Reuniting with the Windwhistle Wolf King

In a small town outside Sunset Forest, three people of extraordinary bearing arrived at a leisurely pace.

The man in front was an old man with slightly graying hair and black clothes. His presence was formidable.

Behind him followed two young men. The older wore light gray and carried an air much like the old man's, though there was something different about it.

Broadly speaking, both had the bearing of men accustomed to command.

The younger wore dark red and had long red hair.

His presence was not as powerful as the other two's, but no ordinary family could have raised someone like him.

The three were Jiang Tian, Jiang Mingyang, and Ma Hongjun.

A group like theirs was common in the town. Usually, a family's junior had made a breakthrough, and his elders had brought him to hunt for a Soul Ring.

The difference was that Jiang Mingyang and his companions had an exceptionally powerful presence. One glance marked them as top-tier nobles.

Generally, an ordinary Soul Ancestor already counted as a minor noble, but even the most formidable Soul Ancestor lacked their striking bearing.

Everyone who encountered the three in town hurried out of their way.

Jiang Mingyang found nothing strange about it. It was only natural.

It was like an ordinary person seeing a luxury car. Their first instinct would be to get out of its way.

After all, in a world of extraordinary power, the strong ruled.

Wasn't the point of all those years of hard cultivation to rise above the crowd, so he would not have to step aside for others in moments like this?

Jiang Mingyang knew perfectly well that equality for all was impossible in a world of extraordinary power. That was a basic truth.

When he decided to overthrow the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire and establish a new dynasty,

Jiang Mingyang had understood that the empire he wanted to build would let those at the bottom solve the problem of putting food on the table. It would not be an empire where everyone was equal.

The new empire could only ensure that people had enough to eat.

For everything beyond that, they would have to strive for it themselves.

Ultimately, wherever there were people, there would inevitably be differences in status.

With Jiang Mingyang leading the way, the three entered a hotel.

Seeing their exceptional bearing, the hotel manager hurried over to receive them personally. Rooms, food, entertainment—he arranged everything in one smooth rush.

In fact, Jiang Mingyang and his companions had arrived at the hotel later than other guests.

At least, he had seen the people at the next table arrive before them, yet his party's food came out first.

Jiang Mingyang fell silent. Maybe their dishes take longer to make.

Then he smiled. Their dishes were no harder to make than his party's.

That was how the world worked. It was painfully practical, but for that very reason, it could also kindle the will to fight.

Jiang Tian had come to Sunset Forest mainly to help Jiang Mingyang hunt the Saint Grass Dragon, which was suspected to be fifty or sixty thousand years old.

As for Ma Hongjun, he had broken through to level forty, so they would hunt a Soul Beast for him while they were there.

The Core Area of Sunset Forest.

A wolf king some five meters long patrolled its territory. A light breeze brushed past wherever it walked. It looked imposing, yet its steps were soft.

This was the highly intelligent Windwhistle Wolf King, whom Jiang Mingyang had met and helped once before.

From afar, the Windwhistle Wolf King seemed to carry the wind with every stride. It held its head high, with four Windwhistle Wolves about three meters long following behind—its four capable subordinates.

With them as a backdrop, the Windwhistle Wolf King looked every inch a success. A successful man... wolf.

Windwhistle Wolves had always lived in packs. When Jiang Mingyang first encountered them, the pack could only scrape by in the Core Area of Sunset Forest, bowing and scraping to survive.

Now, after three years... no, four or five years, the Windwhistle Wolf pack was no longer what it had been.

Back then, the Windwhistle Wolf Tribe had lacked any ten-thousand-year Windwhistle Wolves.

So when they faced other species in the Core Area, they had no ten-thousand-year wolf to stand against those species' ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts.

As a result, the Windwhistle Wolf Tribe had always been at a disadvantage in the struggle for resources.

The tribe endured in silence until the current Windwhistle Wolf King broke through the ten-thousand-year mark.

Their patience had finally paid off.

