The joy over the arrival of the merchant caravan wasn't limited to Aya Village; the people of Dongju Village were also ecstatic. The village chief of Dongju Village wasn't foolish; with Yucheng building a camp right above them, Dongju Village had already become a part of Yucheng's faction. During this time, they had been very hospitable to Yusu and his group. Seeing Yucheng's merchant caravan arriving at their doorstep, the village chief knew the benefits of aligning with Yucheng. It was much more advantageous than aligning with Fengcheng.
For Dongju Village matters, Yusu left them in the hands of Yu Ye. He continued leading his team northward, while the team responsible for paving the way temporarily stayed in Dongju Village. Once the northern route was finalized, they would continue their road-building efforts.
When Dongju Village bid them farewell, the emotions seemed more genuine compared to Aya Village. Yu Ye and his group found the people of Dongju Village more pleasing to the eye than those of Aya Village.
"Is that bird still flying over?" Yusu asked the Little Black Bird.
Perched on the head of the Horse King, the Little Black Bird, with its fluffy feathers and an air of arrogance, answered, "It came this morning and flew away when we set off."
Lu Yan added, "Seems like it was getting impatient."
During their stay in Dongju Village, the bird handlers occasionally sent spies, most of whom were successfully persuaded by the Little Black Bird to become its subordinates. However, the Red Fire Bird was more cunning, observing from a distance, avoiding getting too close, and escaping swiftly. The Little Black Bird never got a chance to deal with it again.
"They probably know about Dongju Village's betrayal by now. I wonder if it made them jump in anger," Yu Meng said.
Yusu replied, "It's just one Dongju Village. They shouldn't be that furious. When they discover more villages are joining us, that's when they might lose it."
Yu Meng and the others smirked, eager to witness that day.
Leaving Dongju Village and heading north, they entered a dense jungle. When they emerged from the forest, they encountered an icy plain, and the temperature dropped significantly. The icy plain was devoid of any vegetation, surprising everyone.
"Why is there an icy plain here?" Yusu couldn't comprehend. It wasn't winter now.
Jian Yunchuan explained, "This icy plain has been here for a long time, always like this. The temperature is low, making it difficult to traverse. There are also Icefield Barbarian Wolves living here, extremely vicious and challenging to deal with. So, generally, people detour along the edge of the icy plain, going around from the east."
Yusu pondered, "How much longer if we take the detour?"
Jian Yunchuan replied, "If we go straight through, it'll take only five or six days. Taking the detour would add more time due to a steep and difficult-to-climb mountain range, extending the journey to over twenty days on foot."
Yusu thought, "No wonder it takes so long to travel between Fengcheng and here; it's all because of the detour."
Jian Yunchuan continued, "There are many dangerous areas to the north. The icy plain is just one of them. Ordinary people lack the ability to handle these dangers, so they can only choose the longer route."
Yusu said, "If we go east, will we encounter villages?"
Jian Yunchuan nodded, "There's a large tribe called the Ice Wolf Tribe, also aligned with Fengcheng. They've probably set up traps, waiting for us."
Yusu snorted, "Most likely, they want to drive us into the icy plain."
Lu Yan suggested, "Then let's go straight through the icy plain."
Yusu hesitated, not because he feared the icy plain but because he wanted to meet this Ice Wolf Tribe. As agreed, any village used by Fengcheng against them should be turned into their ally, infuriating Fengcheng's high witch.
Jian Yunchuan understood his thoughts, saying, "The Ice Wolf Tribe is much more arrogant and ferocious than Dongju Village and Aya Village. Dealing with them is not difficult, but subduing them might not be easy."
Yusu snorted, "Then we'll make them submit."
After hearing Jian Yunchuan's insights, he was even more determined to bring the Ice Wolf Tribe under his control. The distance between here and Dongju Village was only a jungle, so heading south to Yucheng wasn't difficult. Therefore, they must subdue or eliminate the Ice Wolf Tribe, an influence belonging to Fengcheng.
Jian Yunchuan and the others followed Yusu's lead.
As Jian Yunchuan expected, the Ice Wolf Tribe was well-prepared to deal with them. As soon as they neared the tribe, there were faint movements in the nearby woods. When they set up camp near the forest edge at night, pairs of eerie green eyes emerged from the woods, resembling ghostly flames.
But those weren't ghostly flames; they were wolves!
A rough count revealed over a hundred wolves surrounding their camp, planning to attack during the night and drive Yusu's group into the icy plain.
Yusu said, "Quite a sizable force. Over a hundred wolves—I haven't seen so many at once. Dad, are these Icefield Wolves?"
Jian Yunchuan shook his head, "They should be ordinary Barbarian Wolves. The Icefield Wolves have a Wolf King and never submit to anyone."
Yusu asked, "Wolf King? Is there a possibility that Icefield Wolves are mythical beasts?"
Jian Yunchuan said, "That's not clear. What I know is hearsay. I never ventured into their territory when fleeing south."
