The dishes covered the entire table, their rich aroma permeating the air. Clear wine streamed from the jar in a straight line, filling Tie Xue Leng's cup.
The wolf tide had just passed, leaving Gu Yue village in dire straits. Massive resources had been depleted, leading to food shortages and a scarcity of supplies. Many mortals were destined to starve.
Despite this hardship, the Gu Yue clan still prepared this banquet to honor Tie Xue Leng.
As clan leader, Gu Yue Bo occupied the head seat, with Tie Xue Leng and Tie Ruo Nan seated beside him.
Additionally, Gu Yue Chi Zhong, Gu Yue Ge Yan, Gu Yue Mo Chen, Gu Yue Yao Ji, Fang Yuan, and the other elders were all in attendance.
Before the wolf tide, the clan had over a dozen elders. Now, only one table was needed, as fewer than ten remained.
Furthermore, all the elders present bore injuries of varying severity.
Gu Yue Mo Chen, in particular, had suffered grave wounds two weeks earlier while resisting the wolf tide. He had been bedridden in seclusion, recovering in his private quarters. Yet upon learning of Tie Xue Leng's arrival, he forced himself to rise and attend the feast.
This decision inadvertently saved his life. His old rival, Gu Yue Chi Lian, had accompanied the clan leader in attacking the thunder crown wolf and was slain by the lightning lycan.
"If not for Brother Tie's help today, I might've become the lightning lycan's lunch already. For saving my life, I toast Brother Tie this cup!" Gu Yue Bo stood up, holding the cup with both hands and bending his back, sincerely offering his gratitude.
"I was only doing what I could." Tie Xue Leng raised his cup, drinking the wine in one go.
He had a vigilant and strict lifestyle, refusing to gamble or find prostitutes, standing by his morals and never went greedy on drinking. He had thus, never been drunk.
After drinking this cup, Gu Yue Bo looked at the people in the banquet, his eyes turning red, sighing and sitting down.
Tie Xue Leng had seen such situations many times, and he consoled, "Gu Yue clan leader, my condolences. As long as your clansmen still exist, the village will definitely thrive again one day. That lightning lycan was heavily injured as well, and the lightning wolves have greatly been damaged, they will not attack for the next few years. This wolf tide has been safely endured."
The worst of the wolf tide had passed. In the coming months, lightning wolves would still appear, but their numbers would keep dwindling, and no large packs would form. They no longer had the strength to launch assaults on the village.
The lightning lycan would retreat to the wolf den to recover and reorganize the survivors. Many wolves would be called back, while others would die, reducing their demand for food.
The packs would sustain themselves and, over the next few years, slowly regain power. New leaders would emerge: bold lightning wolves as hundred beast kings, frenzy lightning wolves as thousand beast kings, and thunder crown wolves as myriad beast kings.
At their strongest, decline began, and at their weakest, recovery followed.
Humans and wolves alike were bound by this cycle.
Tie Xue Leng's words were true, but humans were not unfeeling. Gu Yue Bo knew this better than anyone, though it did little to ease his sorrow.
The losses were immense.
More than half the senior clan elders were dead, and the lower-ranked Gu Masters had suffered even heavier casualties. Gu Yue village's strength was at its lowest point, unable to withstand any further calamity.
"Why is it that you guys do not counter attack, and go wreck their den?" On one side, Tie Ruo Nan could not understand and asked in confusion.
"That is because inside the wolf den, there are over dozens of groups of thunder gas worms, amounting to over a million of them in total. There are also large numbers of wild Gu mixed in. It is hard to cause any damage to them, unless all three clans work together," Gu Yue Yao Ji explained.
Saying so, she suddenly snorted, staring at Fang Yuan, "But this possibility is too small. Even within our clan, there are clan elders shrinking in fear, and during the wolf tide's attack, god knows where they were hiding!"
Saying so, all the other clan elders turned their vision towards Fang Yuan.
Previously, Fang Yuan was inside the rock crack secret cave tunneling the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance, causing him to avoid the major battle against the wolf tide, everyone saw Fang Yuan as cunning, evasive, and afraid of death.
The clan elders all looked at him with dissatisfaction, disdain, and hidden resentment.
Even Gu Yue Bo's face was dark.
As clan leader, he despised those like Fang Yuan—secretive, self-serving, and unreliable. Such people made him uneasy.
The banquet's atmosphere quickly soured.
The Tie father and daughter noticed the shift and followed everyone's gaze to Fang Yuan.
