Chapter Thirty-Seven: Conclusion and Rewards

Hu San’s confusion deepened, and when a figure emerged from the forest, his bewilderment reached its peak—wasn’t that Zhao Feng? Who else could it be?

The reason Hu San hadn’t considered the possibility that these men were from Wolfheart Stronghold was simple: Wolfheart and Wolf Fang Strongholds were separated by a great distance, requiring ten days or half a month’s journey even at full speed.

He could never have imagined that, in only three or four days, news would have traveled to Wolfheart Stronghold, and that reinforcements had already arrived—not to mention, they did not appear weary from a forced march.

“Haha, Hu San, you’re truly blessed. You actually managed to escape!”

Another man emerged from the woods—it was the scar-faced commander.

With this, the surrounding bandits seemed to understand the situation and immediately dispersed their encirclement, each giving Hu San a thumbs-up. Clearly, anyone who could break out from the chaos of battle, regardless of age, was worthy of respect.

“Phew, now I’ll live.”

Hu San let out a long sigh and followed the scar-faced commander into the dense forest, where he was brought before the third chieftain among the Wolfheart reinforcements.

The third chieftain still bore wounds, but they no longer hindered his movements. He gave Hu San a brief account of events, and in doing so, dispelled Hu San’s doubts.

Of course, the third chieftain did not reveal the real truth; he simply stated that Hu San had fled to this spot and happened to encounter the second chieftain, who was on his way to inspect Wolf Fang Stronghold. Thus, they formed a party to rush to Wolf Fang’s aid.

Hearing this, and piecing together his own deductions, Hu San realized the truth: Wolf Fang Stronghold was merely bait set by Wolfheart, intended to lure the Black Bear Stronghold.

Clearly, as soon as Black Bear attacked, Wolfheart’s reinforcements had already set out. It was all part of a carefully laid plan, which explained some of the third chieftain’s seemingly questionable decisions atop Wolf Fang Mountain.

“Why are you in such a sorry state? Did you really fight your way down the mountain?”

After a few casual words, the third chieftain sized Hu San up in surprise.

“It’s a long story, but I ended up like this because I was being hunted. The White Bear is nearby—if not for meeting the main force, I doubt you’d ever see me again.”

Hu San managed a bitter smile, glossing over his escape from the mountain, focusing instead on how he was chased by White Bear.

“The White Bear’s death is deserved. Go rest now—remember, your merit will not be forgotten.”

The third chieftain smiled; with his plan fulfilled, he seemed far more cheerful.

Hu San withdrew, and under Zhao Feng’s guidance, reached the rear encampment, only to discover Lin Hu, Lei Ming, Snake Fang, and others were already there—he had spent too long entangled with the pursuit party.

The groups greeted each other with deep emotion. Though only three or four days had passed since their separation, it felt as though a lifetime had gone by.

Now, all the key figures from before had gathered, and, thankfully, all were safe.

Soon, Zhao Feng brought a bounty of food. After three days without sleep, food, or drink, Hu San ate heartily.

While he feasted, the scar-faced commander arrived to deliver news: White Bear, leading the pursuit party, had charged straight into the second chieftain’s trap and had been annihilated.

White Bear fought to the death, refusing to surrender, and the second chieftain struck off his head.

Hearing this, Hu San couldn’t help but recall the man in white. Though they had always been adversaries, over time a mutual respect had grown between them.

Hu San believed that, had he died, White Bear would have felt the same.

“This is for the best. The matter is finally settled. Zhao Feng, I leave the rest to you. I need a good sleep.”

Night had fallen, and the destruction of White Bear had greatly boosted the morale of the force. They gathered around the bonfires to celebrate, while Hu San slipped into sleep—exhausted beyond measure.

Hu San slept for two days and nights. When he awoke, only Zhao Feng, Lin Hu, Snake Fang, Liang Chuan, and a handful of others remained; the main force had already departed.

Upon inquiry, he learned the main force had set out two days earlier.

Seeing how deeply Hu San slept, the third chieftain ordered that Lin Hu and the other twenty survivors need not follow the main force, but stay behind to care for Hu San and wait for him to awaken.

Zhao Feng had volunteered for this, and the third chieftain approved.

For these men who had narrowly escaped death, the chieftain’s command suited them perfectly, and so they remained.

After his deep sleep, Hu San ate heartily once more. Whether it was his unusual constitution, the mysterious warmth flowing within him, or the traits of a warrior, his wounds had nearly healed.

Afterward, the group set out for Wolf Fang Stronghold, but they were in no hurry, enjoying the scenery and leisure along the way. Six days later, they arrived at Wolf Fang, only to find the battle long over.

