Yao Ji watched Shen Nong's retreating back and bowed towards Kunlun Mountain.
In the Shen Nong tribe, Ting Yu was overjoyed to see Shen Nong return and welcomed him into their home.
Shen Nong looked at the happy Ting Yu, a smile on his face.
After welcoming Shen Nong in, Ting Yu noticed he had returned alone. She looked at him with confusion and asked, "Where is Nü Wa? Why didn't she return with you?"
Shen Nong's smile faltered, and he replied, "Nü Wa stayed with the Nameless Tribe. They were all very hospitable, so I let her play there for a while."
Ting Yu, unsuspecting, chided gently, "Nü Wa is so impetuous. You just let her stay there alone? What if she offends them?"
Shen Nong smiled indifferently. "It's alright. Nü Wa has done them a great favor, they won't blame her."
As Shen Nong returned to his tribe, a strange event unfolded in the distant Xuanyuan tribe.
Seeing Xuanyuan marry both Lei Zu and Nü Jie, the men of the Xuanyuan tribe began to emulate him, leading to frequent bride-snatching incidents. Beautiful women were fiercely contested, while those with less striking appearances struggled to find husbands. To address this, Xuanyuan led by example and took a very ugly woman as his wife, proposing that true beauty lies not in appearance but in virtue, and that valuing virtue over looks is true wisdom. He urged people not to judge by appearances.
This ugly woman was a resident of the Xuanyuan tribe, named Mo Nu. Although Mo Nu was unsightly, she was virtuous, talented, and gentle, a rare and good woman. Witnessing their tribal chief, Xuanyuan, set such an example, the people of the Xuanyuan tribe immediately followed his command and no longer resisted marrying women who were plain but virtuous.
Shortly after marrying Mo Nu, Xuanyuan took another wife – Tong Yu Shi. Although Tong Yu Shi was not from the Xuanyuan tribe, she soon married Shen Nong and, for him, tirelessly created a variety of delicious dishes every day.
Xuanyuan's practice of one wife and two concubines led to a widespread trend of taking concubines in the Xuanyuan tribe.
In the southwestern ten thousand mountains, the Wu tribe, under the leadership of Chi You, grew increasingly powerful, gradually expanding beyond the mountains and coming into conflict with the human race, initiating the Human-Wu war.
After the war began, the southwestern human tribes suffered repeated defeats. When news reached all the human tribes, the tribal leaders decided to send reinforcements to the southwest. Consequently, most of the strong young men from each tribe were dispatched to support the southwestern human race, with only a small contingent left to guard their own settlements. The Shen Nong and Xuanyuan tribes, led by Shen Nong and Xuanyuan respectively, also headed southwest.
Ting Yu saw Shen Nong preparing to leave again so soon after his return. However, knowing he was going to support the southwestern human race, she gave him the first hemp garment she had ever made. "This is the first hemp garment I made. It has been blessed by heavenly merit and has become a spiritual treasure of merit. Wear it, just in case."
Shen Nong nodded gently. Although he had the Shen Nong Cauldron for protection, this was Ting Yu's heartfelt gesture, and he did not refuse. Shen Nong also wished to be away from Ting Yu for a while, as he feared how he would face her if she ever learned of Nü Wa's death. He was tormented daily, dreaming of Nü Wa every night, and feared that in his dreams, he might inadvertently reveal the truth to Ting Yu.
Upon arriving in the southwest, the human tribes immediately organized a counterattack against the Wu tribe. The Wu tribe, caught off guard by the convergence of so many human tribes in the southwest, suffered a significant loss. Chi You reacted swiftly, maintaining his defensive lines while mobilizing reinforcements from the ten thousand mountains. Chi You dared to attack the human race because he had long-planned for it, even over many years. The Wu forces attacking the human race were only a fraction of their total strength. The Wu tribe in the ten thousand mountains was not fewer in number than the human race. If not for the Wu tribe's rapid development, Chi You would not have been so audacious as to attack the human race.
After their initial surprise at the human tribal reinforcements, the Wu tribe, under Chi You's leadership, fought the human race to a standstill. The Wu tribe steadily advanced, eventually establishing their stronghold in the southwest – Jiuli City.
After a few defeats, the human race also identified their weaknesses. While the human population was comparable to the Wu tribe's, the Wu tribe fought under Chi You's unified command, whereas the human tribes operated independently, often with disagreements among their leaders. Furthermore, the Wu tribe possessed formidable physical strength and superior individual combat capabilities, which led to the human race's successive retreats.
The tribal leaders recognized this issue and convened to discuss electing an alliance leader. After several days of deliberation, two candidates emerged: Shen Nong, the leader of the Shen Nong tribe, and Xuanyuan, the leader of the Xuanyuan tribe. Shen Nong was renowned throughout the tribes, and almost all had benefited from his kindness. Xuanyuan, on the other hand, had led his tribe to decisively defeat the Wu forces they faced, being the only one to achieve victory in the Human-Wu conflict.
When Shen Nong learned he was a candidate for the alliance leader, he frowned. He knew he was second to none in healing the sick and saving lives, but he was not suited for leading an army in war. Shen Nong stood up and addressed the tribal leaders. "My lords, I thank you for your high regard. However, I know myself to be incapable of this task. You have all witnessed the capabilities of the Xuanyuan tribal leader. Why not appoint him as the alliance leader?"
Xuanyuan was greatly surprised by Shen Nong's words. He had expected a fierce competition between himself and Shen Nong for the position, and was astonished that Shen Nong would speak in his favor. Seeing that Shen Nong recommended Xuanyuan for the position, the others raised no objections and recognized Xuanyuan as the leader of the human alliance.
On Kunlun Mountain, the Twelve Ancestral Witches learned of the Human-Wu war and were enraged. With their cultivation, they knew that the human race was destined to be the protagonist of heaven and earth, yet the Wu tribe had initiated a war against them. Di Jiang had not expected that while he and the Twelve Ancestral Witches were cultivating in Kunlun, the Wu tribe would stir up such a huge disturbance. They were cultivating in the Kunlun Mountain of the Holy Father of the human race, and these reckless individuals were going to war with the human race. Were they trying to provoke Di Jiang and the Three Pure Ones? They were courting death! If they were tired of living, he wasn't! Were these unfilial descendants tired of the Twelve Ancestral Witches living too long? Were they trying to send their own ancestral witches on their way?