Ruan Chanchan narrowed her eyes when she heard the words of Elder Huo. She indeed did a little scheming to make her tribe better, but there was no need to put it in such an ugly manner. She pursed her lips and said in a lofty voice, "What do you mean by those words, Elder Huo?"

"What else? Our tribe saved your life, but instead of helping us as you were supposed to, you are trying to make a profit out of us. Is it not shameless of you?" Elder Huo sneered coldly as he had no intention of letting Ruan Chanchan off so easily. He had finally got an opportunity where he could prove to everyone that Ruan Chanchan was not as good as they all thought, especially the prince, lest he take Ruan Chanchan too seriously.

The one who was more suited for the consort position was his daughter, and no one else!

Hearing his words, many of the people from the tribe turned to look at Ruan Chanchan with varying looks. Some were doubtful, and some were contemptuous; some even looked at her as if they were waiting for her to trip them, and they were right about it. Ruan Chanchan, however, remained calm even though she was being stared at by the entire crowd. Instead, she calmly blinked her eyes and questioned, "Did I do something wrong? Is it true that you saved my life, but in return, I saved your tribe and its children as well; did I not?"

"That–" Elder Huo frowned. "That’s different."

"How is it different?" Ruan Chanchan sneered coldly. "You asked me to take care of the cubs that had nothing to do with my task, but I still used my skills to save those who were bent on starving. I taught you how to make cement and bricks. In return, the only thing I kept to myself was this coal that can burn and last longer. Why is it that suddenly I am being blamed for being selfish?"

"That—"

Elder Huo flinched when he heard Ruan Chanchan’s question; however, he was not willing to back down. With his teeth gritted angrily, he stubbornly continued, "So what? This is what you were supposed to do! After all, we have saved your life. It is the biggest favour one could ever owe to someone."

"Likewise, you owe me a favour for saving the lives of the pups of the tribe. Am I wrong to think that?" Ruan Chanchan asked with raised brows, making the mer so furious that he wished he could fight with her. He turned to look at Rong Xian and said angrily, "Your highness, are you going to let her act like this?"

Rong Xian sighed. He had expected the elders to cause trouble, but he never thought that Elder Huo would be so blatant in his actions that he would offend their guest. He closed his eyes and sighed to calm his anger before parting his lips. "Elder Huo, what Miss Ruan said is indeed correct. There is nothing wrong with her actions; she has taken care of the tribe’s children and done us a favour. There is no need to act in such a manner with her. Are you trying to prove to her that we, the people of the Killer Whale Tribe, cannot even repay such a small gesture?"

As he opened his eyes, he sharply looked at the elder who was speaking out of line again and again.

Seeing that he had pissed off the prince, Elder Huo turned silent. He did not want to cause any more trouble for himself, which was why he decided to take a step back and think of things more thoroughly than before. He pursed his lips and lowered his gaze even when he was not reconciled. "I understand, your highness."

Only then did Rong Xian look away from him. He then turned his attention to the crowd that had gathered and stated in a harsh and cold voice, "There is no need to look at Miss Ruan like she is a criminal who has done something wrong. What she has done is more than enough for the tribe; we cannot ask her to continue helping us without getting anything in return."

"That is quite right, my prince." Queen Rong stepped inside the cave. Ruan Chanchan turned and looked at the beast that was dangling from her shoulder, and turned a bit pale when she saw the size of that thing. It seemed like she had underestimated the strength of the queen. This woman went to hunt on her own, and yet she brought back such a big thing. No wonder she was the queen; she was the strongest among all.

Everyone in the cave bowed their heads, including Rong Xian and Ruan Chanchan, who followed suit as well.

Queen Rong walked inside and dumped the beast’s body on one side before raising her head and turning to look at the entire crowd.

She addressed the people of the tribe and stated in a calm and clear manner, "Miss Ruan’s life was indeed saved by our tribe, but in exchange, she saved the lives of countless cubs by taking care of their meals. She did not have to do that, but she did it out of the goodwill of her heart and even taught our tribe a few more things that could help us in the long run. So what if she is looking after her tribe a little? Are you expecting her to continue working for you all without asking anything in return?"

Though she did not take any names, Elder Huo still flushed red as he knew those words were pointed at him. He pursed his lips and clenched his fists tightly, hating the queen more than ever. If he knew that this was going to happen, he would have definitely killed her when he had the chance. Just because she was stronger than him, she was riding on his head as she wished! Sooner or later, he would make this woman pay for the humiliation that he was going through!