father.

  Pan Zong let out a sigh and said: "It's finally over. From birth to now, I've never been as tired as these two months."

  Jin smiled and said: "I think it's over too quickly, we haven't had enough fun yet."

  Father glanced at Jin and said, "There will be plenty of opportunities later. The war on the mainland won't stop." After finishing speaking, he was the first to head towards Stanra City. Since Father helped Jin, Yin, and Pan Zong recover their strength last time, Jin and Yin no longer harbored such hatred towards him. Upon hearing this, they shrugged their shoulders. Jin put his arm around my shoulder and said, "Let's go, let's go home."

  I glanced at the demon camp, and Mo Yue seemed to be staring at me with resentful eyes from within the black tent. Ah... a strong sense of guilt spread across my chest. Was I going to treat Mo Yue like Father treated Mother? No, absolutely not! Although she was my enemy, I couldn't hurt her like that. But what should I do?

  "Let's go."

  …………

  Tiger people, bear people, leopard people and centaurs, the four major tribes, were ordered to retreat without even participating in the battle. Of course, they were a bit dissatisfied, but with their fathers holding them back, they couldn't say anything. And so, our four legions and the remaining four tribes began to withdraw from Stanra City in an orderly manner.

  My father called me over and said, "Lei Xiang, you don't look too good today. What did you do last night?"

  I hung my head and said: "I went for a walk outside the city, didn't sleep all night, so I'm feeling a bit off."

  "Look up and talk to me." His father's voice was stern and powerful.

  I lifted my head, and Father's eyes were sternly staring at me: "Do you have something to do with those two sons of Gu? You kept exchanging glances with them when signing the contract today, and even sent a message as they left."

  "Ah!" My father's insight surprised me, "I have nothing to do with them, just met them at the Dragon God Temple before. Come to think of it, I even saved them once and lied to them, so we know each other."

  "I can pretend I don't know about this, but from now on, try not to get too entangled with the demon tribe. Our two tribes have already turned hostile, and His Majesty is very sensitive. Although he's being good to you now, if you do something that doesn't benefit him, he'll eliminate you without hesitation. For the time being, because of my relationship with him, he won't do anything to you, but the beastman tribe is getting stronger by the day, and His Majesty's power is also increasing. Once I'm gone, there will be no one left to restrain him, and he will truly rule over all the beastmen like the king of the Dragon God Empire. So, you must be careful. Do you understand?"

  "Dad, why don't you say what's on your mind? Maybe I can help with something."

  Father shook his head and said, "You'll know later. Alright, we should also go back to our own home now."

  …………

  Demon Clan's Great Camp.

  "Report... The beastmen have begun their retreat."

  Kogawa waved his hand to let the scout retreat, "Lao Bimeng is a man who keeps his promises, we don't need to worry about this. Fortunately, we have completed the task entrusted by His Majesty. Gu Feng, Gu Yun, do you two know a young man named Lei Xiang?"

  "Ah! No, I don't know him."

  Furukawa shot out two sharp rays of light from his eyes, furrowed his brow and said: "Is that so? Don't think I don't know, when I was negotiating with King Bimon, you two were exchanging flirtatious glances with that little brat. Although you are my sons, if you harm the interests of the demon clan or harm His Majesty, I will not hesitate to kill you for justice."

  The intimidation from their childhood made the Kaze brothers extremely afraid of Furukawa. Under his questioning, Kaze stuttered and said: "It's like this, we met him before, do you still remember when we told you that a mysterious person helped us kill the four fallen angels sent by the Su Chou sect? It was him, after returning, because he didn't let us reveal his identity, we didn't tell you. However, we really didn't know he was a beastman... So earlier when we saw him, we were very surprised and wanted to ask him what's going on, but you were discussing important matters with King Bimon, and we couldn't interrupt..."

  Furukawa's expression slightly softened, "I hope you're telling the truth. That kid gives me a terrible feeling. I took a close look at him just now and couldn't gauge his depth. If we go to war with the beastmen again in the future, he'll definitely be our greatest threat. To be able to kill four fallen angels... his strength is... Alright, you two go prepare, we're going to receive Dundund Province."

  "Yes, Father." The two brothers let out a sigh of relief at the same time. They would rather face thousands of soldiers and horses than face their own strict father.

  …………

  When we returned to the imperial capital, the entire beastman city was boiling over, with crowds packed into every street and alleyway, welcoming us back in triumph. My father and I walked at the front, followed by more than 900 Bi Mon giant beast warriors. We were the first troops to enter the imperial capital, and behind us came the Meng Ke-led Crazed Lion Army, the Pan Zong-led Viper Army, and the Jin Yin-led Swift Wolf Army. Although all four armies had suffered some losses in this battle, the victorious soldiers returning home held their heads high and puffed out their chests, exuding an aura of invincibility.

