Xiuwolf Flies into a Rage

Westeros had fully entered autumn.

The Moon Mountains looked equally desolate.

As branches rustled in the waves of wind, the group climbed a steep slope and found that the mountain path ahead had suddenly narrowed.

They practically had to use both hands and feet to keep climbing.

"Jon, put these on." Xiuwolf took out several pairs of specially made wooden climbing shoes.

These wooden shoes resembled "high heels," except their heels were made from specially shaped wooden strips.

Standing on level ground would make one lean forward, but wearing them while climbing would provide relative stability.

Jon looked at Sola beside him and asked:

"Miss Sola, did you bring wooden shoes like these?"

"Yes, I did!" Sola patted her basket. Seeing Jon's concern for her, delight overflowed across her face.

Jon then looked at Haken. It was obvious that he had rushed out in a hurry and had not brought any extra wooden shoes.

"Haken, wear mine."

"Huh? No need."

Haken had not expected his "love rival," Jon, to be so self-sacrificing. But when he thought of Sola's attitude toward Jon, he coldly refused again.

"Miss Sola, please give them to him for me."

"But what will you do?"

"Me?"

Jon looked around, tore off some vines, tied them around his heels, and smiled.

"This will do."

Sola took Jon's wooden shoes, turned to Haken, and said, "Here."

Looking at the wooden shoes handed over by the girl he loved, Haken did not know whether he should accept them.

On one hand, they had come from his "love rival." On the other, Sola herself was giving them to him.

In the end, urged on by Sola, he decided to accept them.

Xiuwolf, watching from the side, only felt superfluous.

All he wanted now was to hurry up the mountain.

"My lord, let's get moving. The path will become slippery at night otherwise."

"Mm."

Jon nodded. It seemed they would not finish climbing this mountain in a single day.

After distributing the equipment, the group began climbing.

Xiuwolf had men walk at the front, while those carrying luggage followed at the rear, neatly hemming Jon and the others in.

They could only continue climbing by stepping almost exactly where the person ahead had stepped.

Jon secretly activated Gods' Eye and saw that they resembled a string of cicadas crawling along a tree trunk.

At the same time, Jon noticed that all the men Xiuwolf had brought were wearing leather armor!

As for why they wore leather armor while mountain climbing, they were most likely here for him.

By afternoon, although everyone still had strength left, they had reached a relatively level stretch of ground.

If they continued ahead, things would become uncertain.

So the group chose to camp there.

If they pushed themselves a little harder tomorrow, they should be able to reach that exposed rock wall.

Xiuwolf took the opportunity to approach Jon again and discuss the rest of the journey.

"Jon, we brought ropes for you. We'll have to rely on you then. If you can find a way to climb over that cliff, please lower the rope so we can set up a rope ladder."

"Elder Xiuwolf, you came well prepared. It seems you're also very interested in where the Fire Witches live?"

Seeing that Jon had nearly exposed his true intentions, Xiuwolf did not deny it.

"I'm already over forty. How many more years can I live? If I can climb up and have a look, that would naturally be for the best."

Jon smiled but said nothing.

At that moment, Sola suddenly came to Jon's side and spoke.

"Jon, I brought you a blanket. It might be rather cold tonight..."

Though Sola was a bold tribal girl, she could not help feeling shy when it came to such matters. Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke.

"Thank you, but Miss Sola, you should use it yourself. I grew up in the North, so I'm used to it."

Jon noticed Haken glaring at him with green eyes from the side and politely declined.

It was not that Jon feared Haken. Mainly, he was already seventy percent certain that Xiuwolf meant him harm.

He did not want to push Haken to the other side because of Sola.

"Then we can sleep next to each other, next to each other, and then, then we'll both be warm."

"Alright, alright, stop talking. Someone's about to explode."

"No need. I'll sleep next to Old York."

After the "sleeping incident," everyone was finally able to rest.

But no one slept well that night.

After all, the place where they were staying did not allow much room to turn over.

One careless move, and they could roll right off.

So people also stood watch through the night.

The long night finally gave way to dawn. Once the dampness had dispersed, the group set off once more.

Around noon, they arrived at the treacherous rock wall.

Only a few tiny protruding stones dotted the grayish-white cliff face.

The cracks in the rock were also filled with dirt, and some had weeds growing from them, making them inconvenient to use as footholds.

As far as the eye could see, only a single pine tree grew atop the cliff.

To loop a rope around it would require an extremely tricky angle.

And throwing a rope dozens of meters upward by human strength alone was nearly impossible.

"Even Bran couldn't climb that."

A rather dark thought suddenly flashed through Jon's mind.

"Jon, this is the place. As long as you climb up, not only will you gain an alliance with the other tribes, but these old bones of mine will also get the chance to see the scenery atop Hidden Fire Peak."

But Old York beside him suddenly spoke up to dissuade him.

"My lord, this is harder to climb than a city wall! One slip and you'll fall to your death. Why don't we just leave?

I think defeating Lannister would be much easier than climbing up there."

At that moment, Sola also tried to persuade him. When she saw such a perilous cliff, she too began to retreat.

Sola was still young, and this was also the first time she had climbed so high.

"Yes, Jon, why don't we go back? I'm willing to go fight that Lannister with you."

Listening to everyone's dissuasion, Jon revealed a troubled expression, looking "undecided."

"Jon, we've come this far. I believe this is no problem with your skills!" Someone from Xiuwolf's group suddenly jeered. It was his son.

"This..."

Jon pondered as he secretly observed Xiuwolf's reaction.

In fact, Old York's attempt to dissuade him had also been part of his plan.

Jon wanted to see whether Xiuwolf would make a move against him if he refused to climb.

"If you're scared, forget it. Unless someone grows wings, I don't think anyone can get up there," Haken said from the side.

Perhaps because Jon had given Haken the wooden climbing shoes yesterday, or because he had refused Sola's suggestion that they sleep next to each other, Haken, though proud, also believed Jon should not force himself.

Of course, he had also considered that if Jon really climbed up, he and Sola would have even less of a chance.

At last, Jon made up his mind. He turned to Xiuwolf and said:

"Elder Xiuwolf, thank you for your help along the way. I've decided not to continue climbing.

Later, I'll use more weapons and food to recruit people. If those tribal warriors truly refuse to come with me, then so be it."

Yet the moment his words fell, Xiuwolf could no longer wait to bare his fangs.

The men he had brought drew their bronze daggers one after another.

More than a dozen men surrounded Jon and his companions.

"Outsider, today, you'll climb whether you want to or not!"