Chapter 186: Cloud Mountain (Part VIII)

Molan nodded without speaking further, glancing around. The deepening chill meant night was falling once again. Had it not been for them, she would truly have been terrified on her own, perhaps not knowing how to walk or how to return. She hardly knew how to thank them enough.

Following behind, An Feng felt a mounting sense of foreboding. Sure enough, night fell completely before they could reach the cave. The mountain darkness was pitch black, devoid of a single ray of light, and they made their way back relying solely on instinct and remembered routes.

Just as they were about to reach the cave entrance, two pairs of glowing eyes suddenly appeared beside it. The sight startled them into taking involuntary steps backward, causing the two corpses to drop back to the ground. Molan had no mind for whatever creatures those glowing eyes belonged to; she hurriedly scooped the bodies back into her arms, checking them up and down repeatedly to ensure no new bleeding had occurred, only letting out a breath of relief when she confirmed they were safe.

Whip in hand, Qianyin glared with hostile eyes at the glowing orbs. Were these not wolves? This trip to Yun Mountain had truly been fraught with difficulty—not only had they encountered medicinal snakes, but now wolves as well. The precious herbs had gone unharvested, and two lives had been lost.

An Feng instantly assumed a defensive posture, leaving Liu Fei's corpse carelessly abandoned on the ground, looking exceptionally pitiful. Old Immortal, being weak and incapable of driving away wild beasts, could only cower behind Qianyin, muttering inwardly that Yun Mountain was truly a wretched place.

The two wolves did not appear particularly malicious. They merely stood there, baring their fangs and flashing their green eyes without advancing to attack. They were likely just starving, and having never tasted human flesh before, they did not know where to begin.

Molan had already raised her gun, but she lowered it after setting the corpses down. Her top priority now was protecting the two bodies. She had almost forgotten her original purpose for coming here, knowing only that she had to bring the two bodies back. At least for the moment, her sole conviction was that no matter the cost or the sacrifice, she would safely escort them home.

Neither side made a rash move, which left An Feng hesitant. Did these wild wolves possess human-like intelligence? Their lack of aggressive assault—did it mean they did not eat human flesh? Or were they too cunning and adept at camouflage?

"Hurry up and kill them!" Molan blurted out, immediately clamping a hand over her mouth afterward, hardly believing she could utter such words.

The three of them glanced at Molan in silence, then returned their gaze to the deep green eyes. Qianyin tentatively looked toward Old Immortal, who immediately produced two packages of snacks—soft little cakes.

Without a second thought, Qianyin tore open the packaging and was about to step forward with them when Molan rushed over and stopped her.

Realizing how inappropriate her earlier behavior and words had been, Molan lowered her head and whispered softly, "Let me do it."

Qianyin glanced at Molan, whose silhouette was nearly lost in the gloom, nodded, and handed her the cakes. She would trust Molan one last time; the girl used to be so kind-hearted. She recalled how Molan, when saving a wolf-bear cub, had tended to it despite injuring her own hands and had insisted on burying it.

Molan took the cakes, swallowed hard, and felt her way forward with slow, cautious steps. Tripping slightly on a vine without falling, she steadied her somewhat disheveled posture and pressed on. Stopping two or three paces away from the beasts, she placed the cakes on the ground and then slowly retreated to Qianyin's side.

The four of them held their breath and watched in silence. As the moments ticked by, the two wolves remained motionless. Just as anxiety began to mount among the humans, the wolves finally shifted, opened their jaws to seize the cakes, and darted swiftly away.

It seemed these wolves did not eat human flesh. That was a relief. Breathing a collective sigh of relief, the four of them quickly moved inside, spreading out blankets so the two bodies could lie side by side. They lit torches and, as they had done previously, stuck two pieces of firewood at the cave entrance.

The four of them sat separately, pressing close to the bonfire, huddling together while consuming their remaining food and water. It was time to prepare for the return journey, yet almost none of the herbs Old Immortal desired had been gathered.

"We should get ready to set off back tomorrow," Molan suggested in a soft, anxious whisper. She was eager to send the two deceased home as quickly as possible and to return to see her grandfather.

Old Immortal sighed. It seemed he would never visit such a wonderful place again, and the medicinal herbs would remain uncollected. What a pity! Having made the trip, leaving without harvesting anything felt like a failure to himself, but since they insisted on returning, he had no choice but to follow.

An Feng struggled with whose side to take. Lately, he constantly found himself facing such choices until his head felt ready to smoke. Why had he never realized before that the trivial matters around him required such careful consideration?

Qianyin took a sip of ice-cold water and shivered, an uncanny sensation making her feel as though someone was watching her from behind. Looking toward the entrance, she saw those two pairs of deep green eyes had returned. How long had they been there? Were they still hungry, or did they crave human flesh after all?

"They're back," Qianyin warned the other three, gripping her whip tightly. If the beasts dared to approach again, she would show no mercy.

"Awooo—" The two wolves let out a howl. To the ear, the sound seemed desolate, their eyes filled with a mournful sorrow. As they wailed, they did not charge about, but instead lay docilely flat on the ground.

Sensing something amiss with the sound, An Feng put away his gun and stepped briskly forward to investigate. This was not the call of wild wolves summoning their pack for a human hunt.

An Feng walked carefully forward without brandishing a torch to drive them off; the beasts maintained a respectful distance from the fire and did not dare approach. As he drew near, a heavy scent of blood wafted over. They were injured! Once he was close enough to discern their forms, he discovered that one of the wolves had its tail severed.

The other three quickly followed behind. Upon seeing the sight for themselves, a strange feeling stirred within each of them. It was often said that wild wolves never looked back unless returning to repay a kindness or exact vengeance. Yet these two wolves had returned—were they asking for help?

Old Immortal's mouth twitched. After examining the wolf's wound, he immediately spoke up: "Go find some hemostatic herbs—the kind with the largest leaves, like the ones I grow in my courtyard. Also find some of that deep-rooted grass, the small and lush variety, and bring them back."

An Feng nodded and decided to head out alone. Although he was not deeply versed in medicinal plants, he had seen enough of them to recognize the common ones. Armed with a torch, he set off to search, knowing that at night, the flame would keep any other wild beasts at bay.

The uninjured wolf possessed a magnificent coat. Although somewhat disheveled and stained with mud, its natural beauty remained undiminished. Qianyin stepped forward with her flask of water, carefully cleaning the wound of the tail-severed wolf.

Molan watched from a distance without approaching. Because of her earlier slip of the tongue, she felt a lingering sense of guilt toward the two wolves. She could not fathom what had crossed her mind; this was not how she used to be.