Seeking Aid

At the edge of the Great Wilderness, shrubs grew thick.

Wild wolves howled from time to time.

Feng Yuqi and Tie Song hurried through the forest.

As darkness fell, the howls of wolves grew ever more numerous.

The two hid in an earthen burrow, blocking the entrance with stones and weeds, leaving only a small gap for air.

Yuqi had been smarter than children her age since childhood.

Because she was lively and delicate-looking, she had been chosen as a sacrifice for the Water God.

On the day of the ritual, she and three other children had been tied to a bamboo raft.

Unlike the other children, she had not cried or struggled. She had merely closed her eyes quietly and waited for death to come.

Because she had understood from an early age that children of the Great Wilderness rarely grew up.

Born with nothing, why should they fear death?

No matter how unwilling or resentful they were, they could not change reality in the end.

"If I could start over, I want to go outside and take a look."

That had been her final wish.

Among the watching crowd was a boy about her age. He was a guest of the tribe.

Unlike the other numb-faced people, the boy's face was filled with rage.

Strange. We don't know him. Why is he angry?

The bamboo raft entered the river and gradually drifted away.

The boy's figure grew increasingly blurred.

She silently closed her eyes as well, waiting for death.

The bamboo raft suddenly flew into the air, and the four children fell onto it.

It seemed the Water God had come to eat them.

Yet for some reason, there seemed to be the presence of two living people beside her. She opened her eyes and saw the boy from before untying the other children's ropes.

The boy looked at her too and flashed a brilliant smile.

She had not understood what the boy said, but she knew that her fate had changed from that moment onward.

When that great golden net spread open, she had been utterly captivated. How had she never thought of weaving ropes into a net before?

The great net captured the Water God, and she was taken away by the boy as well.

"Since your tribe has abandoned you, from now on, you are members of our Wind-Fire Tribe."

As the boy spoke, he used gestures to convey his meaning.

This time, she finally understood him.

She became a member of the boy's group.

The boy was named Feng Xu. Every day, he taught them strange symbols that were supposedly called words and could describe every truth in the world.

She felt that perhaps if she learned every character, she would understand the boy's marvelous ideas.

Of all the children, she studied the hardest and learned the fastest.

Three nights ago, Feng Xu had gathered everyone for a meeting.

"Now, wolves surround us on all sides. We have the strength to fight, but many of us will die. I don't want to die, and I don't want any of you to die either. But if we want to reduce our losses, someone must take a risk."

"Just tell me what it is. I'll do my best to complete it."

Feng Xi puffed out his chest, utterly fearless.

"You can't go. During the last battle, you made the wolf pack suffer badly. They'll definitely be watching you. If you stay out of sight for too long, they'll become wary."

Feng Xu shook his head.

"We need to send someone to nearby tribes for aid. The fewer people we send, the less likely we are to be discovered. If we can bring back reinforcements and attack from both sides, we can definitely deal the wolf pack a crushing blow."

"Only us warriors know the roads around here. Who is willing to go?"

Feng Xi swept his gaze around. Although everyone supported Feng Sui, Feng Sui himself was not here, so Feng Xi might not be able to command these warriors.

The warriors looked at one another, but no one spoke.

"I'm willing."

The girl raised her hand decisively. She wanted to do something for the boy.

"Don't be ridiculous. This is far too dangerous. Children can't take part, and besides, you don't even know the way."

Feng Xu cut her off.

"I'm naturally more sensitive to scents. I can detect danger early and escape."

The girl persisted.

"Then tell me how many wolves are hiding outside and watching us right now."

"Six."

The girl's expression remained calm.

Feng Xu was slightly surprised and looked toward Feng Xi.

Sensing Feng Xu's gaze, Feng Xi gave a slight nod.

"A bunch of grown men, and you're not even as brave as a little girl. You've completely disgraced our tribe."

Feng Xu spoke sarcastically, yet still did not agree to let the girl go.

