Now, at the banquet, after receiving confirmation from Fang Yuan, he was extremely excited.
The clan elders also let out exclamations of surprise.
"Chang Shan Yin?" Ge Guang, sitting nearby, asked with a puzzled tone.
"You are still young, it's only natural you don't know." The Ge Clan's old patriarch sighed and instructed, "Son, quickly toast Chang Shan Yin. He is not only your lifesaver but also a hero of our Northern Plains!"
"Patriarch." Fang Yuan gave a wry smile and put down his wine cup. "I am no hero, I am merely a destitute wanderer. Perhaps it was the blessing of the Eternal Heaven that let me narrowly escape the brink of death and return. But I slept for twenty years, and when I woke, everything had changed. I am an unfilial son, and have no face to return to my tribe."
As he spoke, tears fell from Fang Yuan's eyes.
The clan elders all sighed.
The Ge Clan's old patriarch quickly spoke up to console him. "Benefactor Chang Shan Yin, what are you saying? If you are not a hero of the Northern Plains, who here could be? In the past, how rampant were those horse bandits of Ha Tu Gu! How many tribes were plundered by them, the weak ones even slaughtered entirely, not even sparing the cattle and sheep.
"You killed them, ridding the Northern Plains of a great scourge. Your old mother was harmed by villains; it was not a result of your unfilialness. On the contrary, your virtue and righteousness have been widely praised; we all know this well. Your return is a blessing from the righteous path of the Northern Plains."
"The patriarch speaks truly!"
"I never imagined you were actually Chang Shan Yin. It is an honor for us to meet a hero today."
"Indeed, the return of the hero Chang Shan Yin is a great fortune for our righteous path!"
The clan elders chimed in with praise one after another.
Ge Guang's eyes lit up. Only now did he understand that Fang Yuan had such an impressive background and so many stories. This only deepened his admiration for Fang Yuan.
"Let the past be the past. Everyone, meeting here is fate. Let's drink." Fang Yuan, however, did not want to dwell on these matters. He knew Chang Shan Yin's past well, but it was best to avoid it whenever possible.
He put on a look of bitterness and gloom.
The others watched his expression and also refrained from mentioning the past, only speaking of the pleasures of the banquet.
After Chang Shan Yin's identity was confirmed, Fang Yuan received a warm welcome.
The banquet continued from morning until late into the night. Many of the clan elders drank until they collapsed. If Fang Yuan hadn't deliberately pretended to be drunk, he probably wouldn't have been able to escape.
The next day, the Ge Clan's patriarch invited Fang Yuan to another banquet.
"Benefactor Chang Shan Yin, this is just a small token of my gratitude for saving my son. Please, you must accept it!" Before the banquet began, the old patriarch gifted Fang Yuan one million primeval stones.
Fang Yuan was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected such a generous reward.
The Ge Clan was merely a small-to-medium-sized clan, financially strained. This was evident from the arrangement of the camp and the clothing of its members.
He was now completely penniless. These primeval stones from the Northern Plains could be considered a solution to his immediate crisis. He immediately accepted them. "Patriarch Ge, I did not save Ge Guang for money. However, to be honest, I am completely penniless and am in dire need of primeval stones. I will not stand on ceremony. I will certainly repay the Ge Clan's kindness in the future."
Hearing Fang Yuan's last words, the Ge Clan's old patriarch, Ge Guang, and the other clan elders all laughed.
Being able to befriend a powerful expert like Chang Shan Yin and form a relationship with such a hero was exactly what their small-to-medium-sized tribe had always wanted to do.
The banquet continued, and the atmosphere was even more enthusiastic than the day before.
Yesterday was the first meeting; today both sides were familiar with each other. Fang Yuan toasted each of them in turn, remembering every clan elder's name clearly.
This made all the clan elders feel flattered and honored, bringing them closer to the Chang Shan Yin before them.
During the banquet, some people were inevitably curious about Fang Yuan's experiences.
Fang Yuan just spoke the words he had long prepared in public. It was roughly an improved version of the story he told to fool Ge Yao, except it was more precise than the words he used to deceive the young girl.
The focus was on his cultivation, which had fallen from the peak of the fourth rank to the initial stage due to injuries. His words had no holes, and the crowd marveled and sighed with emotion, their admiration for Fang Yuan growing.
Fang Yuan, meanwhile, sighed deeply, not putting any stock in his past achievements. His gaze was vicissitudinous, and his tone was bleak.
The Ge family watched this legendary hero also have such a painful, such a vivid side. They grieved for him, they sympathized with him, and their hearts grew closer to Fang Yuan.
On the third day, the Ge Clan continued the banquet, displaying extremely high enthusiasm.
This time, a strange clan elder appeared at the banquet. He was in charge of the Ge Clan's intelligence. When Fang Yuan arrived at the camp, he had been ordered to lead a team out to search for Ge Yao.
"Ah, this is all my fault. I have a willful little girl, and I spoiled her too much in the past. This time, she actually ran away from her engagement!" The Ge Clan's old patriarch sighed.
"By the way, Brother Chang Shan Yin, you returned from the Festering Poison Plains. I don't suppose you saw my little sister along the way?" Ge Guang inquired.