Translator: CinderTL
"Mm!"
Xun Ancai nodded emphatically, feeling the weight of those words stir a buried ambition within her.
If others can be clan chief, why not me?!
"Very well, I will lead the Dog Clan to reclaim its glory!"
"That's the spirit!" Xu Sanyan patted her bottom approvingly, then grabbed a piece of roasted meat and devoured it in large bites. "After you finish eating, gather the clan. We need to deal with the Snake Clan once and for all. If you win this battle, your position as clan chief will be secure."
"Mmm... okay."
Xun Ancai suddenly remembered something and stopped chewing. "But I don't know the Praying to the Gods Method."
"Praying to the Gods Method?" Xu Sanyan paused slightly. "Who was with the clan chief before she died?"
Xun Ancai pondered. "...It must have been Xun Yang and Xun Hua."
"Hmm..." Xu Sanyan's eyes flickered as he nodded slowly.
The Praying to the Gods Method was crucial to the Dog Clan. Knowing her death was near, the clan chief would have surely entrusted her final wishes to someone. Therefore, among the survivors, someone must know the method.
The most likely candidates were Xun Yang and Xun Hua.
After eating and drinking his fill, Xu Sanyan stood up and rubbed his temples. His soul power had recovered significantly after a night's rest, now at about fifty percent. If the situation became urgent, he could use the Lu Clan's Spirit Refining Force one more time.
The two headed toward the mountain peak, arriving at the cave where the clan chief resided. A dozen people with anxious expressions were waiting outside.
These were some of the Dog Clan's strongest warriors and most respected figures. With the clan chief dead, they would essentially decide the clan's next course of action.
Xun Hua was among them. When she saw Xu Sanyan, her expression became slightly unnatural, and she lowered her head slightly.
As Xun Ancai approached, the crowd parted, clearing a path for her to enter the cave.
After the recent battle, Xun Ancai's prestige had surpassed Xun Yang's, making her the clan's foremost figure, though she herself hadn't yet realized it.
Xu Sanyan's gaze swept over the group, lingering briefly on Xun Hua's face before turning toward the cave entrance.
Inside, Xun Yang lay on a bed, his eyes tightly shut and his face pale. A clear indentation marked his chest, and his breathing was so faint it seemed like a candle flickering in the wind, on the verge of being extinguished.
The Snake Clan Chief's single strike had brought him to the brink of death, demonstrating the chief's immense power.
An old man with a face etched with deep wrinkles sat by the bed, applying a dark green medicinal herb to Xun Yang's body.
"How is Xun Yang?" Xun Ancai asked.
The old man glanced up at her, shook his head slightly, and sighed. "Alas... I fear he may never awaken."
Xu Sanyan breathed a sigh of relief. This spared him the need to take further action.
Xun Ancai stole a glance at Xu Sanyan and repeated his instructions verbatim: "The Snake Clan must be in even greater chaos now. I propose we seize this opportunity to completely annihilate them!"
"Absolutely not!" Xun Hua immediately objected, without even a moment's hesitation.
"Hmm?" Xun Ancai paused, turning to Xu Sanyan with a questioning look. He hadn't been instructed on how to handle such a situation.
Xun Hua considered for a moment. "The Snake Clan's territory is swarming with venomous snakes. Even if their chief is dead, those snakes remain. A rash attack would likely result in even greater casualties. The Dog Clan can't afford such losses."
In truth, Xun Hua's concerns weren't about strategy. She simply distrusted Xu Sanyan and instinctively rejected all his proposals. Moreover, the clan chief had ordered her to kill Xu Sanyan immediately upon the Snake Clan Chief's death. While circumstances had changed, making his elimination less straightforward, she remained determined to prevent him from leading the Dog Clan astray.
Xun Ancai blinked, staring blankly at Xu Sanyan, her foolish expression practically begging him to speak.
The others also saw through the ruse, realizing Xu Sanyan was the mastermind behind this. All eyes turned to him.
They knew he possessed strange methods; the Snake Clan Chief had likely died by his hand, inspiring a mixture of awe and fear.
