Chương 11: Encountering a Wolf Pack in the Great Ridge Mountains

Deep within the Great Ridge Mountains. Two figures were moving slowly and cautiously, exploring the terrain. Old Li continuously imparted necessary knowledge to Song Que.

"A'niu, see that bush over there? That's an Earth Essence root. Eating its tuber can nourish your qi and blood. An Earth Essence root that's over five years old can sell for half a tael of silver. Unfortunately, this plant looks too tender; it's probably only been growing for a little over two years."...

"Pay attention, A'niu. Look at the overturned soil over there. Nine times out of ten, this is the work of a fairly large sounder of wild boars."

"Look at this pit. Wild boars love a type of mushroom called the Black Pig Fungus. It grows deep underground and is extremely hard to spot. Only a wild boar's snout can find it." Saying that, Li Tie used his knife to dig the pit wider. A moment later, he laughed excitedly:"A'niu, kid, you've got good luck. Look what I dug up! It's a Black Pig Fungus the boars missed. Don't underestimate its small size; this thing is highly valuable in town. It can sell for three taels of silver per ounce."

Song Que looked at the small black lump in front of him and took a light sniff. A slightly pungent aroma drifted into his nose. Thanks to the Tesseract remodeling his body, his hearing and vision far surpassed ordinary people's. But to be able to smell this thing buried deep underground? He had to concede defeat to the boars on that one. He smiled at Li Tie and said:"It's a pity this thing is too small, probably only weighing two qian (tenths of an ounce).

Uncle, why don't we try it tonight and see what it tastes like that makes the people in town love it so much?" Hearing this, Old Li laughed heartily, lamenting that they had no wine left at home. Otherwise, they would have to feast properly tonight.

"Let's hurry up and move. It'll be troublesome if the boar sounder comes back."...

"Careful, A'niu. Look, this is a trap. But it seems to have been here for a long time; the binding vines are completely rotted."...

"This is Purple Lo Herb. Once dried, the town buys it for five to six hundred copper coins a catty. But be careful, centipedes love living in dense patches of Purple Lo Herb. You must be cautious when gathering it." And so it went. Mostly, it was Li Tie talking and Song Que listening. He very seriously absorbed this valuable experience. By the end of the day, the two had only hunted two rabbits and one wild pheasant.

Through the Mountain Sparrow, Song Que often saw prey in other areas, but he didn't point them out to Li Tie, choosing instead to focus entirely on learning. Over the following weeks, Song Que and Li Tie frequently ventured into the Great Ridge Mountains, excepting only the days it rained or when Li Tie had to tend to his farm work. One was eager to learn, and the other was willing to teach, making these hunting trips anything but dull.

As time passed, Li Tie was delighted to discover that Song Que's comprehension was astonishing, paired with an incredibly sharp intuition. He was truly a born, elite hunter. In just a short time, the child had learned all of Li Tie's skills, and his hunting ability had already surpassed his master's. Often on the trail, it was Song Que who first spotted the prey and struck it down. All Li Tie had to do was follow behind and wave the flag in support.

This made Li Tie feel a profound sense of loss, making him feel redundant. He tried advising Song Que a few times to join the village hunting team, but the kid stubbornly refused. Yet, Li Tie couldn't bring himself to let the boy venture into the forest alone. So, Old Li had to force himself to accompany the child on these hunts. Their harvest grew increasingly abundant—so much so that he couldn't even dare to imagine it. It felt exactly like a dream. Am I actually just 'lying down and winning at life'?

Lately, Li Tie had sprouted a few more gray hairs pondering the depth of this profound philosophical question. Lost in his thoughts, the great philosopher Li was suddenly grabbed by the arm. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"What's wrong, A'niu?"

"Uncle, there's danger ahead." Song Que's face was grave. Through the Mountain Sparrow, he had spotted a wolf pack surrounding them.

"Uncle, we're surrounded. It's a wolf pack, nearly twenty of them." Li Tie was horrified. Without even asking how Song Que knew, he hurriedly shouted:"A'niu, drop your gear quickly and climb a tree!" The two didn't dare delay, throwing their bamboo baskets to the ground. Song Que nimbly scaled a tree. Glancing over at Li Tie, he saw the man struggling to grab a branch, wanting to climb up, but due to his crippled leg, his movements were painfully slow.

Seeing the shadows of wolves looming in the distance, Song Que panicked. He hurriedly jumped back down, wrapped his arms around Li Tie's legs, and hoisted him up.

"A'niu, don't worry about me! Get up the tree quickly!" Li Tie shouted in terror upon seeing this.

"Uncle, don't dally! Get up quickly!" Right at that moment, a figure flashed within his Domain, and Song Que heard the sound of rushing wind approaching his ear. His heart leaped into his throat. Without a second thought, he shoved Li Tie upward and executed a desperate combat roll, narrowly dodging a wolf's swiping claws. Before he could even stand, another wolf lunged at him. Fortunately, his body had been continuously strengthened, and his reflexes had improved significantly.

