Free Web NovelChapter 101: Chapter 99: Activating the Blood Covenant
"It’s not likely we can hold out until reinforcements arrive. But we can bluff, intimidate them into retreating for now, and shatter their morale. Once we have a chance to catch our breath, we can plan our next steps."
Su Mo pointed to a spot on the topographical map. "Here. We might be able to use this to our advantage."
Xuan Shuang looked at the spot she was pointing to and quickly understood what she meant.
"But all of our tribe’s able-bodied members are on the front lines. We really can’t spare anyone."
Su Mo frowned. "Move everyone in the courtyard who can fight. The wounded soldiers whose injuries are light and whose poison has been stabilized can also be deployed to assist."
Xuan Shuang hesitated. ’If everyone in the courtyard is redeployed and the enemy launches a sneak attack here, we’ll be completely trapped with no way out.’
Su Mo frowned. "If you take a risk and commit everything now, you might still have a sliver of a chance. If you keep wavering, the situation will only become more dire."
Xuan Shuang thought for a moment, then looked up at Su Mo. "Alright!"
Black Tiger, standing to the side, frowned. "Why don’t I go ask the Second Miss? We should hear her opinion first."
Xuan Wei shook her head. "There’s no time. Her side is already overwhelmed; we can’t distract her."
The current situation truly left no room for hesitation.
Black Tiger looked at Su Mo, his eyes filled with doubt.
Su Mo knew his concerns. ’After all, I’m not a member of the Tiger Clan. It’s perfectly normal for him to be suspicious.’
But given the current situation, she had no time to explain, nor did she care to.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "If you have the Heart Power, Black Tiger, you’d be better off figuring out how to maximize the fighting strength of the men in the courtyard."
Black Tiger glanced at the places Su Mo had circled. They were all critical strategic points.
He and Xuan Wei hadn’t hidden their defense planning from Su Mo.
However, that Miss Su had seemed uninterested in their layout. He didn’t know where she’d found a bone, but she was currently toying with it in her hands.
Black Tiger frowned. ’What time is it for games? How can she have the leisure to be studying some worthless bone? This Miss Su is truly impossible to figure out.’
How could he have known that the bone in Su Mo’s hand was a rib, a gift from Long Yan from the last time she left the Dragon Clan Tribe?
According to Fei Yan, as long as a Blood Covenant was formed, Long Yan would come to her aid even if they were thousands of miles apart.
Su Mo had never thought she would have to use it.
And she certainly never expected that the first time she used it would be in the Tiger Clan Tribe.
She wasn’t one to wallow in compassion, but seeing the soldiers in the courtyard being wounded one after another, and the corpses of the tribe’s villagers lying in the streets, she couldn’t help but feel a sliver of pity.
In the current situation, the Tiger Clan couldn’t break the impasse on their own.
Even with the support of her system, she could only heal the wounded soldiers; it would be very difficult to repel the attackers outside.
If the Tiger Clan fell this time, the attackers’ next targets would be the Dragon Clan and the North Wing.
In the future, only by banding together could they resist their external enemies.
Su Mo decisively pricked her finger, letting a drop of crimson blood fall onto the two characters for "Long Yan."
In an instant, the characters burst with a dazzling light.
Then the light shot through the wall... so fast it was impossible to follow.
Xuan Wei and Black Tiger, who had been in the middle of a conversation, stared in astonishment at the bone in Su Mo’s hand.
Only then did they recognize it as the rib of a Dragon-man.
Black Tiger asked in shock, "Miss Su, you actually have a Blood Covenant with a Dragon Clan Beastman?!"
Su Mo explained calmly, "Sending someone for reinforcements would take too long. I’ve summoned the Dragon Race’s Young General for you. I expect he’ll receive the message and bring his men in time."
"The Dragon Race’s Young General?!" Black Tiger frowned. "But the people attacking us... we can’t even be sure if there are Dragon Clan members among them. This..."
"The people outside cannot be from the Dragon Clan."
Su Mo’s tone was firm. "Wait for the Lord Major General to arrive with his men. Everything will become clear then."
Black Tiger was about to say something else, but Xuan Wei cut him off. "Go and make the arrangements. Make sure everything is in place before nightfall!"
