Ten Year Interval of Wind and Snow
Ge tribe leader had doubted the name Chang Shan Yin in a report. He is very moved when Fang Yuan confirms it, the elders cry out in shock, and he tells his son Ge Guang to toast his own benefactor, who is also the hero of northern plains. Fang Yuan answers with a bitter smile that he is only a broken vagabond who slept twenty years, and weeping, he calls himself an unfilial child with no face to return to his tribe. The leader consoles him that killing Ha Tu Gu’s bandits removed a huge threat from northern plains, that a villain, not his unfilial conduct, injured his mother, and that his return is a fortune for the righteous path. The elders praise him repeatedly, Ge Guang’s respect grows, and Fang Yuan asks to let the past stay past. ch. 440
The banquet runs until late at night, and Fang Yuan can leave only by pretending to be drunk. Next day, the leader gives him a million primeval stones as thanks for saving his son. Fang Yuan is somewhat surprised, since Ge tribe is only a small to mid scale tribe and not rich. He is in poverty and accepts. He promises that he will definitely repay Ge tribe’s kindness in the future. He tells a prepared tale, saying injuries dropped his cultivation from rank four peak stage to initial stage. ch. 440
On the third day, with the banquet still very lively, the elder in charge of Ge tribe’s intelligence appears, having been ordered to search for Ge Yao. The leader sighs that he spoiled his crafty girl, who fled her marriage. Ge Guang asks whether Fang Yuan saw his sister on the way, and Fang Yuan calmly denies it, his expression extremely natural, saying only wolves accompanied him. Ge Guang explains that Man tribe leader’s third son Man Duo wanted to marry her and may take his failure out on Ge tribe. None of them know that Chang Shan Yin has already killed Ge Yao. ch. 440
Fang Yuan urges them to migrate north, join the heroes assembly and rely on Huang Jin tribe, so as to shelter in Wang Ting blessed land when the great blizzard arrives in just over a year. A great blizzard engulfs the whole of northern plains every ten years and lasts for months. The leader refuses, saying seeking refuge with Huang Jin clan would drag Ge tribe into a whirlpool of conflicts, and failure costs more than it can bear. He adds that the imperial court struggle is not for small clans. ch. 440
The leader prefers nearby Hong Yan valley, where underground fire burns and the tribe can outlast the blizzard, though entry needs terms with its overlord, Man tribe. Man Duo’s proposal for Ge Yao was an extremely good opportunity for that bargain, but she has fled, and Man tribe presses them to hand her over. Fang Yuan realizes they mean to seek refuge with Man tribe. The heroes assembly is his own next destination, and a migrating Ge tribe would spare him many dangers on the way. ch. 440
Asked whether he will return to Chang tribe, Fang Yuan says he cannot face his elders, while privately fearing his impersonation would be exposed. The leader sympathizes, since Chang Shan Yin slept twenty years and woke to a dead mother and a wife remarried to his brother. He advises Fang Yuan to rest a few days, because the wolf group alone will not suffice for the journey to the heroes assembly. Fang Yuan agrees and stays, and Ge Guang mentions a market the surrounding tribes will hold. Several days later, Ge tribe decamps southwest and converges with several tribes, and an enormous market rapidly emerges. Fang Yuan refuses Ge Guang’s invitation and enters it alone. ch. 440
