Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

Cao Xiong rode his horse alone out of the Baihu Office in Guobei County.

The weather was quite hot a few days ago, but it suddenly turned cool today.

However, the number of people on the streets did not decrease at all, especially with the increase in many out-of-towners whose clothing was clearly inconsistent with that of Guobei County.

When Cao Xiong arrived at the North Gate, he saw a long queue outside the gate.

Qiu Ming was in charge of guarding the city gate today. He was maintaining order at the gate when he saw Cao Xiong and quickly clasped his hands in salute, saying, "Greetings, Commander!"

Cao Xiong nodded in acknowledgment.

"Thanks for your hard work."

"Why are there so many people coming into the city today?"

"Hey, I heard there are rebels causing trouble in Fan County, and many people have fled here."

"I see."

Cao Xiong didn't pay much attention. In this world, people rebel every few days, and it wouldn't be long before they were suppressed.

Once outside the city gate, I saw that most of the people behind me were traveling with their families and luggage, looking travel-worn.

"It's getting more and more chaotic."

Cao Xiong was filled with emotion. When he was young, the Ming Dynasty was prosperous and thriving.

Now, it looks like the end of the world.

……

Chipingpo is nearly 60 miles from Guobei County, near the outer edge of the Shiwan Mountains.

Relying on the route he remembered, Cao Xiong rode for nearly two hours and finally arrived at Chipingpo.

Chipingpo was originally a small hill, named for its abundance of red stones and its bare surface.

The last time I came here was more than ten years ago.

The Chipingpo of today is completely different from what he remembers.

Today, Chipingpo can be called Chipingshan, as the mountain has grown almost twice as large as it did more than ten years ago.

The barren mountain has been transformed into a dense forest, extending along the trade route.

"Could there be some great secret hidden in Chipingpo? The terrain changes so drastically."

Cao Xiong dismounted, found a relatively secluded spot, and tied his horse up.

Then we stepped into Chipingpo. From the outside, it didn't seem like much, but once inside, we discovered that there were towering trees everywhere.

It's nothing like the kind of weather that can grow in the last ten years or so.

Cao Xiong was like a headless fly, searching for nearly two hours without finding any trace of the wolf pack.

"Woohoo~"

Just as Cao Xiong was about to continue climbing, a wolf howl came from about 30 meters away from him.

Cao Xiong turned his head at the sound and saw a gray wolf howling at him.

The gray wolf was not large and was clearly still a minor.

It sat there, its tail sweeping back and forth on the ground, its voice filled with anxiety.

After calling out a few times, seeing that Cao Xiong didn't move, the little gray wolf slowly walked towards Cao Xiong.

The little gray wolf's actions clearly weren't intended to attack Cao Xiong; instead, it behaved like a dog, with a fawning and cautious demeanor.

The gray wolf stopped when it was only two or three meters away from Cao Xiong.

It started wagging its tail incessantly, "Woo-woo~ woo-woo~".

After howling at Cao Xiong twice, the little gray wolf turned around and walked away, turning its head back every two steps.

"You want me to go with you?"

Cao Xiong immediately became curious, wondering what the gray wolf was up to.

However, since his purpose in coming to Chipingpo was to find the wolf pack, there was no reason for him not to follow them.

Upon seeing Cao Xiong following, the little gray wolf became noticeably more excited, wagging its tail even more enthusiastically.

They walked faster and faster, even with a hint of impatience.

"I want to see what your purpose is."

The man and the wolf walked on for about ten minutes before stopping in front of a very secluded pile of rocks.

"Woohoo~"

"Woohoo~"

The little gray wolf stopped in front of a boulder and howled a few times. Immediately afterwards, a weak response came from behind the boulder.

Gray Wolf glanced at Cao Xiong one last time, signaling him to follow.

Cao Xiong nodded to the little gray wolf, walked behind the boulder, and saw the little gray wolf that had brought him here with tears in its eyes, licking an adult gray wolf with its tongue.

The adult gray wolf was covered in unhealed wounds, its fur was soaked in blood and matted, and one of its legs was caught in a trap.

Only now did Cao Xiong realize the purpose of the little gray wolf bringing him here.

It wanted to ask for help from the adult gray wolf.

Cao Xiong's feelings were complicated. With two gray wolves, if he drew his longsword and swung it lightly, he would likely get 0.2 fragments.

"Woohoo~"

The little gray wolf got up from beside the adult gray wolf and went straight to Cao Xiong's feet, tugging at Cao Xiong's clothes with its mouth.

Its two front legs were kneeling on the ground, as if it were begging Cao Xiong.

"Humans are not plants or trees; how can they be without feelings?"

Cao Xiong patted the little gray wolf's head and decided to help it.

He knelt down next to the adult gray wolf and examined its wounds.

Cao Xiong's sudden approach made the adult gray wolf nervous, and it bared its teeth at him.

"Behave yourself, don't move."

Cao Xiong gave the adult gray wolf a head flick.

The little gray wolf kept licking the injured gray wolf to soothe its emotions.

Cao Xiong glanced at the adult gray wolf's leg caught in the trap. The trap had probably been there for more than a day; the wound was festering and emitted a nauseating stench.

Whether your leg recovers or not depends on your fate.

Cao Xiong gripped both sides of the animal trap and snapped it open with force, "Bang!"

"Woohoo~"

The gray wolf couldn't help but howl in pain.

Cao Xiong took out some wound medicine from his pocket and applied it to the wolf's wound. He then casually whittled two pieces of wood to immobilize the wolf's injured leg and tied it tightly with vines.

"You've gone all the way, you're getting a good deal."

Cao Xiong then used wound medicine to treat the other unhealed wounds on the gray wolf's body.

These wounds don't look like they were inflicted by a human; they seem more like they were caused by the claws or bites of other wild animals.

After Cao Xiong finished treating the gray wolf's wounds, the little gray wolf kept running and jumping around Cao Xiong, clearly in a good mood.

"His IQ is quite high."

Wolves are social animals, and according to Wang Er, there are no fewer than a dozen wolves in Chipingpo.

It seems that the two gray wolves, one big and one small, have been abandoned by the pack.

After rubbing the little gray wolf's head, Cao Xiong prepared to leave and continue his search for the wolf demon.

The little gray wolf stood still and watched Cao Xiong walk a few meters before suddenly turning around and running to a rock, scratching at it with its paws.

He pulled a package out of it and then chased after Cao Xiong in the direction he had disappeared.

Before long, the little gray wolf caught up with Cao Xiong, placed the package next to him, and tugged at Cao Xiong's trouser leg with its mouth.

He gestured for Cao Xiong to accept the package.

Cao Xiong was even more surprised. "Knowing how to repay kindness, that's good. I didn't waste my wound medicine."

Cao Xiong was curious about what was inside the package, so he picked it up from the ground and found that it was quite heavy.

Upon opening it, they found a stack of banknotes and valuables inside.

I wonder which unlucky soul lost their life at Chipingpo.

"I'll accept the payment. Hope we meet again someday."

Just as Cao Xiong was about to leave, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: since this little gray wolf is so intelligent, could it help him find the wolf demon?

"Little Gray Wolf, a few days ago, a caravan was attacked by a pack of wolves while passing through here. Do you know where that pack of wolves is?"

After asking the question, Cao Xiong touched his nose somewhat awkwardly; he had really mistaken the little gray wolf for a human.

To everyone's surprise, the little gray wolf looked thoughtful, then ran off in one direction, occasionally turning back to signal Cao Xiong to follow.

"Wow, he actually understood it? Amazing!"