The stars were sparse in the sky.
The grassland at night was bitterly cold, the frigid wind cutting to the bone.
Two camel wolves carried Ge family scout Gu Masters—one old, one young.
"Hoo hoo hoo, it's freezing!" The young Gu Master curled up, breathing out warm puffs of air.
"I told you to wear more clothes, but you just wouldn't listen. That's what happens when you ignore the advice of your elders." The old Gu Master chuckled, teasing him. He wore a thick fur robe with long sleeves, tall boots, and a felt hat—he didn't feel the cold at all.
"Uncle, this isn't my first time on a scouting mission, I'm just a bit inexperienced," the young Gu Master grumbled softly, then swore, "Damn it, tomorrow when I go out scouting, I'll wear the thickest clothes there are."
"Don't overdo it. Clothes that are too thick will hamper your movements in combat. And if you're too warm, you'll容易 drift off to sleep. We are the eyes of the Ge family—we need to stay constantly vigilant. A slight chill is best. Stay still too long and you'll start feeling cold again. That kind of discomfort will naturally push you to keep scouting." The old Gu Master's expression turned serious as he imparted his experience.
Three days had passed since the battle against the turtle-back wolf pack.
The old Gu Master's original partner had died on the battlefield. The young Gu Master, brought in to replace him, still seemed green and needed the old one's guidance.
"Uncle..." The young Gu Master was about to speak.
"Shh!" The old Gu Master suddenly raised a hand to silence him. His eyes narrowed, fixed on a light that had just flickered in the distance.
"What is that?" The old Gu Master was instantly on alert. He activated his scouting Gu, but saw nothing.
"Kid, use your Hand Ear Gu and listen!" the old Gu Master ordered.
"Yes!" The young Gu Master didn't dare be careless. He quickly swung himself off the camel wolf and extended his right hand.
As True Essence flowed into it, his right palm sprouted something like a blade of grass—a fleshy bud that unfurled and blossomed into an ear.
The youth pressed the ear on his right hand firmly against the ground, listening for any movement.
"Nothing, just the sound of wind." The young Gu Master tilted his head, listening intently, but found nothing.
He laughed: "Uncle, you're really trying to scare me. There's nothing going on."
"Perhaps the big battle just ended and I'm just too tense." The old Gu Master sighed. He had just looked again and found nothing unusual—perhaps his eyes had played tricks on him.
"What is there to be tense about? Our clan has the old patriarch. And we have Wolf King Chang Shanyin accompanying us. Even if another pack of turtle-back wolves showed up, we wouldn't need to fear!" The young man's gaze flickered when he spoke of Chang Shanyin, an involuntary look of reverence crossing his face.
"That's true. With the Wolf King's help, our clan is truly fortunate." The old Gu Master recalled the scene from the battlefield, his face filled with emotion.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Suddenly, the sound of arrows slicing through the air came hurtling toward them!
"Who goes there?!" the old Gu Master bellowed, instinctively leaping off the camel wolf's back and rolling several times on the ground.
Thunk thunk thunk...
A series of sharp bone spears embedded themselves in the earth.
"Enemy attack!" The thought exploded in the old Gu Master's mind. He scrambled to his feet and shot a quick glance toward the young Gu Master.
The youth had already been pierced clean through by a bone spear. Dead on the spot.
The old Gu Master's heart clenched. There was no time for grief. He immediately reached into his Empty Orifice to retrieve a Signal Gu.
But before he could activate it, a fatal blow struck him.
He stood frozen in place like a stone statue. A thin line of blood gradually appeared across his neck, growing ever more pronounced.
Finally, his head tilted sideways and broke completely free from his body, tumbling onto the grass.
Blood gushed from his neck like a fountain.
Several figures emerged from the shadows. At their head stood Shi Wu, a non-clan Elder of the Man Family. He looked at the two corpses before him and declared with arrogance, "Ants of this caliber—killing them is as easy as flipping a hand."
"The Elder is magnificent!"
"With the Elder taking action, these Ge family scout Gu Masters are nothing but decoration!"
The accompanying Gu Masters immediately showered him with flattery.
Shi Wu narrowed his eyes, savoring the praise, then turned his gaze toward the direction of the Ge family's main force. "Hmph. The only reason the Ge family won before was because their scouts were effective and they made extensive preparations ahead of time. This time, the Patriarch has sent nearly every Elder. The Ge family won't escape this time! Heh heh heh, I really want to see the look on their faces when ten thousand night wolves descend upon their camp."
Although the Ge family had already been migrating for several days, far from Red Flame Valley, and had successfully repelled the turtle-back wolf pack, the Man Family had no intention of giving up.
Three days after the turtle-back wolf pack's attack, Man Family Gu Masters secretly lured a second wave of night wolves toward the Ge family. At the same time, Man Family Elders moved out as well, cutting down large numbers of Ge family scout Gu Masters.
A massive conspiracy had already been set in motion against the Ge family.
By the time this pack of ten thousand wolves was discovered, they were only a hundred li from the Ge family camp.
"Wolf attack! Wolf attack!" The scout Gu Master on the tall tower shouted.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Several Signal Gu were launched into the sky, bursting into brilliant fireworks.
"Everyone get up! Wolves—over ten thousand night wolves!!" The sleeping Ge family camp jolted awake.
"Report to the Patriarch immediately!" The scout Gu Master sprinted with all his might.
Figures gradually emerged from all across the Ge family camp—confused questions, panicked shouts, all blending into a cacophony.
Inside the Patriarch's tent, upon receiving the news, the Ge family's old patriarch's face changed drastically.