Chapter 448

Gui Wang follows a fading Immortal Gu aura to a stalk of snow spirea and finds the trail end abruptly, with no Immortal Gu and no reason for the aura to have simply stopped. He guesses that the Gu instead reached Zi Du blessed land and passed into the aperture of its rank seven Gu Immortal, Lady Poison Scorpion, since only a Gu Immortal’s aperture can hide an Immortal Gu’s leaking aura. He briefly considers gathering allies against her, as he had against Lang Ya blessed land, but knows he lacks the bargaining chips to bring anyone against a rank seven Gu Immortal. With Zi Du blessed land about to vent its poison, he flies home instead. He never learns that Fang Yuan had already sealed Fixed Immortal Travel inside Iron Cabinet Gu and buried it along the retreat route. ^{ch. 448}

Back at Ge tribe’s ranch, everyone watches to see whether Fang Yuan will be exposed as Ge Yao’s killer by the promised hints and clues Gu. Old Ge tribe leader turns furiously on his own son instead, ordering Ge Guang to kneel and beg Chang Shan Yin’s forgiveness for doubting him, which leaves Ge Guang bewildered. Fang Yuan, calm, insists that Ge tribe leader take the Gu out and activate it anyway. Ge tribe leader hesitates, glances at the watching Man tribe father and son, then produces a fist-sized black spider Gu and feeds it primeval essence. Within five hundred li it would glow red toward any Gu worm he had marked, narrowing to a thousand steps if those worms were hidden inside an aperture, but in his hand it shows no change at all. Ge Guang drops to his knees and apologizes, and Fang Yuan helps him up, thanking him instead for proving his innocence. ^{ch. 448}

Narration then rewinds to the day Fang Yuan killed Ge Yao. Coughing blood, she told him she did not hate him even though he was killing her, offered to leave him all her Gu worms, and asked for one embrace. Fang Yuan did not move, watching her coldly until she stiffened and died. He privately reasoned that her declared love, only days old, could not outweigh the hatred of being killed, and dismissed her forgiveness as poor acting; wary of a trap, he decided not to touch her Gu. At his will the poison beard wolves devoured her corpse until nothing was left, and from then on he never once touched the Gu worms in her aperture. ^{ch. 448}

Relieved, old Ge tribe leader praises Fang Yuan at length and, over his repeated refusals, presses the rank five hints and clues Gu on him as an apology gift. Fang Yuan finally accepts it, his second rank five Gu since arriving in northern plains. The banquet runs late before the parties part under the moon, and Man Tu invites Fang Yuan to visit Man tribe; Fang Yuan agrees to stop by before he leaves for the heroes assembly. ^{ch. 448}

Once Fang Yuan and Ge tribe’s father and son are gone, Man Tu’s mood sours: he now believes Ge Yao is truly dead. Man Duo reassures him that Ge tribe still needs Man tribe’s Hong Yan valley and has nowhere else to go. Man Tu credits his son’s years of work growing the tribe, then reminds him that his C grade aptitude means the leadership will pass to his elder brother, whom Man Duo must assist. Man Duo agrees aloud but seethes privately, certain his brother would kill him once in power, and mourns that marrying Ge Yao, his own plan to build a base of power through her tribe, has died with her. ^{ch. 448}

In the privacy of Ge tribe’s secret room, old Ge tribe leader turns on Ge Guang and orders him to kneel, furious in a way his son does not understand. Ge Guang, confused, promises to change once he learns why. His father begins to explain, asking whether Ge Guang truly believed Man Duo sought Ge Yao’s hand for her looks alone. ^{ch. 448}