"Awooo!"
The sudden howl sent Deji Village, bright with lamplight, into a sudden hush. Then every guard dog in the village went berserk, barking restlessly in a chorus.
Zaxi, the village chief who had been enthusiastically urging Li Bai to drink, sprang to his feet. He didn't even notice the barley wine sloshing from the porcelain bowl and spilling all over him.
"Wolves!"
The faces of everyone gathered around the table changed at once.
"The wolves have followed our scent here."
There was a hunter among them, and he immediately understood what the howl meant.
"I'm terribly sorry, Doctor Li. Please stay inside. There's food and drink here, so don't go outside under any circumstances! Baima, Qiongda, keep Doctor Li safe."
Zaxi made a decision at once.
The villagers could be hurt. He could be hurt. But nothing could happen to this honored guest who had traveled so far.
If anything happened to him, who would treat the injured?
Even if they tried to take them to the County Town in the middle of the night, who knew if they would survive the jolting journey?
That was why nothing could compare to having a skilled doctor right here.
No one was blind. They had all seen how efficiently the young doctor had treated the wounded that day. Anyone could tell that he was far beyond the village doctor, Zhang Wang, with his amateur skills.
"Yes, Chief!"
A young herder and woman sitting by the table answered in unison.
Li Bai was a little surprised.
The easygoing, dark-skinned Zaxi was actually Deji Village's headman.
In socialist New China, the old tusi and headmen had all disappeared. The old terms had taken on new meanings: a headman was no longer a slave owner, but someone who led the way.
"Doctor Li, take