The men erupted. They could accept being called stupid, but being called cowards was more than they could bear.

They all rose to their feet and rushed to take the assignment.

The savages of the Great Wilderness truly were simple and honest.

In the end, Feng Xu chose Tie Song, who looked more careful and attentive.

The girl raised her hand again, indicating that she wanted to join the mission.

The men around her could not help snickering.

This little girl was truly stubborn.

"Why do you insist on going?"

Feng Xu asked with a wry smile.

"Because I want to help you."

The girl answered frankly, without the slightest embarrassment.

Feng Xu paused slightly, then pressed on.

"Then why do you want to help me?"

"Because you saved me."

Feng Xu dismissed the others, leaving only the girl and Tie Song behind.

"This journey is dangerous. You may encounter the wolf pack. Are you sure you want to go?"

"I'm sure."

Feng Xu looked at the resolve in the girl's eyes, then turned to Tie Song.

"She wants to go with you. Do you have any objections?"

"No."

Tie Song answered after giving it some thought.

During this time, he had also been observing the surroundings. The girl's answer was more or less the same as his own assessment. Bringing her along might prove useful.

The children of the Great Wilderness were not to be underestimated. Even though this girl had not entered the Innate Realm, she still possessed several hundred jin of strength.

"All right. You two must be careful on this journey. Even if the mission fails, that's fine. You must return alive."

Feng Xu instructed them on the details of seeking aid, repeatedly emphasizing specific wording and the distribution of benefits after the battle.

For this request for aid, it was enough as long as they brought someone back. They could agree to any conditions the other side demanded.

They had to resolve the current crisis first.

Of course, they could not agree too easily either. Otherwise, if the other side thought they would not honor their promises, it would be troublesome if they refused to help.

"You don't have a name yet, do you? I originally planned to grant you names once you had grown up, but since you've accepted this mission, I'll give you one in advance."

Feng Xu took out a piece of charcoal and wrote three characters on the stone wall.

"Now that you are a member of the Wind-Fire Tribe, your surname will be Feng. You've learned characters the fastest during this time, so I'll give you one more character. From now on, you will be Feng Yuqi. I hope you can find the feeling of home in the Wind-Fire Tribe."

"Feng Yuqi."

The girl looked at the characters on the stone wall and etched them deeply into her heart.

Feng Xu gestured for Yuqi to sit down.

He took out an eagle feather, simply fashioned it into a hairpin, and helped the girl arrange her hair.

Her formerly disheveled long hair became neat, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

Nights in the Great Wilderness were fraught with danger.

Footsteps and the sounds of beasts breathing came from the surroundings from time to time.

The two hiding in the earthen burrow did not dare rest, staring warily at the entrance.

Yuqi suddenly nudged Tie Song with her elbow, then covered her own mouth and nose.

Tie Song did the same. Over the past few days, he had come to deeply appreciate Yuqi's special talent.

Before long, footsteps sounded outside the burrow, followed by the noises of wild wolves sniffing around the pile of stones at the entrance.

Only after quite some time did they leave.

The two secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But the relief did not last. Yuqi sensed that the number of presences outside the entrance was beginning to increase.

Even Tie Song gradually sensed that something was wrong.

The wolf from before had already discovered them. It was merely waiting for its companions!

Realizing the situation, Tie Song pushed aside the stones and rushed out of the burrow.

Seven or eight wolves were already staring at the two of them.

Tie Song picked up a stone and hurled it at the wolves, then grabbed Yuqi and ran.

The wolf pack gave chase behind them.

As dawn gradually broke, the wolf pack behind them grew ever larger.

Tie Song's speed gradually slowed.

He leaped onto a giant tree, snapped off a thick branch, and warily watched the wolves below.

The wolves surrounded the giant tree but did not attack rashly.

After a while, a colossal wolf seventy zhang long emerged. It was the wolf king of the Earth Immortal Realm.