Chapter 449

Ge Guang is shocked to hear that Man tribe wants to devour Ge tribe. His father, Ge tribe leader, says Ge Yao’s death gives Man tribe a perfect excuse to send troops. Because the father brought in Chang Shan Yin, famed and backed by Chang tribe, Man Tu did not dare accuse blindly and did not attack that night. The father agreed to his daughter Ge Yao’s wedding because the great blizzard is coming, and marriage would let the tribe stay inside Hong Yan valley. He sacrificed her happiness for the tribe, but she fled and died in poison grassland. ^{ch. 449}

That night’s banquet really targeted Ge tribe, and the father dragged Chang Shan Yin along as a shield. The father calls Man Duo truly evil for using chase smoke Gu, and says he told Chang Shan Yin he trusted him completely. The father was suspicious himself but dared not show it, since without Chang Shan Yin they might not have returned alive. Man tribe might not kill father and son, but would imprison them and then devour a leaderless Ge tribe. Even if the killer were Chang Shan Yin, they cannot suspect him. That is why the father gave him the precious hints and clues Gu. ^{ch. 449}

The father now sees Man Tu as a greedy jackal. With Ge Yao gone, Ge tribe has no excuse left to use Hong Yan valley, and staying would definitely mean being devoured by Man tribe, so it will depart for the heroes assembly in a few days. The father reckons Man Tu, unwilling to let Ge tribe go but wary of Chang Shan Yin, will not strike while Chang Shan Yin travels with it. When Ge Guang is uneasy about using Chang Shan Yin, his father replies that a good hunter uses his surroundings. He then calls Chang Shan Yin a truly legendary hero who may have understood and still sided with them. ^{ch. 449}

A few days later, Fang Yuan burns the last of a hundred bone bamboo Gu completely with ghost fire. The treatment heals eight of battle bone wheel’s most severe wounds, and the wheel leaves the emergency stage. At rank four peak stage, his primeval sea is ninety percent full, but having just arrived in northern plains, his true gold primeval essence is only initial stage light gold. He cannot break through to rank five. Third watch Gu would speed his adaptation, but he refuses because Spring Autumn Cicada would also recover three times as fast. Of his two rank five Gu from northern plains, battle bone wheel is recovering, and hints and clues Gu scouts and tracks people. ^{ch. 449}

Fang Yuan sees that Man Tu’s son Man Duo, low in cultivation, wanted to marry Ge Yao and take Ge tribe to contend for the tribe leader seat. Man Tu, not necessarily ignorant of this, was very interested in devouring Ge tribe. After Ge Yao escaped, Man tribe used that as an excuse and may even have set wind wolves on Ge Guang’s search party. Once the old Ge tribe leader learned his guest was Chang Shan Yin, he meant to use him, so he welcomed him warmly and gave him a million primeval stones. At the moonlight banquet, Man tribe suffered a setback and lost its excuse, Ge Yao, though it remained the strongest of the three sides. Ge tribe survived by using Chang Shan Yin’s reputation but stayed weaker, while Fang Yuan feigned ignorance, spread his name and grew stronger. ^{ch. 449}

Fang Yuan judges Ge Yao a sacrifice in the tribes’ struggle. In his guess, her escape from the tightly secured camp was most likely arranged by the old leader to probe Man tribe, but Man tribe’s eldest or second son may have struck at her, afraid of Man Duo gaining power. To Fang Yuan, power underlies every scheme, and Man tribe, only a large tribe and not a super tribe, lacks the strength to attack Ge tribe directly. He reckons Ge tribe stays safe partly because it was once a large tribe. He thinks the old leader may be planning to migrate again, borrowing the imperial court’s power against the ten year blizzard. ^{ch. 449}