Snow Wolves (Please Read On)

The heavy snow had not stopped through the night.

The entire Scarlet Cloud Mountain seemed buried beneath a vast white curtain of snow. Mountain winds swept through the forest, making the wooden fence outside the herb garden creak and groan.

The brazier atop the watchtower flickered in the wind. Sparks had barely drifted up before snowflakes snuffed them out.

Most people in the herb garden had long since gone to sleep. Only ten night-watch martial artists, wrapped in thick fur-lined coats, patrolled back and forth between the watchtower and the main gate.

Suddenly—

Jingle, jingle, jingle!

The bronze bell on the watchtower rang out sharply.

Its sound was torn into fragments by the wind and snow, yet it was exceptionally piercing.

It was connected to the hidden sentries around the herb garden. Once it rang, it meant either snow wolves had invaded or mountain bandits were attacking.

"Wolves are here!"

On the watchtower, a night-watch martial artist shouted at the top of his lungs. At the same time, he gripped his longbow and leaned out to look.

But the snow outside was too heavy.

The firelight reached only a dozen or so paces before being swallowed by the boundless white snow curtain. Farther out, the mountain forest was nothing but clusters of black shadows, like ghosts lurking in the snowy night.

Suddenly, a white shape flashed past outside the fence, skimming close to the snow. It was incredibly fast. If not for those dim green eyes swaying at the edge of the firelight, its outline would have been almost impossible to make out.

"They really are snow wolves!"

"Light the fires! Quickly, light the fires!"

Lights sprang up one after another throughout the herb garden. Some hurriedly threw on clothes, while others fumbled for torches.

Wang Zhong was the first to rush out of his room.

He wore a thick padded coat, his saber at his waist not even properly fastened, and snatched up the longbow by the door. When the freezing wind struck him head-on, he did not so much as blink.

"Don't panic!"

Wang Zhong's voice boomed like thunder, overpowering the wind and snow.

"Light the torches! Archers, get to the watchtower!"

Wang Zhong looked toward the northern slope, then heard movement coming from the eastern woods. His expression grew even grimmer.

Lu Chen had also been awakened by the bell. He dressed and rushed outside.

"Leader Wang, what's happening?"

Under the firelight, Wang Zhong's face was dark to the extreme.

"The snow wolves have surrounded us. They're at both the northern slope and the eastern woods."

Following his gaze, Lu Chen saw pairs of dim green eyes flickering deep within the snow curtain before quickly vanishing again.

They were like ghostly flames hidden in the wind and snow.

"Lu Chen, go support the east."

"I'll hold the northern slope."

As he spoke, he gave a special warning. "Be extremely careful. There may be Black Wind Stronghold men hiding among the snow wolves!"

"They may have been the ones who lured this wolf pack here!"

"Understood!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Chen stamped his foot and shot through the wind and snow toward the eastern side of the herb garden.

At that moment, the several garden guards stationed in the east had gone pale, gripping their spears and crossbows tightly.

"Guard Lu!"

When someone saw Lu Chen arrive, it was as if they had found their pillar of support.

Lu Chen did not waste words. His gaze passed over the wooden fence and settled deep within the snowy forest.

There, snow wolves crouched low, slowly advancing close to the ground.

They were larger than full-grown wild boars. Their gray-white fur was coated in snow, making them almost blend into the night. Only their eyes gave off a savage, hungry green gleam.

Low growls rolled from the wolves' throats.

Lu Chen stood guard at the fence opening. Wind and snow lashed his face, while the torchlight swayed, casting half his face into shifting light and shadow.

He stood as steady as an iron stake. Within him, his qi and blood flowed rapidly like a stream, Azure Dragon Force gathering in readiness.

He shouted to the martial artists beside him, "Guard my flanks! Don't let a single snow wolf charge into the herb garden!"

Hearing Lu Chen's voice, the several garden guards inexplicably felt their hearts settle.

"Yes!"

"Rest assured, Guard Lu!"

Besides medicinal herbs, the herb garden also held herb farmers who could not even truss a chicken. If the snow wolves broke in, chaos would surely follow.

Just then, the wolf pack moved.

