Chapter 187: Cloud Mountain (Part 9)

The Immortal Elder rummaged through the medicine basket for a long time, twisting his lips in utter exasperation as he found nothing save for a single stalk of Saint Heart Orchid, alongside a fair share of mere weeds. A sharp twinge of heartache gripped him; just what kind of ordeal had he endured to see all his beloved medicinal herbs reduced to nothing?

An Feng had searched outside for quite a while before managing to unearth a few so-called medicinal herbs. The biting cold outside was severe; the mere moment one stepped past the cave entrance, body heat began to drain away rapidly. When speaking out in the open, one's breath billowed in misty plumes under the glow of the torch.

His hands rapidly turned bright red. Deciding he had gathered enough herbs, he immediately retraced his steps, knowing the outdoors was far too perilous to linger in. The two wolves stationed at the cave entrance remained remarkably obedient and motionless, save for their darting eyes that occasionally flickered toward Molan and her companions.

An Feng swiftly jammed the torch into a crack in the wall, strode inside, and handed the herbs over to the Immortal Elder. He hurried back to the campfire to warm his hands, shivering from the cold. As expected, the interior of the cave was considerably warmer than the outside world.

The Immortal Elder mashed all the herbs together, cast a glance at the thoroughly cleansed wound, and gently applied the poultice. Hearing a low whine from the wild wolf, he offered a soothing and benevolent reassurance, "It will sting just a little bit, don't worry, it will heal very soon."

The injured wolf seemed to understand, remarkably nodding its head in response—a sight that left Molan utterly stunned. Perhaps the creatures of the wild truly possessed human-like sentience; they could feel pain, harbor sorrow, and experience anger. What on earth had she been thinking before, wanting to kill them?

Without a word, a serene smile rested on the Immortal Elder's face as he gently stroked the wound and wrapped the tail with strips of cloth. While the efficacy might not be miraculous, after some time, when the cloth naturally fell away, perhaps the tail would have grown back entirely.

The other wolf let out a couple of low howls and suddenly bolted out of the cave. This abrupt movement caused Molan, An Feng, and Qianyin to spring to their feet simultaneously, a wave of vigilant panic washing over them as they feared the wolf had gone to summon a pack.

Molan's very first reaction was to cast a protective glance toward the two corpses nearby. She would safeguard those bodies with her life, no matter the cost. Some might scoff, asking why she hadn't cherished them while they were alive—but did she ever have the chance?

Before Leng Xue's death, she had always assumed that mortality was something that only happened to strangers, never to the people within her own inner circle. It was only through a gradual, agonizing proximity to death that she realized how close it truly hovered; if fortune failed to favor her, she might very well be the next target.

"Stop letting your mind wander; perhaps it simply went out to clear its head." An Feng, never one for eloquent words, reached out to pat Molan's head before gently pulling her down to sit beside him.

Qianyin stepped forward with a smile and stroked the wolf's ears. In truth, she often found herself deeply envious of Molan. Molan possessed a blissful family, a grandfather who adored her, and an An Feng who cared for her so deeply. Although in Qianyin's eyes An Feng was hardly a saintly figure, he at least treated the people in Molan's world with genuine care. On the strength of that alone, the two of them were destined for happiness.

Rather than calling upon a pack, the wolf had actually sprinted all the way to its own lair and scavenged a large bundle of medicinal herbs. It raced back the entire way, panting heavily, losing count of how many mountain ranges it had crossed and how long it had run.

When the wolf returned to the cave clutching the herbs in its jaws, Molan and the others all looked up in unison. Catching sight of the greenery in its mouth, Molan momentarily assumed they were tangled vines, so she stepped forward swiftly to yank the plants away and toss them onto the ground.

She reached out and gently stroked the wolf's broad snout. Wolves were, in truth, quite majestic creatures. Even though this particular wolf belonged to an unrefined bloodline within the lupine realm, its bearing as a member of the wolf family remained strikingly handsome.

The texture was wonderfully smooth—no wonder so many people throughout history hunted wolves for their pelts and meat. Nowadays, wild wolves were rarely seen in this world, and few retained the means or the will to pursue them. Wolves possessed wisdom; they knew how to flee, and they knew how to exact revenge. Perhaps that was the true essence of survival of the fittest.

As she smiled down at the wolf, she suddenly caught a fleeting reflection of her own spirit mirrored within the beast's eyes. Molan paused, a sudden clarity washing over her regarding matters that had long eluded her understanding. Perhaps the ultimate mission she wished to fulfill was simply to keep everyone safe and bring happiness to those around her.

The Immortal Elder, who had initially paid little attention, suddenly caught a familiar, fragrant wave of medicinal scent. He immediately stepped forward and picked up the herbs scattered on the ground. Heavens above! Weren't these precisely the rare herbs he had been searching for all this time? The wolf had actually brought them right to his doorstep! It seemed these wolves truly possessed profound intelligence; places like this were best left undisturbed by the masses, preserving a pristine utopia for them to inhabit.

Watching the Immortal Elder scoop up the discarded plants, Molan froze for a fraction of a second before offering an embarrassed sheepish smile. "I had no idea those were medicinal herbs; I simply took them for useless vines."

Only then did Qianyin and An Feng cast a genuine glance toward Molan. Saying nothing, they resumed their occupation, finding the wolf's fur far too comforting to abandon. With the fur feeling so marvelous beneath their fingertips, they couldn't resist continuing to pet the creature, and as Molan smiled and joined in, the two of them quickly reached out to stroke the thick coat alongside her.

"No matter, it's quite all right. Ah, and this wolf is fully mended now as well. We shall rise at dawn tomorrow and head back, so everyone get some rest immediately." The Immortal Elder was in high spirits; regardless of where the herbs had been tossed, they were still on the mountain and remained uncontaminated. Above all, having finally secured these century-old treasures of peerless value, he joyfully spent over an hour examining and verifying the specimens against his manual.

Outside, the moon seemed to shimmer in the night sky, unusually full and accompanied by a multitude of tiny stars. Yet starlight could never rival the radiance of the moon; wherever the moon traversed, the stars were instantly cast into pale obscurity.

With the moon glowing so brilliantly tonight, how could tomorrow's sun fail to shine with equal splendor?

Finding the most comfortable postures available, they closed their eyes. Though sleep had not been immediately on their minds, their heavy eyelids succumbed to exhaustion, softly sealing shut as their minds drifted into tranquil slumber.

The cave grew utterly silent, broken only by the steady breathing of the two wolves. The damp, earthy aroma still lingered in the air, impervious to the dry heat of the crackling campfire. Gradually, the fragrance of the medicinal herbs brought by the wolf began to diffuse, filling the space with a scent that offered profound comfort to everyone present.

Accustomed to dwelling in caves rich with herbal aromas, the wolves inhaled the familiar fragrance deeply. Their bellies seemed to rumble with hunger, yet they dared not approach to consume the gathered herbs. Instead, they remained wide-eyed, quietly gazing upon the plants and the sleeping humans, as if striving to etch every single face firmly into their memories.

Throughout that entire night, the two wolves acted as silent guardians at the gates of the cave, only slipping quietly away as the first gray light of dawn began to break. Before departing, they cast one lingering, reluctant look at the herbs, glanced once more at the sleeping Immortal Elder, and then vanished swiftly into the morning mist. Bathed in the protection of the wild, they had slept an exceptionally sweet and dreamless sleep.