Seeing this, Xu Sanyan abandoned any hope of relying on Xun Ancai. After a moment's thought, he said, "With the Snake Clan's elite forces decimated, their morale must be crumbling. If we don't strike now, they'll flee, making our efforts—and the clan chief's sacrifice—meaningless."
His words sparked a flurry of furrowed brows and contemplation. After a moment, someone nodded in agreement.
"He's right. The clan chief's death can't be in vain."
Wiping out the Snake Clan had been the Old Clan Chief's dying wish, one they were bound to fulfill. Even aside from that, eliminating the Snake Clan would greatly benefit the Dog Clan.
"Exactly! Wipe out the Snake Clan!"
Another voice chimed in, "Now's the perfect opportunity! Once they're gone, the entire Southern Mountain will belong to the Dog Clan!"
Xu Sanyan smiled faintly, his gaze settling calmly on Xun Hua. This was the inevitable tide of events, leaving her no room to refuse.
Hearing her clansmen stirred up by his smooth words, Xun Hua grew anxious. She turned to look at the unconscious Xun Yang, a sudden wave of loneliness washing over her.
So much had happened in such a short time: the Old Clan Chief had died, the new Clan Chief had also died, and the Clan Chief's heir remained unconscious.
She couldn't shake the feeling that ever since Xu Sanyan arrived at the Dog Clan, their peaceful days were gone forever.
Xu Sanyan, indifferent to her thoughts, knew the Snake Clan had to be eradicated. He glanced around at the crowd with feigned sincerity and proposed, "Let's take a vote. Raise your hand if you agree to wipe out the Snake Clan."
Xun Ancai raised her hand first, followed immediately by Xu Sanyan. After a moment of silent deliberation, most of the others raised their hands as well.
Including Xu Sanyan, there were fourteen people present. Eleven had raised their hands, rendering the opinions of the remaining three irrelevant.
Xu Sanyan smiled warmly at Xun Hua. "In that case, Xun Hua should stay in the clan."
"No, I'm going too!" Xun Hua immediately protested.
"Heh..."
Xu Sanyan chuckled, having already grasped Xun Hua's temperament. She was like a stubborn child who would always oppose him, no matter what he said or did.
"Very well. Then go prepare. We'll depart before noon," Xu Sanyan commanded naturally, his tone leaving no room for argument. The others nodded and dispersed without hesitation.
Now, only four and a half people remained in the cave: Xu Sanyan, Xun Ancai, Xun Hua, the Old man, and Xun Yang, who lay between life and death—half a person.
Xu Sanyan put on a sincere expression and turned to Xun Hua, speaking slowly, "The Dog Clan cannot exist without a clan chief, just as the sky cannot exist without the sun. Ancai and I have discussed it, and if Xun Yang doesn't wake up, we will support you as the next clan chief."
Xun Ancai froze, her sharp mind momentarily short-circuiting. She couldn't figure out what Xu Sanyan was up to, but she wisely kept silent.
Xun Hua looked equally suspicious. "Really?"
Xu Sanyan replied firmly, "Of course."
His tone then darkened, his expression turning dejected. "Though I don't understand why you harbor resentment towards me, I can honestly say I've never betrayed the Dog Clan. Whether it was the Bear Clan's invasion or this recent battle with the Snake Clan, I wouldn't claim to have achieved great merit, but I've certainly endured my share of hardship."
Xu Sanyan's eyes dimmed, conveying a sense of deep grievance mixed with stubborn pride.
Xun Hua was taken aback. A sudden conflict arose in her heart. What he said was true—in fact, he was being remarkably modest. Without him, the Dog Clan might have already been annihilated.
Xu Sanyan met Xun Hua's gaze directly, while she averted her eyes, unable to hold his gaze.
"My heart burns with unwavering loyalty to the Dog Clan," Xu Sanyan continued. "My devotion is as clear as the sun and moon!"
Xun Ancai listened with a moved expression, thinking, This is the man I chose.
(End of the Chapter)
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