Chapter 503

In Hei tribe’s main tent, Hei Lou Lan reads a report that Zhao tribe has torn down its camp and left. He then tosses it onto the table. He and the assembled Gu Masters mock Zhao tribe’s leader, a rank five initial stage Gu Master once defeated three years earlier by the rank four peak stage Dong Po Kong. They dismiss the tribe’s flight as cowardice, unworthy of northern plains men who admire the brave. ^{ch. 503}

Fang Yuan, seated to the side, reads the same report. He recognizes the girl’s name, Zhao Lian Yun. From his previous life he remembers her as a mysterious woman who becomes one of Ma Hong Yun’s wives and a wisdom path Gu Immortal. Her later biography credits her, as a small child, with using this same tiger, wolf, sheep comparison to talk her father into fleeing toward Ma tribe. He remembers that Ma Hong Yun, Zhao Lian Yun and Sheng Ling Er go on to become pillars of Northern Plains’ resistance against Heavenly Court’s invasion in the coming battle of the five regions. ^{ch. 503}

He privately marks both of them for eventual death. He sees no need to hurry, since both are still far from becoming Gu Immortals. He still needs Ma Hong Yun alive to deal with the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building. His identity as Wolf King Chang Shan Yin also keeps him from openly threatening a girl only a few years old. ^{ch. 503}

Talk in the tent turns to Dong Fang tribe, a super tribe as deeply founded as Hei tribe and a dominant force in Cao Fu region, led by the young wisdom path Gu Master Dong Fang Yu Liang. The Gu Masters present call him the greatest threat in the coming battle despite Hei tribe’s stronger military. They recount his history. Orphaned at eleven, he was left to raise his six year old sister, Dong Fang Qing Yu. Judging he could not protect the large inheritance his parents left him, he gave most of it to a powerful elder and kept only a small portion for himself. He excelled at the academy, became that elder’s trusted aide, earned recommendation through his contributions, and eventually drew the notice and guidance of the tribe’s Gu Immortal ancestor. Fang Yuan listens closely, since he never learned these details in his previous life, and concludes Dong Fang Yu Liang deserves real caution. ^{ch. 503}

In his study, Dong Fang Yu Liang recognizes his sister Dong Fang Qing Yu’s invitation to view the newly bloomed jade apricot blossom as a pretext to make him rest after a day and a night at his desk. He goes with her to the small courtyard. Light rain falls, and the rain curtain muffles the noise of the mustering camp. She asks about Zhao tribe’s departure; he tells her not to worry, since he only invited Zhao tribe to gather strength and can still beat Hei tribe’s army without them. She warns him that Hei Lou Lan is not the only threat, that the veteran hero Wolf King Chang Shan Yin has also joined the alliance, and asks him to be careful. He answers that he already met Hei Lou Lan once, on an earlier expedition, after Hei Lou Lan harbored unkind thoughts toward her, and taught him a lesson, and that this time he means to teach Hei Lou Lan a lesson he will never forget. ^{ch. 503}

He says he already has a plan for Chang Shan Yin. He tells her to recuperate without worry given her frail health, since her falling ill would only distract him. After a while in the rain, he tells her that standing in it too long is not good for her health and sends her back inside, and she answers him with a lovable voice not to work too hard. ^{ch. 503}

Alone, Dong Fang Yu Liang drops the composed front and frowns, judging that Hei Lou Lan himself is already no easy opponent. Chang Shan Yin’s five hundred thousand wolves, worthy of an enslavement path master, could alone turn Hei tribe’s already slight edge into a commanding lead over his own tribe. His side must deal with the wolves first, or victory is far from assured. He recalls that the Gu Immortal Old Ancestor agreed to personally cure his sister’s illness if he completes this secret mission, so he means to become master of Imperial Court and enter Eighty-Eight True Yang Building for her sake. He resolves that anyone standing in his path must die, and turns his cold gaze on the dark clouds, silently daring Wolf King Chang Shan Yin to die in the rain before the battle even begins. ^{ch. 503}