That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

"Since we've come this far, if you ever get married, remember to invite me to your wedding!"

That day, Song slammed his cup against the ground.

Jiang Jingming smiled first, then thought about the reason for his trip.

A demoness who wipes out an entire family and then claims to be his wife—isn't this a kind of betrothal gift to announce to the world?

Can someone please take over the reins of this domineering female demon?

"Then I can go and see Zhongzhou."

That day, Song let out a sigh of relief. After downing several glasses of wine in succession, he finally began to feel a bit tipsy. The flames in front of him flickered and scattered into several clusters.

"Okay."

Jiang Jingming casually agreed.

When we first met, this guy had a great longing for Zhongzhou, and even now that he's about to start a family, he still hasn't changed.

Around the most blazing bonfire, people sat in a circle, their heads buzzing with alcohol, and began to urge the young men and women to come forward and dance.

The man and woman, who were pushed forward, blushed and stood frozen for a moment before relaxing and embracing each other to begin dancing a traditional grassland dance.

Jiang Jingming saw from afar that a girl in a green dress was also pushed out. She blushed and looked around, seemingly unable to find the person she wanted to invite, and stood on tiptoe, peering into the crowd.

Jiang Jingming pulled Na Risong up, grabbed his arm, and waved to her.

The girl smiled, jogged over, bowed to him, and then led the drunken Na Risong away.

After taking a few steps, she seemed to pinch his arm with a hint of reproach. Na Risong, emboldened by the alcohol, leaned against her, and the two naturally embraced.

Just as Jiang Jingming was about to continue gnawing on his lamb leg, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a tall figure standing in the shadows beside the tent.

The sudden surge of alertness subsided when she saw his face clearly.

He was Temur, the father of Narisong and the leader of the Hara tribe.

"Hello."

Just as Jiang Jingming was about to get up, he waved his hand and walked over, sitting down in the same spot where he had been sitting earlier.

"Hello."

Temur has a thick beard, bushy eyebrows, and deep-set eyes. He looks somewhat fierce, but his smile is very kind.

This kind of temperament reminded Jiang Jingming of He Quan, which made him feel closer to him.

"That day Song often mentioned you to me, but we've never had a proper meeting. I'm so sorry."

Temur placed one hand on his left shoulder and bowed slightly, a gesture of respect for warriors in the tribe.

"It should be me who comes to see the leader."

Jiang Jingming put down the roasted lamb leg and hurriedly followed suit, bowing in the same manner.

Temur laughed and patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.

"That day, Song said you came to Shulan City with your family to do business. What kind of business is it?"

"Jade business."

Jiang Jingming remained unfazed.

"Oh, do you practice martial arts regularly?"

He has some knowledge of martial arts.

Jiang Jingming had just finished speaking when he remembered Wujiu, who was still hanging on his waist, so he changed his words.

"I'm not good at swordsmanship, so I'll just make this as decoration to keep out thieves."

After hearing his words, Temur smiled and took a leather pouch from his waist.

“That boy, Na Risong, was very competitive. He wrestled and fought with other boys in the tribe since he was a child. They were all afraid of him, but he thought they didn’t really fight him because of me.”

Temur tilted his head back and took a swig of strong liquor, then turned to look at him.

"But if he were to fight you, he probably wouldn't last even half a move. If you hadn't recognized me just now, you'd probably have a knife to my throat by now."

Jiang Jingming touched his earlobe, which seemed to be burning hot from lying.

Chapter Nine Assembly

"Don't worry about it. I know the guest meant no harm, but has something he can't say about it."

Temur raised his wine flask and clinked glasses with him from a distance.

Thank you.

Jiang Jingming breathed a sigh of relief, picked up his wine glass, and looked at Na Risong and Tana dancing by the campfire in the distance.

It was like a clumsy ape kidnapping a girl and forcing her to dance with him.

"That day, Song seemed to be looking forward to tomorrow's Azure Wolf Tournament."

"Yes, he's been looking forward to it since he was born."

Temur nodded.

"The Wolf Gathering is the most important festival of our Hala tribe. It is a time to select a group of the strongest young men to go into the snowy mountains over there."

He raised his finger and pointed into the distance.

Looking out over the river, the magnificent snow-capped mountain appeared as nothing more than a dark silhouette in the night.

"By passing through the Wolf King's dwelling and pulling out the Blue Wolf Banner, you can prove that you are the strongest warrior in the tribe."

"The Azure Wolf Banner?"

Jiang Jingming was somewhat curious.

"It was left on the snow-capped mountain by our ancestors to give future generations a chance to prove themselves."

Temur gazed into the distance, his expression seemingly nostalgic.

"Back then, the Hala tribe was the most powerful tribe on the grassland, unlike now, where every winter they have to worry about not being able to feed their cattle and sheep and support their families."

Jiang Jingming listened silently without saying a word.

“A few days ago, there was a bandit attack. They stole a lot of things and injured people. We only have enough manpower to patrol day and night, and we can’t do anything about them.”

There was anger in Temur's eyes, but his voice remained low.

"Fortunately, someone killed that bandit leader today. The government never cares about our affairs, and we don't know who did it. We are really grateful to him."

Jiang Jingming silently lowered his head and took a sip of wine.

