Riding camel wolves, their progress was quite fast.
The atmosphere in the group was harmonious throughout the journey.
On one hand, Fang Yuan was deliberately trying to get closer, harboring his own agenda. On the other, Ge Guang was also actively building a friendship, filled with respect.
The people of the Northern Plains were savage and fierce, yet also bold and straightforward.
If you lacked strength, the Northerners would look down on you, and it was hard to form bonds. But if your fists were strong enough, they would respect you. And if you also matched their temperament, their enthusiasm would make you fully understand the saying "we should have met sooner."
In just two days, Fang Yuan and Ge Guang had become close friends.
Fang Yuan intended to use the Ge clan as a springboard to truly integrate into the Northern Plains. After all, Chang Shan Yin had disappeared for over twenty years; his sudden return would require a process for the world to accept. At the same time, he lacked Primeval Stones and defensive Gu, which he needed to acquire through trade.
Fang Yuan had not found any defensive Gu on Chang Shan Yin's corpse. He guessed they must have been destroyed in the battle against Ha Tu Gu.
Ge Guang, in turn, was filled with gratitude, awe, and curiosity toward Fang Yuan.
The gratitude was naturally because Fang Yuan had saved his life.
The awe came from Fang Yuan's superb skill in controlling the wolf pack, and his casual advice that often pointed directly to the bottlenecks in Ge Guang's cultivation, truly displaying the demeanor of a senior and the bearing of a master.
The curiosity was due to Fang Yuan's words hinting at a past, his occasional nostalgic sighs, and his world-weary gaze—clearly a strong man with a story. Ge Guang naturally felt an urge to pry, but didn't dare to ask too much.
Five days later, the group returned to the camp of the Ge tribe.
The camp was vast. A sturdy row of earthen walls stood abruptly at its periphery, towering at a height of two zhang. Green foliage covered the walls; deep emerald vines intertwined and spread, and beneath the broad leaves hung clusters of purple, grape-like fruits.
These were naturally not fruits, but the Wood Path Divine Confusion Gu. When beast hordes attacked, these purple grapes would burst into a pulpy liquid. If the liquid splashed onto the beasts, it would disorient them, making their bodies shake uncontrollably so they couldn't even stand, let alone attack or fight.
Behind the earthen walls stood tall watchtowers. Each tower was typically manned by three Gu Masters: one defensive Gu Master and two reconnaissance Gu Masters who took turns keeping watch.
The camp gates were wide open, and many Gu Masters came out to line the path and welcome them.
"The young clan leader is back! The young clan leader is back!"
"The young clan leader only left a few days ago, how is he back already?"
"I heard they encountered a Wind Wolf pack and almost died. Thankfully, an expert from the enslavement path lent a hand!"
"Is that the middle-aged man? All these wolves follow him, how amazing! I just wonder which tribe's expert he is from the Northern Plains."
Before Fang Yuan's group even reached the camp, they had encountered patrolling Gu Masters on alert nearby. Thus, news had already been sent ahead.
As a result, word had already leaked out, and many people were pointing at Fang Yuan, extremely curious.
Some children shouted excitedly, hopping and skipping behind the group.
Fang Yuan sat on the camel wolf's back, watching Ge Guang wave to the crowd beside him. Every wave from him drew cheers from the crowd. It was clear that this young man was highly respected in the Ge clan.
From their conversations along the way, Fang Yuan had thoroughly come to understand Ge Guang. He was Ge Yao's older brother, a typical man of the Northern Plains: bold, valuing loyalty above all else, and considering honor more important than life. He was exceptionally brave and martial, and the traditional Northern concept of male superiority was deeply ingrained in his bones. Thus, he was extremely angry and repulsed by his sister's flight from marriage.
However, this anger and disgust did not mean the bond between the siblings was shallow.
On the contrary, if he knew that Fang Yuan was the one who killed his sister, even if he didn't have a shred of True Essence, he would use his teeth and limbs to seek revenge against Fang Yuan with all his might.
In his five hundred years of his previous life, Fang Yuan had struggled to survive in the Northern Plains, giving him a profound understanding of its people.
The group walked along the main road towards the center of the camp.
All around were tents, quite similar to Mongolian yurts on Earth. These were the homes of ordinary mortals.
Hearing the commotion, many people lifted their tent flaps and came out. Seeing the wolf pack beside Fang Yuan, their expressions changed. Then, seeing the young clan leader, they hastily covered their hearts with their right hands, bowed to Ge Guang, and loudly greeted him.
In the Southern Border, mortals would kneel when encountering a Gu Master. But in the Northern Plains, brave men only knelt to the heavens, the earth, their ancestors, and their elders; they did not easily kneel at ordinary times, even to the clan leader or clan elders.
The people wore ordinary leather robes. Those from well-off families had women wearing jewelry and men with gold and purple threads stitched on the edges of their clothes. Those from poorer families wore ragged clothes, even patched up.
Still, this was far better than the slaves.
Along the way, Fang Yuan saw people kneeling on the ground; they were all slaves.
Most of these slaves were barely clothed, gaunt, and sallow. In the Northern Plains, the status of these slaves was extremely low, and their lives were quite miserable.
In the hearts of the Northern Plains people, keeping slaves was equivalent to raising cattle and sheep. The slave trade was most prevalent in the Northern Plains.
In the Northern Plains, those who lived in tents were all mortals. The tent area was distributed on the outer perimeter of the camp, while the inner perimeter was where the Gu Masters resided.
If a beast horde were to attack the camp, the first to suffer would be the mortals.
After passing through the tent district, Fang Yuan's group arrived at the area where the Gu Masters lived.