Although Chen Mu and his men arrived in time, many of the Weng Mountain Tribe still died in this battle.
Especially the tribe's high-level combatants, due to the Blood Wolf Gang's ruthless methods and expertise in decapitation tactics, killed several leaders in a very short time.
This included the leader of the Weng Mountain Tribe.
This dealt a severe blow to the morale of the Weng Mountain Tribe, and some people were already planning to leave the Weng Mountain Tribe and seek refuge with other tribes.
" Gebu, if you don't mind, you can consider joining my Chen Village."
Chen Mu learned that Gebu and Mazha were both direct descendants of the Weng Mountain Tribe and had a deep affection for the Weng Mountain Tribe.
They were all unwilling to leave the Weng Mountain Tribe, but the Weng Mountain Tribe currently lacked high-end combat power; the strongest among them was only Fifth Stage warrior, which was no longer enough to defend such a large tribe.
Upon hearing what Chen Mu said, Gebu was naturally overjoyed and immediately inquired.
"Sir, may I ask how to get to Chen Village?"
Chen Mu took out a map and pointed to a location.
"However, I must make it clear to you that Chen Village is not a middle-level tribe, but a low-level tribe!"
The Weng Mountain Tribe members' expressions changed upon hearing this. Based on Chen Mu's demeanor and strength, they had always assumed that Chen Mu was at least from a mid-level tribe, or even possibly from a high-level tribe. They never expected the truth to be like this.
They couldn't help but whisper among themselves and start discussing it.
"I can only tell you that Chen Village's current strength is no weaker than that of a typical medium-sized tribe. The choice is yours."
He didn't care about the people of the Weng Mountain Tribe. If they were willing to join Chen Village as vassals, he would have Chen Hongjie take good care of them, but if they weren't willing, he didn't care either.
"Sir, please allow us to discuss this further and we will give you an answer tomorrow morning."
Gebu still enjoys a very high reputation in the Weng Mountain Tribe. He summoned the tribe's core members and went back to discuss the matter in detail.
Chen Mu didn't mind, since it was already quite late. He discussed it with A Huo and the other three, and decided to stay overnight at the Weng Mountain Tribe.
That evening, Mazha brought food to Chen Mu and the other three. She gave Chen Mu a resentful look, then left without saying anything more.
"Brother, you really didn't bully Mazha?"
Chen Duo looked at Chen Mu suspiciously.
"No!"
Chen Mu felt rather helpless, and then quickly changed the subject.
" A Huo, I felt something was off about you when you met the bandits today. Are you alright?"
"Fine!"
A Huo is usually quite similar to Mingye; neither of them likes to talk much.
" Brother Huo, I want to eat that."
The little girl Chen Duo rescued was very shy, but for some reason, she was very close to A Huo.
A Huo was always cold to strangers, but he couldn't be cold to such a small child. He picked up the plate of food the little girl was pointing to and handed it to her.
"Brother, Little Juzi is so pitiful! I want to adopt her as our sworn sister, what do you think?"
Chen Duo suddenly suggested.
The little girl remembers that her name is Juzi, so now everyone calls her Little Juzi.
Chen Mu pondered for a while, then nodded.
"Okay, I'll inform Uncle San later and have him send someone to pick up Little Juzi."
Chen Mu didn't care; as long as Chen Duo liked it, that was fine with him.
"Thank you, brother!"
Chen Duo beamed with joy.
The next day, Gebu came to see Chen Mu.
"Sir, our unit is willing to join Chen Village, but Chen Village is too far from here. If we head there, could your unit provide some assistance?"
Chen Mu had no problem with that. He had originally planned to have Chen Hongjie send someone to pick up Little Juzi, and now he just wanted him to send more people.
"No problem! I'll have them send a cavalry unit. They should arrive within ten days. You just need to be prepared; they'll escort you there."
Although the Wilderness is not suitable for long-distance marches, Chen Village's cavalry is well-equipped and well-funded, so there shouldn't be any major problems.
Moreover, the Chen Village cavalry rarely engaged in actual combat after their formation; killing monsters on the road was also a form of training.
"Very well! Thank you, sir. From now on, my Weng Mountain Tribe will follow your lead without question."
Hearing that Chen Mu had expended so much effort for the Weng Mountain Tribe and that their cavalry was so powerful, his confidence in joining Chen Village grew even stronger.
"Haha, Brother Gebu, don't be so polite. We'll be family soon."
Chen Mu walked to Chen Duo's side and led Little Juzi to Gebu's side.
"Brother Gebu, this is my newly adopted sister. I'll have to trouble you to take care of her these next few days!"
Once the cavalry from Chen Village arrives, you can hand her over to them.
"Very well! I will certainly live up to your expectations!"
Before leaving, just in case, Chen Mu set up a talisman array at the gate of the Weng Mountain Tribe, which was both offensive and defensive.
Although this array is not as powerful as Chen Village's, it is impossible for martial artists below the Qi Nourishing Realm to break through it. Even if a Qi Nourishing Realm Martial Master attacks, it should be enough to hold out until Chen Village's cavalry arrives.
After arranging everything, Chen Mu, A Huo, and the other three rode on their demonic beasts and continued their journey of learning.
The Wilderness lands have always been a paradise for monsters, and although Chen Mu and his companions were quite strong, their journey was not easy.
The map Chen Mu possessed was purchased at a high price, but information about many areas was still unclear. He tried his best to avoid many unknown and dangerous areas, but some areas were too far to navigate, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and cross them.
"Roar!!"
A giant white bear, at least twenty or thirty feet tall, was awakened and began to chase after Chen Mu and his companions.
Boom!! Boom!!
Fortunately, Chen Mu was a talisman master with many skills. With the help of Invisibility Talisman, Windwalking Talisman, and other talismans, they managed to escape the pursuit in a close call.
Life and death are the ultimate tests that bring out a person's potential, and all four of them made great progress in the battles along the way.
"Haha! Bro, I've broken through!"
During a battle with a pack of wolves, Chen Duo finally broke through to the Qi Nourishing Realm, much to Chen Mu's delight.
More than a month later, they had covered more than half the distance. Although they encountered many dangers along the way, the progress was still ideal.
At their current pace, they should be able to reach the vicinity of the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion by February. Heaven-Questioning Pavilion doesn't start recruiting students until after March, which makes them much more relaxed and less rushed.
At noon, Chen Mu lit a campfire beside a stream and roasted a wild boar leg on it.
Having traveled such a long distance, even though the four of them brought several sets of clothes, they were all now dirty and tattered.
All four of them had some scars on them, but Mingye was in the best condition. She was the strongest and had been injured the fewest times.
A Huo is a martial arts fanatic. Whenever he has free time, he practices swordsmanship. Recently, he has also been frequently asking Mingye for pointers and is making rapid progress.
Now that there are no conditions for studying runes, Chen Mu is not idle. He simply focuses on studying Martial Dao, and his progress in Martial Dao is also rapid.
He used to be similar to Chen Duo. Although he had experienced some battles, he was mostly in a supporting or rear-line support role, and rarely had the kind of life-and-death experience he had.
The martial arts techniques he and Chen Duo practiced were far superior to those of ordinary martial artists, but due to their lack of combat experience, they did not have an advantage in battles against other martial artists.
Through this journey of trials and tribulations, Chen Duo and Chen Mu improved in their weaknesses, which greatly enhanced their overall strength.