During famine years, I had a divination slip in hand, and my whole family ate chicken, duck, fish, a

The villagers gripped their machetes tightly, standing behind the thick, rocky, thorny horse-stopping post, with several large fires burning around them, their scalps still tingling with unease.

The road leading to the village entrance was pitch black when, out of nowhere, a pair of eerie green lights appeared like will-o'-the-wisps.

"Coming, coming!"

Someone swallowed hard, and said in a trembling voice, "Grab your weapons, the wolf... the wolf is coming!"

A chorus of quiet gasps filled the air.

One pair, two pairs, three pairs... In no time, a dozen pairs of eerie, green wolf eyes appeared in the darkness, flickering like will-o'-the-wisps as they approached the village.

They moved so fast that no one heard a rustling sound.

Suddenly, a wolf with black fur and fierce eyes revealed its hideous face within the range of the firelight.

It looked like a small calf, with a wrinkled nose and bared teeth, sharp, cone-shaped teeth protruding from its blood-red gums, giving it a fierce and menacing appearance.

If this thing were to pounce on you and bite you, your head would be smashed more than a watermelon that had fallen to the ground!

The dozen or so men guarding the village entrance felt their hair stand on end, and large beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads.

Just as their scalps tingled, a dark mass suddenly appeared in their field of vision, pairs of green eyes staring intently at the village, as if they might burst in at any moment for a buffet.

The air instantly became as viscous as gel.

"Geals, kerosene, bring it here!"

The leader gripped his machete tightly, turned his head, and said in a trembling voice,

"Don't panic, everyone. When this thing starts to rise, add oil and throw torches. This thing is afraid of fire and can't be touched."

Upon seeing the fire, the wolf pack seemed hesitant to advance, hiding in the darkness for a moment.

"Awooo..."

Suddenly, the alpha wolf rubbed its muzzle and let out a low growl like thunder, then leaped forward like lightning.

At the same time, the wolf pack immediately opened their blood-red mouths and pounced on the horse-blocking post.

"Fire! Fire!"

The leader yelled and picked up the earthenware pot, pouring the kerosene onto the pile of firewood with a splash.

With a whoosh, the fire, which was half a person tall, suddenly leaped up to flames more than two meters high, and the raging fire almost whipped his eyebrows and hair.

Ignoring the smell of burnt hair, he pulled out a torch and threw it at the wolf pack.

"Fuck your grandma..."

The others, howling and shouting, poured kerosene on themselves and grabbed torches, throwing them at the wolves like grenades.

"bring it on!"

"Damn it, you beast, you think you're so tough? My torch is way more powerful!"

"If you dare come any closer, I'll burn you to death!"

……

"Awooo..."

A wolf was struck by a torch, and its fur, which was stained with oil, caught fire. In pain, it fell to the ground, rolling around and howling.

Before long, another wolf ran into the torch and its fur was burned by the oil.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of burnt meat, and the horse-stopping posts were being rammed repeatedly by the crazed pack of wolves.

Several wolves dodged the torches, slipped through the gaps, and leaped onto the horse-stopping post. Luckily, someone was quick-witted and grabbed a hoe, striking them on the head.

With a muffled thud, the wolf was hit and let out a miserable howl, tumbling and rolling off the horse-stopping post.

Some people picked up machetes and hacked at the wolf's gaping maw with all their might, while others stabbed the wolf with burning torches...

The torches in everyone's hands flew out more and more as if they were free.

Both sides became bloodthirsty in an instant.

At this moment, Ye Dali and Ye Qingqing also stood in their designated positions, listening to the howls of wolves and shouts of battle, and hurriedly piled up firewood.

Ye Dazhuang appeared in the darkness, carrying a bow on his back and several gleaming, extremely sharp arrows in a leather bucket on his shoulder. His sword-like eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his hawk-like eyes gleamed coldly in the darkness.

……

The village head's house was tightly shut, and the windows were reinforced with wooden bars. The village head's wife and two sons huddled on the kang (heated brick bed), listening to the mournful howls of wolves outside, and stammered...

"Honey, the wolves howling outside are giving me the creeps. Could they really be breaking into the village?"

"Yes, Dad, judging from the howling, there are at least ten wolves! Hopefully, something bad will happen?"

"I'll go barricade the door with the table! Dad, why are you smoking so leisurely? What time is it?!"

"Clang, clang..."

The village head slammed his pipe on the table, glanced at the others, and...

"What's the rush? You can't even hold a grudge! I'm not afraid, so what are you three afraid of?"

The village head's wife turned pale with fright. "How could I not be afraid? Listen to what's going on outside! Husband, tell them to pile up more firewood and add more oil, will that help?"

The village head glared at her, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Nonsense! If kerosene doesn't work, what does? That kerosene stuff gets on your body and you can't get it off. It catches fire as soon as it touches a spark. It's the thing that wolves fear most."

You're worried that Ye Dazhuang might take the opportunity to shoot a few wolves, right? He's dreaming!

I simply ordered my men to use fire to drive the wolves far away. Even if he's incredibly skilled, can he really chase after them and hunt them down?

"Yes, that's right! I knew it!"

The village head's wife slapped her thigh and said with a pout, "When Ye Youliang asked you for the wolf he had hunted, I thought he just wanted to take advantage of Ye Dazhuang's hunting skills!"

What's the point of him even fighting then! Not only will he fail to catch a single wolf, but he'll also have to feed and pay the thirty-odd people in the anti-wolf squad! Hahaha… let him show off his poverty!

"Wages? Wages are enough?"

The village head sneered maliciously, "If any of those anti-wolf squad members get injured or burned, won't they swindle a huge sum of money from their families for medical treatment?"

The village head's wife slapped her thigh with delight, "Yes, yes, yes! We'll stay at their house and not leave until we've paid at least a tael of silver for the medicine!"

……

After two attacks, the wolf pack not only gained no advantage, but also burned several of its wolves.

On the contrary, no one in the village was injured, except for some people whose eyebrows and hair were brushed by the torches.

"Awooo..."

The alpha wolf and the pack tiptoed back, retreating into the darkness, before letting out a long howl and disappearing with the pack.

"They...they left?"

The leader climbed onto the horse-stopping post, peered intently into the darkness for a long time, and then his heart, which had been pounding in his chest, suddenly settled back into his stomach.

"They're gone! I can't even see their green eyes anymore, they must be far away!"

"Bang!"

"Clatter..."

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone tensed up, their guard on high alert. Their weapons slipped from their hands and fell to the ground with a clatter, as they plopped down, panting heavily.

"My goodness, that scared me to death!"

"This is the first time I've seen so many wolves. If we didn't have oil and torches, we'd all be eaten by them!"

"Absolutely! The village head was right. After the wolf infestation last year, he had several large jars of kerosene bought back, saying that wolves are afraid of this stuff!"

"That's why our village headman is so indispensable; we'd better thank him properly tomorrow!"

……

"Big brother, listen!"

A series of disordered rustling sounds approached, and Ye Qingqing immediately perked up her ears, lowering her voice to say, "They're here."