Building a New Camp

In the camp of the Mound Tribe, the campfire was burning brightly. The setting sun had already sunk behind the mountains, leaving only a dark red afterglow on the horizon. At the entrance of the Mound Tribe's camp, Duzhu stood there with dozens of warriors from the Wolf Tribe, her gaze fixed on the winding path in the distance. She had been guarding the Mound Tribe for many days, hoping every day that Xueya and the others would return with their men. Although they hadn't run into any trouble, she still felt uneasy. Although the newly organized young and strong women were obedient, they were unreliable if a fight broke out with other tribes.

In the distance, dust billowed as a long procession marched toward the Tuqiu Mound Tribe. Cavalrymen led the way, followed by a long line of prisoners and supplies. The procession stretched as far as the eye could see. Duzhu's eyes lit up, and he immediately led his men to mount their horses and head towards the procession.

"Chief!" She rode up to Xueya, her gaze sweeping over the long column, her eyes filled with delight. "It seems you've had a great haul this time!"

Xueshou spoke first, his voice brimming with barely suppressed pride. "Of course! This time, we led our men out and captured several hundred able-bodied men from several tribes! Adding the warriors left behind by the Mound Tribe, our Wolf Tribe now has about 1,200 warriors!"

The Duzhu gasped, exclaiming in surprise, "Around 1,200 warriors? That's almost as many as we had at our peak on High Pointed Mountain!"

Yexiao rode forward, a smile on his face, and said, "Our Wolf Tribe not only has more people this time, but we also have 1,500 ponies. We captured a lot of food and supplies outside, and even took several hundred prisoners."

The Duzhu nodded repeatedly, its eyes gleaming, and said, "You've really had a fruitful trip this time! You must be tired from the journey. I've already had hot food prepared at the Mound Tribe's camp. Let's go back to camp and let the brothers eat something and rest!"

Xueya nodded, patted the horse's neck, and said, "You're so thoughtful. Let's go, let's take the brothers back to the Mound Tribe to have a good meal and rest!"

The Wolf Tribe's procession marched into the Mound Tribe's camp in a grand procession. The campfires were already lit, large pots of meat soup were steaming, and jars of wine had been brought out. The Wolf Tribe's newcomers' eyes lit up at the aroma of the meat; they hadn't eaten such a sumptuous meal in days. The veterans of the Wolf Tribe skillfully found places to sit and loudly called the newcomers over.

Xueya sat by the largest bonfire in the Mound Tribe, slowly sipping a bowl of hot soup. Duzhu sat opposite him, his gaze sweeping over the newcomers from the Wolf Tribe.

"Chief, I see blood on our Wolf Tribe brothers." She lowered her voice. "The new recruits who joined our Wolf Tribe, have they all bled?"

Xueya nodded, took a sip of soup, and said, "These newcomers to the Wolf Tribe have seen Bloodfang several times already! They're a bit weak because they didn't eat well before, but their courage has been built up."

Yexiao chimed in, "Once these newcomers develop their courage, everything else will be easier. Our Wolf Tribe has acquired a lot of supplies outside this time. Let's take advantage of this period of inactivity to give them a good rest. As long as there's enough food, their bodies will recover quickly."

The Duzhu nodded, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "Chief, what should our Wolf Tribe do next?"

Xueya put down his soup bowl and looked at the flickering flames. Chen Shengli spoke after a moment, "Our Wolf Tribe's strength has basically recovered, but many of these people are new to the Wolf Tribe and need proper training. They also need to recuperate. Right now, our Wolf Tribe needs a stable place to do these things." He paused, a glint in his eyes, "Our Wolf Tribe needs to find a place like the old High Pointed Mountain, easy to defend and difficult to attack, to settle down."

The Duzhu thought for a moment and then said, "Chief, I've asked many people around here in the Mound Tribe recently. They say that between the Great Luwei Tribe and the Great Boulder Tribe, to the east, there is a long Boulder Stone Ridge Mountain Range. There's a place called Stone Ridge Mountain there, and halfway up the mountain, there's a large flat area with a mountain spring. It would be perfect for our Wolf Tribe to set up camp."

Xueya's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Stone Ridge Mountain? How far is Stone Ridge Mountain from here?"

The Duzhu spoke up, "It would take three or four days to travel by horseback alone. The terrain there is extremely treacherous, easy to defend and difficult to attack; it's a good place to establish a stronghold!"

Xueya stood up and paced back and forth a few times, thinking: This Stone Ridge Mountain in the Boulder Stone Ridge Mountain Range sounds very good. Moreover, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, with mountain springs and flat land. It is exactly the place he wants.

"Alright!" He turned to look at the Duzhu. "We'll send people to Stone Ridge Mountain to do some serious construction work, and try to move all the Wolf Tribe Stone Ridge Mountain there before the snow falls this year!"

The Duzhu nodded and said, "Don't worry, Chief, I'll send someone to make the arrangements tomorrow."

Xueya sat down again, picked up the soup bowl, and said, "Right now, the other tribes don't have enough food. I plan to let the brothers of the Wolf Tribe rest and recuperate for a while, and then we'll move in after their autumn harvest. By then, our Wolf Tribe's harvest will be much greater."

Xueshou and Yexiao both nodded in agreement. Three days later, Xueshou and Duzhu led four hundred people from the Wolf Tribe and a batch of food and supplies to Stone Ridge Mountain. Xueya personally led the men to escort them to the entrance of the Mound Tribe's camp. He looked at the horses and cattle loaded with supplies, as well as the warriors carrying tools, and silently made plans in his mind.