Under the Windwhistle Wolf King's diligent leadership, the tribe had recovered its former glory. Its territory had expanded considerably, and its members were no longer hunted down at will.

Suddenly, as the reigning Windwhistle Wolf King patrolled its territory, determined to become a great wolf king, it narrowed its eyes.

It sensed a human Soul Master somewhere ahead.

The Windwhistle Wolf King was clever. It knew that any Soul Master bold enough to venture this deep was a top expert among humans.

Over the years, the Windwhistle Wolf King had seen quite a few humans enter the forest.

The Soul Masters it had encountered had been higher in rank than the child it met back then.

But when it came to actual strength, the Windwhistle Wolf King reckoned that not one of them could put up a fight.

So it felt no fear when it sensed a human nearby.

It quietly signaled its trusted subordinates to prepare an ambush.

Closer and closer... The Windwhistle Wolf King slapped a paw against the ground, and the four wolves beside it leaped out to surround the intruder.

The Windwhistle Wolf King emerged at an unhurried pace, radiating authority.

After only a few steps, it saw who was coming. Its eyes bulged like bells. Holy sh*t... Three people.

The moment it saw there were three of them, the Windwhistle Wolf King knew it was done for.

It considered itself good at running away.

But against people who could probably sweep through Sunset Forest, even that would not help.

Two of them were experts whose auras it could not even sense. What were experts of that caliber doing in tiny Sunset Forest?

It was terrifying!

At least plenty of other ten-thousand-year experts would surely die this time. It would not be lonely...

Jiang Mingyang was also a little surprised when he saw the Windwhistle Wolf King.

Before heading this way, he had sensed a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast and four five-thousand-year Soul Beasts here.

So he had come to see whether any of them would suit Ma Hongjun.

But instead...

As Jiang Mingyang recognized the Windwhistle Wolf King, it recognized him too.

The Windwhistle Wolf King was overjoyed. "Lord, do you still remember me?"

"Roar..." (Little brother, little brother... It's me... your Eldest Brother... Do you still remember me?)

Then the Windwhistle Wolf King hurriedly signaled its four underlings. "...Roar." (Run! If I don't make it, remember to restore the Windwhistle Wolf Tribe!)

A rustle came from the brush, and the auras of the four five-thousand-year Windwhistle Wolves vanished.

Jiang Mingyang patted Jiang Tian and Ma Hongjun on the shoulders, signaling them not to attack for now.

He spoke slowly to the Windwhistle Wolf King. "Roar." (One of my brothers needs a Soul Beast around four or five thousand years old,

preferably one with the fire attribute or phoenix blood. Do you know of any?)

The Windwhistle Wolf King was delighted. "Roar... Roar." (Yes... yes. Sunset Forest is vast and rich, with all kinds of Soul Beasts.

There probably aren't any with phoenix blood, but there are plenty with the fire attribute.

The Flamebird Tribe next to our territory has several that are four or five thousand years old. They'd be perfect for your friend.)

Jiang Mingyang narrowed his eyes. Well, well. This Windwhistle Wolf King is pretty clever. "Roar." (Lead the way.)

The Windwhistle Wolf King hurriedly became a gust of wind and led Jiang Mingyang and the others racing onward.

The Grand Ancestor entered Sunset Forest and first encountered the Heavenly Wolf God, whom he defeated.

He asked the Heavenly Wolf God: "Will you become my mount?"

The Heavenly Wolf God would rather die than submit. "My ambition will not allow me to be a slave."

The Grand Ancestor respected his ambition and spared him.

Later, he encountered the Heavenly Wolf God again. "I now possess power beyond compare. Will you become my mount?"

The Heavenly Wolf God replied, "I still have my tribe. I will not."

The Grand Ancestor respected his love for his people and spared him again.

As the Grand Ancestor was leaving, he asked a third time: "I can protect your tribe. Will you accept?"

The Heavenly Wolf God bowed.

This was Three Visits to Sunset.

"Idiom Stories"