The Gray Wolf King was fast. In just a few strides, it was about to reach the Shield Bearers. It flashed a cruel smile and lunged at them.
But just then, two Blood-colored Fireballs shot toward it. Old Luo, who had yet to join the fight, had made his move. The Gray Wolf King was startled and dodged to the side. As soon as it landed, a whip cracked viciously across its body. Liu Mei had joined in too.
The whip didn't do much damage, but it stung. After taking the hit, the Gray Wolf King turned toward Liu Mei, bared its sharp fangs, and charged at her with a low growl.
But it had barely taken a few steps when a figure suddenly appeared beside it.
"Pfft!"
A flash of swordlight streaked past, and blood sprayed into the air. Bai Qi, who had been waiting for his chance, had struck. The Gray Wolf King howled in pain, then turned and snapped at Bai Qi.
Bai Qi leaped back!
"Pfft!"
An arrow struck the Gray Wolf King's foreleg. Zhao Fu had been watching it from the start, and now he finally made his move.
The Gray Wolf King was completely enraged by the barrage of attacks. Growling, it charged at Zhao Fu.
When it lunged at him, Zhao Fu showed no fear. He stood perfectly still, raised a hand, and sent a Fireball flying. The Gray Wolf King twisted aside to dodge, but the next moment, two Blood-colored Fireballs shot toward it. It managed to evade one with a desperate leap, but the other hit home.
"Boom!"
A tremendous explosion sent the Gray Wolf King flying. Some of its gray fur was scorched. As soon as it landed, Bai Qi appeared beside it again and swung his sword, leaving another gash on its body. The frenzied Gray Wolf King lunged at him.
But a whip wrapped around its leg. Liu Mei gripped it with both hands and gave it a playful smile as she yanked. The Gray Wolf King lost its balance and crashed to the ground.
That was the advantage of teamwork—though there was also a bit of ganging up on the weak. The Gray Wolf King could barely fight back. Seeing that they had it completely under control, Zhao Fu focused on directing the other soldiers to finish off the remaining wolves.
A little over ten minutes later, all the Gray Wolves had been killed, leaving behind countless copper coins. Only a few people on Zhao Fu's side had been bitten; everyone else was unharmed.
Zhao Fu looked over at the Gray Wolf King. It was badly wounded and looked utterly miserable. After a moment's thought, he decided not to kill it. Taming it was far more valuable than killing it, so he ordered his men to lasso it first.
The Gray Wolf King was already at the end of its strength. With Bai Qi and the others working together, they soon had it trussed up.
Zhao Fu smiled faintly and told the others to clear the battlefield. Then he walked over to the Gray Wolf King and looked down at it, bound hand and foot.
The Gray Wolf King glared at Zhao Fu with such hatred that it looked ready to eat him alive. Zhao Fu paid it no mind and placed a hand on its forehead. Its jaws were bound shut, so there was no need to worry about getting bitten.
He used Taming, and light shone from his palm, enveloping the Gray Wolf King. But it broke free with a single powerful struggle.
Zhao Fu's expression tightened. He pressed his hand firmly against the Gray Wolf King's head and tried Taming again. The beast struggled desperately and once again broke free of the light. Zhao Fu's attempt failed, and the Gray Wolf King even butted him, making him stagger and nearly fall.
Bai Qi's gaze turned cold. He stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, wolves are proud creatures. They're difficult to tame. Why not kill it?"
"Yeah! I've never had wolf king meat before. I wonder what it tastes like."
Liu Mei ran over, eyes fixed on the Gray Wolf King. The more time she spent with the people of Great Qin Village, the more she let her true personality show. She no longer worried that Zhao Fu might kill her. Of course, she was the only one who dared call herself "this old lady" in front of him.
At this, Zhao Fu shook his head and rejected their suggestion. He wanted to try one more time. Walking up to the Gray Wolf King, he met its furious gaze and spoke calmly:
"You're angry because I slaughtered your kind. But this world has always been one where the strong prey on the weak, and only the fittest survive. If you submit to me, I'll make sure that in your lifetime, you become the most honored member of the wolf race. You have a den, too, so your pack will soon return to its former numbers. If you refuse, I'll have no choice but to kill you and wait for the den to produce another Gray Wolf King."
The Gray Wolf King listened to Zhao Fu. Its eyes flickered with indecision, but in the end, it chose to submit.
"Notification: You have gained the allegiance of the leader-level creature, Gray Wolf King."
"Notification: You have gained 50 Battle Merit for subduing a chief-level creature."
There was Battle Merit too. Zhao Fu was a little surprised. He ordered his men to untie the Gray Wolf King and give it some basic treatment. Bai Qi and Old Luo congratulated him, while Liu Mei merely pouted in disappointment. She hadn't gotten to eat any wolf king meat.
Zhao Fu then checked the Gray Wolf King's attributes.
[Gray Wolf King] (Leader)
Level: 5th Stage
Potential: S
Attributes: Strength: 15, Intelligence: 9, Agility: 17, Constitution: 11
Skills: Wolf King Intimidation (can make all ordinary wolves feel afraid or even submit), Bloodthirsty Bite (launches a frenzied attack of bites until the enemy dies).
Zhao Fu hadn't expected beasts to have different potentials too, and was a little surprised. As for its level, it was the same as a person's cultivation level. The Gray Wolf King probably wasn't an ordinary beast, but could be considered a magical beast.
Zhao Fu left everything here to Bai Qi and went to the den. He reached out and touched the wolf-shaped stone carving, and a piece of information appeared.
[Den · Gray Wolf] (Basic, 1800/5000) Quality: White. Description: A den of Gray Wolves. Refreshes 2–5 Gray Wolves each day.
The den's attributes were largely the same as those of an ordinary village. After looking them over, Zhao Fu chose to occupy it, earning another 50 Battle Merit. Since it was quite far from Great Qin Village, he had no choice but to choose Migration again, gaining 180 experience. The wolf-shaped stone carving floating in midair turned into an ordinary stone carving and fell into Zhao Fu's hand.
Zhao Fu was about to turn and leave with the carving when he noticed a large patch of little green plants growing nearby. They were crystal clear and looked extraordinary, so he went over to examine them. A set of information appeared.
[Small Spirit Grass] Grade: Rank-One Medicinal Herb. Description: A spirit herb that can be made into pills.
After reading this, Zhao Fu couldn't help smiling. He had obtained the Small Spirit Pill recipe earlier, but hadn't been able to make any because he lacked the herbs. Now they had practically fallen right into his lap.
There were thousands of Small Spirit Grass plants here. Zhao Fu immediately ordered his men to dig them up. He planned to use some to make pills and transplant the rest. Great Qin Village had an attribute that reduced crop growth time, after all, so they could take the Small Spirit Grass back and grow it on a large scale.
At last, everyone returned to Great Qin Village, having come back with a bountiful harvest. Their faces were bright with joy.
Back in the village, Zhao Fu set aside a plot of land for the den. Wolves had an excellent sense of smell, so they could be used as hunting dogs. Their materials could also be used to make equipment. The den would produce Gray Wolves every day, eliminating the need to breed them by hand. This would make things much easier.
After taking care of everything, Zhao Fu realized he hadn't left Apocalypse World for a while. Since there was nothing else to do, he returned to the real world.