Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 89 Entering the wolf's den

As everyone chatted, they heard a rustling sound in the nearby bushes. They immediately stood up and stared at the swaying bushes. In this wilderness, even a wild wolf wouldn't be surprising. Su Zhan and Yan Mingzhang, though grown men, had no martial arts skills. A Bao was only a twelve-year-old child. Rong Wanyin, while skilled in martial arts, was no match for four. She was also tired and hungry, and after a moment of intense stress, she felt a bit drained. If a single wild wolf had appeared, Rong Wanyin might have been able to handle it, but wolves always lived in packs. How could she possibly defeat a pack of hungry wolves?
"Let's walk along the rock wall first. If it's really a wolf, we'll first try to find a way back to the cave we just came from." Yan Mingzhang said in a low voice.

The four of them gently rose, tacitly leaning back against each other, mindful of the surrounding sounds, and slowly moved toward a rock face, concentrating on dealing with only one side. Yan Mingzhang drew his dagger and gripped it tightly. Though not a martial artist, he knew the danger of this situation and had made some preparations. Su Zhan, always a man of elegance, had only brought a folding fan, which he now held with all his might. A Bao, unable to bear the sight, picked up two wooden sticks from the ground, handed one to Su Zhan, and held the other tightly himself.

Rong Wanyin and Yan Mingzhang protected Abao and Su Zhan behind them, their eyes fixed on the commotion in the bushes. A pair of fluorescent eyes appeared in the bushes, and they finally understood why the villagers stopped chasing them after they entered the dense forest—because there were wolves in the woods!

Rong Wanyin placed her hand on the hilt of the soft sword at her waist, ready to draw the sword at any time, and sweat oozed from her palms.

This flexible sword was a gift from Rong Wanyin's third brother for her twelfth birthday. Rong Wanyin disliked carrying weapons, finding them cumbersome to hold. So, that year, her third brother visited Yujian Villa no fewer than ten times. Finally, his friend Lin Yu interceded with his father, Lin Lingmo, the current leader of the martial arts world, to have the family's master swordsmith, Old Qin, forge the sword. However, the sword took three years to forge, and Rong Wanyin received it only three years later, last year. But that's a story for another time. Normally, the flexible sword is worn around Rong Wanyin's waist like a belt, drawn out for use. It's incredibly flexible, yet incredibly sharp.

Rong Wanyin fell in love with the sword the moment she saw it, and practiced for an hour every day. The belt sword's blade was as soft as silk, making it difficult to master and utilize its power. Practicing it required intense concentration of energy, spirit, and spirit, making it a highly difficult sword technique, completely different from a hard sword. Fortunately, Rong Wanyin had a good talent, having studied under Elder Changle and practiced diligently. Therefore, while her other skills were mediocre, she wielded the soft sword with remarkable skill.

"There should be only one wolf, right? Is this a wolf? The four of us should be able to defeat it, right?..." Su Zhan's voice was a little trembling. He looked at the pair of cold eyes in the bushes and had difficulty breathing. "I'm just about to work hard, will I die before I even start? If I can escape today, I will definitely study hard! Abao, haven't you encountered this before?"

Po was also nervous and shook his head.

"These wolves must have just arrived. If this were their territory, the pile of corpses wouldn't be so neatly arranged." Yan Mingzhang tightened the dagger in his hand and tried to sound as calm as possible: "Don't be careless. Wolves hunt by observing, surrounding, testing, and finally attacking. We just saw one, which doesn't mean there aren't others. Wolves are afraid of fire, so let's see if we can light these dry grass on fire. Miss Rong, cover us while we gather dry grass and branches."

Everyone nodded, agreeing with Yan Mingzhang's opinion. When a wolf pack grows larger, it will often split into two. The defeated leader will have to take his subordinates to find a new habitat.

Rong Wanyin softly replied, "Yes." The other three cautiously gathered twigs and grass, but they only dared to stay near the edge, not going far. The grass and twigs along the rock face were extremely limited, and with the dew at night, they probably wouldn't even be able to start a fire.

Yan Mingzhang took out a tinderbox and rolled up some dry grass to try to light it. The grass was covered in dew, and after a while, it only started to smoke but didn't flame. A light bead of sweat formed on Yan Mingzhang's forehead. Su Zhan, beside him, kept working, frequently looking back to see if Yan Mingzhang could ignite the dry grass.

Heavy breathing echoed from the bushes. The fluorescent eyes were closing in. Rong Wanyin felt as though she could see a furry snout peeking out from the bushes, her heart pounding with nervousness. The clouds parted, revealing the wolf's form in the moonlight. It was a large wolf, its body brown and gray, its ears erect, its mouth wide open, revealing sharp, white teeth. Rong Wanyin and the wolf locked eyes, neither of them attacking first. Finally, perhaps because the wolf lost its patience or felt Rong Wanyin was too weak to be defeated with a direct frontal attack, it lowered its body, arched its back, and lunged at Rong Wanyin.

Rong Wanyin ducked to avoid the attack. She drew her sword, advanced, and stabbed the wolf from behind. The wolf was quite agile, leaping and rolling to avoid the attack.

The wolf bared its teeth and growled at Rong Wanyin, but Rong Wanyin did not relax at all.

If you miss the first attack, try again!
Rong Wanyin attacked again. Hesitation was unacceptable in a fight with this wolf. If she didn't attack, she would be in a very passive position. Rong Wanyin simply used offense as defense. The two sides were evenly matched, evenly matched.

"Miss Rong, take this!" Yan Mingzhang threw a torch. He had wrapped the handkerchief he'd been using to cover his nose around a wooden stick, making a simple torch. Rong Wanyin pushed off the ground with one foot and easily leaped to her feet, snatching the torch. Holding the torch in her left hand and her sword in her right, she struck back with both hands. The wolf was defeated, its back slashed several times, blood flowing.

Suddenly, a loud wolf howl rang out from a nearby hilltop, followed by the howling of wolves everywhere. They couldn't count how many there were, but they knew they were surrounded! The wolf, upon hearing the howling, turned and hid in the bushes before escaping. While the wolf was gone, the group quickly retreated to the cave and piled whatever rocks, hay, and firewood they could gather at the entrance.

"How many wolves are there?" Su Zhan's voice trembled a little.

"A normal wolf pack usually has about ten of them." Yan Mingzhang was also a little nervous. It looked like he would have to fight a hard battle today. As for whether he could see the sunrise tomorrow, it all depended on fate. "Do you believe in fate?"

Yan Mingzhang's question seemed nonsensical, but Rong Wanyin knew he was asking her. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and chuckled softly, "Believe it! Each of us has a destiny line on the palm of our hand, but when our palms are connected, the line is in our own hands!"

"Well said!" Yan Mingzhang laughed loudly, his face showing no fear and a relaxed expression, as if he was having a drink with friends.

But what was supposed to come came.