"Uncle Bao, here, let me raise a glass to you!"

"Come, come, come, let's drink!"

"I didn't expect Xiao Xuan to have such good alcohol tolerance!"

"Xiao Xuan is happy today, after all, he's no longer alone. Although next month... sigh! But anyway, having a warrior return to our Jiang tribe is a good thing. Once the news spreads, maybe more warriors will come back."

"Everyone, cheers!"

The banquet organized by Jiang Bao was held in the small square in front of the Jiang tribe’s ancestral hall, with five full tables set up. Almost all the managers of the Jiang tribe, from all levels, had arrived, including Granny Jin Hua.

Though the Jiang tribe had almost lost all the men in the past three years, and their financial strength was much weaker than before, they still had some resources left. At least, there was no problem with food and drink. Apart from the Jiang tribe’s own mines and merchant caravans, the forty-seven tribes that had been loyal to the Jiang tribe for generations also paid tribute every six months.

As the evening wore on, the moon hung high in the sky.

"Xiao Xuan, uncle, let me raise another glass to you!" Jiang Bao came over, draping his arm around Jiang Xuan's shoulder and shaking his wine cup.

"Come on, let's drink!" Jiang Xuan didn’t refuse and clinked glasses with him, drinking it all in one go.

At the same table, Granny Jin Hua frowned slightly, her gaze flickering between Jiang Xuan and Jiang Bao. She found Jiang Bao suspicious, but she wasn't fully convinced. She had to be cautious. Now that Jiang Xuan had drunk too much and was so close to Jiang Bao, if Jiang Bao suddenly attacked Jiang Xuan, no one would be able to stop it.

"Xiao Xuan, you're drunk," Granny Jin Hua advised, giving Jiang Qinghong, who was sitting next to Jiang Xuan, a meaningful glance.

"Xiao Xuan, stop drinking," Jiang Qinghong gently tugged at Jiang Xuan's arm. "You haven’t eaten much tonight. No matter how happy you are, you can’t drink like this. Don’t delay your training for tomorrow."

Jiang Xuan, ungrateful, shrugged her off.

"Men's business, stay out of it!" Jiang Xuan seemed to be drunk.

Jiang Qinghong’s expression changed immediately. Her brows furrowed as she gave Jiang Xuan’s waist a sharp twist... Where had the old Xiao Xuan gone? He’d only been the tribe leader for a few days, and now he was drinking like this. What would happen in the future?

She couldn't just let this go!

"Is that all? I thought he was something special. Turns out he’s just a drunken fool, full of hot blood but nothing else." Jiang Bao was observing everything, and a sense of disdain started to grow in him.

A person with bad drinking habits was hard to respect.

Jiang Qinghong stopped paying attention to Jiang Xuan, feeling upset.

Jiang Bao moved away, going to toast Granny Jin Hua and the other congenital female warriors. Jiang Xuan turned to look at Jiang Qinghong, still holding her hand under the table, drunkenly asking, "Qinghong, what’s wrong? Who made you angry?"

"Dog!" Jiang Qinghong replied, irritated.

"Who?" Jiang Xuan, seemingly not understanding, stared at Jiang Qinghong’s stunning side profile, then suddenly grabbed her hand and kissed it, making a “tsk” sound.

Many eyes were watching, and it was mostly women.

"Oh! Xiao Xuan kissed Qinghong’s hand!"

"Does this mean Qinghong is going to be the tribe leader’s wife?"

"Wow, he really kissed her! Xiao Xuan is growing up!"

The women at the table, including sisters, aunts, and cousins, started teasing. Jiang Qinghong's face flushed with embarrassment, and her heart became even more irritated. It wasn’t that she was upset by Jiang Xuan kissing her hand suddenly, but more by the fact that he was drunk and doing this in public. It was said that a person’s true nature comes out when drunk, and she didn’t want Jiang Xuan to be the type who couldn’t control himself after drinking.

Jiang Qinghong began to ignore Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan seemed truly drunk, joking with the other women at the table, which made Jiang Qinghong even angrier.

Unknowingly, the meal was coming to an end.

"Bao, Uncle Bao, let’s talk alone, I have something to say to you..." Jiang Xuan stood up, gesturing for Jiang Bao to come over, "Come, let’s go over there..."

Jiang Bao hesitated for a moment, but his heart filled with excitement.

He had planned to first build trust quickly and meet Jiang Xuan alone tomorrow in the back mountain, looking for a chance to ambush him. But to his surprise, the opportunity came so quickly—Jiang Xuan actually wanted to talk to him alone! And he was drunk! Wouldn’t it be as easy as killing a chicken?

"Heaven is helping me!" Jiang Bao thought, filled with good fortune. "Granny Jin Hua has been wary of me ever since I came back, and even Jiang Qinghong knows how important Jiang Xuan is, worried something would go wrong. But now, Jiang Xuan is so stupid! He deserves to die!"

Laughing drunkenly, Jiang Bao threw his arm around Jiang Xuan’s shoulder again.

"Uncle Bao, let’s go!"

"Sure, let’s go!"

"You all! Sit down, don’t follow me! I’m telling you!" Jiang Xuan shouted at the two congenital female warriors, who had already stood up under Granny Jin Hua’s instructions, but now sat back down as Jiang Xuan ordered.

"Qinghong," Jiang Xuan turned back again, grabbing Jiang Qinghong’s hand in his palm, drunkenly smiling, "We’re leaving."

