Fire Wolf (Four-Thousand-Word Long Chapter)

(Preface: I'm very sorry there weren't two updates in a row yesterday. From now on, the author will never say how many updates there'll be in a day again. Go T... This author is still too lazy.)

The autumn sun was always so vicious, even in Green Mountain Town, which had its back to the Monster Beast Mountain Range.

At noon, the exit on the side near the Monster Beast Mountain Range was not as noisy as it was in the early morning. Only a scant few stalls were still set up there, their signs saying they were recruiting mercenaries.

And just then, a mercenary team happened to be walking over from the distance.

Mercenaries guarded both sides, while in the middle were physicians wearing Myriad Medicine Pavilion attire.

Such a large team quickly drew the attention of the people at the town exit. Especially when they saw that woman in white, elegant as a flower fairy, they could not help revealing a measure of reverence and admiration.

Xiao Yi Xian's reputation did not come only from her lotus-like beauty, as fresh as one rising from the water, but even more from her kindness and powerful medical skills.

When they reached the town gate, the huge team finally stopped. A dozen or so people from Myriad Medicine Pavilion walked out and stood behind Xiao Yi Xian.

"Thank you all for escorting us along the way. In a moment, the people from Myriad Medicine Pavilion will pay everyone's commission." Xiao Yi Xian gave a slight bow to the many mercenaries, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"Haha, being able to escort Xiao Yi Xian is our honor."

That sentence also drew agreement from those burly mercenaries, and they all burst into laughter, saying a few polite words.

At this moment, Xiao Yi Xian stepped forward a few paces and walked up to several mercenaries from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

The four mercenaries from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group were carrying a simple stretcher made from wooden poles and strips of cloth. Lying on the stretcher was a pale-faced young man.

The young man's face was pale with a faint tinge of blue, as if he had been starved for several days, without the slightest trace of blood in it. When he saw Xiao Yi Xian walking over, a flash of venomous resentment immediately surged in his eyes.

"Hehe, thank you for escorting us all the way, Outer Leader Mu Li." Xiao Yi Xian bent down. On her originally gentle and graceful face, a hint of coldness appeared.

Mu Li's mouth kept opening and closing, as if he wanted to say something, but the burning pain in his throat prevented him from uttering even half a word. He could only keep blinking, expressing the fury in his heart.

Xiao Yi Xian lowered herself and leaned close to Mu Li's ear, whispering, "You really are tough to kill! You were stabbed and still didn't die. If Qingyun knew, he'd definitely regret not adding another thrust."

Looking at Mu Li desperately blinking and struggling, and at the hatred revealed in his eyes, Xiao Yi Xian showed a smile like a lotus in full bloom. "I know you hate me very much, but I had no choice. I've never killed anyone, so I could only make you unable to speak. That way, you can't threaten me, and you can't threaten Qingyun either. Actually, it would be good for you to lie in bed like this for the rest of your life."

After saying this, Xiao Yi Xian finally straightened up and returned to Myriad Medicine Pavilion's herb-gathering team.

As Xiao Yi Xian and the others left, the large mercenary group, after receiving their gold coins, also scattered and left, or hooked arms in pairs to go find a tavern.

The dozen or so remaining mercenaries of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group carried Mu Li toward the southern side of Green Mountain Town.

Green Mountain Town was not very large. Walking from the east side to the south side took no more than half a quarter of an hour.

The gate stood open, and several mercenaries were pacing back and forth at the entrance. Seeing that he was about to return to the Wolf Head Mercenary Group and could vent the hatred in his heart, Mu Li was so excited he nearly fell from the stretcher.

"Young Group Leader, you're finally back!"

"Young Group Leader, you..."

Before Mu Li's group could even get close, the few mercenaries who had originally been standing at the entrance rushed straight over.

A short mercenary who looked like the leader spoke, his face as miserable as if he were about to cry.

Only when he saw the stretcher did he instantly freeze.

The short mercenary raised his head and stood on tiptoe to look at Mu Li on the stretcher, then tilted his head up to look at one of the mercenaries carrying it and asked, "What happened to Young Group Leader?"

The mercenary glanced at Mu Li, then sighed and said, "We encountered a powerful magical beast. In order to save the brothers, Young Group Leader took a blow and suffered serious injuries!"

After saying this, the mercenary glanced at Mu Li again. Seeing that the latter had no reaction, he finally let out a breath of relief.