  The streets we passed by were filled with cheers and applause one after another.

  A resident asked the person next to him: "Hey, who is that person beside King Bimont? He looks like a human."

  "I don't know, but that's the third son of King Bimon, Rai Shou, because he has human blood in him, so he looks like a human, but he is indeed a true Bimon. I heard from a friend of mine who is a wolf tribe member that this time they won thanks to his effective command, and even surpassed expectations! They beat those fallen angels from the demon tribe until they cried for their dads and moms, it was truly exhilarating!"

  "Really? But I thought I heard that this battle was commanded by Lord Mong himself!"

  "In name, yes, but Lord Lei Xiang is the Grand Military Strategist, and it's said that many things are decided by him. His Majesty has already taken Lord Lei Xiang as his adopted son and granted him the title of Rui Qin Wang. With both King Bimeng and Lord Lei Xiang, our Beastman Nation will surely prosper more and more. Long live King Bimeng, long live Lord Lei Xiang."

  "Long live Lord Bimon, long live Lord Rai Shou."

  ……

  "Ah, who is the person leading the snake people in front? Why does he have nine snake heads, how terrifying!"

  "You know what? That's the Nine-Headed Holy Lord of the Snake Clan. I heard that he alone repelled a million-strong army of the Demon Clan."

  "Is it that fierce?"

  "Of course, and also, the double-headed wolf in the back is the Wolf God of the Wolf Clan, who is also a very powerful expert. This time, the attack on the Magic Tribe's Dundell Province was mainly due to the assistance of the Viper Snake Legion and the Swift Wolf Legion led by them, which allowed the two legions led by King Bimon, the Crazy Lion, to achieve victory so quickly. Now our beastmen also have powerful experts, we no longer need to fear the dragon knights of humans and the fallen angels of the Magic Tribe."

  "Ah, great, I'll join the army too..."

  …………

  "My father said with emotion: 'I remember the last time we received such cheers was when I succeeded to the throne of Bimon, victory is too important for us beastmen.'"

  I nodded and said: "Yes, only continuous victories can make our beastmen develop rapidly. From now on, we will no longer have to worry about being oppressed by the demon tribe."

  Son.

  "Uh-huh."

  "I've made up my mind."

  "What?!"

  "My father said solemnly, 'I have decided to follow your advice and pass on the position of Viscount Bimon to your older brother, Leidong. Of course, not now, but I will request His Majesty to let Leidong inherit my title after I die.'"

  I was delighted and asked: "What made you decide so quickly?"

  My father looked at me deeply and said, "It's you."

  "Me?"

  "Yes, because I believe in your vision. Previously, I never thought that my most outstanding son would be you, this unassuming young man. But after returning from the front lines, I realized that bravery alone cannot make our clan strong. From now on, your older brother will take over my position, and you must help him well."

  I nodded and said: "I will, Father. But what about Lei Hu?"

  A cold glint flashed in Father's eyes, and he said, "If he can change his ways, I'll be delighted. He is still the deputy commander of the Mengjun Corps. Otherwise... you don't need to bother with his affairs anymore. I'll handle it myself. He has disappointed me too much."

  "Last time I killed his mother, now I have some regrets, at that time I was too impulsive."

  My father looked at me and said nothing.

  …………

  A red carpet over a mile long was laid out in front of the Beast Emperor's palace gate, with lanterns and streamers on both sides, drums and music declaring to the heavens. The soldiers of the Crazy Lion Army were lined up neatly on both sides, holding their long knives high to salute us.

  "The heroes of the beastmen, welcome back your triumphant return." The Beast Emperor personally led the officials to greet us at the palace gate.

  We hastened to take a step forward, just about to kneel down, when the Beast Emperor grasped my father and me, saying: "No need for more courtesy, I can't bear heroes kneeling down, haha. Let's go inside and talk." Our victory had made the Beast Emperor extremely excited, he was finally going to get what he wanted most.

  The Beast Emperor personally led us, the meritorious officials, into the grand hall. Here, a sumptuous banquet had already been prepared, and the entire hall was filled with joyful atmosphere. The Beast Emperor seated me, my father, Panzong, Jinying, Mengke, as well as the four tribal chiefs who came to support us on the front lines, at the same table as him. The remaining lower-ranking generals were accompanied by civil and military officials.

  The Beast King stood up with a wine cup and said loudly: "Come on, let's toast the heroes who have returned triumphantly."

