The Wolf God Ritual

The Wolf God Ritual was held in a hunting preserve at the northern foothills of Dalian Mountain.

On the road out of the city, Fierce Horse Army soldiers stood at attention along the route, keeping the refugees well away.

Su Yuan looked over and saw a group of prisoners trapped in cages, being escorted toward the mountains.

By the time they reached the preserve, banners billowed across the field and tents spread like clouds. Soldiers had taken up positions along the ridgelines, and a murderous air filled the place.

Su Yuan entered the valley with the procession of ceremonial officials.

Before him stretched a broad, tamped-down field. At its northern end, a platform about ten feet high had been built against the mountain. A large sandalwood table stood atop it, draped in beast hides and brocade.

The platform was already filled with Liang dignitaries.

At the center sat the city lord, Wei Yan, a man of about forty with a face as rugged as rock. His eyes were calm, though an occasional gleam flashed through them. He wore a black ceremonial robe, and his imposing aura was thick and powerful.

To either side sat Blood Refining experts such as Third Master Chai Hong of the Chai Family and Second Master Shan Lie of the Shan Family. Farther out sat the younger generation, including Chai Nian, Shan Xiongqing, and Gao Mian.

On the flanks sat representatives of the Jing People—the heads of Chengfeng Martial Academy, Hongying Martial Academy, and Huishan Martial Academy—as well as the heads of the Ji and Hu families. All wore deferential expressions.

When the time came, the Blood Refining Martial Warriors under their command would also take part in the hunt.

Ceremonial officials crowded around the statue of the Wolf God, covered in golden silk, and carried it to the foot of the platform.

Eyes turned toward them. When people saw that one of the bearers was Su Yuan, a Jing face among them, many looked surprised.

The statue was carried to the center of the platform. Su Yuan was about to step down when a ceremonial official stopped him. "Since you made the statue, you must also take part in the rest of the ritual."

Su Yuan had not expected this. He had been recommended for the carving by Chai Nian, but Chai Nian had not explained the details.

He wore a dark blue ceremonial robe. His bearing was composed, his features clear and handsome, and he stood out sharply in the crowd.

"Anyone capable of carving a statue of the Wolf God has received the Wolf God's blessing. This is your good fortune," the official added.

Su Yuan surveyed the area. Many Liang dignitaries were watching him.

"Brother, why's there a Jing person up there? He's pretty handsome, too," Chai Yuanyuan whispered to Chai Feng.

Chai Feng had not expected Su Yuan to be on the platform either. He looked at Chai Nian. "Cousin, did you arrange this?"

Chai Nian nodded. "Su Yuan may be weak in martial arts, but his craftsmanship is truly impressive."

Seeing Su Yuan on the platform, Gao Mian could not help frowning.

Su Yuan had not told her about this.

If anything went wrong with the statue of the Wolf God, he could lose his head.

She glanced at Shan Xiongqing. Sure enough, a cold smile tugged at his lips.

Following the official's instructions, Su Yuan took part in presiding over the ritual.

When the golden silk was removed, the city lord and the craftsman would perform the ceremony together.

"The auspicious hour has arrived!" the master of ceremonies called out.

Su Yuan looked at the city lord. This was his first time standing so close to a Blood Refining Warrior.

Wei Yan gave Su Yuan a slight nod. "Master craftsman, please."

Each man took a corner of the silk and slowly drew it away.

A wooden statue of the Wolf God, nearly as tall as a man, appeared before them.

The Wolf God had a wolf's head and a human body, standing nearly nine feet tall.

Its muzzle jutted forward, its fangs were fearsome, and a crescent-shaped white mark crossed its forehead. Its vertical pupils were carved from black jade, with a faint light seeming to flow within them.

Its human body was clad in black beast hide, its muscles knotted. A bronze bracer covered its left forearm, while its right hand gripped a massive scythe. Faint dark red stains marked the blade, and an ancient, desolate ferocity radiated from the entire figure.

"This is the finest statue of the Wolf God I've ever seen." Gao Mian let out a breath and praised it softly.

Many of the other Liang people echoed her.

Su Yuan's craftsmanship was indeed exquisite.

Shan Xiongqing's eyes narrowed slightly, but he had nothing to say.

Wei Yan examined it for a moment, satisfaction flickering in his eyes. "Not bad. You may go down."

Then, in Liang, he said, "This spring, as the insects awaken and the beasts stir, we pay homage to the Wolf God. May he guard our mountains and borders, protect our people, and bless our children..."

At his command, everyone bowed before the statue of the Wolf God.

Then the ceremonial officials climbed onto the platform and presented music and dance.

Liang nobles drank and chatted on the platform, while everyone else could only stand in silence below for several hours.

When the ritual ended, the master of ceremonies called out again, "The songs and dances are done; the hunt begins! Let the participating Martial Warriors come forward!"

Nearly a hundred Jing Blood Condensing or Blood Refining Martial Warriors lined up below the platform.

Wei Yan spoke. "Though you were once Jing, after receiving the Wolf God's baptism and blessing, you are now members of Great Liang..."

After a few polite words, the master of ceremonies began to read the rules.

"The hunt will last seven days. The marked hunting preserve is the boundary. Game will be scored by carcass, and participants may not fight one another. A gong will sound every four hours. At that time, you may bring your game to a designated valley entrance to have it tallied. The final rankings will be determined by total points."

Next came the prizes. With each one announced, the crowd below drew a sharper breath.

"Hundredth place: one tael of silver!"

"Tenth place: one hundred taels of silver!"

