Seeing that her scheme had worked, Lu Yan was delighted, feeling she had made the right gamble! He still loved her as much as before.
Thinking that Qiao Ci truly had divine assistance, Lu Yan decided to temporarily avoid her influence. She couldn't stay in any of the nearby tribes. But as a weak woman, traveling elsewhere might be dangerous if she encountered bad beastmen. Thus, she set her sights on the southern bank. Besides Qiao Ci, who was protected by gods, other beastmen were no match for those on the southern bank. No matter what, she couldn't deny his power. With his protection, she would at least be safe.
Carefully choosing her words, Lu Yan exaggerated her tragic experiences tenfold:
"Brother Nan An, Qiao Ci truly cannot tolerate me. Because the Lion tribe helped me, she used divine power to cruelly kill the Lion chief. I had originally planned to end my life after seeing you one last time, but seeing that you still cared for me, I greedily wanted more. Brother Nan An, I want to be with you forever and have a litter of little tigers for you. Are you willing to wander the world with me, far from the disputes here?"
Lu Yan looked at Nan An with adoration, her voice soft and lingering, intensifying Nan An's desire to protect her. Since losing his position as chief, Nan An's treatment was incomparable to before. Moreover, with Qiao Ci's current dominance, he saw no path forward. He might as well leave and become a king in his own right, developing his own power.
After thinking it through, he nodded firmly, "Alright, we'll wander the world, far from the disputes."
The two hit it off and began to busy themselves, preparing to take more supplies for their journey. When they were done packing, they waited for the cover of night to sneak away. Seeing that it was still early, Nan An, who had been lonely for a while, held the shy Lu Yan in his arms and doted on her intensely.
As night fell, just as the two were about to leave, they saw beastmen surrounding their door.
"Good, Nan An! Ever since you were injured, the beastmen in the tribe have doted on you. You don't need to hunt, your food is brought to your mouth, and the best herbs are used to treat your leg injury. Yet, for this bad woman who instigated Shi Xiao Tian to attack our tribe, you are willing to abandon the tribe that bore and raised you! You have disappointed me immensely!" The beastman speaking was Man Lan, a tigress who had been meticulously taking care of Nan An since Lu Yan left. She had always admired Nan An, and even when his leg might have lasting issues and he was no longer as strong and robust, she had cared for him for so long.
Just these past few days, his attitude towards her had been ambiguous, hinting at a desire to become mates. But today, while bringing him food, she overheard discordant sounds. After listening secretly for a while, she learned that he was going to betray the Tiger tribe for a woman, which filled her with rage. She quietly gathered the other beastmen to see how he would face so many tribesmen he had grown up with. She had also sent someone to notify the chief, believing Qiao Ci would come soon, and hoping she would thoroughly deal with this pair of scoundrels!
While Nan An was feeling awkward, Lu Yan suddenly spoke up, indignantly defending Nan An: "You still have the nerve to blame Brother Nan An! For so long, he has worked diligently, pouring all his heart and soul into the tribe, allowing everyone to live a life of ease and abundance. But what about you? Just because Qiao Ci happened to defeat Brother Nan An, you all became turncoats, flocking to support Qiao Ci, showing no respect for Nan An, the former chief who has fallen on hard times! You even disregarded his feelings and stopped all his privileges. As they say, 'when a man falls, the tea gets cold,' and it's true! Heh, such a coldhearted tribe, I don't need it! Right, Brother Nan An?"
Lu Yan had perfectly articulated Nan An's hardships and frustrations of the past few days! He cast cold glances at the former companions before him: "Previously, how much I contributed to the tribe, I believe everyone present knows well. I, Nan An, believe I have wronged neither the tribe nor any beastman present. Yet, you scattered like birds when my fortunes waned, which chills me to the bone. I, Nan An, hereby announce my complete severance from the Tiger tribe, with no further ties! I hope, in consideration of my past contributions to the tribe, you will not try to retain me, for my decision is final!"
"Who would try to retain you?" Qiao Ci's clear and ethereal voice drifted over. Nan An's pupils contracted. Since he was leaving anyway, his dissatisfaction with Qiao Ci could no longer be hidden. He spoke without politeness, "Qiao Ci, I gave you the position of chief, and I have never done anything detrimental to the tribe. I am tired and want to leave here to start a new life. What, do you have a problem with that? Or do you want to drive me to ruin?"
Qiao Ci glanced at him calmly before slowly speaking, "Firstly, the position of chief was earned through my strength, so don't act as if I handed it over to you. Secondly, in the beastman tribes, the strong rule. You obtained your former position as chief by defeating the previous one. Furthermore, it is only natural for a chief to contribute to the tribe, as you also enjoyed commensurate privileges. When you stepped down as chief, those privileges naturally ended. Finally, Lu Yan deliberately incited Shi Xiao Tian to sneak attack our Tiger tribe; she is our enemy. Now, your association with her is akin to treason. It is not a matter of whether you wish to leave the Tiger tribe, but rather, the Tiger tribe intends to expel you entirely."
Flushed with embarrassment by Qiao Ci's words, Nan An became enraged, "The victor is king, the vanquished is bandit. No matter what you say, they will surely side with you. Setting aside everything else, Yan Yan did not incite the Lion tribe to attack the Tiger tribe; she was merely used. How could a weak woman command Shi Xiao Tian? Heh, to impose baseless charges on a woman, such a tribe is not worth staying in! If you want to expel me, then expel me!"
Man Lan immediately berated him upon hearing this, "Nan An, I think you're blinded by this woman! Today, this woman was quite arrogant by Shi Xiao Tian's side. You've been deceived by her! You are truly foolish; I never realized it before!"
Qiao Ci also added coldly, "A weak woman? Yet such a weak woman managed to subdue you with her own abilities? Why couldn't she subdue other males?"
"Let me explain again, Lu Yan was forced!" With no way back, Nan An naturally believed his own people.
"Whether you believe it or not is unimportant to me. However, if you intend to take this malicious Lu Yan with you, you may not have the ability to do so." Qiao Ci glanced at him with disdain.
"What do you want?" Nan An was certain that Qiao Ci wouldn't dare harm him, the former chief, in front of everyone.
"What do I want?" Seeing his inexplicable self-confidence, Qiao Ci felt somewhat speechless. She looked at him with a half-smile and asked word by word, "Your life. Will you give it?"