Conflict and Clash

Uncle Po's little courtyard had recently become the liveliest place in Falling Star Lake Village.

Every morning, when the first ray of sunlight crossed the lake, several little heads would sneakily poke out by the courtyard gate—the village children, standing on tiptoe as they tried to peek at the man-eating monster inside.

"Look, look! It's licking its paws!"

"Wow! Its teeth are bigger than my palm!"

"Shh—keep it down! It eats children!"

The whispered chatter would always come to an abrupt halt. Because in the next instant, a massive wolf's head would suddenly rise above the fence, its ghostly green eyes staring straight at the little brats, and then—

"Roar—!!!"

The earthshaking roar scared the children out of their wits. They screamed and scattered in all directions.

The Wolf King, meanwhile, would smugly shake its head and limp back to A Ning with elegant steps, its enormous tail swishing happily from side to side, just like a child whose prank had succeeded.

"You scared them again." A Ning squatted beside the vegetable patch, watering the newly planted seedlings without even raising her head. This home had gradually drawn her out of her silence, and she was speaking more and more.

The Wolf King snorted through its nose and sprawled righteously at her feet, rubbing its head against her knee with an aggrieved look that said, They were the ones who came to spy on me first.

When Chen Qing came out of the house, this was what he saw. A newly woven fishing net rested on his shoulder as he shook his head helplessly. "Big fellow, keep this up and the villagers will come protest again."

This was already the third time this month. Ever since the Wolf King had been able to move about the courtyard on its injured leg, it had become the "monster" the village children both feared and loved. Every time it scared the children away, their furious parents would come knocking, only to flee in disarray after a single glare from the Wolf King.

The Wolf King glanced at Chen Qing, then haughtily turned its head away, declaring with its actions: What did the protests of two-legged beasts have to do with me?

"Today, I'm going to take a look east of the lake. I heard there are plenty of fish there." Chen Qing said to A Ning, "Do you want to—"

Before he could finish, the Wolf King abruptly stood up, glaring at Chen Qing with vigilance as a warning growl rumbled from its throat. Its meaning could not have been clearer: Don't even think about luring away my little master!

Chen Qing raised both hands in surrender. "All right, all right. She'll stay and keep you company."

A Ning patted the Wolf King's huge head. It immediately lay back down obediently, though it did not forget to shoot Chen Qing a triumphant look.

Uncle Po came out of the kitchen with a pipe in his mouth. Seeing this, he kept shaking his head. "This beast is more protective of its master than a watchdog." As he spoke, he tossed the Wolf King a piece of dried salted fish.

The Wolf King deftly caught it in its mouth and crunched away loudly, the tip of its tail giving a delighted wag. Its attitude toward Uncle Po fell somewhere between how it treated Chen Qing and A Ning: Since this human often feeds me, I'll reluctantly show him a little favor.

That afternoon, A Ning took the Wolf King to the lakeside to wash vegetables. This was always the moment that made the villagers most nervous—a huge Wolf King strolling leisurely behind a slight little girl, like a moving, furry mountain. The villagers along the way all hurried aside.

"A Ning! Keep that beast of yours farther away!" the women doing laundry shrieked as they scattered.

The Wolf King gave a disdainful snort, deliberately shaking out its fur beside the clothes they had hung up to dry and sending droplets flying everywhere. Then, amid the women's curses, it strutted off with its head held high.

"Bad." A Ning gently tugged on the Wolf King's ear, though her eyes carried a smile.

Just as the girl and wolf were playing in the shallows, Er Gouzi appeared with several other children. Ever since Chen Qing had taught him a lesson last time, he had harbored a grudge.

"Look, it's the mute and her monster!" Er Gouzi deliberately shouted, picking up a stone and throwing it at the Wolf King.

The stone bounced off the Wolf King's thick fur. It did not even count as a scratch. The Wolf King lazily glanced at them, too bored to pay them any attention.

But A Ning's body visibly stiffened. She pressed her lips together and quickened her pace, wanting to leave.

"A mute is a mute. You can't even tattle!" Er Gouzi pressed his advantage. "Where's that father of yours who knows demonic arts? Why isn't he here to save you?"

The Wolf King's ears suddenly perked up. It slowly turned around, its ghostly green eyes narrowing into slits as it stared at Er Gouzi.

Er Gouzi's scalp prickled beneath that gaze, but he still forced himself to act tough. "W-what are you looking at? If you've got the guts, make your monster bite me!"

The Wolf King suddenly bared its teeth, revealing its stark white fangs, and gave an extraordinarily exaggerated "smile."

That savage grin scared the children out of their souls. They screamed and fled. The Wolf King smugly flicked its tail and turned to look at A Ning, only to find her face slightly darkened.

"Don't scare people!" A Ning said sternly, her little hand tightly clutching the Wolf King's fur.

The Wolf King immediately put away its fierce expression and lowered its head meekly, gently rubbing against her shoulder as a soothing purr rumbled from its throat.

At dusk, Chen Qing returned with a full haul and found A Ning unusually quiet. Even the Wolf King seemed especially docile. Uncle Po pulled him aside and quietly told him what had happened by the lake.

"That brat Er Gouzi..." Chen Qing frowned. He crouched before A Ning and asked softly, "Do you want me to go have a word with their parents?"

A Ning shook her head, her little face set in stubborn determination.

"Then... how about I teach you a few ways to protect yourself?" Chen Qing asked tentatively.

A Ning's eyes brightened for a moment, and she nodded softly.

Thus, over the following days, a new activity was added to the little courtyard—Chen Qing taught A Ning a few simple self-defense techniques.

Calling it self-defense was perhaps an exaggeration. It was really just how to break free, how to dodge, and how to borrow another's force against them. A Ning learned with great seriousness. Though her movements were clumsy, her stubborn resolve made Chen Qing both ache for her and feel proud.

The Wolf King became the strictest practice partner. Whenever A Ning's movements were off, it would gently nudge her with its nose. Whenever she did well, it would wag its tail happily. Once, Chen Qing accidentally made his movements a little too forceful while demonstrating. The Wolf King immediately rushed over and blocked A Ning, baring its fangs at him. Chen Qing was so startled that he repeatedly waved his hands. "We're on the same side! Same side!"

The days passed one after another, seemingly peaceful while undercurrents churned beneath the surface. The villagers grew increasingly dissatisfied with this family that "lived alongside a wolf," and gossip spread more and more widely.

"What if that beast goes mad one day?"

"That girl can tame wolves. Could she be a monster herself?"

"Chen Qing knows demonic arts. Didn't you see that huge pit?"

Chen Qing pretended not to hear any of those rumors. Until one day, he saw with his own eyes several women pulling their children away from A Ning as though they were avoiding the plague.

In that moment, he realized that it was time to leave.

That night, he sat in the courtyard sharpening a knife and said to Uncle Po, "Uncle, I want to take A Ning out to see the world."

Uncle Po smoked his pipe in silence for a long while. In the end, he said only one word. "Good."

The Wolf King lay outside A Ning's door. Its ears twitched, and its ghostly green eyes glimmered in the moonlight. It seemed to understand. It lightly tapped the ground with its tail, as if saying: We should have left long ago. These ignorant fools do not deserve my little master.

Inside the room, A Ning curled up on her bed, clutching the long-dried grass cricket in her arms. Her eyes were wide open as she gazed at the moon beyond the window. She did not care where she was, as long as she was by Chen Qing's side.