“It’s all because the two of us are incompetent. Before Old Chief left, he entrusted us to take care of the tribe and look after you, but in just a single year, things have turned out like this. Not only was Little Charles ambushed and seriously injured, but even the little brats from other tribes now dare to come and bully us at our doorstep. Useless! We are useless, and can only rely on a weak woman to help the tribe through these hard times!”

　　As he spoke with growing agitation, David Wood even raised his right hand and slapped himself hard across the face.

　　“Stop! Please stop! Uncle Wood, Uncle Stone, please listen to your nephew before making any decisions.”

　　Seeing David Wood act so desperately, Charles Bennett, who had been sitting upright, was startled. He hurriedly stopped him from hurting himself.

　　Witnessing their actions, Charles Bennett realized he had gone too far. After the two men calmed down a bit, he spoke with a face full of apology: “Uncles, please forgive me. It was Little Charles who acted recklessly and made decisions on his own without consulting you both.”

　　“Could it be that Little Charles already has a plan?”

　　“Uncles, this matter is of great importance. Please allow your nephew to keep it a secret for now. Let’s wait a few days, and everything will become clear. I hope you can forgive me.”

　　After careful consideration, Charles Bennett still decided not to reveal the secret to them. He always believed in one saying: if a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he will lose his ruler. Simply put, before something is accomplished, it must be kept secret from everyone to ensure confidentiality. After all, as the ancestors said, there are no walls in the world that the wind cannot pass through.

　　The fewer people who know now, the less danger the Guyuan Tribe will face. If news of his impending breakthrough to the Blood Refining Realm were to leak, someone might strike first and eliminate him before he could grow.

　　Charles Bennett’s words left the two burly men dumbfounded. They hadn’t expected him to say this. After all, they had watched Charles Bennett grow up and were very familiar with his habits. The sudden change in his tone caught them off guard.

　　“Uncles, the tribe is facing a severe test right now, and people’s hearts are unsettled. Although the vast majority of the clansmen are united against the enemy, there will always be a few restless troublemakers who betray us from within. So, I need you both to assign more people to keep a close watch on them these next few days. We can’t let them stir up trouble anymore. Sooner or later, we must catch them all in one net.”

　　Charles Bennett had already anticipated their reaction. Without waiting for them to recover, he spoke again.

Chapter 4: Breaking Through to the Blood Refining Realm

　　Puff, puff!

　　Moths threw themselves one after another toward the oil lamp, advancing toward the light in their hearts! Three figures swayed in the flickering lamplight.

　　Charles Bennett’s words made the two men smile bitterly. After all, they had come to persuade Charles Bennett, and had anticipated several possible outcomes. Unfortunately, they had only guessed the process, not the ending, and hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. They still trusted Charles Bennett; otherwise, after Old Chief disappeared, they wouldn’t have supported Charles Bennett as the new chief. Part of the reason was that Charles Bennett was Old Chief’s son, but a large part was also due to Charles Bennett’s own abilities. After all, the lives of tens of thousands of tribesmen were no joke and couldn’t be entrusted to a reckless youth.

　　The two exchanged glances and chose to trust Charles Bennett. The tribe’s crisis wouldn’t worsen in just a few days, so they might as well treat a dead horse as if it were alive and hope for a miracle. Even if nothing changed after a few days, at least Charles Bennett would learn a lesson, and they could try other solutions, letting him give up this idea.

　　“We know this as well. There are indeed some traitors in the tribe who need to be dealt with. They think their little tricks are well hidden, but with the tribe in crisis, now isn’t the time to settle accounts. Once the chief breaks through to the Blood Refining Realm, everything will be resolved.” David Wood said through gritted teeth, his already fierce face looking even more menacing.

　　After another round of secret discussion, the three agreed not to alert the enemy and to keep everything in the tribe as usual. After settling on a plan, Richard Stone and David Wood hurriedly left.

　　……

　　Watching the two leave, Charles Bennett went to the corner, moved a large bronze cauldron to the center of the stone house, and took out the medicinal herbs from the cauldron, laying them out one by one on the stone table.

　　To avoid exposing himself as a fraud, Charles Bennett had, since arriving in this world, reassigned the serving maids and servants to other positions in the tribe. This also prevented any leaks. The only downside was that he had to handle all affairs himself.

　　The prescription for marrow cleansing and bone tempering that Charles Bennett obtained consisted of seven herbs, all of which could be found in the tribe.

　　“Blood purple grass, rehmannia root, blood ginseng…”

　　After months of continuous body tempering, Charles Bennett was already very familiar with the prescription. He selected the required herbs, ground them up, threw them into the cauldron, and lit a blazing fire underneath. Soon, the water in the cauldron was boiling, sending up waves of steam.

　　“After so many medicinal baths, I’ve accumulated a great deal of medicinal power in my body. It’s finally time for me, Charles Bennett, to break through to the Blood Refining Realm.”