Upon inquiry, they learned that the previous day, the chief chieftain had led the main force back from Black Bear’s stronghold and joined with the second chieftain’s force at the base of Wolf Fang.

With the help of numerous prisoners captured at Black Bear’s stronghold, the chief chieftain quickly seized Wolf Fang Stronghold, annihilating Black Bear’s army. Only Black Bear himself managed to escape through the hidden valley into the peaks; all others had either surrendered or died.

Thus, Black Bear Stronghold was destroyed, and whether Black Bear himself survived was of no importance.

Wolfheart Stronghold had achieved a complete victory.

In this battle, three warriors from Black Bear were captured, all declaring allegiance to Wolfheart, not to mention countless elite bandits.

And then there were the riches, silk, and women seized from Black Bear Stronghold; altogether, Wolfheart Stronghold became the undisputed power in the region, a formidable force in the Qilian Mountains.

The only price paid was the loss of the training camp of several thousand new recruits; aside from that, there were few other losses—Wolfheart Stronghold had gained immensely.

In the wake of victory, few spared a thought for the thousands of recruits buried on Wolf Fang; such was the way of bandits, the way of the rivers and lakes, the way of war.

At dawn the next day, all those who had contributed were summoned to the summit of Wolf Fang.

First to be rewarded were the third chieftain and the scar-faced commander; as the two who had contributed most, the third chieftain received a manual on boxing, and the scar-faced commander was granted the chance to become a warrior.

Next came the second chieftain and others—their rewards were generous but consisted mainly of money and other items, not worth detailing.

When it was Hu San’s turn, the previously promised reward of becoming a warrior was nowhere to be seen. The enigmatic chief chieftain appraised Hu San, then promoted him to company commander, placing him in charge of the surviving recruits and granting him the right to select bandits to join his unit, up to a hundred men.

He also received a hundred taels of silver, a quantity of cloth and silk, and a fine horse—quite a generous reward.

Yet, in such a major battle, only the scar-faced commander had received the reward of becoming a warrior; the rest got nothing of the sort. The scarcity of such rewards was evident, and Hu San had long anticipated this.

The chief chieftain offered a few words of encouragement, then dismissed Hu San. With that, all rewards were distributed.

The chief chieftain left a contingent to garrison Wolf Fang Stronghold, while most returned with the main force to Wolfheart, their true base.

Having leapt two ranks to become company commander, Hu San naturally joined the march back to Wolfheart.

With Zhao Feng’s help and Hu San’s reputation for valor, he soon recruited over seventy men to fill his company, appointing Zhao Feng, Lin Hu, Lei Ming, Dan Yue, Snake Fang, Yan Fei, and Liang Chuan as squad leaders, each commanding nine bandits—thus Hu San had a small force of his own.

Wolfheart Stronghold was unlike Wolf Fang—larger and fully self-sufficient. Hu San’s company of a hundred men entered like a drop of water into the sea, soon blending in without a ripple.

Their task was light: to serve as one of the patrol units, checking the mountain morning and evening—ten men were sufficient.

So, most of Hu San’s men lived in leisure, whiling away their days.

Over the next ten days, Hu San established authority in his company, and recalling his thoughts before the desperate battle, he felt a longing to return home.

One day, the scar-faced commander visited, and Hu San brought up the matter. The commander readily agreed: so long as Hu San’s company did not neglect patrols, no one would trouble them about anything else.

With the assurance of the newly made warrior, Hu San felt at ease. He divided his company into ten squads.

He took Lin Hu, Zhao Feng, and Dan Yue’s squads—a total of thirty men—to his own village, while Snake Fang, Liang Chuan, Yan Fei, and Lei Ming led their squads—forty men in all—to their own hometowns.

As for Xiang Bao, who had died in battle, Hu San simply asked Lei Ming to visit Xiang Bao’s village and help his family as best they could.

The remaining three squads handled daily patrols; in time, they too would have a chance to return home.

With Hu San’s rising prestige and the ease of daily patrols, none opposed him; some clever bandits even gifted him items, saying they were to entertain his village elders.

The scar-faced commander and the third chieftain gave their own rewards, which Hu San gladly accepted.

So, on a sunny morning, the group left Wolfheart Stronghold early, bound for their respective hometowns.

Hu San was born in a mountain village called Wolf Name Village, so named for the wolves that roamed nearby, situated in the gap between the main ridge of Wolf Fang Mountain and the surrounding peaks, quite distant from Wolfheart Stronghold.

As this was a triumphant return, the group traveled unhurriedly, hunting game, gathering wild fruit, and enjoying the sights along the way, racing through the forests in high spirits.