Three snow wolves sprang out first.

They were incredibly fast, their gray-white fur skimming over the snow as they rushed forward with almost no sound. In the blink of an eye, they had reached the fence.

One of them suddenly leaped up, opening its blood-filled maw as it lunged straight at a young garden guard by the gate.

The guard felt a foul wind rush into his face, and his expression instantly turned deathly pale.

The spear in his hand slowed by half a beat from fright.

I'm finished!

The thought had barely arisen when a figure was already standing in front of him.

Lu Chen stepped forward.

The footwork of the Golden Ape Piercing-the-Forest Leg flashed across the snow. He moved sideways half a zhang, placing himself before the guard.

The instant the snow wolf pounced, he lowered his shoulder and back slightly, sweeping his left arm across to block.

Bang!

The snow wolf crashed into his arm.

Any other martial artist would likely have been sent flying on the spot. Yet Lu Chen's body merely swayed slightly. The Coiling Dragon Body naturally generated a spiral force that deflected the impact. It was as though the force had slammed into a whirlpool, weakened layer by layer through his shoulder, waist, and hips.

The martial artist behind him widened his eyes.

He had watched with his own eyes as the massive snow wolf rammed into Lu Chen, yet Lu Chen did not budge in the slightest—not even taking one step back.

Instead, the snow wolf seemed to have struck a great tree. Its body tilted aside, exposing the opening at its chest and belly.

The next moment, Lu Chen threw a right punch.

Azure Dragon Force surged through his arm.

His fist split through the wind and snow and smashed into the snow wolf's chest.

Bang!

A dull thud rang out.

It was not the sound of flesh being struck. It was more like a heavy hammer smashing into thick wood.

The vast, continuous force of an Azure Dragon instantly tore through flesh and poured into the snow wolf's body, shattering its breastbone.

The snow wolf let out a miserable howl. Its enormous body flew backward into the snow, rolled several times, then twitched weakly and never rose again.

"This..."

The garden guard who had watched it all happen felt his throat go dry.

Still clutching his spear, he stood there completely stunned.

"What a ferocious punch!"

The martial artist beside him also felt his scalp go numb.

This Guard Lu was far too fierce.

He had killed a full-grown snow wolf with one punch.

Yet Lu Chen did not relax in the slightest.

After the Azure Dragon Through-the-Arms Fist reached perfection, his qi and blood had produced a vast, continuous force like that of an Azure Dragon.

It was no exaggeration to say that with Azure Dragon Force augmenting his fists, Lu Chen could now punch through even raw iron.

One snow wolf had fallen to a punch, while the other two had already pounced to the gate.

He spun on his feet, his body coiling and turning like a dragon.

One punch swept toward the snow wolf on his left, striking its jaw.

Crack!

The sound of breaking bone rang out clearly.

The snow wolf's head jerked violently aside. Half its fangs were shattered by the force of the punch, and its body crashed diagonally into the snow.

Lu Chen turned with the momentum and launched another punch to the right.

Azure Dragon Emerges from the Abyss!

The force of his punch flowed through his waist and back, then surged out along his arm.

Bang!

The snow wolf on the right was struck head-on in the shoulder and neck. Its massive body flipped away like a torn sack, smashing heavily into the fence and sending wood chips flying everywhere.

The other martial artists nearby did not even have time to intervene.

"Good heavens!"

"You can do that?!"

Everyone was utterly stunned.

Lu Chen's performance was simply too ferocious.

And they were not the only ones shocked. The Black Wind Stronghold bandits hiding behind the snow wolf pack were also dumbfounded.

Within the snowy forest, a group of Black Wind Stronghold bandits clad in white fur coats lay concealed behind the snow wolves. They had originally been waiting for the pack to charge into the herb garden and create chaos, so they could seize the chance to rush in, slaughter everyone, and take this herb garden they had coveted for so long in one stroke.

But when they saw Lu Chen dispatch three snow wolves with three punches and two kicks, all their expressions changed.

"Who the hell is that kid?"

"Damn it, since when did Wang Firm have such a savage fighter? He killed three snow wolves bare-handed?"