First Experience in the Wilderness

At eight or nine in the evening, Xue Xi made several more buckets of fresh dough. However, she didn't plan on eating Cat Ear Noodles again tonight; she couldn't just keep eating them until she unlocked a new page. No matter how delicious they were, she couldn't take it anymore! Eating them for several meals in a row was starting to make her feel sick, so she took a little bit of each seasoning and put them into a small bag, planning to have Little Wolf take her out for a picnic barbecue to improve their diet.

Arriving at the door, Xue Xi discovered that Little Wolf, who had originally been three meters tall, had actually grown to about five meters, and his body length had reached an astonishing dozen meters or so. His fur was becoming increasingly bright, looking as if he were draped in a curtain of the galaxy.

Little Wolf bared his large teeth and gave Xue Xi a proud look, as if saying, "Master, look! I've become stronger again. Isn't that amazing?"

With a look of amazement, Xue Xi reached out to stroke the head Little Wolf had lowered, showing her approval: "Well done. Come on, take me out for a ride, and we'll grab a late-night snack while we're at it."

Having evolved, Little Wolf was now a Lord Rank Silver Moon Fierce Wolf. Furthermore, after being baptized by the moonlight, his intelligence had increased significantly. With a glimmer of light in his eyes, it was clear he understood Xue Xi's words. He let out a long howl at the moon, then performed his usual routine: he grabbed Xue Xi and tossed her onto his back.

Sitting steadily and slightly tilted on the wolf's back, feeling like a kitten being carried by the scruff of its neck, Xue Xi covered her face and shouted: "Little--Wolf--, I can get up there myself! Don't use such a humiliating method next time!"

Little Wolf turned his head and glanced at the tiny Xue Xi with his wise eyes, letting out an ambiguous snort from his nose. Xue Xi immediately felt like she was being looked down upon and was about to lash out, but Little Wolf, sensing the situation was unfavorable, immediately opened up his four long legs and bolted.

Xue Xi hurriedly grabbed the fur on the neck of the now-manic Little Wolf. She wanted to open her mouth to say something, but it was all drowned out by the whistling wind. A depressed Xue Xi pouted, "Not having strength is such a hassle. Starting tomorrow, I have to step it up. Once I reach 1,000 customers, I can claim the reward for Apprentice Peak strength. By then, the Earth will be vast enough for me to go anywhere."

Lost in daydreams about the future, Xue Xi didn't notice that Little Wolf was moving further and further away from the abandoned small county town. Under the pale moonlight, a massive silver figure cut through the thick night, and the vegetation along the roadside became increasingly dense and tall.

It was only then that Xue Xi noticed that, without paying attention, this guy had actually carried her to a small hill on the edge of a county town. The surroundings were pitch black and deathly silent, with the occasional shrill cry of an Owlman, causing goosebumps to break out all over Xue Xi's arms.

"Little Wolf, you blockhead! I told you to take me for a ride, why did you bring me to this wilderness? Go down the mountain, just find a few Monsters to barbecue, let's go!"

Little Wolf ignored Xue Xi, who was massaging his neck, and trotted step by step toward a pitch-black cave halfway up the mountain. The shadow cast by the large tree under the moonlight obscured the dark look in Little Wolf's eyes.

He vaguely remembered that it was a Lord Rank Giant Rock Black Bear that had driven him out of his old den, which then led to him being targeted by human experts and nearly ending his wolf life. Now, he was a War God returned to reclaim everything that belonged to him.

He lowered his body to signal for Xue Xi to get off first, but was that even possible? As a tough character who had been fearless since childhood—able to play with cold snakes and spiders in her hands—the only things Xue Xi feared were the dark and the eerie.

Xue Xi looked troubled, fidgeting as she buried her head in Little Wolf's thick fur, saying in a muffled voice: "How about we retreat first and come back tomorrow during the day? Please?"

Little Wolf could feel the trembling tone of his master on his back and the hot breath against his fur. He let out a frustrated low growl, then turned his massive body and left without looking back, shaking the dust from the trees as he went.

It wasn't until they were down the mountain and the view opened up, with the moonlight illuminating the path ahead once more, that Xue Xi lifted her head, feeling dejected. While stroking the running Little Wolf, she whispered to herself: "You know, Little Wolf, I actually remember not being afraid of the dark when I was a kid."

Little Wolf slowed his pace, walking leisurely through the countryside bathed in moonlight. He tilted his head slightly, his wolf ears perking up and twitching, looking like an obedient listener.

"Back then, the children in the orphanage would huddle together for warmth. Everyone was independent and strong, fearless of anything. Even late at night, we would follow Grandma Director into the dark to find wild game that only came out at night."

Not knowing what memory she had touched upon, a flash of fear appeared in Xue Xi's eyes: "When I was seven, it was my fourth birthday at the orphanage. The evening was gloomy and drizzling. A group of people came and said the orphanage was built privately by Grandma and was an illegal structure that had to be demolished."

"But we were far away from the city; who were we affecting? They used cold excavator buckets and hydraulic breakers to tear my only home to pieces. Grandma Director fell ill after that and never recovered. Soon, she left us, carrying eyes full of hatred and reluctance. Ever since then, I started to fear the night, and I started to fear those demons wearing human skin." Xue Xi wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand, resting her cheek against Little Wolf's back.