The old man almost rushed to the coffin. He stroked the lid with his skinny and wrinkled hands. It was obvious that he had just cried and his eyes were red.

Tianhao walked closer, bowed to Wu Peng, and whispered: "Great Master, please feel sorry for me."

The young lord noticed that the old man no longer caressed the coffin lid with his hands, his fingers slowly stood up, and his hard nails slashed hard from the surface of the wooden board, making a tooth-sourcing friction sound. He exerted so hard that the blue veins raised from the exposed wrist surface of his wrist cuffs, as if he could break through the skin barrier at any time and be exposed to the air.

"Where is Wu Yuan?" The old man kept looking down at the coffin, making a hoarse and sad voice.

"Behind." Tianhao stood there without moving, half-testing and half-dissuading: "This is not a place to speak, so please move the great master."

Wu Peng raised his head and took several deep breaths. He twitched his nose hard, not hiding his hands and wiping away the tears in his eyes. His eyes were as deep as ever, full of fearful majesty.

"Take your people to my residence."

Leaving this sentence, the old man turned around and left.

His back was a little sluggish, and he barely maintained his balance while shaking.

...

The living room of the Great Master is very spacious, and various furniture and furnishings inherit his usual simple style. There are not many things, but there are many common essentials. The tables, chairs, beds and beds are spotless and cleaned every day, making them look neat and generous.

The curtain was lifted from outside, and a beam of light shot into the room. The maid walked in with a clay pot and a cup on it. When she placed the teapot in front of the two of them in sequence, Tianhao noticed that the maid was already old, at least fifty years old. Although she had a plump figure, she was not considered pretty.

The great master made a gesture in silence, and the woman obediently exited the room, closed the door curtain, and closed the door outside.

He picked up the teapot with his old and thin hands, filled Tianhao's cup, and then he was himself. The hot steam floated out of the mouth of the cup and quickly rose to a height flush with Tianhao's normal perspective.

"Tell me about the specific details." The old man's voice showed deep fatigue: "I want to know everything that happened at that time, everything included."

His thinking was obviously a little confused, but he maintained an essential soberness.

Although it was a little strange, Tianhao asked nothing. He opened his lips and told the story in a plain and non-sensual tone.

The great master listened very seriously.

He is older than when he met last time.

The gray robe has never been changed, but the last time he was the one with a hood behind him, and the dry and thin face gave people a hard visual sense. The sparse hair, rough skin, deep eye sockets, and a little scabies grew on the sides of his forehead and on his neck. He kept raising his hands to scratch those positions, leaving white scratches on the surface of his skin.

Tianhao spoke very carefully and talked for more than an hour. After listening to his narrative, the great master fell into silence for several minutes. After a long time, he slowly opened his lips covered with dry skin: "Have he left the patriarch's ring to you?"

"Yes." Tianhao did not deny it, and reached out to take out the ring that had been prepared from his pocket, held it in both hands, and sent it to Wu Peng.

The old man's eyes showed deep sadness, and he reached out and picked it up and looked at it in his hand.

"…Wu…yuan…” When he pronounced this name, his body trembled significantly, and every word was bitten very hard.

"He... is so ruthless!" The elderly Wu Peng gasped and asked in a hoarse voice: "Why did he kill Weibang? You have expressed your attitude and refused to cooperate. He... There is no need to do this at all... Weibang can survive... can survive..."

Some of them are incoherent and their thinking is even more chaotic than before. Apart from silence, Tianhao knew that he could do nothing at this moment and could do nothing. This is the old man's self-release, and the anger accumulated deep in his heart must be vented to return to calm down.

The great master kept crying, but the voice was not that loud. He suppressed his grief and volume, and whimpered in a low voice several times by biting his lower lip. Tianhao had never seen him like this, and his inner shock and curiosity became deeper.

Intuition tells him that the relationship between the great master and Niu Weibang is extraordinary.

When the crying finally stopped and the old man slowly wiped away his tears with a cotton veil, sitting on the chair again with weakness and sadness, Tianhao knew that the next conversation would determine his future.

