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Biodata
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Rong Tribe (戎族) |
| Affiliation | Heavenly Wolf Guard; maintains spy networks and operations within Zhao State |
| Status | Active |
| First Appearance | Chapter 53 |
Background and Espionage Network
The Rong Tribe conducts extensive covert operations inside Zhao State, placing agents in government offices, sects, gangs, commercial organizations, and local administrations. Early exposed agents included Wu Que and the Ninth-Rank martial artist Wu Man; Wu Man's death confirmed that the Iron Clothes Department had uncovered a Rong Tribe operative in Qingshan City 53 55.
Its agents used commercial fronts to support Rong forces. A large quantity of medicinal herbs stolen from the Chu Family Medicine Store was smuggled to the Rong Tribe's front lines, where it was used to treat Rong soldiers 85. He Dongfeng, while posing as a Mine Gang elder overseeing Changhe Prefecture's ore veins, secretly operated as the Giant Spirit Sect Master and a Rong Tribe spy; he was captured alive and provided a roster of planted agents and Zhao collaborators 108 114.
The ensuing investigation demonstrated the network's scale. The Changhe Prefecture Iron Clothes Department arrested 1,326 people; 386 were identified as Rong Tribe spies, while the others had colluded with the tribe 119. Later infiltrators included Tingjiang City Commander Shen Shuyan, who remotely directed local agents and transmitted intelligence while maintaining a low profile 228.
Heavenly Will Sect Legacy
The Heavenly Will Sect was once a Rong Tribe sect renowned for its flying-dagger techniques. Its disciples attributed their killings to “heaven’s will,” and the sect inflicted serious losses on Zhao State before the Iron Clothes Department Chief led a campaign that nearly annihilated it 119.
The surviving remnants could not restore the sect's former prominence. Numerous Third-rate sects subsequently emerged among the Rong Tribe, including the Giant Spirit Sect, which was founded by a Heavenly Will Sect remnant 119. The lost Heavenly Will True Scripture, a First-rate cultivation method requiring 30 Mental Power, remained a coveted inheritance of the sect 171.
Water Qilin Cave Expedition
The Rong Tribe deployed at least three spy teams into the Water Qilin Cave, with Nangong Yue leading one team and two further teams scheduled to infiltrate later 151. The operatives included more than a hundred Seventh-Rank fighters, many of whom possessed military discipline and operated more effectively than ordinary Jianghu martial artists 165 166.
At Calamity Valley, Tong Yi led the Rong Tribe force in a confrontation with Zhao State martial artists. Both sides temporarily agreed to enter the valley without fighting, since provoking a battle before the Water Qilin awakened endangered everyone present 165 166. The truce remained hostile: Tong Yi's side attempted to assess Zhao's fighters through a sparring match, and Nangong Yue was forced to concede after Yang Ling outperformed him in crossbow combat 167 169.
The expedition's primary objective was not the Water Bodhi, but recovering an ice-bound Second-Rank Human Immortal from the Nine Immortal Dao Palace who was revealed to have been a Rong Tribe scout. Tong Yi and Tong Thirteen coordinated the operation, while the Heavenly Wolf Guard negotiated with the Immortal God Cult for explosives needed to extract the frozen body 175 177 178.
The operation suffered major setbacks. Yang Ling's removal of silver needles from the Asura Frogs caused the creatures summoned by Tong Yi's Bone Flute to turn against their handlers 184. Nangong Yue was killed after offering to defect and provide a spy list, while the Western Prince ordered Zhao naval fleets to seal the Tianyuan River and pursue escaping Rong Tribe operatives 176 185.
Organization and Methods
| Method | Documented use |
|---|---|
| Deep-cover infiltration | Agents assumed identities within the Iron Clothes Department, Divine Sect, Mine Gang, Snake Gang, and municipal administration 76 148 165 228 233 |
| Resource smuggling | Stolen medicinal herbs were sent to the Rong front lines; He Dongfeng used his Mine Gang position to transport ores to the Rong Tribe 85 228 |
| Military-trained Seventh-Rank teams | Water Qilin Cave operatives used coordinated formations, hand crossbows, throwing knives, and numerical ambushes 153 166 |
| Beast-control tools | Tong Yi used a Bone Flute and silver needles to command Asura Frogs; the Rong Tribe's Cui Family developed pills that lure exotic beasts 184 226 |
| Explosives cooperation | The Heavenly Wolf Guard sought explosives from the Immortal God Cult in exchange for resources and techniques; their destructive power was considered comparable to a Grandmaster's methods 177 188 |
| Psychological and political disruption | Agents spread rumors, impersonated local figures, and attempted to incite public anger against the Iron Clothes Department 225 238 |
Identified Personnel
| Individual | Position or Cover Identity | Known Fate / Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Wu Que | Rong Tribe spy connected to local mine affairs | Confirmed as a spy during the Qingshan City investigation 55 |
| Wu Man | Registered Ninth-Rank martial artist | Confirmed Rong Tribe spy; killed by Yang Ling 53 |
| Qi Dalong | Snake Gang leader | Secretly moved unregistered Fire Crystal Rock shipments; killed by Yang Ling 76 |
| Tie Xinghu | Giant Spirit Sect Eighth-Rank martial artist | Identified as a Rong Tribe spy; killed by Yang Ling 76 121 |
| He Dongfeng | Mine Gang elder and Giant Spirit Sect Master | Used his authority over Changhe ore veins as cover; captured alive and exposed a spy roster 108 114 |
| Nangong Yue / Tong Wu | Heavenly Wolf Guard operative; Seventh-Rank Iron Clothes cover identity | Led a Water Qilin Cave spy team; conceded to Yang Ling in a spar and was later killed while attempting to defect 148 169 176 |
| Tong Yi | Leader of the Tong Generation | Led Rong Tribe forces at Calamity Valley and coordinated the recovery of the frozen Human Immortal 165 177 |
| Tong Thirteen | Heavenly Wolf Guard commander | Served as the true commander of the Human Immortal extraction operation 177 |
| Tong Shi | Divine Sect disciple | Rong Tribe-born infiltrator and Tong Jiu's younger brother; openly betrayed the Divine Sect after Yang Ling killed Tong Jiu and Tong Xi 165 |
| Wu Chuankong | Associate of Liang Yue and He Dongfeng | Identified by Yang Ling as a Rong Tribe spy; chose to leave after learning a Sixth-Rank Heavenly Wolf Guard expert was expected 233 |
| Shen Shuyan | Tingjiang City Commander | Directed local Rong Tribe agents remotely and transmitted important intelligence to his handlers 228 |
Relationships
- Heavenly Wolf Guard — The Rong Tribe's principal intelligence and enforcement organization; it holds broad authority over the tribe's Jianghu and commands many of the infiltrators operating in Zhao State 155 166.
- Immortal God Cult — Cooperated with the Heavenly Wolf Guard, offering explosives in exchange for Rong Tribe resources and techniques 177 220.
- Giant Spirit Sect — Founded by a surviving remnant of the Heavenly Will Sect; He Dongfeng used its sect-master position as part of his Rong Tribe operation 114 119.
- Zhao State — Primary opposing state; Rong Tribe spies infiltrated its Iron Clothes Department, sects, mining organizations, commerce, and local governments 114 148 165 228.
- Iron Clothes Department — Main force investigating and suppressing the network; its actions in Changhe Prefecture exposed hundreds of Rong Tribe spies and collaborators 119.