  We hastily stood up and drank the wine in our cups together. The Beast King frequently served dishes himself, his appearance was like that of a newlywed groom, excited and overjoyed.

  The banquet had gone halfway when the father whispered to the Beast Emperor, "Your Majesty, I'm a bit tired and want to go back and rest first. Let Lei Xiang and the others accompany you here."

  The Beast Emperor put down his wine cup and said in surprise: "Younger brother, today is a day of great joy, why not drink a few more cups?"

  The father sighed and said: "Years of war have made me feel very tired. You can spare me."

  "Brother, you've been through a lot these years. You've sacrificed too much for the sake of our beastman tribe. Alright, go back and rest early for now. I'll have someone send some nourishing gifts over to you later."

  "Thank you, Your Majesty." My father turned around and instructed me, "You stay with His Majesty for a few more cups, I'm heading back to the mansion."

  "Father?"

  The father waved his hand, stood up, and the Beast King also stood up, saying loudly: "For the victory of our beastmen, Leio Xian has made a lot of efforts. If it weren't for him, there would be no today for the beastmen. Years of war have made our hero a bit tired. Let's send off our Bimon King together."

  "Farewell to King Bhumibol."

  The wine party went on for a long time, until late at night before it ended. The slightly drunk Beast Emperor held me back and said: "Lei Xiang, wait a bit before you leave, Father Emperor has something to say to you."

  "Yes, Father Emperor, big brother, you all go back first."

  Pan Zong glanced at me, gave me a signal with his eyes, and then grabbed the already drunk Jin Yuxian and left.

  I escorted the Beast Emperor back to his bedroom, and he sat on a chair, grasped my hand and said: "Child, this time you have made great contributions to the beast people. Tell your father what you want, and I will definitely satisfy your requirements."

  "Father Emperor, you're a bit drunk, why don't you get some rest? Whatever it is can be discussed tomorrow."

  "The Beast Emperor said drowsily, 'Who says I'm drunk? That little wine can't get me drunk. Originally, I wanted to invite your mother to come too, but she said since your father is there, she didn't want to come. I didn't force her either. Child, thank you...I've already ordered someone to build the Rui Qin Wang Fu for you at the north of the imperial palace. You'll have your own place to live soon. It will probably take some time to complete.'"

  "Thank you, Father Emperor, but I've already settled in well here and don't need to waste..."

  "Ah——, this is what you should get, I'm really a bit drunk, let's talk about other things tomorrow, come see me in the imperial study room tomorrow morning."

  "Yes, Father Emperor, you should rest early, I'll take my leave first."

  "Alright."

  I turned around and left the Beast Emperor's palace, it had been two months since I last saw my mother, I didn't know how she was doing.

  After I left, the Beast Emperor stood up, his eyes became very clear, and the intoxication from earlier seemed to disappear in an instant. He gazed straight at the direction I was leaving in and called out in a low voice: "Shadow."

  A dark figure emerged, "Your Majesty."

  "How's Cha doing? Is there anything unusual about Lei Xiang?"

  "I've investigated, and there's nothing unusual about him. However, it seems like he's extremely popular now. When he returned to the imperial capital, the entire street was shouting his name along with Prince Bimon's. Moreover, according to our people, during the negotiations with the demon tribe, Prince Bimon mentioned that Rayshin would take over as the Beastman Unifier after him."

  The Beast Emperor grunted and said, "Is this something he can decide on his own? However, I think Lei Xiang is a good kid, indeed the pillar of the beastmen. In the future, the position of commander-in-chief will inevitably be his. With him around, who knows, maybe I can unify the continent."

  "I also think that Lei Xiang is a personal talent, he can lead 60,000 people to defeat the Demon Clan's Su Cha and the 200,000-strong army of the亲王. He must have some extraordinary abilities, and he is also very loyal. However, it's best if you don't give him too much power now, and don't let his influence among the beastmen become too great. Otherwise, it will be difficult to control him in the future."

  "Ah, I've already thought of this. I know what to do. I trust Leixiang and will try my best to retain him as a member of the Beastman tribe. Even in the Dragon God Empire, there probably aren't many talents like him. Talents are hard to come by, after all. For now, he's still under my control, so I'll make use of him again. What I like most about him is that he doesn't have any grand ambitions... but his love for play is too strong. He once mentioned to me that after the unification of the Beastman nation, he wanted to leave."

  "Leave?"

  "Well, I won't let him leave easily, otherwise it would be troublesome if he were used by another country."

  …………

  Back in the courtyard where my mother lives, quietly, the familiar scent of flowers and grass made me feel at home again. My mother was sitting in the yard waiting for me.

  I walked quickly up to my mother and said, "Mom, I'm back."

