Chapter 382

Some in the crowd gasped; others looked utterly confused.

It seemed… not everyone knew who Lord Lan was.

But upon reflection, Fang Yue understood.

In fact, most people in Gu Yue Cun had never even left the village, so naturally they knew nothing of Man Shui Cun's situation.

And Lord Lan was precisely the kind of figure in Man Shui Cun as Lord Han is here—so naturally, even fewer knew of him.

Fang Yue simply compared Lord Lan to Lord Han, and everyone in the village instantly understood.

Immediately, their faces lit up with excitement: "If Lord Lan's strength matches Lord Han's, then he can hold back the Wu Yu tribe!"

Hold back…

What an optimistic thought.

Fang Yue sighed; even Lord Han himself wasn't confident he could hold back the Wu Yu tribe, so Lord Lan's side was likely the same.

But they'd promised to help—so why hadn't they acted?

Fang Yue felt puzzled. After explaining the situation to Lin Ling and Hua Wuye, he prepared to go summon Lord Han out of seclusion.

"Xiao Ye, wait!"

Just as Fang Yue was about to leave, Hua Wuye reached out and stopped him.

"What is it?"

"... You just said the Wu Yu tribe came after destroying Mo Cun... then, then the Hua Family of Mo Cun..."

"..."

Fang Yue fell silent. After a long while, he sighed, patted her shoulder, said nothing, and walked past her.

This silent silence spoke volumes.

Hua Wuye slumped, utterly devastated.

Lin Ling hurried to her side: "It's okay—it's still just rumor. We haven't confirmed that Hua Qiuqiu and the others are truly dead."

"... Yeah... yeah..."

Hua Wuye leaned her head lightly against Lin Ling's stiff shoulder, tears glistening at her eyes, her hand clenched tight around the small iron box Hua Qiuqiu had given her.

At Han Fu, Fang Yue entered and went straight to the secret chamber.

"Lord Han!"

In a flash, he appeared inside the seclusion chamber.

"Lord Han, the Wu Yu tribe has arrived."

Before Lord Han could speak, Fang Yue said gravely.

"So soon?"

Lord Han was startled, then frowned slightly.

He traced the same ice-script communication rune he'd used before—but this time, the ice-letter did not shatter.

Lord Han froze, his expression darkening.

"Something happened on Lan's side. They've already acted."

Man Shui Cun... had already acted?

That meant the Black Cloud drifting over us has already been weakened by Lord Lan!

Fang Yue was stunned.

Add to that the battle at Mo Cun—how powerful had the Wu Yu tribe become under Ma Ling'er's command?

"Lord Han, break your seclusion. Gu Yue Cun needs you. We need you!"

Lord Han said nothing. He simply took out the Wooden Sword he'd shown Fang Yue when they first met. In a flash, the two reappeared inside Han Fu.

At that moment, Fang Yue suddenly asked: "Lord Han, how many people can your secret chamber hold? Is it safe?"

"I know what you're thinking, but it won't help. My secret chamber is built upon Han Fu's foundation. If Han Fu falls, the chamber loses all concealment and cannot protect those inside."

Fang Yue sighed. The situation had grown dire, yet he had no good solution—only to press forward regardless.

He stepped out with Lord Han and headed toward the Guard Station.

Along the way, villagers who saw Lord Han emerge from seclusion burst into cheers, as if hope had appeared from despair—even the terrifying Black Cloud seemed less fearsome.

But if they knew even Lord Han wasn't certain he could defeat the Black Cloud, their mood would swing to the opposite extreme.

With Lord Han stationed at the Guard Station, the previously chaotic crowd of villagers gradually dispersed.

Though they'd already heard the general situation from Lin Ling and the others, their immense faith in Lord Han calmed them, stabilizing the situation.

But the problem remained unsolved.

"Gather everyone who can fight. Gather supplies. Plan escape routes..."

Orders were issued one after another; the people of Gu Yue Cun grew busy.

Though fleeing was useless, if the point came where resistance was utterly impossible, then dispersing to flee was the only option—survive as many as possible.

One day passed swiftly amid the preparations.

Night fell. Fang Yue sat at the edge of Di He, clicking his lighter.

The flame plate fixed to the Ningtai Ring was nearly complete—four-fifths done, just one final step left.

After Lord Han's special training, Fang Yue's skill in this area had grown steadily; even Lord Han had praised Fang Yue's Comprehension.

Comprehension? Fang Yue thought of his pitiful 1 point of Comprehension, and couldn't help a bitter chuckle.

This wasn't good Comprehension—it was Lord Han's willingness to invest heavily in teaching him.

He'd learned from Lin Ling that guiding a junior's Internal Breath was extremely difficult, involving profound, almost unfathomable techniques of internal energy manipulation.

Under normal circumstances, with Fang Yue's current strength, he could never have hoped for such a high-level master to personally instruct him.

Take Ni Dongmei, for example—she doesn't have that ability.

Moreover, she couldn't possibly spend so much effort helping Fang Yue gradually master the Ningtai Ring.

Looking up at the night sky, Fang Yue felt the warmth of the Di He.

When he first entered Gu Yue Cun, he had already dealt with the Di He.

Now, for the sake of the Di He, he had made a trip to Mo Cun, and after much difficulty brought back materials to repair the Di He.

In the end…the Di He no longer needed repairing.

Only by first weathering the calamity of the Wu Yu tribe does the plan to repair Gu Yue Cun's Di He have any meaning.

"Ye Ge."

In the darkness, a voice suddenly rang out.

Fang Yue looked closely—it was the Hunter, who hadn't brought a Soul Torch, walking over from the street ahead.

"What is it?"

"…Tell me honestly—do we have any chance of resisting the Wu Yu tribe?"

"…The odds are slim."

"Sigh, I knew it. A village as powerful as Mo Cun was destroyed—what hope does our Gu Yue Cun have…"

The Hunter sighed again, thinking of the giant-headed bloodhound pup back home.

He had planned to return to the village and raise it well, living out the rest of his days in peace despite his Can Yu body.

Yet now this had happened.

Fang Yue noticed the shift in the Hunter's expression and suddenly asked: "Do you want to flee the village?"

The Hunter paused, then shook his head slightly: "I live and die with the village."

"Then get some rest. Fastest by tomorrow noon, slowest by tomorrow evening—the Black Cloud of the Wu Yu tribe will arrive."

"Mm." The Hunter responded, then suddenly hesitated as if wanting to speak. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and said: "Ye Ge, if I die, I hope you can take good care of my giant-headed bloodhound pup."

"…Alright."

Seeing Fang Yue accept the promise, the Hunter finally breathed a sigh of relief, said goodnight, and left.

In the Di He plaza, peace returned once more.

*Snap. *

Suddenly, flames ignited.

After working at it for a long time, Fang Yue's Ningtai Ring finally locked into the Fire Blade form for the first time!

(End of chapter)