That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

Such a grand spectacle would surely make even Ah Qing stop and watch.

Chapter Ten: The Reign

The surging war drums finally sounded their last note, and the eight young men rode off like arrows released from a bow.

The cheers from the crowd gradually subsided, turning into a cacophony of whispers.

According to the tradition of the Wolf Warrior Tournament, the warriors enter the snow mountain to capture the flag, while the others must stay where they are and wait, and cannot leave without permission.

The celebratory feast had been arranged, but until their return, all that remained was to pray to the gods for their safety.

Temur turned around and said in a low voice:

"It shouldn't take too long, please be patient, guests."

As he said last night, the current conference is not the same as it used to be. The wolf of the snow mountain was like the rise and fall of the Hala tribe, but now it is hard to find.

The young men in the tribe mainly hunt common coyotes, which are incomparable to the white wolves of the snow-capped mountains.

Temur knew the skill level of the young men in his tribe well; coyotes, who hunted rabbits with their tails between their legs, wouldn't dare to confront them with their bows and swords.

Therefore, Temur estimated that he should see them return in triumph before sunset.

Jiang Jingming stood to the side, smiled and nodded.

He wasn't in a hurry; he was just waiting for Aqing anyway.

He had estimated in his mind that it would take about before sunset for him to travel from Shulan City to the Hala tribe.

The days on the grassland always seem longer than the nights. The originally orderly crowd gradually became restless. One moment, a child was crying and wanting to take a nap, and the next, an elderly person was thirsty from the sun and needed to drink water.

As the sun gradually set, Temur's expression hardened, as if he were not the same person as the amiable leader from the previous night.

Jiang Jingming gripped the knife and gazed into the distance.

The summit of that snow-capped mountain was bathed in a dazzling orange-red light, a scene of golden sunset over a mountain, which looked very sacred from afar.

You can't see this kind of scenery in Mangya, so every time he goes out for a stroll, he always makes sure to linger until he's seen the sunset over the grassland.

At that moment, a slight vibration suddenly came from the knife in my hand.

Jiang Jingming gripped the knife hilt tightly and suddenly looked up.

Several blurry black dots were rapidly approaching at the edge of the field of vision, and the setting sun drew a grand curtain behind them.

After seeing the figure at the very front, Jiang Jingming breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It was that day's pine.

He was galloping at full speed, one hand holding the reins and the other holding a flag as wide as a curtain!

A cheer erupted from the crowd. The warriors had returned with the Azure Wolf Banner, signifying the enduring legacy of the Hara tribe.

Tana mingled in the crowd, covering her face and on the verge of tears.

Temur, whose face had been tense, relaxed, sighed heavily, and went forward to give high-fives to the tribespeople who came to congratulate him.

"Hey! Jiang Jingming! I got the Azure Wolf Flag back for you!"

That day, Song shouted with all his might, and his unrestrained laughter echoed across the grassland.

He waved a large, iron-gray banner, on which a huge white wolf's head fluttered in the wind, looking fierce and majestic as if it had come to life.

The wind blew fiercely, and Jiang Jingming laughed loudly, waving vigorously at him.

The young men following behind him were also galloping after him. According to the rules, as long as the Azure Wolf Banner did not reach the tribe, they would still have a chance to compete for it.

A young man wearing a headscarf pulled a lasso from behind the horse, swung it around in the air a few times, found the best angle, and threw it with all his might.

The lasso landed perfectly on the horse at the very front, and the young man was overjoyed. He grabbed the lasso with both hands and pulled it back.

Na Risong reacted extremely quickly, immediately opening his mouth to bite the flagpole, thus freeing one hand to draw the short knife from his waist, and then cutting the noose with a backhand.

His horse neighed and broke free of the harness, causing the turbaned young man to lose his balance and fall off the horse, rolling around in the grass.

The spectators erupted in applause of amazement.

Such final competitions are an important part of the Azure Wolf Tournament, and people enjoy seeing brave warriors vie for supremacy.

"it is good!"

Jiang Jingming couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

As expected of children raised on the grasslands, when it comes to riding horses, I am definitely no match for them. I had to abandon my horse the moment I got caught on the lasso to avoid falling.

However, they know what they need to do after they dismount.

That day, Song laughed loudly, raised the flag, turned around, and looked proudly at the young man with the fallen headscarf.

"Torei! You lost to me again!"

Tore gritted his teeth in hatred, spat, and got up from the ground.

His horse, still frightened, had already run far away, leaving him the only one of the eight young men lagging far behind.

Jiang Jingming was still smiling, but out of the corner of his eye, he keenly caught a hint of something unusual.

Behind the young man on horseback, a gray skyline surging like a tide suddenly appeared.

Wujiu emitted a buzzing sound from its scabbard, as if announcing some ominous event was about to occur.

The horizon approached rapidly, as fast as a galloping horse, and when Jiang Jingming finally saw what was at the very front, he gasped.

"Wolf pack!!!"

His voice was quickly drowned out by the laughter and merriment of the crowd. Only Temur turned his head sharply and looked at him in disbelief.

It was a line made up of densely packed wolves. If the main force was behind, the wolves on the scouting side would only get closer!

Torei, left behind by the others, walked slowly with his head down, not wanting to face the teasing and ridicule from the tribe.

It wasn't until he smelled a foul, pungent wolf odor that he snapped out of his daze and drew his knife.

