Chapter 343: Chapter 343: Wolfish Ambition

Leng Feng quickly masked his emotions, feeling a bit flustered inside. Could it be that the Young Master knows about his conspiracy with the Thirteen Elders?

How could that be?

If he knew, he wouldn’t have waited until now to question him.

But Leng Feng truly doesn’t understand this Young Master.

He didn’t grow up within the Xuanyuan Clan; he was only recently summoned back.

Since his return, he has mostly been negotiating with important clan elders, while others haven’t had the privilege of much interaction with him.

So, Leng Feng remains unaware of his character or his way of handling affairs.

Not knowing means he doesn’t know how to respond.

He also cannot fathom his intentions.

Leng Feng’s expression changed a few times, then he said, "Young Master, I was just discussing some hunting-related matters with the Thirteen Elders."

"Not only with the Thirteen Elders, I also consulted the Ninth Elder, Tenth Elder, and Eleventh Elder. Many preparations are needed to be thorough."

To be safe, he consulted with several elders so that no one would suspect the Thirteen Elders.

In daily life, he acted with extreme caution, ensuring no flaws or blunders were left behind.

He also had no idea how those spirit stones ended up in his residence, let alone that they were top-grade spirit stones.

Could it be that the Young Master is deliberately targeting him?

That shouldn’t be the case; if he were deliberately targeted, there wouldn’t have been a delay until now.

Previously, the Young Master regarded him highly, entrusting him with significant responsibilities.

Something must have gone wrong somewhere.

But he couldn’t figure it out immediately.

Or was he betrayed by someone?

Yun Qinglan said indifferently, "Oh, since you’ve prepared thoroughly, why did so many fierce mutated beasts appear during the hunt?"

"Based on the hunting route and surveying situation, several fierce mutated beasts should not have appeared in that area."

"I asked your Captain Liu, he said those fierce beasts seemed to specifically target him."

"He suspects someone set him up to be attacked. I had people investigate and indeed, there was a fragrance added to his insect repellent bag. This fragrance, mixed in with the insect repellent, is hard to detect but can attract mutated beasts, driving them mad. Am I correct?"

With this, Yun Qinglan showed the insect repellent bag that belonged to Captain Liu earlier.

Seeing this, Leng Feng’s pupils shrank.

"Speak, why did you set up this trap, why did you want to harm Captain Liu?"

Yun Qinglan’s interrogation started with these things, otherwise, if he directly questioned him regarding being a spy, Leng Feng would definitely deny it, leading to suspicion among everyone.

But by starting with these matters, it puts Leng Feng in a deadlock.

Anyone would hate Leng Feng for betraying and harming clan members. If people learned he was indeed a spy at this moment, it would be easier to believe and accept it. Thereafter, using him to ferret out other spies and dealing with them wouldn’t arouse any doubt.

As for this fragrance, it was found by Yaoyao.

Leng Feng remained outwardly calm, but only he knew panic was brewing inside.

"Young Master, I really don’t know, I know nothing at all. This insect repellent bag was standardized and distributed by the clan."

Leng Feng adamantly refused to admit it.

Yun Qinglan had little patience; he took out an elixir given by Su Muyao and flicked it directly into Leng Feng’s mouth.

It melted upon entering his mouth, and despite his attempts to spit it out, it was futile.

"Young Master, what did you just give me? You fed me poison, Young Master. I’ve been loyal and devoted to you, but you would falsely accuse and trap me."

"I understand you don’t want me to be the captain, Young Master, you just need to say so, I’ll step down. But I won’t admit to something I haven’t done."

"I know you didn’t grow up in the Xuanyuan Clan, nor do you have feelings towards it..."

Even at this time, Leng Feng tried to incite discontent amongst Yun Qinglan’s other guards against him.

Yun Qinglan remained leisurely indifferent, watching the ranting Leng Feng as if he were a jumping clown.

Sure enough, it didn’t take long for the effects of the elixir to manifest, leaving Leng Feng silent with a vacant look in his eyes.

Yun Qinglan then asked, "Why did you want to harm Captain Liu?"

Leng Feng mechanically responded, "Because I want to be the captain, and if Captain Liu doesn’t step down, I cannot grasp real power."

"Why not just let him die then, why save Captain Liu?"

Leng Feng’s eyes scattered, uncontrollably continuing his mechanical response, "Because even if Captain Liu steps down, the team members wouldn’t respect me, making real power unattainable. Most of them are Inner City aristocrat Beastmen who look down on outsiders, whereas I’m an ordinary Outer City Beastman, they wouldn’t respect me. But if I saved Captain Liu, it’s different—they’d trust and feel grateful."

While Yun Qinglan interrogated, he brought many Beastmen from the Guard Team, allowing them to hear these words firsthand.

Upon hearing Leng Feng’s quick confession, everyone’s faces changed.

Yun Qinglan looked at them and asked, "What do you think?"

In anger, they said, "So it really was him who harmed Captain Liu, feigning benevolence to save him, none of us suspected him."

"Right, I thought it was odd—that route was surveyed beforehand and shouldn’t have had fierce mutated beasts. Yet that day, numerous fierce mutated beasts emerged suddenly. Captain Liu is strong enough that without them he wouldn’t have been injured."

"That’s too terrifying; if it weren’t exposed, we wouldn’t have known he was so selfish and ruthless."

"Imagine if he became our captain, who knows what he’d do."

"Several brothers died during the hunt. Now I recall, they didn’t like Leng Feng much; privately some called him insincere—he was eliminating dissenters."

Everyone wished they could step forward and kill Leng Feng.

It was then that the Clan Leader, Great Elder, and Second Elder arrived.

"Young Master, you summoned us, is there something urgent?"

Seeing Yun Qinglan, the Clan Leader and two elders’ gazes were particularly tender, looking at him as if seeing the hope of the Xuanyuan Clan.

Yun Qinglan replied, "I only wish for the Clan Leader and two clan elders to listen to Leng Feng’s confession."

Though puzzled by the matter Leng Feng involved himself in, they trusted Yun Qinglan and followed him to sit.

Yun Qinglan continued, "Why were you so eager to become captain, or is there a mission?"

"My master ordered chaos at the sacrificial ceremony within the Xuanyuan Clan and to kill the Xuanyuan Young Master, preventing the rise of the Xuanyuan Clan."

On hearing this, the Clan Leader and two elders’ faces changed drastically.

The Second Elder pointed at Leng Feng, "You... who is your master?"

"You are a traitor, you... you..."

Their greatest disdain is for traitors. Were it not for them, the Xuanyuan Clan wouldn’t have suffered such devastation years ago, and after over twenty years of recuperation, it’s not fully recovered.

They still vividly recall the many lives lost, their anguish immeasurable.

Leng Feng’s thoughts inadvertently spilled out, "My master, haha, my master is naturally the Steward of Bright Hall. Completing this task means I too can be a steward, gain immortality, and even deification."

"Your Xuanyuan Clan is merely a stepping stone."

"I’ve endured and kept hidden all these years solely for this purpose."

"Even with Xuanyuan Mountain’s shelter, once your pure-blooded Thunder Beastmen are killed—sooner or later your Xuanyuan Clan will decline and be obliterated."

The Clan Leader and Great Elder immediately stood up as their faces turned pale.

"A traitor with malicious intent, yet I didn’t notice one within our clan."

They wished they could kill Leng Feng on the spot but realized calmness was necessary, extracting more information from him.