"What, Father? You want me to solve the case?" The girl pointed at herself, her face full of shock.
"What, you don't want to?" Tie Xue Leng smiled.
"I want to, of course I want to!" Tie Ruonan came to her senses and said excitedly.
Tie Xue Leng nodded, sighing lightly, his tone complex: "You've set your heart on walking the same path as me. All these years by my side, you've absorbed more than you realize. A young eagle can only truly grow by learning to fly on its own. Father is getting old, and this wound of mine… it can't be cured. I can't accompany you through your whole life. A new generation replaces the old — from here on, it's up to you."
"Father… don't lose hope. Isn't there still a chance for treatment?" The girl's voice trembled, choked with emotion.
"We both know how slim that hope is. One must learn to face reality, Ruonan." Tie Xue Leng smiled, then turned to face Gu Yue Bo. "Patriarch Gu Yue, rest assured. My daughter has already learned seventy or eighty percent of my skills, and with my guidance alongside her, I guarantee your clan will not suffer any unjust blame."
"Not at all, not at all." Gu Yue Bo hastily cupped his hands. "Young Lady Tie is every bit as capable as any man — valiant and spirited, and the child of a hero. How could I have any cause for worry? Please, come to the stockade. Let us first welcome you both properly."
…
A full table of dishes was laid out. The aroma was intoxicating, and clear, mellow wine poured from the jar in a thin stream into Tie Xue Leng's cup.
The wolf tide had only just passed, and Guye Stockade had fallen into its most difficult period. The massive consumption of supplies would lead to food shortages and resource scarcity in the coming months. Some mortals might even starve to death.
But even so, in order to host Tie Xue Leng, the Guye Clan had still scraped together this banquet.
As Patriarch, Gu Yue Bo sat in the seat of honor, with Tie Xue Leng and the young girl Tie Ruonan beside him.
Also present were Gu Yue Chizhong, Gu Yue Geyan, Gu Yue Chilian, Gu Yue Yaoji, and Fang Yuan — all of them Elders.
Before the wolf tide, the Guye Clan had possessed several dozen Elders. But now, only those seated at this table remained — fewer than ten.
Moreover, every Elder at the table bore injuries.
Gu Yue Chilian in particular had been gravely wounded in the battle two weeks prior and had been hidden away in a secret chamber to recover. He had been bedridden, but upon hearing of Tie Xue Leng's arrival, he had forced his ailing body to attend the banquet.
This had actually saved him from disaster. His old rival, Gu Yue Mochen, had followed the Patriarch in pursuing the Lightning Crown Alpha Wolf, only to be killed by the Sly Lightning Bei.
"Today, were it not for Brother Tie's help, I would likely be a meal in the Sly Lightning Bei's belly by now. For this life-saving grace, I raise this cup to you, Brother Tie!" Gu Yue Bo rose, holding his cup with both hands and bowing slightly as he expressed his sincere gratitude.
"I only did what was within my power." Tie Xue Leng raised his cup and took a small sip.
He was a man of strict discipline by nature — no gambling, no whoring. He restrained himself in all things, and when drinking, he never indulged. A light taste and then he stopped, which was why he had never once been drunk.
Gu Yue Bo drank his wine, then looked around at everyone at the table. His eyes reddened, and he let out a long sigh before slowly sitting back down.
Tie Xue Leng had seen this kind of scene many times before and offered comfort: "Patriarch Gu Yue, please don't grieve. As long as the people are alive, the stockade will rise again. Besides, the Sly Lightning Bei is wounded too, and the lightning wolf pack has suffered enormous losses — they shouldn't be coming to attack again for several years. This wolf tide can be considered to have passed."
The worst period of the wolf tide had indeed passed. In the coming months, while lightning wolves would still appear from time to time, their numbers would dwindle, and they would never again be able to form a massive horde. The wolf pack no longer had the strength to charge directly at the stockade.
The Sly Lightning Bei would return to the wolf den to recuperate there, slowly consolidating the remnants of the pack. Many lightning wolves would be continuously recalled to the den, and the massive death toll had drastically reduced the pack's demand for food.
The pack could sustain itself once more, and over the next few years, the lightning wolf pack would gradually grow strong again. During this time, new Hundred Beast Kings — the Fierce Lightning Wolf — Thousand Beast Kings — the Berserk Lightning Wolf — and Ten Thousand Beast Kings — the Lightning Crown Alpha Wolf — would emerge.
Prosperity leads to decline, and decline leads to resurgence.
Whether for humanity or for wolf packs, this was the universal law of change.
Though the girl's words were entirely correct, people were not mere grass or trees — who could be without feeling? Patriarch Gu Yue understood this truth far better than Tie Ruonan, but the grief and pain in his heart were unavoidable.
The sacrifices had been too great…
Among the upper echelons alone, more than half the Elders had fallen. Second Transformation and First Transformation Gu Masters had suffered devastating casualties. The entire Guye Stockade's strength had been hollowed out to rock bottom, unable to withstand even one more upheaval.
"Why didn't you launch a counterattack and wipe out the wolf den directly?" Tie Ruonan asked from the side, puzzled and confused.
"That's because the wolf den is home to over a dozen Thunder Qi insect swarms, numbering nearly a million, with a great many wild Gu mixed among them. It's virtually impossible to breach unless all three families join forces," Gu Yue Yaoji explained.
As she spoke, she suddenly let out a cold huff, her dark gaze sliding toward Fang Yuan: "But that possibility is far too slim. Even within our own Guye Clan, there were Elder-level figures who shrank from the fight — disappearing God knows where when the wolf tide struck!"
Hearing this, the other Elders couldn't help but shift their gaze toward Fang Yuan as well.
Earlier, Fang Yuan had been exploring Hua Jiu's hidden stash in the Secret Stone Crevice Cave, causing him to miss the great battle against the wolf tide. In everyone's eyes, this was nothing more than shirking duty — the act of a coward who clung to life above all else.
As a result, every Elder looked at Fang Yuan with dissatisfaction, contempt, and barely concealed anger.
Even Gu Yue Bo's expression was far from pleasant.
As the clan leader, what he despised most were people like Fang Yuan — operating entirely on their own, shrouded in mystery, pursuing their own private schemes, and utterly impossible to trust.