Ever since the fierce battle between Bai Ningbing and Qing Shu, Fang Yuan—who had once pursued Bai Ningbing relentlessly—rose to prominence, becoming widely known.
Over these past few days, Fang Yuan had also shown his formidable side during the Wolf Tide. He often hunted Lightning Wolves alone, and his results were astonishing.
He was a rising figure of the new generation. Had it not been for his eccentric personality and poor reputation, his standing might well rival that of Chi Shan or Moyan.
But to the people of Bear Family Stronghold, Fang Yuan was the murderer who had killed Xiong Jiang.
So when Xiong Jiaoman and her group spotted Fang Yuan, complex emotions surfaced on all their faces.
From his elevated position, Fang Yuan swayed the tree vine in his hand and spoke in a leisurely tone: "You can either keep waiting for reinforcements, or you can use this vine in my hand to climb up the mountain."
Who knew when reinforcements would arrive?
On a battlefield, nothing was ever clear-cut.
Xiong Jiaoman's group naturally chose the vine that was right before their eyes, but Fang Yuan demanded payment in return.
This infuriated the Gu Masters of Bear Family Stronghold.
"Fang Yuan, we're allies! How can you do this?" someone shouted furiously.
"You actually want a Bear Controlling Gu? The nerve of you to even ask!" someone sneered.
Fang Yuan was perfectly at ease: "One Bear Controlling Gu, seven hundred Yuan Stones—that buys the lives of seven of you. It's quite the bargain. You can refuse, of course. I'll go back and report your situation to the clan. Heh, but when reinforcements might arrive, or whether they'll run into packs of wolves along the way... that, I can't promise."
Everyone fell silent.
Their expressions were all grim.
"Fine. I agree. Fang Yuan, your reputation is certainly well-deserved." In the end, Xiong Jiaoman had no choice but to yield for the sake of the bigger picture. Her words dripped with biting sarcasm toward Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan shrugged, utterly unconcerned. This outcome was entirely within his expectations.
He tossed down the vine, sneering inwardly.
These four packs of Grand Lightning Wolves had been led here by him on purpose. Originally, he had planned to wait for these people to die, then recover their Gu Insect—a massive haul of battle merit. But their Signal Gu had already drawn the attention of several nearby Gu Master squads, all rushing over to provide aid.
Unwilling to let his efforts go to waste, Fang Yuan had no choice but to play the role of a reinforcement Gu Master.
Shortly after Xiong Jiaoman and the others used the vine to successfully escape the wolf packs, three Gu Master squads arrived. One of them was Chi Shan's squad.
This made the already grim faces of the seven Gu Masters turn even darker.
Xiong Jiaoman was filled with regret. Just a short while ago, she had willingly dissolved her consciousness within the Bear Controlling Gu, cooperating with Fang Yuan to refine the Gu Insect. Now there was no going back.
"Fang Yuan, I'll remember you," Xiong Jiaoman glared at him viciously.
"Whether you remember me or not—that's your business." Fang Yuan smiled faintly and turned to leave.
"Miss Xiong, we meet again." Over on the other side, Chi Shan's squad approached, their tone very polite.
After the incident with Bai Ningbing, the Guye Clan had lost Qing Shu, and the Xiong family had lost Xiong Li—both were victims, which had drawn their relationship closer. On the political stage, Bai Family Stronghold had become the target of joint opposition from both sides. Though the alliance still technically existed.
"This younger sister greets Brother Chi Shan." Xiong Jiaoman forced herself to relax her brow and cupped her fists toward Chi Shan in greeting. "I've come this time to request reinforcements from the Guye Clan. Bear Family Stronghold has been surrounded by wolf packs for six days and six nights now."
Over these days, the Wolf Tide had grown ever more severe. The Lightning Wolf packs had become rampant enough to besiege and assault the strongholds at will.
Bear Family Stronghold was the lowest-positioned of the three strongholds, situated at the mountain's base, and naturally bore the brunt first. In truth, this was already the third time they had been surrounded and needed reinforcements for a coordinated inside-outside effort to scatter and rout the Lightning Wolf packs.
"Reinforcements shouldn't be difficult—the previous two times went quite smoothly, didn't they? But this matter still needs to be reported to the Patriarch first. Please, follow me," said Chi Shan.
Xiong Jiaoman's group followed Chi Shan's squad to Guye Stockade.
Guye Stockade had already been fortified with layers of defenses. The outer walls had been reinforced extensively, with dozens of watchtowers erected along them. Below the walls, trap trenches had been dug, lined with sharpened Green Spear Bamboo stakes.
Iron Vine Gu and Toxic Flower Gu had been planted on the walls. A glance revealed sharp thorns spreading across the surface, with hundreds upon hundreds of vivid toxic flowers on the verge of blooming.
Passing through the main gate, nearby buildings—whether residences or taverns—had all been requisitioned and converted into temporary fortresses.
Xiong Jiaoman and her six companions had trekked all the way from Bear Family Stronghold, cutting through the wolf blockade, each bearing wounds. They were therefore led first into a bamboo building to receive treatment.
Over a dozen healing Gu Masters were stationed in the building, mostly First Transformation Gu Masters, with two Second Transformation Gu Masters among them. But what mildly surprised Xiong Jiaoman and the others was that the person managing the situation was not one of those two Second Transformation healers, but rather a young girl.
"Place this unconscious one on the rattan chair."
"There's a fractured lower leg over here. Gu Yue Xing, come treat him."
"Flesh wounds—A-Feng, come stanch the bleeding. A-Xin, come disinfect. Xiao Hua, set a splint on the fracture first, then come over here for bandaging."
The girl had lustrous black hair, a small cherry mouth, bright eyes clear as crystal, and a face with the faintest hint of baby fat. Her voice was soft and pleasant, yet she managed everything with crisp efficiency, impressive to behold.
Xiong Jiaoman suddenly thought of someone and asked: "This little sister—could you be Gu Yue Yaole?"
"Big Sister Jiaoman from the Xiong family, hello. I didn't expect you to know my name." Only after Gu Yue Yaole had finished organizing everything did she walk over and greet her politely.
"Sister Yaole is quite the celebrated figure. You inherited Lady Yao Ji's benevolent heart and possess outstanding medical skills. Though you're only at the First Transformation stage, you've still been named one of the Ten Rising Stars of Qing Mao Mountain. Even back at Bear Family Stronghold, many people admire you, Sister." Xiong Jaoman knew the girl before her came from a deeply influential background, and since she was here seeking the Guye Clan's help, she naturally spoke in flattering terms.