The wolf's presence temporarily receded. The heart filled with wolf venom gradually shriveled and withered in Yu Sheng's arms. The Black Forest suddenly fell silent. The low, muddled howls vanished, as did the gaze cast from deep within the forest.
Huli and Eileen ran out of the cabin and dragged Yu Sheng inside together.
"Benefactor, are you all right?" Huli stared anxiously at Yu Sheng's bluish face, the fur on her tail standing on end. "Can you still hear me?"
"I can hear you, I can hear you... Don't get so close." Yu Sheng struggled for breath, feeling his strength drain away as coldness and numbness gradually spread through his veins. "I'm about to die. This thing's poisonous. The moment I touched it, I was poisoned..."
"Even I can tell you look like you're about to die. Your face is turning black." Eileen crawled over from the side and climbed onto Yu Sheng's chest, her crimson eyes fixed on his face. "So? Wolf Grandma is dead too, right? Does that count as killing it?"
"Dead, but only temporarily. Like all entities, it'll come back. The Black Forest will return to how it was before we entered during the next cycle." Yu Sheng spoke with difficulty, coughed twice, and continued, "But it doesn't matter. I've already intervened in its cycle... We succeeded. At least we took a major step forward... Get down first. You're ridiculously heavy right now."
"Obviously. This body of mine is made of steel and stone." Eileen grumbled as she obediently climbed down from Yu Sheng's chest. "But you never complained about my weight when I sat on your shoulder before."
"I'm about to die, aren't I? I'm weak right now." Yu Sheng stopped to catch his breath, then reached toward Huli. "Help me up."
Huli hurriedly acknowledged