  "En." My mother gently helped me tidy up my slightly disheveled hair, "I've heard it all before, my heroic son. You must be tired, you're thinner than when you left." Her warm and loving words made my eyes well up with tears.

  "Mom, I'm not tired, how have you been during this time? How's your body?"

  Her mother smiled slightly and said, "I'm fine, look." As she spoke, her left hand waved, and a layer of soft pink light appeared on her hand. The flow of air was very weak, but it was clear that her mother's cultivation of Dou Qi had already yielded results.

  I exclaimed in surprise: "Mom, you're really a martial arts genius! You've made such great progress in less than a year!"

  Her mother smiled with satisfaction and said, "Now I know that practicing this thing is not difficult. As long as you understand the connotation of the method, follow the tricks slowly, and naturally make progress."

  "Congratulations to you, ah, by the way, where are your elder brothers?"

  "They've all had too much to drink and have fallen asleep. It's already so late, you should get some rest too."

  "Mom, I have something to tell you."

  "Alright, go ahead."

  "This time when I raided the Demon Clan, I found that Father seemed a bit off..."

  My mother suddenly lifted her head and glared at me, raising her voice: "Don't mention him in front of me, I don't want to know anything about him."

  "Mom, I..."

  "It's all right, don't say anything more, you should go rest early." With that, my mother turned and left, going back to her own room. It seems she has no intention of forgiving father at all. I sighed and went back to my own room to rest.

  Early in the morning, I came to the Beast Emperor's imperial study to see him.

  "Your son has arrived to pay his respects to Your Majesty."

  "The Beast Emperor said kindly: 'Come, sit down.'"

  "How can I sit in front of you? You said yesterday that you had something to ask me, please instruct."

  The Beast Emperor seemed very satisfied with my attitude, nodding and saying: "It's like this, you've been working too hard lately. The Beast God Sect has gradually gotten on track, and most of the places in our country have started to implement farming and production. I've already discussed it with the Tiger People, Leopard People, Bear People, and Centaur, and they've decided to support me in promoting the Beast God Sect. I've decided that soon I'll announce the Beast God Sect as the national religion, and establish Beast God Temples in each province. What do you think?"

  I thought for a moment and said, "I think there's no problem. This time we successfully defeated the Demon Clan, your prestige has reached an unprecedented height. Taking this opportunity to accelerate the development of the Beast God Sect is a good choice. With the support of the four major clans, plus the Wolfman clan and the Snake man clan, you can now completely control most of the power in the entire Beastman country."

  "Yes, thanks to your great idea back then, I've never felt like the entire Beastman Nation is under my control like it is now. I think it's only a matter of time before the Beastman Nation becomes powerful. You're the one who deserves the most credit for our current situation. You must be tired too, take more rest recently, and let others handle the task of eliminating the bandits."

  I was shocked in my heart, could it be that the Beast Emperor had some suspicions about me? Otherwise, why would he stop my task? With a movement in my heart, I suddenly understood that it was because of my rapidly rising prestige.

  I quietly said: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern about me. I also want to spend more time with Mother. If there's anything that requires my assistance, please let me know."

  The Beast Emperor smiled and said, "You are the most outstanding talent in our beastman country, and there is a place for you to use your skills. Don't doubt my purpose, I just think that letting you continue to suppress bandits is a waste of your great talents. I asked the person in charge of helping you build your mansion, they said it will be completed in two months. At that time, you can move in with your mother. By the way, what do you think of that Meng Ke under your command?"

  "Ma Ke? That's great, he's a kind and honest person, his kung fu is not bad either. He's not my subordinate now, we've sworn brotherhood, he's my third brother. What, does the Emperor want to reuse him?"

  "The Beast King sank his voice and said, 'In the past, he performed well in secret training. This time, with your recommendation, I want him to replace you to eliminate the bandits. What do you think?'"

  It's a good thing that the Beast Emperor wants to reuse Meng Ke, I know. Later on, if I bring my mother back to Longshen, I won't be able to bring Meng Ke with me. Take this opportunity to let him show off, and in the future, he will definitely be able to make a name for himself. "I think that as long as he doesn't encounter opponents like Big Brother or Second Brother, Meng Ke can completely handle the task of eliminating bandits."

  "Alright, it's settled then."

  "Your Majesty, since I have nothing to do here, would you allow me to take my mother and leave? To be honest, if it weren't for the sake of strengthening the Beastmen's nation, I really wouldn't want to enter the imperial court. I'm a wild person after all."

  The Beast Emperor frowned and said, "Lei Xiang, you still have the aura of your father, the emperor. Are you dissatisfied with my decision? How can you leave at this critical moment? Didn't I say that there are many places where you are needed?"