"It's over. It's all over. Wolf Head... the Mercenary Group is truly finished!" The short mercenary's face was dejected as he kept muttering.

"Guo Jingming, what's wrong with you? What are you saying?" The mercenary's face turned stern, and he barked at him directly.

"The Group Leader is dead. Second Leader and the Third Leader are dead too. Apart from us few, all the other brothers are dead as well." The short mercenary muttered to himself with a desolate expression, his body swaying uncontrollably.

Wuwuwu...

These words fell into Mu Li's ears, and wuwuwu sounds continuously came from his mouth. His eyes, filled with hatred, were so red they almost seemed about to spit fire.

If looks could kill, perhaps everyone would already be dead, right?

Standing on tiptoe as he looked at Mu Li's miserable state, a trace of pain appeared on Guo Jingming's face. Only then did he sigh and say, "Forget it, forget it. The Wolf Head Mercenary Group is truly finished."

However, before he could move his feet, he heard a thud. Mu Li struggled and fell from the stretcher, landing on the ground. He bit through his own finger and, using blood as ink, heavily wrote on the Blue Stone Slab-paved ground: None of you are allowed to leave. The Wolf Head Mercenary Group is not finished yet.

"I want revenge!"

"Young Group Leader, do you really think you're still the same Young Group Leader as before? The Group Leader is dead. The one capable of killing the Group Leader must be a Dou Shi. What do we have to take revenge with?" Guo Jingming sneered.

Mu Li was silent for a long while. A resolute look appeared in his eyes, and at last he heavily wrote on the ground: Revenge will not take long. They all have to die.

In the fresh forest air, Lin Qingyun lay prone in a patch of grass. The withered leaves on his body camouflaged him completely. He worked hard to suppress his breathing to the lowest point, his aura fully withdrawn as well. His body was like a boulder, not moving at all, while his gaze pierced through the grass and fixed tightly on the two magical beasts wrestling together directly opposite him.

Today was the third day since he had officially entered the Monster Beast Mountain Range after meeting Xiao Yan. During the first two days, they had kept advancing toward the interior of the Monster Beast Mountain Range. Judging by their speed, their current location should already count as the middle region of the Monster Beast Mountain Range.

In those first two days, Lin Qingyun and Xiao Yan had each encountered no fewer than ten magical beast attacks. Fortunately, the two of them had gone their separate ways. Otherwise, if they had walked together, such a target would have been too large and would have easily attracted high-rank magical beasts.

Although he often encountered magical beast attacks, with Lin Qingyun's strength, he dealt with them easily. It was just that every time they met up, he could see Xiao Yan looking dusty and disheveled.

However, after experiencing several battles, both of them now carried a bit more of a true bloody air. They finally looked a little wild.

Now, on this third day, they had separated again in the morning, but Lin Qingyun's luck was not that good.

The two magical beasts before him were both huge, each two or three zhang in size. Their entire bodies were shrouded in a powerful aura. Clearly, both of these magical beasts were at the second-rank level.

Second-rank demonic beasts were comparable to Dou Shi in the human realm, but they were even harder to deal with than Dou Shi. Their hides were tough and their flesh thick, so ordinary attacks were already difficult to make effective. This was especially true when facing agile magical beasts like Fire Wolves and Earth Tigers. For a Dou Shi, they were even more troublesome. Once an attack was dodged, what came next, barring any surprise, was being toyed with by the magical beast.

However, as the saying went, when the snipe and clam fought, the fisherman benefited. Lin Qingyun, who understood this principle well, had set up an ambush early.

If one asked why he did not charge up and start fighting directly?

Fight?

Impossible!

What I want is stability!

The two second-rank demonic beasts made a huge commotion as they wrestled. From time to time, earth was sent flying, trees were broken, and waves of air were raised, directly sweeping the surrounding shrubs, grass, dead branches, and fallen leaves into the air.

Fortunately, Lin Qingyun used Dou Qi to protect the camouflage around his body tightly, and only then did he reveal not even the slightest flaw.

Bang!

The Fire Wolf suffered a heavy blow. Its massive body broke a tree before it finally stopped. Its large belly seemed to affect the Fire Wolf's movements, making it look extremely strained as it panted heavily.

Seeing that the outcome was nearly decided, Lin Qingyun also secretly circulated his Dou Qi.