"He is my son." The old man's voice had been hoarse for a long time, but Tianhao was shocked when he heard it.

“…Why did you tell me about this?”

"Because he gave you the Ring of the Clan Chief."

Wu Peng looked at Tianhao with swollen eyes: "For some reason, the matter between me and his mother will never be revealed. Weibang didn't know this secret. He always thought that the person who died was his father... These are no longer important. Wu Yuan killed all the people related to him, including Weibang's mother, except me, and she was the only insider."

"Don't ask me why... I don't know why I want to tell you this. I need to find someone to talk to, but not everyone is worthy of trust. I can talk to the people around me and kill him after I finish speaking. I have done this kind of thing before, and I have killed several... Either a serious prisoner raised from prison or an enemy I caught... Some things have to be told to someone, and the burden on me is very heavy... it's too heavy..."

“…you are different.”

"Weibang trusts you very much. Even when you defeated the Pig Man and the Panshi was unprecedentedly powerful, Weibang did not think of killing you and forcibly occupied land. He was jealous of you and also admired everything you did. He talked to me and wanted to wait until the total population of Panshi exceeded 500,000, and join forces with several other patriarchs to apply to His Majesty to divide your territory and establish a new tribe separately, and you will serve as patriarch."

"He is my son. Although I can't recognize each other, I watch him grow up day by day, strong and outstanding. As a father, I am very proud and proud."

"But...he's dead..."

Tianhao sat there motionless.

No matter who it is, you will always be shocked when you hear the secrets related to yourself for the first time. This is a normal manifestation of human thinking.

He would treat Niu Weibang as his eternal friend, even though he was dead.

"Your Majesty is also here..." Sadness and helplessness appeared on Wu Peng's face at the same time: "What's worse is that he did not designate the heir to the throne. It will take us a year to choose a new king. Compared with the entire tribe, Weibang is nothing, and Lei Niu tribe is only a small part of it. Do you... understand what I mean?"

Tianhao lowered his head and stared at the teacup in front of him, and said seriously: "I will do my best to stabilize the order of the Lei Niu Clan and ensure that no accidents occur."

"This is not enough." The old man shook his head and sighed deeply: "You are still young, probably don't understand what consequences will Huyong pray to the patron saint first at this time. The last patron saint came less than twenty years ago. The interval is too short, too short..."

Tianhao smelled a trace of danger from the old man's words, but he didn't understand where this danger came from. He made a puzzled voice: "I was also in the Lock Dragon Pass when the guardian came. The situation was already at a critical moment. The three commanders had to do so, otherwise the white people would break through the defense line."

"...I know..." The great master's eyes shone with desolation: "Maybe this will bring about the fate that the gods have arranged for us. We cannot resist except to accept it."

"You mean..." Tianhao asked tentatively.

"The war will come soon." The great master gritted his teeth hard, and a deep hatred and alert appeared on his face: "In a short time, the white people will not attack the Lock Dragon Pass. As usual, this is the time for us to fight with other tribes."

Tianhao smiled bitterly on his face.

He finally understood what Wu Peng meant. Once the threat from outside was lifted, it was the barbarians' turn to resolve internal disputes. Population and territory would become the targets for various races in the next few decades, and a new round of ethnic wars is about to begin.

This is actually not a secret. When I searched for a clay template in the Royal Database last time, Tianhao also had some knowledge of this part of the content. But after all, he came from the civilization era and did not have a deep understanding of such things. It is hard to imagine that friendly forces who once fought against foreign enemies at Lock Dragon Pass would turn against each other overnight, and live to the death.

"The Leiniu tribe is located on the border of the tribe and has always been the key target of attack by other tribes. The Lion King has been promoting the monetary system and can only obtain things that cannot be obtained through normal means through war. Although there is no movement yet, the Lion tribe may suddenly take action. You must be prepared and beware of the attack from that direction."

