Ch 10: My Wolf Husband

Lin Shuishi widened his eyes, staring at Fuli, who had suddenly spoken, completely dumbfounded.

He opened his mouth, “Huh?”

Fuli hadn’t spoken in years, so his tone was a bit strange, even making his own name feel awkward and foreign. Seeing the little creature with those wide eyes, he assumed he hadn’t understood.

It was understandable, and he internally laughed at himself.

As Lin Shuishi looked up into Fuli’s deep eyes, their gazes met, and it finally dawned on him—Golden Eyes could talk! No, wait, Fuli could talk! This man had just told him his name was Fuli!

Lin Shuishi would forever remember this moment. In the dappled sunlight of the forest, under the trees where leopards had attacked, this man, with blood on his face and a voice resonating with a beastly undertone, seriously said to him—Ashina Fuli.

It was a scene he would later revisit often in his dreams.

The two leopards that were still fighting the mixed-fur white wolf froze when they saw Fuli return. Immediately, they fluffed up their fur and turned to flee, but the white wolf bared its teeth and aggressively lunged at them.

Fuli glanced up at the treetop, where the fat squirrel that had helped by throwing “hidden weapons” was now trying to hide its chubby body with its trembling bushy tail, in a rather futile attempt.

He nudged the chestnuts on the ground with his foot and saw they were indeed the same roasted ones that the little creature had shared with him the other day. It made sense—these two small beings had known each other for a while, even sharing food.

Fuli concluded that this was just the sort of useless mutual aid found among small, weak, herbivorous animals…

With that thought, he dashed forward and quickly killed the fleeing leopard. The white wolf finished off its opponent as well, though it had a minor ear injury. It proudly rubbed its head against Fuli’s strong thigh, still basking in the glory of its bravery.

The wolf, despite its size, only reached Fuli’s thigh but was nearly as tall as Lin Shuishi’s waist. Lin Shuishi even struggled to climb onto the white wolf’s back.

Lin Shuishi sighed but was even more curious about Fuli’s true identity. Not only was he different from Lin Shuishi, but he also didn’t resemble anyone in Shuishi’s memories. It was as if Fuli was a being separate from the world, a mountain spirit or a forest beast.

Yet, he understood human language.

With the area now free of danger, Fuli led the white wolf away. He knew that the weak little creature had its own things to do, constantly busy with strange ideas and methods.

He decided to leave Lin Shuishi here to “graze.”

Lin Shuishi watched them drag the leopard carcass away without fear. He now believed that this entire territory was under Fuli’s control, making him feel like a sly little fox pretending to be a tiger.

As he was calming down from the earlier panic, resting with his hands on his hips under the tree, a de-shelled chestnut suddenly fell with a thud, hitting him on the head. Lin Shuishi immediately looked up.

“You little fatty!” he exclaimed.

The squirrel in the tree, seeing Fuli walk away, grew bolder. It held a pile of small dried fruits in its tiny front paws and hid in the tree canopy, chattering “kakaka” at Lin Shuishi, its eyes narrowing mischievously.

Lin Shuishi was very grateful for the squirrel’s earlier “chestnut-throwing assistance,” even though it hadn’t been much help. After all, leopards can climb trees, and if truly provoked, they could have easily climbed up to hunt the squirrel.

After celebrating his narrow escape, Lin Shuishi resumed gathering food. He quickly wove a simple basket from some resilient vines he found that still showed signs of life in the winter, and retraced his steps to collect chestnuts.

The fat squirrel, seeing itself as the boss, considered Lin Shuishi a little brother. After all, Lin Shuishi had given it an exceptionally large chestnut! It was the biggest chestnut the squirrel had ever owned. It wasn’t that such chestnuts were uncommon, but the squirrel’s tiny hands made it impossible to carry one back from far away. The only reason it could bring it back was because Lin Shuishi had conveniently left it at the base of the tree, right by its home.

So, the squirrel decided to lead by example! It would show its little brother around its domain, letting him see its “feast of fruits”! This way, the country bumpkin could broaden his horizons.

By the time night fell, Lin Shuishi was dragging his tired body, covered in grass and snow, back to the treehouse, laden with his haul. He had gathered a large amount of hazel mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, chestnuts, hazelnuts, wild dates, and sweet persimmons. He was carrying so much that he couldn’t hold any more, even carrying a lingzhi mushroom in his mouth!

It was the first time he had ever seen a real lingzhi mushroom, and it was such a big one too. He left the smaller ones behind, simply noting their location for future reference.

All the way back, he refused to drop anything, and with a determined effort, he managed to haul everything back to the treehouse. His little face was flushed red from the exertion, and he was sweating, but he didn’t feel cold at all.

Fuli, lying in the tree, watched Lin Shuishi return with what looked like a load of “grass” on his back, no longer trying to understand the strange and divergent thoughts of this weak little creature. He simply rolled over, facing the glow of the setting sun.

Waiting for Lin Shuishi was the enthusiastic little wolf cub, who eagerly circled around him.

The wolf wanted some meat soup! The wolf wanted some of those black round things! The sweet taste of chestnuts had won over the little wolf, and now that Lin Shuishi was back, it was time to eat!

Lin Shuishi unloaded his haul and caught his breath. He started up the stove, but the first thing he did wasn’t to cook. He had already eaten plenty of wild fruits and dates and wasn’t too hungry.

Instead, he took out a stone pot and smashed the lingzhi into pieces, slowly boiling them to make a cup of dark yellow lingzhi water. He poured it into a bowl made from an animal skull found in the treehouse and carried it up to the platform.

He stood there for a while before speaking up, “Um, Gold—no, wait.”

He bit his tongue, forcing himself to forget the name “Golden Eyes.”

“Fu—Fuli, this is lingzhi water. It can help reduce inflammation and boost the immune system. Uh, I think the injured wolf really needs it.”

He saw some movement in the branches, and Fuli stood up, looking down at him from above.

“Why don’t you give it to the wolf? It’ll heal faster after drinking it.”

Fuli leaped down, landing on the treehouse platform with surprising lightness, like a nimble forest panther. Lin Shuishi, caught off guard, took a step back, causing the lingzhi water to slosh in the bowl but not spill.

It was his first time being this close to Fuli! Lin Shuishi’s head only reached the man’s chest, and he could almost feel the heat radiating from Fuli’s body. His face quickly turned red.

Lin Shuishi didn’t dare look up. He just raised the bowl in his hands, his eyes fixed on his own toes.

Suddenly, the bowl in his hands felt lighter. When he looked up again, Fuli had already jumped off the platform, carrying the bowl of lingzhi water without spilling a drop, his figure disappearing into the forest.

Lin Shuishi rubbed his hands together, feeling as though the scent and presence of Fuli still lingered around him.

That scent—Fuli’s scent—had become unforgettable to him.

—

Thandar: probably smells like armpit since he never seems to shower