But just as he raised his Dou Qi, he quickly relaxed it again. Lin Qingyun noticed the extremely human cunning in the Fire Wolf's pair of crimson eyes.

The Earth Tiger stepped over slowly with catlike steps. Even though its entire body was covered in wounds, and there were many scorched places, it did not affect its arrogance in the slightest.

From a zhang away, it circled the Fire Wolf once. Only after confirming that the prey before it truly no longer had the strength to resist did the Earth Tiger slowly approach.

Just as it was about to open its bloody maw, it suddenly saw the Fire Wolf, which had already seemed to have given up resisting, leap up violently, open its bloody mouth, and bite down hard on the Earth Tiger's neck. Then, with a forceful tear, it instantly ripped off a large chunk of flesh and blood.

After suffering such a heavy injury, the Earth Tiger retreated several steps in a row, wails continuously coming from its tiger mouth.

Lin Qingyun's body bent slightly. The instant the Earth Tiger was attacked, he also reacted quickly. His entire body was like an arrow set on a bowstring as he shot out from the grass like lightning. Immediately, withered leaves scattered across the sky, then slowly drifted down.

His body passed through the falling dead leaves. Lin Qingyun's figure swept to the Earth Tiger's side, the long spear in his hand carrying fierce force as it stabbed heavily through the Earth Tiger's neck.

After this strike, Lin Qingyun abandoned the spear and instead gathered strength into a punch, smashing it heavily into the Earth Tiger's waist.

"Sky-Breaking Strike!"

The low shout in his heart had just fallen when the enormous force had already pierced through the Earth Tiger's soft abdomen. The huge impact made that massive body scrape fiercely across the ground for four or five zhang before it finally crashed into a tree trunk. Its four legs twitched for a while, and at last, unwillingly, it went limp.

His foot stamped heavily on the ground, and Lin Qingyun let out a long breath. Lying prone for a long time had left his hands and feet a little numb. He twisted his head, quickly stepped forward, pulled out the long spear, then took out a dagger and pried open the Earth Tiger's skull. Immediately, a small earth-yellow crystal appeared before his eyes.

"Not bad. There's actually a magic core!"

He took out a pouch of clean water and washed the bloodstains from his hands. Feeling the powerful energy within the magic core, a trace of a smile appeared on Lin Qingyun's face.

A second-rank magic core. This was the first one these past few days.

After taking out the magic core, he also cut off enough meat to use for half a month. Only then did Lin Qingyun walk toward the Fire Wolf that had collapsed on the ground.

The Fire Wolf still held the piece of flesh it had torn from the Earth Tiger in its mouth. Its slightly rising and falling chest also proved that this Fire Wolf was still alive.

He glanced at the Fire Wolf's slightly bulging belly. This was a Fire Wolf already pregnant with wolf pups.

With a sigh, Lin Qingyun closed his eyes and silently muttered in his heart, What a sin. Then he raised his spear and was about to stab down.

Wuwuwu...

The Fire Wolf's mournful cry entered Lin Qingyun's ears. Lin Qingyun lowered his raised hand, sighed, and put away the iron spear.

"Forget it, forget it. Who told me I'm kindhearted and can't bully the weak?" Lin Qingyun comforted himself inwardly.

He glanced at the Fire Wolf's condition. Its body was covered in wounds, the largest one on its back, where the bone inside the flesh could almost be seen.

With a sigh, Lin Qingyun took out some jade bottles. Inside them were wound-healing medicines used to treat external injuries.

He opened the bottle seals and sprinkled all the red and green medicinal liquids onto the Fire Wolf's wounds. He pulled the large chunk of flesh from the Fire Wolf's mouth, then stuffed a few pills into the wolf's mouth.

Somewhat tired, Lin Qingyun let out a long breath and sat down cross-legged beside the Fire Wolf. He slowly closed his eyes and began recovering the Dou Qi consumed within his body.

The sun gradually moved, and very soon it was noon.

Lin Qingyun, who had lost track of time, was suddenly awakened by a loud shout.

His heart trembled violently. The moment he thought of how this place was in the middle region of the Monster Beast Mountain Range, cold sweat broke out across Lin Qingyun's back. He cursed his own carelessness inwardly, and at the same time looked toward the direction the voice had come from.

A black-robed youth was facing off against a Fire Wolf.

