A Desert Wolf

Ning Chen's body stiffened. His sleeve ripped with a tearing sound, disintegrating into countless fragments, instantly losing more than half of it.

"#￥%&"

Ning Chen jumped up, nearly cursing the old man, but managed to swallow his words.

He wouldn't dare!

Ning Chen sat down indignantly and chugged half a pot of tea to suppress the rising heat in his Ren and Du Meridians. One should respect the old and cherish the young. This old man doesn't cherish the young, so I won't bother arguing with him.

Patience, I must be patient!

However, he wasn't entirely without gain. At the very least, he had proof that he truly couldn't defeat this old man…

Escaping seemed indefinitely far off; he still needed to work hard on his cultivation.

So, for the next few days, Ning Chen stopped arguing with the old man. He spent most of his time cultivating the Cultivation Technique from the golden parchment inside the carriage, circulating the true qi within his qihai over and over again.

With peace finally restored in the carriage, the old man naturally didn't bother with what Ning Chen was doing. Besides, a first-rank martial arts novice truly wasn't worth paying attention to.

On the tenth day, the wedding procession had traveled over seven hundred li, far from the Great Xia Imperial City, entering a vast, boundless wilderness.

It was late autumn now, and the silent wilderness appeared even more desolate. As the cold night descended, an ineffable chill permeated the air.

"Awooo!"

"Awooo!"

Wolves in the wilderness howled at the moon, causing a stir of tension in the camped procession. Everyone knew that the most terrifying creatures in the wilderness weren't tigers or leopards, but wolf packs.

Wild wolves were cunning and vicious by nature, most adept at hunting at night. They were the demons of the wilderness, and if encountered, survival was extremely difficult.

There were many things in this world one shouldn't provoke, and among them were the wolf packs of the wilderness. These vengeful and sinister animals, once provoked, would cling like maggots to a bone, never stopping until their objective was achieved.

Fortunately, the wedding procession was large enough, a grand force of over a thousand people, plus five hundred Imperial Guards. Ordinary wolf packs wouldn't dare to provoke them easily.

As it turned out, that night passed peacefully, with nothing happening.

The Great Xia Imperial Guards were not ordinary soldiers; their unusual oppressive aura could be felt from several li away, and even powerful martial artists were unwilling to easily challenge them.

That the wedding procession was escorted by Imperial Guards was an impossible feat in the past. However, this also showed how much the Xia Emperor valued this marriage alliance between Great Xia and the Zhenji Kingdom. Great Xia needed stability on its northeastern border to focus its energy on the Northern Mongol Royal Court to the north and the Eternal Night Divine Cult to the west.

Great Xia possessed the strongest military in the world and held a sufficient advantage against any single force, but that didn't mean Great Xia feared no one. Great Xia had been invincible for a thousand years, yet it had never been able to truly win the hearts of the people under heaven, because Great Xia did not believe in gods.

Great Xia did not believe in gods. For a thousand years, it had conquered with military might and governed with Confucianism, establishing a flourishing dynasty.

A millennium had passed, and the people within Great Xia's borders had somewhat forgotten that a thousand years ago, the strongest power in the Divine Land was not the warring feudal lords, nor the Great Yin Dynasty overthrown by Great Xia, but the Eternal Night Divine Cult, whose followers spanned the entire land.

Great Xia's ancestors rose like a comet, their formidable might forcefully pushing the Eternal Night Divine Cult to the brink, forcing it to hide in the shadows for a thousand years, awaiting its day to re-emerge.

During Great Xia's thousand years of rule, the Eternal Night Divine Cult's influence within Great Xia's borders had dwindled to its lowest point. However, outside of Great Xia, the Eternal Night Divine Cult's influence remained deeply entrenched.

Again, Great Xia feared no one, but it could not stand by and watch the world unite against it.

The Zhenji Kingdom was the best breakthrough point. Compared to the Northern Mongol Royal Court and the Eternal Night Divine Cult, the Zhenji Kingdom, though the loudest in its boasts, was the weakest in terms of national strength and courage. As the saying goes, a barking dog doesn't bite, let alone a dog with its teeth pulled out.

Twenty thousand warhorses—the Zhenji Kingdom's timely delivery not only solved Great Xia's urgent need but also crippled half of their own military strength.