Black Tiger nodded and immediately left.
When only Xuan Wei and Su Mo were left in the room, Xuan Wei stared at the Dragon Bone in Su Mo’s hand, lost in thought for a long time.
’She knew a little about the bone-extraction ceremony that was part of a Dragon Clan Beastman’s coming-of-age rite. It was precisely because she knew this that she was so shocked. How could the rib of the Dragon Race’s Young General be in Su Mo’s hands?’
’After all, once this rib was given, it could never be taken back.’
’Just what kind of relationship did they have for the Dragon Race’s Young General to give her this Dragon Bone?’
Xuan Wei finally couldn’t resist asking, "Miss Su, why do you have the Dragon Bone of the Dragon Race’s Young General?"
"I once saved his life in the North Wing. He’s a bit stubborn and I suppose he wanted to repay me for saving him," Su Mo said with a light chuckle. "Today is a good opportunity. Letting him come here repays the debt, and it’ll save him from always thinking about it."
Xuan Wei’s expression flickered. She stared at the object in Su Mo’s hand and said blankly, "This Lord Major General of the Dragon Clan... is certainly thoughtful."
’She guessed that Su Mo didn’t know the true meaning behind a Dragon Clan Beastman giving away a Dragon Bone.’
’Even if he wanted to repay Su Mo for saving his life, there were countless other ways. Without special feelings for her, why would he give her a Dragon Bone?’
’But now, the Tiger Clan was the one receiving this favor. She didn’t know how they would ever repay these two debts in the future.’
Xuan Wei was no longer worried about reinforcements. Once the Blood Covenant was activated, the other party would definitely come.
They just had to stall for time until the Dragon Clan reinforcements arrived.
「As twilight deepened.」
Cang Lan had already relayed Su Mo and Xuan Wei’s plan to the people on the city wall. He had also brought Su Mo’s Bone Whistle and its antidote.
Once Black Tiger’s preparations were complete and the signal was given, they would use the Bone Whistle to disorient the enemy.
Tian Huan listened from the side, frowning. "Miss Su’s plan is completely outlandish! Pulling the main force from the courtyard? If someone launches a sneak attack, will any of them survive? Won’t our entire territory fall? How could the Eldest Miss listen to her one-sided story? This is far too dangerous!"
In the end, he still didn’t trust Su Mo. After all, she wasn’t from the Tiger Clan Tribe.
If she was plotting to deal them a fatal blow, it would be an absolute catastrophe.
Xuan Qing and Xuan Shuang exchanged a look. They both understood that this was the best plan they could come up with under the circumstances.
Xuan Shuang understood the principle: trust those you employ, and don’t employ those you distrust.
She looked at Cang Lan and asked, "You just said that if we hold on for a while, reinforcements will arrive. Where are these reinforcements coming from?"
"The Dragon Race’s Young General."
Tian Huan shouted furiously, "Absurd! The Dragon Clan is down there fighting us right now, and you expect them to come to our rescue? Has Miss Su lost her mind?!"
Xuan Shuang turned her head and glared at the reckless-mouthed Tian Huan.
After half a day of fighting, she had long been suspicious. Although the enemy used Dragon Clan weapons and techniques, something about them still looked strange.
It was more like they were impersonating the Dragon Clan to fight them.
Xuan Shuang asked again, "How is Miss Su so sure the Dragon Clan will come to our aid?"
"A Blood Covenant."
Cang Lan only said two words, but everyone present understood.
Surprise flashed across both Xuan Shuang’s and Xuan Qing’s faces.
Yue Ying, who was in the thick of the fighting, turned to glance at Fei Yan and huffed, "Wife is still thinking about that dragon, after all. She’s in such a hurry to have Long Yan come and clear his name!"
Fei Yan was speechless. ’Even at a time like this, the fox still hasn’t forgotten to be jealous.’
Knowing that reinforcements were definitely on their way gave Xuan Shuang a surge of confidence.
After distributing the antidote for the Bone Whistle, she transformed. With a shake, she became a majestic white tiger and charged into the rain of arrows, ready for slaughter. Her snow-white fur surged like a silver wave, and her roar shook the heavens. Wherever her tail swept, arrows shattered!