Originally, I only wanted Ah Qing to investigate the bandits' background, but I didn't expect it to have such an unexpected impact.

He Quan used to warn him not to meddle in outside affairs, because if people found out that the Crossing Moon Sect was here, the resulting panic and turmoil would probably be far more serious than that caused by bandits or robbers.

Looking back now, there was no need to hide it anymore.

"I have to thank you. Every time Na Risong mentioned wanting to go to Zhongzhou, I would scold him because I was afraid he would become too ambitious and not want to stay on the grasslands in the future. Since we have you as a friend from Zhongzhou, he has learned more about Zhongzhou and has calmed down a bit."

At this point, Temur seemed to relax a bit, smiling like a contented old father.

Jiang Jingming smiled as well.

Are there really wolf kings in the snow-capped mountains?

"There are legends about it. They say the wolf king is ten feet tall with blood-red eyes, but I've lived for fifty years and have never seen one. And now, let alone the wolf king, even ordinary snow mountain white wolves are rare. When I was a child, I went into the mountains with my father, and the whole mountain was filled with wolf howls."

Temur shook his head and frowned; he wasn't sure if the legend was something his ancestors had made up.

"Perhaps the Canglang Assembly declined along with our Hala tribe, but if that weren't the case, who would feel comfortable sending their cubs, whom they've raised for over a decade, into the wolf den?"

Temur looked at the women and children holding mare's milk wine by the campfire and sighed deeply.

Also.

Jiang Jingming felt that he had reached an age where he could understand both sides.

The young man, who had just grown up, couldn't wait to prove himself to be the strongest warrior in the tribe and to see the wider world.

As parents, all they hoped for was that he could stay on this grassland, get married and have children peacefully, and live a good life.

"I'm sorry for telling you so much. Although you're the same age as Na Risong, I still feel like he's a child, but you're different!"

Temur downed the rest of the wine in his leather bag and seemed to regain his leader's spirit, his voice booming.

"Though it is in decline, it is still worth seeing. Please stand beside me to watch the conference tomorrow!"

"it is good!"

Jiang Jingming grasped the outstretched hand and squeezed it slightly.

At this moment, the herdsmen dancing on the other side finally noticed the chief and the guest from the Central Plains, cheered and rushed over, surrounding the two of them.

Jiang Jingming was pulled into the circle by Na Risong. They held hands and danced around the campfire, singing songs that Jiang Jingming couldn't understand.

Temur took out a hand drum from the side and played music for everyone himself.

The firelight made everyone's faces feel warm and cozy. Jiang Jingming suppressed a smile and mingled in the middle, pretending to lip-sync.

The moon hangs overhead, shining on this grassland, unchanged for thousands of years.

......

The next day, Jiang Jingming was awakened by a huge commotion of gongs and drums.

I hardly remember how I fell asleep. The aftereffects of the amber light were much stronger than I had imagined. When I opened my eyes, my head felt like it was about to explode.

No wonder Madam Song strictly forbade him from drinking alcohol.

Jiang Jingming stared blankly at the white tent for a while, waiting for his muddled mind to clear before sitting up. He was covered with a thick, warm blanket sewn from leopard skin.

Outside, there was a great commotion, and a constant stream of footsteps hurried past the tent entrance.

Jiang Jingming stood up, picked up the bowl of water on the small table, and took a big gulp.

The tent flap was pulled open, and Nari Song burst in.

Today he wore a gray-white vest with brown leather gloves, and his hair was combed into very thin braids tied on top of his head, making him look very energetic.

"Ah! You're awake! It's already noon. Come with me quickly, the conference is about to start!"

He grabbed Jiang Jingming and pulled him outside.

The midday sun was dazzlingly bright. The lively scene of the conference was slightly different from the warm and cheerful atmosphere of the previous night, with solemn war drums beating like muffled thunder.

Temur stood in the center of the dais, looking up, judging the start time of the ceremony by the angle of the sunlight.

"I need to get ready. Go wait for me at Father's!"

That day, Song nudged Jiang Jingming's lower back with his elbow, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Keep it up!"

Jiang Jingming raised his hand and bumped fists with him.

That day, Song revealed a confident smile, slung his longbow and short sword over his shoulder, and mounted his horse.

"When I return, I will give you the Azure Wolf Banner!"

"Then thank you in advance."

Jiang Jingming smiled, genuinely looking forward to seeing what the legendary Azure Wolf Banner would look like.

Temur, standing on the round platform, nodded to him from afar, gesturing for him to come over.

The young people, ready to go on stage, reined in their horses and lined up in a row, their arms wrapped in colorful bandages, raising their fists high at the onlookers.

The audience shouted their names, while the women and children were both excited and worried, and many of them shed tears.

That day, Song was in the first position, looking radiant.

Tana was at the front of the crowd, screaming and waving her handkerchief.

"The Azure Wolf Assembly is an honor passed down from our ancestors. I, Temur, hereby declare today that whoever seizes the Azure Wolf Banner will be the next leader of the Hara tribe!"

Jiang Jingming finally made his way to the round platform against the flow of people, only to hear Temur announce loudly.

These words caused the crowd to stir even more, with the young contestants pounding their chests and roaring, venting their soon-to-burst fighting spirit.

Jiang Jingming placed his hand on the hilt of the knife and smiled faintly.