Great Xia sacrificing a princess of the imperial clan in exchange for twenty thousand warhorses was ultimately worth it.

Ning Chen had never met Princess Miaoyu, but upon hearing that she had personally requested to be a pawn in the marriage alliance, he couldn't help but feel a hint of curiosity.

If she wasn't a great sage or worthy figure with the world in her heart, then this princess's intentions were worth pondering.

Upon closer thought, this matter was not without clues. All living beings are driven by nothing more than self-interest. From this deduction, traces could be found.

Great Xia had a total of nineteen imperial princes and princesses, but only five truly held power.

The Four Princes, plus the Ninth Princess.

However, behind the four princes who had been granted titles, there were shadows of the imperial clan.

Now, it seemed that Princess Miaoyu and Prince Hua were not as detached from worldly affairs as they appeared.

Xia Miaoyu's journey to the Zhenji Kingdom for the marriage alliance had significant implications. The Xia Emperor would certainly offer Prince Hua considerable compensation. At this time, gaining Prince Hua's support would be a great boon for all Four Princes.

If an idle prince suddenly became a coveted figure, only a fool would believe it was mere coincidence.

Even more interesting was that the nobles in the Imperial City all knew that the Ninth Princess and Xia Miaoyu had a very good relationship. Compared to many so-called direct siblings in the palace, their relationship was considered close.

And the Ninth Princess's full brother was the First Prince, born to the deceased Imperial Noble Consort. His status was noble, and he had the support of the Grandson, making him the most legitimate heir to the throne.

Therefore, no matter how one looked at it, the marriage alliance seemed inextricably linked to the First Prince.

But this was the most illogical part.

It was widely known that the First Prince, Xia Ziyi, was a Confucian disciple, full of righteous spirit, and disliked schemes the most. If he hadn't been born into the imperial family, he would even have been the most likely candidate to inherit the Grand Tutor's position as head of Confucianism in the world.

Not only could Ning Chen not understand this matter, but no one in the entire world could.

And the person who knew the truth best was sitting in the opulent carriage, never showing herself.

It was precisely because of this that Ning Chen became the idlest person in the entire procession.

The wilderness was vast; the wedding procession had been traveling for a full day and still saw no end. Ning Chen mostly cultivated in the old man's carriage. People had an instinctive desire to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, subconsciously choosing what they believed to be the safest place.

Clearly, in Ning Chen's mind, the old man was the strongest person in the procession, and by the old man's side was the safest place.

Ning Chen never believed this wedding escort journey would be smooth sailing. There were too many people in the world who did not want Great Xia and the Zhenji Kingdom to form a marriage alliance, so many that he couldn't count them on his fingers and toes.

The Xia Emperor sent five hundred Imperial Guards and secretly added another martial arts master, clearly to guard against those with ill intentions.

Within Great Xia, it was absolutely impossible to overtly mobilize a large number of troops to attack the bridal procession. The only way was through ambush and assassination by powerful martial artists.

Ning Chen still couldn't comprehend the extent of a powerful martial artist's capabilities, but he had previously witnessed the severely injured Qing Ling in action. The abilities she displayed with every move were far beyond what ordinary people could resist.

He didn't know how strong the old man in front of him was, but his intuition told him that the old man's strength was definitely no less than Qing Ling's.

A few days ago, he clearly felt how fast that sword was. If the old man hadn't intended to kill him, he would have been buried in a foreign land by now.

"Ow!"

"Ow!"

"Ow!"

Suddenly, successive wolf howls echoed across the wilderness, causing the bridal procession to panic. At the front, the heavily armored general reined in his horse, and the five hundred Imperial Guards halted, observing carefully.

Within the procession, the Zhenji Kingdom envoy, who had been silent for over ten days, suddenly gleamed with sharp light in his eyes, his expression extremely strange.

If Princess Miaoyu were to die within Great Xia, the responsibility would fall on Great Xia, and the alliance between the two dynasties would face further complications. Moreover, the Zhenji Kingdom could even use this as an excuse to negotiate over the twenty thousand warhorses.

"Be alert!"

The heavily armored general barked, his voice deep. The situation was abnormal. Wild wolves were intelligent creatures and would never seek death without reason. With the deterrence of five hundred Imperial Guards present, for the wolves to still appear meant something was definitely controlling them from the shadows.

