"Junior Brother Chen, be careful! Those are Shadow Wolves, and they naturally live in packs! If you see one, there's bound to be a whole pack lurking nearby!"
Zhuang Tao stared fixedly at the swaying grass ahead, his expression grave. His knuckles had gone white from gripping his sword hilt so tightly. Keeping his nerves taut and on guard, he reminded Chen Jing in a low voice.
"Understood."
Chen Jing answered quietly, subtly shifting his stance. He held his long saber across his body, secretly rousing his qi and blood as his gaze swept back and forth through the pitch-black grass.
The bonfire's light could only reach a few dozen feet around the campsite.
Beyond that, layers of shadows overlapped, as if countless eyes were lurking within them, watching. The sight made everyone tense without realizing it.
Just then, Zhuang Tao turned slightly and lowered his voice to ask Zhuang Huan beside him, his tone tinged with obvious unease and confusion. "Uncle Huan, something's wrong."
"We've only just reached the entrance to the depths of Cold Mountain. Going by past years, this should just be a transitional zone for ordinary mutated beasts. Mutated beasts as vicious and pack-oriented as Shadow Wolves shouldn't be here... Why have they come this far?"
Zhuang Huan furrowed his brow and swept his sharp gaze across the surrounding darkness. After a moment, he slowly shook his head and answered cautiously, "Hard to say. The beasts' range in the mountains might have changed, or something else might have happened. Don't dwell on it for now. Stay on guard, and don't let your guard down."
Before he had finished speaking, he turned to the hunter whose shoulder had been scratched, his tone suddenly stern. "Get to the back and bandage your wound. Now!"
"Use plenty of hemostatic