Several months passed.
Summer deepened, and July arrived.
During these months, Gu Yue Village was not peaceful. The signs of the coming wolf tide had become more obvious, and the clan's attention gradually shifted toward preparation. Missions related to scouting, hunting, supplies, and defense increased, and the atmosphere inside the village quietly became heavier.
Then, a wild Rank 5 Gu appeared near the village.
River Swallowing Toad.
Its body was huge like a small hill, and it blocked the riverbed as it slept. The river water was obstructed, and the village immediately fell under pressure. If the river remained blocked for too long, it would affect water supply, fishing, irrigation, and many other things tied to the clan's survival.
The clan hall became solemn.
Gu Yue Bo and the elders discussed countermeasures, but facing a Rank 5 Gu, no one dared to act carelessly.
It was also during this period that another piece of news spread.
Gu Yue Fang Ming had broken through to Rank 2 upper stage.
If this had happened at any other time, it would have caused a huge commotion.
Fang Ming's cultivation speed was abnormal.
Fang Zheng was still Rank 2 initial stage, while Fang Ming had already stepped into Rank 2 upper stage. More importantly, Fang Ming had reached this stage in an even shorter time than he had taken to reach Rank 2 middle stage.
This was no longer merely fast.
It was difficult to explain.
But the River Swallowing Toad crisis pressed down on the entire village. Compared with a wild Rank 5 Gu blocking the riverbed, Fang Ming's breakthrough became something people discussed, but did not have the leisure to dig into deeply.
For Fang Ming, this timing was fortunate.
Yet his breakthrough also pushed him into the elders' sight again.
Rank 2 upper stage.
A-grade aptitude.
Monstrous natural strength.
These things were difficult to ignore during a crisis that required someone to move a huge sleeping Gu worm.
Soon, the clan assigned him a task.
Chase away the River Swallowing Toad.
Fang Ming accepted.
He did not accept because he cared about becoming a hero. Nor did he care whether the villagers praised him afterward.
Between praise and slander, they were only views others placed on him. Fang Ming did not give a damn about either.
The useful part was the effect.
His breakthrough speed was too eye-catching. If he handled the River Swallowing Toad, the village's focus would shift from how fast he advanced to how he saved the clan with his strength. A heroic deed could cover a suspicious breakthrough far better than any explanation.
The riverbank was crowded from a distance, but no one dared to approach too closely.
The River Swallowing Toad slept in the riverbed, its huge body blocking the water flow. Beside it, Fang Ming looked extremely small.
He stood at the river's edge, watching the current.
The toad was Rank 5.
Fang Ming had no illusion that he could overpower it in a real fight. If it truly became hostile, his strength would mean little. But the River Swallowing Toad was asleep, and the river itself could be borrowed.
When the water current surged stronger, Fang Ming moved.
He stepped into the river and placed both hands against the River Swallowing Toad's side.
The force of 8 boars formed his foundation. The wolf strength he had gained did not simply add more raw power, but it made his waist, back, and limbs coordinate better. His body could twist, push, and release force more smoothly than before.
The current struck the toad again and again.
Fang Ming pushed with it.
At first, the River Swallowing Toad barely moved.
Then its huge body shifted slightly.
Fang Ming's feet dug into the riverbed, waited for the current to rise again.
Fang Ming pushed at the same moment.
The River Swallowing Toad shifted.
Once it moved from its original position, the river began helping more. The downstream flow became wider, and the pressure against the toad's body changed. Fang Ming did not try to force it all at once; he followed the current, pushing whenever the river gave him the greatest advantage.
Slowly, the huge body moved farther from the blocked section.
After a long while, the River Swallowing Toad opened its eyes.
A pair of deep green eyes stared at Fang Ming.
The Rank 5 Gu let out a strange croak that echoed across the riverbank. The sound struck the ears of everyone nearby, making several Gu Masters flinch.
Fang Ming stepped back.
The River Swallowing Toad lowered its head and began swallowing river water.
The water level dropped visibly. Fish, prawns, crabs, turtles, and all kinds of river creatures were sucked into its mouth together with the rushing current. After swallowing enough, the River Swallowing Toad raised its head again, vomited out a large amount of seafood onto the riverbank, then slowly moved downstream.
