Swiftwind Wolf Teacher

The moment he entered, he saw a familiar, cold and beautiful figure standing behind the bar.

There was also a delicate-looking elementary school student in one of the booths, holding a glass of juice as one slender finger swiped across the tablet resting on her lap. Her twin ponytails swayed slightly behind her.

"Sister Leng Qing." Bai Mo greeted Leng Qing first, then sat beside Lingling. "Skipping school again?"

"What right do you have to talk about me?"

"I'm not skipping school. We have free time this afternoon."

"So do I."

Leng Qing was somewhat helpless. Ever since Lingling found out that Bai Mo skipped school, she had started taking leave all the time too. Honestly, why didn't the homeroom teacher say anything? Looking at Bai Mo, she asked:

"What would you like to drink?"

"Orange juice."

"You're copying me!" Lingling shot Bai Mo a sidelong glance.

Bai Mo did not care in the slightest. He pulled out a candied hawthorn he had bought on the way over and handed it to her.

"I'm a child."

Lingling's eyes lit up, and she accepted it without the slightest hesitation. She rolled her eyes at Bai Mo's words, making it clear that, for the candied hawthorn's sake, she would not argue with him.

Bai Mo accepted the orange juice Leng Qing handed him and asked, "Sister Leng Qing, is there some big project? Otherwise, you could've just told me over Feixin."

"The Hunter Office received a commission from the Magic Association. We're to investigate the cause of the unrest among the Swiftwind Wolf pack near Dinghu and Ding Mountain. The reward is four million." Leng Qing glanced at Bai Mo, took out a document, and gestured for him to read it as she continued, "The reward isn't much, but it offers a lot of Hunter Points. It'll let you raise your Hunter Title quickly."

"Oh." Bai Mo nodded in understanding. Just as he thought. At the same time, he recalled the news he had heard during lunch and frowned. "But aren't the Swiftwind Wolves in their breeding season right now? Isn't unrest normal?"

Lingling, who was sitting beside him, raised her head at that and glanced at him. With candied hawthorn still in her mouth, she said nothing.

Leng Qing shook her head. "The guard mages discovered that the Swiftwind Wolves around Dinghu, west of Qingyuan District, showed signs of invading the city. They were driven back already."

"That shouldn't be happening. In the past, Swiftwind Wolves would only have internal conflicts during spring. They would not take the initiative to approach human cities. The authorities suspect that there must be some underlying reason."

After hearing that, Bai Mo fell into thought. Leng Qing usually focused on Judgement Association matters, and she could not possibly care much about a mere four million, even if the Hunter Points were plentiful. He looked at Leng Qing and said, "Sister Leng Qing, you didn't take this mission just to raise my Hunter Title, did you?"

"The Judgement Association assigned me this mission internally as well. I can't tell you the specific details."

Seeing that Bai Mo had guessed as much, Leng Qing said it openly. Then she walked out from behind the bar.

"Let's go. We're heading to Ding Mountain."

Ding Mountain lay beside Dinghu. Its forests and plains were home to the Swiftwind Wolf packs.

Heading northwest all the way from Qingyuan District brought them to this place, where Wolf Nests were scattered everywhere.

Although Leng Qing primarily cultivated the Earth Element, her secondary Shadow Element had also reached the Advanced Level.

She moved through the forest, filled with wolf demons, without anyone noticing, completely at ease. Even Shadow Wolves, Warrior Level creatures most adept at shadow power, could not detect them.

Bai Mo had also wondered why Leng Qing had brought him along. Logically speaking, she alone should have been enough.

In her words: the old man had said to find Lingling a partner.

That only made Bai Mo even more puzzled. Lingling had a partner in the original story. He had merely died later on. Could it be happening now? Or had that partner not arrived yet?

If Bai Mo had taken his place, wouldn't that mean he might die in the future?

It seemed that when Mo Fan originally arrived, the little girl had questioned whether he was strong enough. Presumably, her original partner had died because he was too weak.

Bai Mo became a little panicked. He suddenly began doubting his own strength. Was he still not strong enough?