His youthful face caught Tie Ruo Nan's attention, since she was about his age.
Fang Yuan calmly sipped his wine. Though all eyes were on him, he remained indifferent.
He had expected that they would eventually turn against him.
"Soon. Just a little longer." Inwardly, Fang Yuan was smiling, waiting for the next opportunity.
"Is the wine nice?" Gu Yue Yao Ji laughed sinisterly, staring at Fang Yuan, "Aren't you going to explain?"
Fang Yuan set down his cup and lifted his gaze to Gu Yue Yao Ji's missing arm.
The old were always the most cunning.
To survive, she had broken her own arm, using her injury as an excuse to avoid the clan's mission on the battlefield.
This had happened in his previous life too, and she hadn't changed.
Sacrificing a limb had worked well. She escaped death by the thunder crown wolf and avoided the pursuit, ensuring her safety.
Now, she was targeting Fang Yuan. Part of it came from old resentment, but mostly she wanted to shift everyone's focus onto him and away from herself.
"What do you want me to explain? Explain how you broke your own limb just to preserve your miserable life?" Fang Yuan sneered.
"WHAT?!" Gu Yue Yao Ji was shocked and enraged, standing up from her seat.
She stared with both eyes wide open, pointing at Fang Yuan's nose, shrilling, "You little rascal! How dare you accuse me like this, this is blatant defamation, slander!! How can you be so shameless? How can our Gu Yue clan have such a joke like you?"
"Gu Yue Yao Ji!" Gu Yue Bo's expression changed, shouting, "Sit down at once, we have an important guest here, how can you scream and shout freely like this?"
Gu Yue Yao Ji wanted to continue scolding, but on seeing Gu Yue Bo's dim expression, she could only swallow the words she was about to spit out.
She stared angrily at Fang Yuan, sitting down reluctantly.
Gu Yue Bo settled Yao Ji's problem, then turned to look at Fang Yuan, "Elder Fang Yuan, I need an explanation. During the attack of the wolf tide, where were you?"
"Fang Yuan… he's Fang Yuan?" Tie Xue Leng's eyes shone with surprise. In Jia Jin Sheng's mysterious disappearance, Fang Yuan had played an important role. Before coming here, Tie Xue Leng had already gotten much intel from Jia Fu. But to think that this young elder was Fang Yuan himself. At once, Tie Xue Leng's heart became interested.
He had solved many cases and could read the hidden clues from all the evidence, deducing the truth.
From everyone's reactions, he already understood why Fang Yuan had avoided the battle.
But what they believed was only the surface—what was the deeper reality?
No matter the answer, Fang Yuan's reply would expose a glimpse of his mindset. That alone could be valuable in uncovering the full truth later.
However, Fang Yuan's reply was bound to disappoint him.
Fang Yuan looked at everyone plainly, and a mocking smile appeared on his face, "There's not much to explain. Since clan elder asked, I'll just say it out. I was extremely frightened back then. The stressed accumulated during this extensive period, as well as my fear of death that had reached its limits. I could not endure it, I was cowardly and weak, I hid in a corner and no longer dared to enter the frontlines."
Once he said so, everyone was dumbfounded.
They had expected Fang Yuan to use all sorts of excuses and reasons, and were prepared to expose his lies and criticize Fang Yuan. But to think he admitted it directly!
Tie Xue Leng's expression turned weird. He subconsciously frowned, and a sense of loathing and antipathy rose in his heart. "This young man, he has an inbred demonic nature!"
"He's too young after all, actually saying such words."
"Hmph, once he said that, it means his entire political career is ruined."
"From now on, this Fang Yuan is no threat anymore…"
The clan elders studied each other with simmering anger.
By this stage of the wolf tide, the result was clear. In the coming months, only small wolf packs would linger. As the lightning lycan kept calling them back and Gu Masters hunted them down, the lightning wolves would almost vanish by year's end.
But conflict never ceased.
Where people gathered, interests clashed, and conflicts arose.
During the wolf tide, the fight was against the wolves. Now, with the worst over, the clan's internal struggles were surfacing again.
The wolf tide had killed many Gu Masters and wiped out factions. The interests they controlled now had to be redistributed.
Once, many elders shared the village's wealth and power. Now, with fewer than ten elders left, the same resources remained.
To claim their share, they would inevitably compete.
These political battles, though less bloody than the wolf tide, were filled with scheming, traps, and ruthless maneuvering.