Scheming Together

The moonlight was blocked by thick clouds, but the sky wasn't pure black—it revealed a deathly deep gray.

Inside the thatched hut, Wang Wen woke up in a daze. He felt cold all over, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

He opened his eyes to check the situation and realized that tossing and turning in his sleep had moved him away from the campfire, leaving him frozen stiff.

Wang Wen cursed under his breath a few times, shivering as he crouched by the fire to warm up.

The two Fire Workers on night watch glanced at him but had no energy left to strike up a conversation.

Their eyes swept the deep, endless darkness with vigilance, but visibility outside the hut was limited to about ten meters.

After his body warmed up, Wang Wen suddenly felt a pressing urge to urinate. He couldn't help clutching his stomach and heading for the door.

Seeing this, a Fire Worker quickly reminded him, "It's pitch black out there right now. Don't wander too far."

"I know. I'll be right back."

Wang Wen moved the furniture away from the wooden door, then stepped out of the thatched hut.

The cold wind outside made his legs tremble violently. The air was thick with moisture, burrowing straight into his bones.

He muttered a few words under his breath and slowly walked to a nearby patch of grass.

In that short distance, it felt like he had entered a different world. The sparse moonlight was blocked by the tree shadows, not a sliver seeping through.

His heart began to pound wildly as he fumbled to undo his belt.

Steam rose.

After finishing, Wang Wen couldn't wait to run back to the thatched hut.

Just as he was about to step out of the grass, he tripped over a tree root underfoot, tumbling several times before accidentally rolling down a bushy slope.

Worse still, he realized his saber might have fallen in the grass where he had relieved himself.

Wang Wen wanted to call for help.

But then he remembered he was the oldest in the group. Making a mess of himself over a bathroom break—pride sealed his lips.

With no other choice, he crawled back toward the thatched hut in terror.

Thorns cut into his skin, the sting amplifying his fear.

What was only a dozen meters in daylight now felt impossibly far in the dark.

He barely made it back up the slope. Before he could catch his breath, he suddenly felt heavy panting behind him.

His expression stiff as he glanced sideways, he saw pairs of green eyes slowly closing in—a pack of starving Mountain Wolves.

"Ah!!!"

The scream rang out, but it only provoked the wolves.

The largest Alpha Wolf lunged, sinking its teeth into Wang Wen's thigh and dragging him into the darkness.

The cunning of the Mountain Wolves was on full display.

They didn't attack the thatched hut further. Instead, they retreated in an orderly fashion, planning to wear down the other prey's stamina.

The people in the hut were jolted awake. They stared at the window, now silent again, unsure what to do.

Suddenly, the corner window burst open with a creak.

They instinctively turned to find it wide open, and Ren Qing, who had been lying by the campfire, was already gone.

In the dark, Wang Wen tried to struggle, but then he felt hot breath against his ear, freezing him in fear.

The Alpha Wolf didn't kill its prey. It carried him toward a spot outside Pingding Village.

When the Alpha Wolf stopped, Wang Wen, dropped to the ground, finally caught his breath.

The wolves circled him, snarling, as if waiting for something.

A crack appeared in the thick clouds, and moonlight spilled through.

Wang Wen was struck speechless by the sight before him. If he hadn't already relieved himself, he'd surely have wet his pants.

The wolves parted to make way, and a scrawny Bèi beast limped in.

The Bèi beast's front legs were short, forcing it to hobble.

But the intelligence in its eyes was beyond any beast's, and it was unusually greedy.

Wang Wen recalled stories he'd heard from old hunters about the collusion of wolves and Bèi beasts.

Legend said Bèi beasts were extremely clever, hunting in partnership with wolves. Because of their crippled legs, they would ride on a wolf's back.

Once wolf and Bèi beast joined forces, the pack moved with military precision.

What terrified Wang Wen most was that the Bèi beast had an extra eyeball growing on its chin, which it occasionally licked with its tongue.

The moonlight was swallowed by darkness again, plunging everything into boundless night.

The wolves closed in step by step.

Wang Sheng knew the Bèi beast wanted his life, but before he could resist, four Mountain Wolves bit down on his limbs.

The Bèi beast sniffed lightly, then placed its claws on Wang Sheng's abdomen, planning to start with the freshest, tenderest organs.

Wang Wen's pupils contracted slightly as he suddenly recalled the corpse he'd seen when leaving Sanxiang City—the similar saber wounds on its body looked very much like the work of a Bèi beast.

A desperate whimper escaped his throat. Claws had already pierced his skin, blood seeping out drop by drop. He thought this was where he'd meet his end.

Then a fierce wind blew straight into his face.

The crisp sound of a blade being drawn rang out, and the wolf pack took a synchronized step back.

Wang Wen couldn't see what was happening in the darkness, but a flash of saber light like a full moon streaked before his eyes, followed by the sound of the blade returning to its sheath.

The heads of the several Mountain Wolves biting his limbs fell cleanly from their necks.

Ren Qing's Double Pupils locked onto the Bèi beast trying to flee. He immediately crouched, legs coiling with power.

Mud splattered.

His feet left two shallow pits where they'd stood.

Clang!!!

The Great Miao Saber was drawn again. Ren Qing leaped into the air, the blade naturally piercing through the Bèi beast's body from top to bottom.

As he landed, Ren Qing kicked Wang Wen unconscious with his foot to keep the man from running off wildly.

But he hadn't quite held back his strength, sending Wang Wen tumbling a good several meters.

As the Bèi beast breathed its last, the surrounding wolf pack snapped awake as if from a dream. They tried to counterattack but found Ren Qing's trail had vanished.

The waning moon emerged. Ren Qing stood atop a giant tree's branch.

He scanned his surroundings without detecting any trace of Song Rong, then redirected his attention to the wolf pack.

Mere beasts.

A light tap of his wolf-like foot.

The giant tree shuddered as if struck hard, leaves raining down like droplets.

Moonlight, falling leaves, saber light.

Ren Qing weaved and dodged among them.

He seemed to merge with the darkness itself. With every swing of his blade, another Mountain Wolf's head was severed, the scent of blood spreading through the air.

It instinctively drew the nocturnal beasts closer.

Ren Qing flicked the blood off his blade, sheathed it, grabbed Wang Wen, and used Strange Mouth to collect some wolf blood along the way.

He had no choice but to abandon the wolf eyes—digging out eyes from corpses was too conspicuous and might alert Song Rong to something unusual. Besides, there was no spare space left in Strange Stomach.

Then, with a few flickering movements, he vanished from the spot.

But for the beasts fighting over the wolf carcasses, another brutal battle was about to begin.

Inside the thatched hut, the group was ready to set out. They'd made torches from wooden sticks, planning to chase after and rescue Wang Wen and Ren Qing.

Just as they were about to leave the hut, they saw a figure striding toward them.

Ren Qing carried the unconscious Wang Wen over his shoulder as he hurried back into the thatched hut.

The others all stared at him with disbelief.

"What are you standing around for? Help bandage Wang Wen's wounds. I have herbs in my pack."

"Oh... right, right..."

Xiao Wu quickly took Wang Wen's body. Most of the latter's injuries were scratches from the underbrush.

The wolf pack had left hardly any obvious wounds on Wang Wen, who had barely resisted.

The main reason he'd passed out was the huge lump swelling on his forehead...