"Ninth place: two hundred taels!"

"Third place: five hundred taels of silver and one Break Strength Pill!"

At this, everyone was stunned.

The Break Strength Pill was a medicinal pill that helped one break through to Savage Strength. Last year, it had gone to the first-place winner. This year, even third place could claim one.

A Break Strength Pill was worth at least five hundred taels on the market. More importantly, Great Liang strictly controlled the distribution of pills, so they were practically impossible to buy.

"Second place: seven hundred taels of silver and one Break Strength Pill!"

"First place: one Break Strength Pill, one Blood Bone Pill, and a first-class citizenship!"

"What is a Blood Bone Pill?" the head instructor of Huishan Martial Hall could not help asking.

Even some of the Liang people on the platform looked puzzled.

Chai Nian explained, "This pill can improve one's innate constitution."

"Improve one's innate constitution?" The whole crowd erupted.

Gao Mian also turned to look at Chai Nian.

On the platform, Chai Hong smiled and added, his voice carrying across the field, "This is a new pill developed by the Chai Family. It has a slight effect on improving one's innate constitution and strengthening the foundation of one's vitality and blood. We offer it today, at this grand gathering, to reward the talented."

Chai Hong's words only dampened the crowd's enthusiasm.

Anyone who could win first place would surely have an excellent innate constitution and would not need the pill. Besides, a new medicine might have hidden risks.

The crowd then began discussing the first-class citizenship.

Someone said, "Isn't this the first first-class citizenship Ji City has ever issued?"

"Are they really going to put Jing people on an equal footing with us? What are the people up top thinking?" someone complained with disgust.

First-class citizenship meant complete acceptance into Liang society, placing one on a level with the nobility.

It might sound useless, but it came with many advantages, such as freedom of movement, eligibility to purchase certain martial resources, and exemption from taxes and labor duties.

But for most people, status itself was what mattered most.

After the rules and rewards were announced, the Liang nobles began placing bets for entertainment.

Servants carried wooden boards bearing the contestants' names from seat to seat.

"The top ten will surely come from those few with excellent innate constitutions. Their martial arts are on a completely different level from everyone else's.

"Su Tieniu of Chai Academy, Du Hengfeng of Shan Academy, Huang Tong of Rong Academy, Yuan Jingfan of Wei Academy... The Hu Family and Huishan Martial Hall have even produced two talents, Du Chuan and Wang Jin..." Many began analyzing the field.

Nearly every young master and young lady placed a bet.

The top ten were expected to come from those few, but opinions differed on the exact order.

Each martial academy naturally put its own fighters at the top.

As for the bottom ten, people generally agreed to choose those with inferior constitutions who had broken through in the past few months.

There was no mystery to it. They had all broken through by taking pills, and their foundations were unstable and their strength limited.

After putting Du Hengfeng in first place, Shan Xiongqing turned around and dragged Su Yuan to the bottom of the list.

A dead man was sure to come in last.

Some people now noticed Su Yuan, standing out in his ceremonial robe.

Rong Yuzhi asked, "Sister, is that carpenter competing too?"

Rong Yulian glanced at the wooden board. "He's Su Tieniu's older brother. He has an inferior innate constitution and is only at the First Blood stage. Put him in the bottom ten."

Rong Yuzhi was a little disappointed. Su Yuan was certainly handsome, but she still placed him among the bottom ten.

Then she noticed that Gao Mian had not bet on Du Hengfeng to take first place. Instead, she had put Su Tieniu at the top and Su Yuan in tenth.

"Sister Mian, what's this?"

Gao Mian replied calmly, "It's a hunt."

If the rules had not required all Blood Condensing Martial Warriors to take part, she would never have wanted Su Yuan to risk himself.

But as long as Su Yuan stayed with the Chai Family's fighters, he should be safe.

Rong Yuzhi still did not understand. What did a carpenter know about hunting?

Only after Rong Yulian leaned in and whispered a few words did she finally get it. Rong Yuzhi glanced at Gao Mian and Su Yuan, then at Shan Xiongqing, who was drinking alone nearby, and smiled knowingly.

The Wolf God Ritual was solemn, and no concubines were allowed to attend.

The young masters and ladies nearby whispered and laughed. The story spread quietly through the crowd.

As everyone eagerly took in the gossip, Chai Nian waved his fan and spoke at length.

Shan Xiongqing's face turned livid. "That's a rumor. Su Yuan is just a dog at my wife's beck and call."

Gao Mian's expression remained calm. "It's a rumor."

With an important member of the Shan Family present, they still had to show some respect.

Without realizing it, Su Yuan drew even more attention. Yet when it came time to bet, everyone still checked his name among the bottom ten.

Even Chai Nian did the same.

Gossip was one thing; the bets still had to be placed seriously.

Chai Feng said as well, "Ignore Su Yuan. Keep your eyes on Su Tieniu."

When the statue had been unveiled, Su Yuan's handsome and composed appearance had indeed left a good impression on the young ladies.

Chai Yuanyuan looked at Su Tieniu below, as broad as an iron tower, but he was not her type.

She glanced again at Su Yuan's clear, handsome features and pursed her lips. In the end, she followed her brother's advice and put her bet on Su Tieniu.

Her brother had brought him up repeatedly. The family clearly intended to arrange a marriage.

She could not defy the clan's decision.

The fighters below arranged themselves into formation.

A gong rang, and at last the hunt began.

The young masters and ladies on the platform stared in surprise. The Chai Family's entire team had fallen in behind Su Yuan, following his lead.