  I hastily shook my head and said: "Your Majesty, I absolutely did not get angry with you. What I said was all from the heart. Being an official really doesn't suit me."

  "Hmph, since you don't want to be an official, can't you just stay in your own palace and live well? Why must you leave? Let's not mention this matter for now, I won't approve of it. Everything will have to wait until the Beastmen Empire is stabilized."

  The Beastman Nation is still quite turbulent at the moment, and Mother and I agreed on three years, so it's still too early. So I didn't insist either, bowing my head to say: "Yes, Your Majesty."

  The Beast Emperor heard me agree and immediately regained his smile. "Let's go, follow Father Emperor to the imperial court. I have a few things to announce."

  ……

  "Long live Your Majesty, long live, long long live."

  The Beast Emperor sat on the throne, and I stood beside him. Originally, I should have been kneeling below, but the Beast Emperor insisted that I stand by his side, so I had no choice but to comply.

  "The people love you, Your Majesty. Yesterday, our heroes of the Beastman tribe returned triumphantly, and I am overjoyed. From now on, our Beastman Nation will no longer be subjugated under the feet of the Demon Tribe. Today, I want to announce a few things here: First, from today onwards, the Beast God Sect will become the national religion of my Beastman Nation, and Beast God Temples will be established in each province for civilians to worship. And I will be the first Patriarch of the Beast God Sect, with Lei Xiang and Meng Ke as Vice-Patriarchs, with Meng Ke responsible for daily sect affairs. Does anyone have any opinions?" My heart skipped a beat - I never thought the Beast Emperor would directly push Meng Ke into this high position.

  Those who can be here are almost all the confidants of the Beast Emperor, plus the four major tribes that have recently surrendered. Of course, no one will object. It seems that the Beast Emperor must have promised great benefits to the four major tribes, otherwise, how could they agree to this exploitation of rights so easily?

  The Beast Emperor looked at the ministers below with satisfaction, "Alright, secondly, from now on, the various tribes of the beastmen will begin to fully develop agriculture and production. I will command the Beast God Sect to dispatch various technical personnel to assist you, starting with the four tribes of Tiger People, Leopard People, Bear People, and Centaurs. The four tribal leaders, you should have all seen the situation around the Imperial Capital. If you want your tribe to grow stronger, you must first make your people rich."

  The four tribal leaders stepped forward simultaneously and bowed: "Yes, Your Majesty."

  In an instant, I understood the Beast Emperor's intentions. He wanted to win over the four largest tribes of beastmen and add the power of the snake people and wolf people to his control, thereby controlling the majority of the beastman nation's strength. Then, he could use the newly acquired four tribes to eliminate those who refused to obey and subjugate those who did, unifying the entire beastman nation in a short period of time. Although this approach could achieve its ultimate goal quickly, I felt that it was not as effective as slowly infiltrating and gaining their trust. The result of this approach would only produce a powerful ruler, rather than genuine unity among the people. However, since the Beast Emperor had already set his mind on this course of action, my opposition would be futile. In any case, the unification of the beastman nation was a good thing, and the Beast Emperor was not a bad ruler. I could only hope to advise him to implement benevolent policies in the future. All of this would have to wait until the Beast Emperor helped the four major tribes develop first, which would still take some time. Hopefully, other tribes could see the situation clearly during this period.

  Yesterday, our respected King Baimon expressed to me his wish that after he retires at the age of 100, his eldest son Reid will succeed him as king, and I have agreed. At the same time, he has decided to formally relinquish his current position, and King Baimon's third son, who is also my adopted son Reid Shou, will become the commander-in-chief of the Beastman Nation's army, and from now on all military affairs will be presided over by him.

  The Beast Emperor's words were like a thunderclap on a clear day, stunning me into a daze. After coming back to my senses, I hastily took a step forward, knelt down on the ground and said: "Your Majesty, this matter absolutely cannot be." When did Father communicate with the Beast Emperor? I was completely unaware of it. How could such an important position fall to me?

  The Beast Emperor frowned and said: "Why."

  "I explained: 'Firstly, I am young and of little virtue, insufficient to convince the masses; secondly, I...'"

  The Beast Emperor stood up, his figure towering over the others. "Enough," he growled. "This matter has already been decided." He raised his head, surveying the gathered ministers of the Beastman Empire below him. "I believe everyone is aware that this surprise attack on the Demon Clan was conceived and executed by Lei Xiang himself. I have faith in his abilities to support this position. Therefore, I hope everyone will support my decision." At the same time, Lei Xiang would no longer serve as Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard, with Meng Ke taking over as acting commander.