The great master's mood gradually relaxed. He picked up the teacup and took a sip, sighing: "Since Weibang chose you, there must be his reason. However... the patriarch's succession to the throne is not as simple as you think. According to the law, if you do not receive the approval of His Majesty, no one can become the new king of the tribe."

Tianhao understood this: "You mean, you have to wait until next year?"

Wu Peng nodded with a very small amplitude: "You can become the acting patriarch first, and wait until you select a new king next year and get certification and permission to become the real king of the Lei Niu Tribe."

"Acting patriarch?" Although it was a questioning tone, Tianhao did not need an answer. He kept chewing on these four words, feeling that the future was a bit unpredictable, adding many uncertain factors.

"Even the acting patriarch is not that easy to be a leader." The great master reminded: "Prepare, come and meet with me tomorrow to meet the two princes. When the news of Weibang's death came, I sent someone to inform all the kings of the tribes that they had gathered in Heijiao City and convened an extraordinary meeting tomorrow to discuss your succession."

Tianhao felt a solemn in his heart: "If I cannot get their recognition, I cannot inherit the position of patriarch?"

"Yes." The old man's eyes showed unquestionable majesty: "At least half of the patriarchs agree, the inheritance resolution must be passed. Now is a special period, and the two princes each occupy one seat. Their positions are the same as those of patriarchs, and they have the power to vote."

"...Thank you!" Tianhao said sincerely.

A smile appeared on the old man's face and disappeared quickly.

"Leave Wu Yuan to me." He tried his best to remain calm, but could not hide the strong hatred released from his body: "He is a traitor to the bull tribe, and he cannot be allowed to die easily. I want to conduct a public trial on him and cut into pieces!"

Tianhao left the chair and stood up, saluting to the great master again: "As you wish."

...

The next day.

Because it was not a grand dynasty meeting, there were not many people participating in the review. Did Wu Peng choose the grand mortal hall? He summoned everyone to the side hall west of the palace to hold a meeting.

Tianhao first attended a meeting of this level very early. According to the instructions of the great master, he wore a black robe. The robe was simple in style, with a pair of crossed horns embroidered with silver silk thread on the left chest. This is a symbol of the identity of the tribal leader. Once determined, he would leave a mark on the upper end of the left arm with a soldering iron.

A tall old man came from outside the hall. He was covered in long hair over his shoulders, mixed with gray and black, and his beard was also very thick. His steps were steady, his figure was not distorted, and his broad shoulders looked full of strength.

All the chairs were in a circle, and he sat down opposite Tianhao. There were only two people in the venue. He looked at Tianhao with inquiring eyes and said lightly: "Young man, I have heard of your name."

Tianhao stood up from the chair and bowed and saluted: "I have met the leader of the Kuangniu tribe in the lower Panshi Leader Niu Tianhao."

The pattern of the ox horn on the other party’s chest had a special pattern, indicating the identity of the old man.

He continued to stare at Tianhao, looking at his hands without any accessories for a long time, and the old man suddenly laughed.

"It's okay, not so arrogant, the most feared is that people who don't know anything, don't follow rules or reasoning, sit in this position. It seems that Niu Weibang's position as the leader of Leiniu is not unreasonable."

After pausing, the old man continued, "I am Yuanmeng, you should have heard my name."

Tianhao replied neither humbly nor arrogantly: "The name of the leader of the Crazy Bull is well-known."

"Your reputation is also very good!" Yuan Meng smiled heartily: "Shanyang City Lord Yuan Wei is my younger brother. He praised you very much and praised you very much. I always thought he was bragging. I saw you today... How to say it, let's not say anything about your character or personality. It's better that you didn't wear the Ring of the Clan Chief on your hands. It seems that you are quite stable and not so empty."

"Thank you!" Tianhao replied seriously: "I am not the leader of the Leiniu clan now and I am not worthy of that ring."

Yuan Meng's eyes added a little bit of praise: "There are not many young people as modest as you. Alas... Speaking of which, Niu Weibang is also very outstanding, but unfortunately, when he encountered such a thing, it happened that His Majesty was in funeral, and all kinds of messy things were gathered together."
Chapter completed!