Knowing he couldn't dodge in time, operating purely on instinct, Song Que drew the saber at his waist and slashed fiercely backward. Accompanied by a whimpering yelp, a wolf was sent flying backward, a bloom of blood blossoming mid-air. Wolf howls erupted from all directions, brimming with furious anger.

"A'niu, careful! Get up the tree!" Having safely reached the branches, Li Tie shouted anxiously, a trace of despair gripping his heart. By now, the wolf pack had formed an encirclement. They howled continuously, their growls fading in and out, shifting left and right, making it incredibly difficult to pinpoint their exact positions. If it were an ordinary person, this situation would be certain death. But Song Que was no ordinary person.

Within his mind, his Domain acted like a sophisticated radar, clearly displaying the positions and movements of the entire wolf pack. The Tesseract pulsed with waves of warmth, keeping Song Que extraordinarily clear-headed as he brandished his saber, slowly backing toward Li Tie's tree. Li Tie lay flat on the branch, reaching his hand down desperately, his heart pleading to every god and Buddha he knew.

Song Que's father had died during a hunt with him; if anything happened to this child, his conscience would be tortured for the rest of his life.

"A'niu, quickly! Grab my hand!" Song Que didn't have the luxury to turn his head, but he knew exactly where Li Tie was. He maintained his vigilance as he slowly backed up. Suddenly, two wolves in front of him made their move, slowly stalking toward him. But Song Que knew perfectly well: the wolf pouncing from his rear right blind spot was the pack's true killing stroke. Good beasts, you even know how to feint the east to attack the west. Grandmaster Song sneered inwardly, deciding to beat them at their own game.

Maintaining his focused gaze forward, he suddenly spun around and delivered a devastating slash behind him. A fountain of blood shot into the sky. The wolf in mid-air lost all signs of life; a red gash across its neck expanded rapidly, its head flopping sideways, barely attached to the neck. This sudden turn of events stunned the wolf pack.

Seizing the opportunity, Song Que dashed toward Li Tie, kicked hard against the tree trunk, leaped up, grabbed Li Tie's extended hand, and used the momentum to swing himself onto an adjacent branch. Seeing Song Que safely in the tree, Li Tie wept tears of joy. He hurriedly asked:"A'niu, are you hurt? It's Uncle's uselessness that almost dragged you down." Giving Li Tie a reassuring smile, Song Que let out a long breath, finally feeling the delayed surge of fear.

The slightest mistake just now, and he would have cashed in his chips right there. Yet, his spirit was overflowing with excitement and thrill; his entire body felt like it was burning. Am I actually a warmonger? Every time I face combat, my blood boils. Shaking his head to dispel the unnecessary thoughts, Song Que turned to Li Tie with a comforting smile:"Uncle, I'm fine. Luckily, I wasn't injured. That was truly dangerous."

"The Great Ridge Mountains are full of danger, A'niu! You have to listen to me; you should join the village hunting team. It's much safer."

"It's fine, Uncle. I'll just be more careful from now on. I know what I'm doing." You motherf cker might know what you're doing, but my old bones can't take it! * And where did you get this confidence to speak so boldly?! Old Li was entirely unconvinced, but seeing Song Que's demeanor, he could only sigh, knowing further persuasion was useless. At the base of the tree, the wolf pack had gone into a frenzy. The death of their companions made them violent and bloodthirsty.

The entire pack circled the tree from a distance. Dozens of eerie green eyes stared up at the two humans, baring gleaming white fangs and emitting low, menacing growls. Being stared at by so many predators gave the two men in the tree full-body goosebumps, making them extremely uncomfortable. Li Tie was naturally timid, and right now, he was trembling all over. Feeling a chill creep up his spine, he said to Song Que anxiously:"These wolves hold deep grudges.

If they surround us for a day or two, we're in real trouble." He let out a long, heavy sigh, his mood turning gloomy:"I'm just worried your Aunt and the two kids will be anxious at home. But we definitely aren't leaving this place tonight." Hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Song Que's eyes:"If they don't leave us a path, then I'll slaughter these beasts until they learn fear. Uncle, don't worry." His words made Li Tie even more frantic:"A'niu, don't do anything rash! Just stay quietly in the tree and wait.

Maybe they'll leave after a while." Song Que paid him no mind. Looking at the wolves' eyes, he absolutely did not believe these vicious beasts would forget a grudge so easily. At this moment, his heart was burning with irritation. He, the great Heavenly Blade Song Que, hadn't even officially stepped into the martial world yet, and he almost ended up in a wolf's belly. Anyone would be pissed off. Furthermore, these beasts had the audacity to choose him as their prey—talk about being blind!

Doesn't the protagonist in novels usually emit a domineering aura that makes ten thousand beasts retreat wherever he goes? How did it turn out that Grandmaster Song was surrounded by a bunch of idiotic wolves like a monkey in a zoo, bearing their fangs and waiting for a chance to take a bite out of him? Thinking of this, he grew even more annoyed. When the Heavenly Blade Song Que was angry, the consequences were, naturally, very severe.