The youth was extremely cautious. He held the Great Black Ruler and did not make a move.

The Fire Wolf was the same. Only the red fur on its body stood on end as it let out low growls, seeming to warn the newcomer not to come closer.

Seeing this scene, Lin Qingyun felt somewhat surprised amid his curiosity, but he quickly understood.

Walking over quickly, Lin Qingyun gave a light cough and said, "Xiao Yanzi, why did you come here?"

"Brother Yun, careful! That's a second-rank magical beast."

But what greeted him was Xiao Yan's nervous shout.

Lin Qingyun smiled faintly and suddenly reached out, patting the Fire Wolf's body hard.

Xiao Yan's expression instantly tightened, and he abruptly took a step forward.

But...

"Relax, it's fine." Lin Qingyun waved his hand. The Fire Wolf also wagged its tail and lowered its head, sticking out its tongue as if about to lick him.

"Don't!" He turned and scolded, retreating a step with a bit of a cleanliness obsession.

Xiao Yan placed the Great Black Ruler in his hand back behind him, quickly walked up, and examined Lin Qingyun with a somewhat amazed gaze.

"Brother Yun, you subdued this magical beast?"

"Hehe, guess!" Lin Qingyun smiled faintly and sized up the Fire Wolf.

He could not really say either way. It probably did not count as subduing it! This was because he had saved the Fire Wolf, and the Fire Wolf, in gratitude, had guarded him for an entire morning by his side.

Speaking of which, sometimes magical beasts often understood gratitude better than humans. If it were a person he had saved, that person might even turn around and bite him back. Heh, humans.

Gathering away these thoughts, Lin Qingyun turned to Xiao Yan and said, "Xiao Yanzi, how did you find this place?"

"Hehe, I've already found a place suitable for a long stay." Xiao Yan smiled faintly.

"Really? That's great! Finally, we don't have to keep living this life of wind, meals, and open-air sleeping!" Lin Qingyun also looked delighted. He had grown used to comfort in the Xiao Family, and suddenly having to survive in the wilderness was a little hard for Lin Qingyun to bear. It was not that he could not endure this hardship, only that sleeping at night without a place to shelter from the wind and rain was truly a little uncomfortable.

"Follow me!" Xiao Yan said, already striding swiftly forward.

Lin Qingyun quickly ran after him. Behind him, that Fire Wolf seemed to hesitate for a moment before also closely following.

After rushing for about half a quarter of an hour and passing through layer upon layer of dense trees, Lin Qingyun finally heard the sound of water.

And when Xiao Yan stopped, the view before him suddenly opened up. The rumbling sound of the waterfall filled his face with wild joy.

After drilling past the obstruction of the final giant tree, Lin Qingyun looked at the scene that appeared before him and could not help taking a deep breath.

Within Lin Qingyun's sight, a huge waterfall, like a silver bolt of silk, smashed furiously down from the high mountain peak. The water crashed onto giant rocks, and mist filled the sky. On both sides of the waterfall were somewhat steep mountain walls, and in the mountain walls were naturally formed caves one after another, making Lin Qingyun overjoyed.

As long as some stones were piled at the entrances of these caves, magical beasts could be kept outside. He would no longer have to worry that when he woke up, he would discover a vicious giant python coiled beside him.

"Xiao Yanzi, nicely done. Worthy of praise!" Patting Xiao Yan on the shoulder, Lin Qingyun spread his arms and deeply breathed in the mist-filled air. A comfort he had never felt before made his entire body relax.

This chapter is 4,672 words, so consider it making up for the promise I failed to complete yesterday!

At the same time, many thanks to reader: Wuwu Wu Why Is It So Hard to Choose a Name, for the 100 Qidian coin tip. Truly, thank you very much.

Let me also talk about the most common comment on this book lately, which is the comment from Chapter Nine. Quite a few people typed that it was bootlicking?

This author doesn't know whether the readers who said bootlicking randomly commented without reading the book, or whether they misunderstood?

This author only wants to say, please properly look at the context. The reason the protagonist acted to help was, first, because the system had not triggered a check-in reward for a long time, so he had no choice but to get involved. (Of course, there was also the reason that this author was padding the plot.) Second, as Xiao Yan's best friend, standing up at this time was probably also understandable! Could it be that when a friend is in trouble, you can't help?

If after analyzing it like this, you still say it's bootlicking, then this author really has nothing to say.