It was an old, gray wolf. Tore had never seen such a large wolf before, and foul-smelling saliva dripped from its protruding fangs.

Most incredibly, its eyes were an eerie crimson red, with swollen pupils, making it look like a demon.

Tolui's hand, gripping his sword, trembled uncontrollably. What was even more despairing was that he saw countless pairs of red eyes flashing in the dim light not far away.

......

Jiang Jingming didn't explain much. He pulled a longbow from the display stand behind him, leaped up, and landed on the high platform where the war drums were placed.

Looking at it from this angle makes one's heart sink even more.

The alpha wolf, responsible for reconnaissance, seemed to be signaling to the pack, which sped up, their destination clearly the Hala tribe.

"That day, Song!"

Jiang Jingming shouted.

As Nari Song recovered from his shock, he got closer to the wolf pack and could clearly see the ferocious fangs in the alpha wolf's mouth.

Realizing they were being chased, the young men fled for their lives on horseback towards the tribe, the sound of hooves clattering past them.

That day, Song charged towards the wolf pack without hesitation. His horse instinctively resisted out of fear, so he lashed it hard with his scabbard.

Temur watched his son's actions, his face ashen, almost crushing his knuckles.

Although Tore still held his knife, he had long lost his will to fight. He felt that he was not facing a wolf, but a monster possessed by a demon.

The old wolf's expression seemed to be a sinister grin. It circled around in place, its greedy red eyes filled only with bloodthirsty instincts.

"Tolui!"

That day, Song rushed over on horseback and pulled the trembling Tuolei onto the horse, laying him down like a sack behind it.

Just as they were about to turn their horses around, a gaping maw of blood rushed towards them.

That day, Song drew his sword to parry, and the blade slashed a bloody wound on the wolf's head.

The old wolf, however, did not back down at all, as if it had lost the ability to feel pain, and bit down hard on his right arm where he was holding the knife.

"Has this beast gone mad?!"

That day, Song gritted his teeth and cursed, feeling as if his entire arm was about to be torn off.

The old wolf bit his arm and began to struggle violently. In the excruciating pain, he was unable to pull on the reins and was about to fall off the horse.

Just then, a sharp whistling sound suddenly pierced the air!

The white arrow flashed like lightning, piercing the old wolf's skull and leaving only a hole from which blood gushed.

Those terrifying crimson eyes finally lost their life. Nari Song kicked its corpse aside and looked back.

Jiang Jingming stood atop the war drum, the bowstring in his hand vibrating slightly.

His black robe fluttered in the wind, as if he were a king.

Chapter Eleven: The Cry of the Blade

Jiang Jingming learned archery from Jiang Wuwang.

Although the two disliked each other's swordsmanship, their archery skills were a different story. Jiang Jingming successfully completed his apprenticeship after only half a year of study.

Gu Tinghan said that the bow is a martial art that values ​​mental state more than the sword. It emphasizes a calm mind before the arrow is released.

However, the targets used to be birds and wooden stakes. This was the first time Jiang Jingming had shot at such a target from such a distance. He wiped the sweat from his palms and sighed softly.

"Excellent archery! Temur thanks you!"

Temur stood below the stage, looking up at the young man from Central Plains. He felt his heart, which had almost died, come back to life. He was so grateful that he could not express his gratitude enough.

"It's alright."

Jiang Jingming shook his head, watching Na Risong gallop wildly in the distance, finally shaking off the wolf pack behind him.

The warhorse, carrying the two men, galloped at full speed until it finally collapsed to its knees in front of the tribe's fence, convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

On that day, Song and Tolui fell off their horses, and the people guarding the gate rushed to greet them.

On that day, blood gushed from the wound on Song's arm; it was as if a piece of flesh had been ripped away.

Tana knelt on the ground to bandage his wound, tears dripping onto it.

That day, Song was in so much pain that she was gasping for breath, but she still tried to look up and shout at Jiang Jingming, who was high up, with a smile.

"Oh! You actually lied to me before and said you couldn't shoot an arrow!"

"If I couldn't shoot an arrow, who would save you, you brute?"

Jiang Jingming placed one foot on the railing and smiled casually.

Upon seeing his son and his people return safely, Temur took a deep breath to control his emotions and gave loud instructions.

"Everyone, light a campfire and keep it outside! This beast is afraid of fire by nature, it certainly won't dare to approach!"

The people surrounding the area sprang into action, following the leader's instructions, and quickly piled up the firewood to light it, forming a ring of fire.

"it's useless."

Suddenly, a voice spoke softly from the crowd.

It was Tolui, who had just been rescued; he looked completely lost.

"Huh? You're scared this much by just an old wolf?"

That day, Song tried to move his bandaged arm, and winced in pain. He knew he couldn't hold a knife with that hand today.

"These wolves are suspicious! They've been demonized! Fire won't work on them!"

Tore stared wide-eyed, his face as pale as paper.

As the sun set and took away its last rays, night fell.

Jiang Jingming stood with his bow at his side, listening to the hoarse and ferocious low roars in the night wind.

Torei was right; the wolves did not show fear toward the fire, but rather excitement.

Because the firelight would guide them to the location of the crowd.

Jiang Jingming took out an arrow, used the arrowhead to start a fire, and then casually threw the arrow at an angle.

The burning arrow flashed through the air, reflecting countless red eyes that turned with the flames.