Back to the matter at hand, both Leng Qing and Bai Mo suspected that the Swiftwind Wolves' unrest might be related to their breeding season.

So they decided to use that as their breakthrough point. There were plenty of Demon Beast Swiftwind Wolves in the forest.

But not every one of them was doing that sort of thing every moment of every day—the great undertaking beneficial to the continuation of their species.

Therefore, they needed to search for them.

A burst of feedback came through the Sound Element magic artifact by his ear. The disgustingly melodious wolf howl made Bai Mo shudder.

He pointed toward the front left. "Sister Leng Qing, there are a few Swiftwind Wolves over there getting some exercise. Shall we go over?"

Leng Qing's expression remained unchanged. She nodded decisively. "Let's go!"

With that, she used Shadow Evasion, grabbed Bai Mo, and flew off in the direction he had pointed.

Two Swiftwind Wolves were currently tangled together there.

Both Bai Mo and Leng Qing wore serious expressions as they hid in the shadows cast by the trees, carefully observing the battle in the clearing.

As if they were studying the supreme Rules of magic in the world, they tried to find something unusual within it.

About an hour later, the two Swiftwind Wolves ended their practical lesson.

One after the other, they darted into the woods.

"Sister Leng Qing, did you notice anything?" Bai Mo kept his gaze on Leng Qing's face. He needed to wash his eyes; they were about to go blind.

Leng Qing still wore a stern expression, though her eyes, once like a frozen lake, now held a trace of embarrassment. Hearing Bai Mo's question, she fell silent for a moment before making a decision.

"Follow them!"

"Still watching?!" Bai Mo wailed, allowing Leng Qing to pull him into the darkness.

Moving through the shadows, the two were like eager students. They quickly caught up with the two wolf teachers from earlier and, under their lead, returned to the teachers' home.

"Awwoooooo—!"

Suddenly, the two Swiftwind Wolves that had returned to their den let out piercing howls, as though calling for something.

Just as Bai Mo thought their tracking had been discovered and raised his hand to cast magic, ready to send the two Demon Beast teachers on their way—

Leng Qing suddenly reached out and pressed down his hand.

"Don't panic. They haven't noticed us."

Leng Qing's intuition told her that they might soon uncover the reason for the Swiftwind Wolves' agitation!

The two wolf demons continued howling and calling out. Their voices gradually turned anxious, then furious.

They began searching everywhere, swinging their claws to tear apart the surrounding weeds and destroying their own rustic-looking doghouse.

As time passed and they still failed to find their target, they began sniffing around before running off in one direction.

"What are they looking for?" Leng Qing's seemingly self-directed murmur reached his ears. As Bai Mo followed the Swiftwind Wolves under her lead, he pondered the same question.

Thinking of the Swiftwind Wolves' current special season and the behavior of those two wolves just now, Bai Mo recalled, like a flash of lightning, the conversation he had overheard last month while gathering Windbell Grass. He immediately thought of the answer and spoke it aloud.

"Cubs!"

"Cubs?" Leng Qing's gaze flickered as she considered it.

"That's right. They must be looking for Swiftwind Wolf cubs!"

The Swiftwind Wolves ahead seemed to be carefully identifying something with their keen noses, so their pace slowed. From time to time, they even headed in the wrong direction.

Leng Qing and Bai Mo followed at an unhurried pace, neither too close nor too far behind. Hearing Bai Mo's conclusion, Leng Qing asked, "Explain?"

"The last time I went to gather Wind Spirit Flowers for someone, I learned they were a type of grass Swiftwind Wolves liked to eat during their breeding season. I was attacked by Swiftwind Wolves many times then, and they were searching for that grass too. I guessed at the time that they'd entered their breeding season."

Bai Mo continued evenly, "And when I was leaving, I heard someone say they wanted to use that grass to draw the Swiftwind Wolves' attention, then capture their cubs."

"They had that many cubs in just one month? Even though Swiftwind Wolves are Servant Level Demon Beasts and have a short gestation period, it couldn't possibly be that short, could it?"