The huge shadow gradually left.
The river flowed again.
For a moment, the watching Gu Masters were silent.
Then the news spread.
Fang Ming had succeeded.
The village became lively at once.
"He really chased it away?"
"Even others failed, but Fang Ming succeeded?"
"That was a Rank 5 Gu!"
"He relied on strength and the river current. It was not a real fight."
"So what? The River Swallowing Toad left. The river is flowing again."
The reaction spread quickly.
For the next few days, Fang Ming became a clan hero in the mouths of many villagers.
His natural strength was praised repeatedly. His previous arrogance and poor mission record were not forgotten, but they were temporarily pushed aside. People preferred to talk about how he had stood beside a Rank 5 Gu and moved it away from the riverbed.
The focus changed.
His Rank 2 upper stage breakthrough was still shocking, but now it was mentioned together with his strength and contribution.
Among some Gu Masters, the reaction was less pleasant.
Gu Yue Lan Yu sat with a few others, her expression complicated as she listened to the surrounding praise.
"So what if he reached Rank 2 upper stage?" one Gu Master muttered with dissatisfaction. "He is still a loner. With that temper and arrogant nature, no one will accept him no matter how high he climbs."
Another Gu Master was about to agree, but someone beside them quickly frowned.
"Lower your voice."
The first Gu Master looked unhappy. "What?"
"He just chased away the River Swallowing Toad. Right now, he is the clan's hero. If your words spread, what will others think? That you are dissatisfied with someone who protected the clan?"
The table became quiet.
No one there suddenly liked Fang Ming.
But times had changed.
Before, mocking Fang Ming's failed missions was only gossip. Now, speaking too harshly against him could be twisted into disrespect toward a clan hero. In a clan that valued unity, this kind of accusation was troublesome.
So the voices lowered.
The resentment did not disappear.
It only became more careful.
Soon after, Fang Ming was summoned to the clan hall.
The atmosphere inside was different from the noise outside.
Gu Yue Bo sat at the head, with the elders arranged on both sides. Fang Ming stood in the hall, posture calm and expression composed.
Gu Yue Bo looked at him and spoke with approval.
"Gu Yue Fang Ming, you have contributed to the clan by chasing away the River Swallowing Toad. For this achievement, the clan will reward you with 500 primeval stones and record your contribution."
Fang Ming accepted the reward.
"Thank you, clan leader."
His words were proper, but his mind was not on the primeval stones.
He sensed the atmosphere among the elders.
There was tension.
It was not open hostility, but it existed beneath their calm expressions. Fang Ming could roughly guess the reason.
His breakthrough speed had gone beyond what they expected.
Previously, the clan had allowed him to remain alone, letting him experience the hardship of being a lone Gu Master. Whether from patience, calculation, or factional compromise, they had not rushed to pull him back into a proper team.
But Fang Ming had not collapsed.
Instead, he had advanced.
Rank 2 upper stage.
Then he solved the River Swallowing Toad crisis.
To the elders, this likely meant someone had secretly helped him. Perhaps one faction had broken the silent balance and supported him in advance, hoping to win him over before the others reacted.
Since they did not know who had done it, suspicion naturally spread between them.
Fang Ming remained silent.
No faction had helped him.
But misunderstanding was not always bad.
The elders could suspect each other for as long as they wanted.
Then Fang Ming noticed Gu Yue Bo.
The clan leader's gaze was different from the others.
There was suspicion, but not only suspicion.
Fang Ming sensed anticipation there, mixed with confusion.
It was subtle.
Difficult to read.
For a moment, Fang Ming could not understand what Gu Yue Bo was thinking.
So he placed it at the back of his mind.
After the reward was given, Fang Ming left the clan hall.
Outside, the village still carried the aftertaste of the River Swallowing Toad incident. Some praised him openly. Some avoided mentioning him. Some looked at him with complicated expressions.
Fang Ming walked through it all calmly.
The hero title had done what he needed.
It covered the noise around his breakthrough and turned suspicion away from the most dangerous direction.
As for praise, slander, admiration, or resentment, Fang Ming had never cared.
Let others think what they wanted.
He had his own path to walk.