Yusu nodded, not delving further into the topic.
As for the wolves attacking them, they were swiftly dealt with by Lu Yan and his men.
The entire process took less than an hour.
Lu Yan returned, saying, "They are ordinary Barbarian Wolves. We also captured people from the Ice Wolf Tribe, a total of twenty."
Twenty people, bound like zongzi, were presented in front of Yusu.
The people from the Ice Wolf Tribe were clad in thick animal hides. Their tribe was said to be built near the edge of the icy plain. These individuals were experienced in maneuvering on ice and dressed thickly to cope with the extreme cold.
Their eyes exuded a wild nature, the kind that was hard to tame.
However, when they looked at Lu Yan, their eyes were filled with fear and dread, evidently frightened by Lu Yan's recent actions.
"Who instructed you to use wolves for the ambush?" Yumeng stepped on one person's head.
The person struggled a bit but couldn't move. Gasping for breath, he said, "Kill me if you must!"
Yumeng grinned, "Oh, quite gutsy. Just don't regret it later."
After saying that, he crushed the person's hand and then his foot.
Cracking sounds rang out successively, and the person kept howling in pain.
Yumeng looked down at him, "If you don't talk, I'll cut pieces of meat from your body, then throw you into the icy plain, and let the Icefield Wolves greet you."
The person looked at Yumeng in terror, "You can't do this!"
Yusu and the others exchanged glances, unsure if the man feared being cut piece by piece or feared the Icefield Wolves. Yusu thought it might be the latter.
He signaled to Yumeng, who then grabbed the person and dragged him toward the icy plain.
"Ah ah ah, wait! I'll talk! Don't throw me into the icy plain!"
Yusu and the others exchanged glances; it seemed to be because of the Icefield Wolves.
Yusu said, "Enough noise, bring him back."
Yumeng then dragged the person back.
After being dragged back, the person was drenched in cold sweat, appearing quite frightened.
Yumeng kicked him, "Tell the truth."
The person, struggling to breathe, said, "Fengcheng instructed us to ambush you here, and not just here, there are more ahead. If the wolves can bite you to death, they will; if not, they'll drive you into the icy plain and feed you to the Wolf God and its followers."
Fengcheng's dirty work behind the scenes was something Yusu and his group had known about.
However, they didn't expect the Ice Wolf Tribe to be so cautious. Not only did they set up a trap, but they also truly lived up to being loyal lackeys of Fengcheng.
"You mentioned the Wolf God, referring to the Wolf King of the Icefield Wolves?"
"Yes, the Wolf God is the most powerful wolf in the world. It values its territory highly. If anyone dares to enter its domain, they will surely face the Wolf God's most terrifying punishment."
Yusu and the others had seen the fear in these Ice Wolf Tribe members towards the Icefield Wolves earlier. It was evident that what this person said was true; the Wolf King of the Icefield Wolves indeed disliked others entering the icy plain.
"Do the Ice Wolf Tribe worship the Wolf King? Does it punish even its worshippers?" Yusu inquired.
"The Wolf God is very strict. It treats everyone equally."
Yusu contemplated, generally speaking, wolf packs were territorial, but why wouldn't the Icefield Wolves allow even their worshippers from the Ice Wolf Tribe to enter the icy plain?
And did the Icefield Wolves, by occupying the entire icy plain, consider it their territory?
Lu Yan, noticing Yusu frequently looking towards the icy plain, asked, "Want to take a look?"
Yusu replied, "Yes, but let's wait until daytime."
It was nighttime, and the eyes of the wolves glowed green, quite unnerving.
After tossing the twenty captives aside, the group continued resting.
The wind blowing from the icy plain was chilly, and everyone put on thick clothes. The sleeping tents were made of linen, barely enough to block some of the cold wind. Several people squeezed into one tent to sleep, keeping each other warm.
Yusu and Lu Yan were in the same tent, and their tent even had soft quilts, currently covering both of them in one blanket.
Although both were Foundation Establishment cultivators, their habits hadn't changed.
"I feel like something's off about this icy plain," Yusu said to Lu Yan.
Lu Yan, now more methodical than before, replied, "Yes, this isn't the far north, and it's not even winter yet. The sudden appearance of this icy plain here is indeed strange."
Yusu added, "In general, when such situations occur, it's because something has affected the climate here. So, I suspect there might be something extraordinary inside the icy plain."
Ordinary things can only influence a limited area.
Like a few years ago, when he and Lu Yan found the Fire Spirit Stone in a forest on the east coast. It could only affect the surroundings of a pond, and the range wasn't extensive.
The current range of this icy plain is too vast.
It also proves that whatever caused the icy plain is definitely not something ordinary—perhaps a great treasure.
Lu Yan embraced Yusu, saying, "Let's sleep. Tomorrow, once it's daylight, I'll go into the icy plain with you."
Yusu adjusted his posture and drifted into a comfortable sleep.