"Rustle, rustle."

In the silent atmosphere, the sound of wolves treading on dry grass reached everyone's ears. Gradually, it became clearer and clearer: one, two, ten, a hundred...

In just a few breaths, hundreds, even thousands, of wild wolves gathered from all directions. Their sheer numbers were uncountable.

"Hoo!"

A low, mournful howl sounded, and the wolf pack's formation abruptly shifted. All their attention focused on the ornate carriage in the middle of the procession.

"Hoo!"

Another low, mournful howl. The wolves roared skyward, their sinister eyes filled with a bloodthirsty madness. Then, as if driven mad, they charged madly towards the carriage.

"Protect the Princess!"

At the front of the procession, the heavily armored general roared, his voice sharp. With a wave of his hand, the five hundred Imperial Guards moved swiftly, their blades flashing, forming a barrier to block the charging wolves.

Great Xia's Imperial Guards were the elite among soldiers, each man capable of holding off ten thousand. Amidst the flashing blades, wolf blood rained down.

However, the sheer number of wolves was too great. They surged forward like a dark, overwhelming tide. Human strength was finite, and gaps began to appear.

Ning Chen dismounted from his carriage and stood guard beside Princess Miaoyu's carriage. At this moment, the most important person was the woman inside the carriage. If anything happened to her, everyone present would die.

The old man remained calm, the sword on his lap still and cold, completely unmoving.

Ning Chen knew how terrifying that sword truly was. He was the only one in the procession who had been in close proximity to it. Therefore, whether they could overcome this ordeal depended crucially on that sword.

"Ow!"

The wolves' ferocity exceeded everyone's imagination. Despite the Imperial Guards' near-slaughter, they continued to charge fearlessly. Finally, the first wild wolf broke through the blockade, reaching the carriage, albeit wounded.

The Imperial Guards were tied up, and the old man showed no intention of acting. Facing the only wild wolf that had broken through, no one could step forward to stop it for a moment. The strange situation immediately heightened the tension in the air.

Ning Chen was the closest person, standing next to the carriage, directly facing the wild wolf, becoming the last line of defense.

However, anyone with eyes could see that Ning Chen was not a martial arts master, not even as good as an ordinary Imperial Guard.

Yet, only Ning Chen stood between the wounded wild wolf and the carriage. If the wild wolf wanted to attack Princess Miaoyu in the carriage, it had to get rid of this human blocking its way.

Ning Chen was stunned. He hadn't expected the old man to truly not help. Looking at the wild wolf, its eyes gleaming with ferocity, cold sweat poured down his body.

At such close range, it was too late to run. Moreover, behind him was Princess Miaoyu's carriage. If he dared to run, he probably wouldn't see tomorrow's sun.

"Grrr."

The wild wolf's pair of eerie green eyes stared at Ning Chen, a low growl continuously rumbling in its throat. Its front paws slightly bent, and then it suddenly pounced.

Ning Chen's scalp tingled. His mind couldn't react in time, and he instinctively rolled to the ground, dodging the pouncing wild wolf. But he heard a tearing sound, the ripping of cloth, as a large part of his shoulder was clawed open by the passing wolf.

At that moment of life and death, Ning Chen stood up, lunged, and tightly embraced the wolf's head, aiming for its neck, and then...

He bit down...

"Ow!"

The wild wolf howled in pain, its body struggling violently. But Ning Chen held its head in a death grip, refusing to let go no matter what.

Human strength is limited, yet limitless. At this critical juncture of life-threatening danger, human potential for survival is immeasurable. Ning Chen feared death more than anyone, so he bit the wolf's neck, straddled its body, and hugged its head, never letting go.

The wild wolf struggled, because of pain, because of anger, and even more so, because of fear.

Any beast has a major artery in its neck. With enough blood loss, it's hard not to die.

Ning Chen, of course, knew this, so he bit even harder.

And then, the wolf died...

(PS: My writing state has been good lately, but my body is starting to give out. Writing for seven or eight hours a day is really exhausting. I have some back problems; sitting for a long time feels like needles poking me. I don't know if it's an old problem from my student days. I hope everyone takes care of their health and doesn't end up constantly going to the hospital like me. Health is the foundation of everything, everyone!)

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