"Xueshou, Duzhu," he called to the two, "You two need to get things built quickly over at Stone Ridge Mountain. I'll need them after the autumn harvest, once I've led a raid."

Xueshou patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, brother, I guarantee I'll build the camp at Stone Ridge Mountain quickly and well!"

The Duzhu nodded and said, "Don't worry, leader, I'll keep an eye on them and make sure they speed up."

Xueya nodded and waved for them to set off. Xueshou and Duzhu led the team away, disappearing into the morning mist. Xueya stood at the entrance of the Mound Tribe's camp, remaining motionless for a long time. After Stone Ridge Mountain, the next mountain would be High Pointed Mountain. Once Xueshou and Duzhu Spider had built the camp there, the Wolf Tribe would have a new home.

While Xueya and his men were busy building their new camp, the atmosphere in the council hall of the Great Boulder Tribe was rather heavy. Great Dashi, the chief of the Great Boulder Tribe, was sitting in the main seat. He was burly and broad-shouldered, with shrewd and ruthless eyes. In front of him was a roasted leg of lamb, but he hadn't touched it. His gaze was fixed on Shishan, who was standing below him, his brows furrowed.

Shishan was the number one warrior of the Great Boulder Tribe. He was in his early forties, covered in scars, and had eyes as sharp as an eagle's. But at this moment, he stood there with a rather unpleasant expression on his face.

"What did you just say?" Dashi asked, his voice low and deep, like muffled thunder rolling across the sky.

Shishan took a deep breath and repeated what he had just said, "Chief, in recent days, several small tribes in our northeast have been wiped out. All the able-bodied men were slaughtered, and not a single old woman, weak woman, or child was spared. In addition, many young women have been abducted."

After a moment of silence, Dashi asked, "Several small tribes were wiped out? Which tribes were these?"

Shishan counted on his fingers, "There's the Berry Tribe, the Cowhide Tribe, the Highland Tribe, the Mud Tribe, and the Gray Uncle Tribe. These tribes combined have at least a thousand people!"

Dashi stood up and paced back and forth. More than a thousand people, several small tribes—all wiped out in this short period of time. Who did this? To lead an army to destroy several small tribes so quickly, they must have at least several hundred warriors. When did such a powerful force emerge in our region?

"Have you found out who did it?" he asked.

Shishan shook his head and replied, "We haven't found out which tribe did it yet. Everyone in those tribes is dead, not a single survivor. The nearby small tribes were terrified when they heard the news, but..."

"But what?"

Shishan lowered his voice and said, "Hunters from some small tribes have seen hoofprints around the areas where those tribes were massacred. There are many hoofprints, some with at least several hundred horses."

Dashi frowned even more deeply. Several hundred horses? Which tribe in this area had so many horses? The Great Luwei Tribe? No, why would the Great Luwei Tribe send so many cavalry to slaughter these small tribes? These small tribes didn't have anything valuable! Could they be tribes from the south?

"Take your men and continue the investigation." Dashi waved his hand. "You must find out who did it."

Shishan nodded, turned and left. Dashi stood in the center of the council hall, looking at the flickering flames. Several small tribes, more than a thousand lives—whoever did it, I will make them pay the price!

Meanwhile, in the council hall of the Great Luwei Tribe, the same thing was being discussed. Lusheng, the chief of the Great Luwei Tribe, sat in the main seat. He was in his forties, lean and capable, with shrewd eyes. There was a bowl of wine in front of him, but he did not drink it. His gaze fell on Lujian, who was standing below him, and his brows were slightly furrowed.

Lujian was the number one warrior of the Luwei Tribe. He was in his early thirties, agile, and strong, but at this moment, he stood there with a rather unpleasant expression.

"Did you find anything?" Lusheng asked.

Lujian shook his head and replied, "We haven't found any definite information yet. All we know right now is that the Firewood Fire Tribe, Bone Tooth Tribe, Stone Pillar Tribe Dark Cloud Tribe Icicle Tribe Great Wind Tribe were all slaughtered. Not a single survivor was left. However, there are very few young women's corpses there, so they were probably captured. But there are many hoofprints in these tribes."

Lusheng remained silent for a moment, thinking: Horse hoof prints? At least several hundred horses' hoof prints? Some even have the footprints of over a thousand horses? Where did so many horses come from in this area? Could it be the Great Boulder Tribe? No, why would the Great Boulder Tribe slaughter these small tribes? Could it be a tribe from even further away?

"You take your men and continue the investigation," Lusheng said. "We must get to the bottom of this."

Lujian nodded, turned and left to organize the men. Lusheng picked up his wine bowl, took a sip. The wine was a little cold, but he didn't care. Several tribes, more than two thousand lives, no matter who did it, the Great Luwei Tribe could not let them go!

In the camp of the Mound Tribe, the campfire was still burning. Xueya sat by the fire, holding a piece of meat in his hand, chewing slowly. He didn't know that the Great Boulder Tribe and the Great Luwei Tribe were already investigating them, nor did he know that their leaders had become ruthless. He only knew that the camp on the Stone Ridge Mountain side needed to be built quickly. After the autumn harvest, he would lead the 1,200 people of the Wolf Tribe out for a big battle and then settle there.