Leng Qing frowned as she pointed out one inconsistency.

Bai Mo smiled faintly at that. This was something he actually knew, so he continued explaining.

"Since I was gathering Wind Spirit Flowers for an Artifact Crafter, I got curious about how they could be used in artifact crafting and looked into them. I found that, aside from having a hypnotic and alluring effect on Swiftwind Wolves, they could also help Swiftwind Wolves in their gestation period shorten their pregnancy."

Leng Qing nodded. That made sense. But then she frowned again, because the two Swiftwind Wolves not far ahead were getting slower and slower.

How long were they supposed to follow them like this? Though the wolves were indeed heading toward Qingyuan District in Modu—

Even if she agreed with Bai Mo's guess, she could not investigate a case based on mere conjecture. They could already be certain that someone was secretly up to something, but their purpose remained unknown.

So, they had to continue investigating and find evidence. Yet these two Swiftwind Wolves were simply moving too slowly.

Suddenly, Bai Mo's ears twitched. He took out the Space Compass, and a faint gleam, hidden beneath the brilliant sunlight, settled onto the two Swiftwind Wolves.

Meeting Leng Qing's questioning gaze, Bai Mo explained, "I heard human footsteps. I'll mark these two wolves first, then we'll go take a look. Don't worry—my Tracking Magic Artifact can't be detected."

"Alright."

Leng Qing nodded slightly. Letting Bai Mo guide the way, she continued using Shadow Evasion and led them toward another location.

As soon as they drew closer, shouts reached their ears.

"Quick! The Wind Spirit Flowers Fourth Brother put out have already been eaten by those Swiftwind Wolves. Let's get to their den and take those wolf cubs away!"

Upon hearing that, Leng Qing's eyes immediately lit up. Her Shadow Evasion quickened, and in an instant, she arrived nearby, silently concealing herself in the shadow of a branch.

There were four Grey-Robed Men here, all with their heads and faces covered, stuffing a litter of Swiftwind Wolf cubs into a large woven sack.

"Damn, they're here to stock up," Bai Mo could not help remarking.

"Quiet!"

Leng Qing cautioned him, then continued observing. Ever since learning about the strange nature of Bai Mo's sound-element magic tool—

Even knowing such things were as rare as Sound Element Mages, she remained exceptionally cautious about any abnormal behavior during a mission.

Of the four people below, however, only two had the aura of Intermediate Level Mages. Clearly, they were merely errand-runners.

It seemed their target of surveillance needed to change.

Once the group had finished collecting the Swiftwind Wolf cubs and began leaving in an orderly fashion, Leng Qing silently followed after them with Bai Mo.

When they reached a wilderness area where the trees were sparse, there were barely any shadows to hide in, making further concealment impossible. Seizing an opportunity, she planted Darkness Marks on several of them.

She watched them disappear into the distance before catching up.

However, as soon as they entered the outskirts of the city, Leng Qing frowned slightly and gathered a small particle of darkness in her hand. Handing it to Bai Mo, she said, "This is my Shadow Breath. They've split up. Go back to the Hunter's Lodge and give this to Lingling."

"Then be careful, Sister Leng Qing."

Hearing this, Bai Mo took off the earring and tossed it to her, offering a reminder without asking further questions. He pocketed the tiny dark particle and headed off in one direction.

Fortunately, plenty of people entered and left the Safe Zone every day. He quickly found a taxi, gave the driver the address of the Qingtian Hunter's Association, and sped away.

The roads in the outer city were not congested, and the vehicle raced along at high speed.

Yet it was still no match for Leng Qing's Shadow Element escape technique. The countless shadows cast between Modu's skyscrapers were the finest highways for a Shadow Element Mage.

Following the mark's guidance, Leng Qing quickly caught up with a Grey-Robed Man. He was the one carrying a woven sack full of wolf cubs.

Leng Qing silently tailed him until they arrived at a gray trading area.

There were magical detection devices here. With her current Shadow Element cultivation, she still could not infiltrate the place without anyone noticing.

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