It seemed like he was just "teasing" Jiang Qinghong before leaving.

Jiang Qinghong’s face twitched slightly, and she seemed uncomfortable. Jiang Xuan’s actions were making her uneasy.

"Let’s go!"

"Let’s go!"

The two men of the Jiang tribe, both tipsy, walked arm in arm toward the edge of the square, soon disappearing from view.

Jiang Qinghong looked on, suddenly retracting her hand. She turned and, cautiously, looked at the piece of paper in her palm. It was a note Jiang Xuan had given her, pretending to tease her before leaving.

She opened the note and read a few lines. Jiang Qinghong’s face instantly changed, and she stood up abruptly.

"Granny Jin Hua, look at this..." She quickly ran to Granny Jin Hua’s side, handing her the note.

Granny Jin Hua took the note, her emotions suddenly becoming agitated: "This brat! How can he... If something goes wrong..."

The lively chatter at the tables suddenly fell silent, with everyone turning to look at Granny Jin Hua.

"Xiao Xuan suspects that Jiang Bao has been bought by the Shentu tribe and came back to assassinate him!" Granny Jin Hua waved the note in her hand.

"What…?"

"No way…"

"Jiang Bao and the Shentu tribe have a deep blood feud. Both his older brothers and his nephew were killed by the Shentu tribe. Although he lost his courage at the time, I don’t believe he would be like Jiang Jingsheng, a traitor!" A middle-aged female warrior from the hunting team said.

"Right, that makes sense!" Many around nodded in agreement.

"But his sudden return is definitely suspicious!" said Jiang Cuiyun, the captain of the patrol team and a congenital mid-stage female warrior. "I’m ten years older than Abao, I’ve seen him grow up. He’s not a bad person, but I’ve never seen any extraordinary courage in him. Now, he says he wants to enter the arena for the life-and-death battle, which is the same as asking for death. I don’t believe he has the guts for it!"

"People can change. Abao has been gone for over a year. Who knows what he’s been through?" Another female congenital warrior held a different opinion.

"We can’t just accuse him of being a traitor without evidence," someone pointed out.

"Enough!" Granny Jin Hua interrupted the argument. "Xiao Xuan knew you would hesitate, so he decided to take a risk. He’s already left alone with Jiang Bao. Jiang Bao was a congenital warrior years ago, not someone Xiao Xuan can deal with. If Jiang Bao is an assassin, he won’t let this opportunity slip. He’ll strike at Xiao Xuan!"

"What?"

"How can Xiao Xuan…"

With a loud noise, everyone jumped to their feet, whether they had suspected Jiang Bao or not. They were all anxious. Jiang Xuan was putting his life on the line to test things. Even if he was prepared, one wrong move, and it could cost him his life.

That would be disastrous for the entire Jiang tribe.

"Get the weapons, follow me!" Granny Jin Hua commanded.

"Bao, Uncle Bao, I need to tell you something, heh..." Jiang Xuan and Jiang Bao continued talking nonsense, discussing the tribe’s situation, the pressure they felt, their hatred for the Shentu tribe, and more. They walked unsteadily, occasionally letting out drunken belches.

Jiang Bao was in a similar state. The two walked arm in arm, aimlessly moving wherever the path took them.

Unknowingly, they crossed the square and entered the forest on the side, climbing a slope towards the back mountain. They meandered along the winding path...

They unexpectedly arrived at a cliff.

This was a famous scenic spot in the Jiang tribe’s earth city, known as Eagle Beak Cliff, because from afar, the cliff jutted out, and below it, the land curved.

Standing at the edge of this cliff, one could overlook most of the earth city below, making it an ideal place for private conversations.

"This place… haha... Eagle Beak Cliff! It’s like looking for death!" Jiang Bao thought to himself, barely able to hold back his laughter. He released his arm from Jiang Xuan’s shoulder, no longer holding him up. He pushed Jiang Xuan slightly and placed his hand on the hilt of his blade.

Jiang Xuan was still looking down at the vast earth city, drunkenly rambling.

"Something’s wrong!"

"How could it be this easy?"

"It’s like it was specially prepared for me."

Just as he had pulled his blade out by an inch, Jiang Bao suddenly stopped. He started to doubt himself.

It had gone too smoothly, so smoothly that he was starting to question it.

But soon, he dismissed his suspicions.

He couldn’t think of any reason Jiang Xuan could survive this.

"A mere half-step congenital? If he really tried to test me this way, isn’t that the same as looking for death? Granny Jin Hua and the others would never agree to such a plan. It’s too dangerous for Jiang Xuan! I must be overthinking it. This brat is just too foolish! So foolish he’s acting like a fool!"

Jiang Bao dismissed the thought that Jiang Xuan might be tricking him. He couldn’t see how Jiang Xuan could survive.

But just then, Jiang Xuan suddenly grew passionate.

"...This is my tribe! I am the tribe’s king!!" Jiang Xuan clenched his fists and waved his arms, shouting drunkenly.

In that moment, Jiang Bao’s eyes became sharp.

The long blade was drawn!

Jiang Bao moved like a blur, charging toward Jiang Xuan. The distance between them was still less than a yard, and for a congenital warrior, closing this gap was almost instantaneous. The flash of the blade passed through Jiang Xuan’s body.

"It’s done! So easy, ha! I’m a Shentu tribe elder now!" Jiang Bao laughed joyously.