Ch 6: My Wolf Husband

On his first exploration of the forest, Lin Shuishi was very cautious. He didn’t go far, and he didn’t collect much.

As the sky gradually darkened, he quickened his pace. Following the red ribbon markers, he soon arrived back at the fallen tree where he had collected the water celery and mushrooms. The vine basket on his back was heavy, leaving red marks on his thin shoulders. He set it down and sat on the fallen tree to rest for a moment.

He realized he needed to hurry! The sky was darkening much faster than he had anticipated. Without a watch, he could only estimate the time by the sun, and while it had been bright and sunny just a short while ago, it had quickly dimmed. Everything in this world was still very unfamiliar to him.

Reluctantly, Lin Shuishi decided to lighten his load by emptying out most of the heavy chestnuts into the hollow of the fallen tree to retrieve them tomorrow.

Just as he stood up with the basket on his back, he froze. A spotted leopard was crouched behind a pile of fallen branches, its cold eyes locked onto him, its body poised to strike.

Lin Shuishi didn’t dare breathe. Staring down the powerful leopard, he realized that his only “weapon” was a handful of spiky chestnuts. His body tensed, and sweat broke out on his back.

He had never encountered anything more dangerous than a cat, which had once scratched him and drawn blood. But a leopard? It was a far more skilled and deadly hunter, agile and fierce.

Shaking, Lin Shuishi lifted the vine basket, ready to fling the spiky chestnuts at the leopard as a last-ditch effort to defend himself.

But just as the leopard was about to pounce, it suddenly recoiled, arching its back and hissing threateningly in Lin Shuishi’s direction.

Lin Shuishi blinked in confusion. Could it be that the chestnuts in his basket were that terrifying?

He didn’t waste any time pondering. Sensing an opportunity, he turned and ran, but as he glanced back, he saw a figure crouched on the thick, dead tree trunk—a person!

The figure was posed like a wild beast, on all fours, with hair bristling and eyes glowing like the flames of a wolf, sharp white fangs bared in a silent snarl.

Lin Shuishi had faced the leopard with some level of composure, but the sight of Fuli, exuding an overwhelming and bestial aura, made him scream. His legs gave way beneath him, and he fell to the ground, spilling his spiky chestnut “weapons” all over the place.

Fuli paid no attention to the frightened “female.” He bared his teeth, flexed his powerful arms, and with a swift leap, launched himself at the leopard that had intruded into his territory.

The leopard, normally bold and confident, turned and fled at the sight of Fuli’s ferocity. Despite its agility, it was no match for Fuli, who quickly brought it down. The two clashed in a violent, primal battle of snarls and roars.

Lin Shuishi was stunned.

He had only ever seen Fuli resting quietly after a hunt, which had already made him feel uneasy and less human. But now, he was witnessing the most brutal and savage hand-to-hand combat imaginable!

No weapons, no armor—just sharp teeth, claws, and raw, powerful bodies.

In a matter of moments, Fuli had subdued the leopard, throwing its bloody and wounded body against a tree trunk and leaving it there. In the icy cold, his broad chest heaved as he exhaled a cloud of white breath. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand, he walked toward Lin Shuishi.

Lin Shuishi sat dazed on the ground, clutching his vine basket, chestnuts scattered everywhere, still holding a handful of water celery in his hand without even realizing it.

Fuli was puzzled. Hadn’t he just hunted for this “female”? Why was she holding onto wild grass? Were females supposed to eat grass? The old hunter had never mentioned that…

As Fuli approached, Lin Shuishi instinctively scooted back, causing Fuli to stop in his tracks.

He could smell the fear. The “female” he had brought back was afraid, just like the wild animals on Dongshan. They feared him, were intimidated by him, and wanted to keep their distance.

So, Fuli turned around, ready to leap into the trees.

At that moment, Lin Shuishi finally snapped out of his daze. Seeing that it was already dark, he reminded himself that the golden-eyed man had never harmed him—in fact, it seemed he had saved him each time.

Smelling the blood in the air, Lin Shuishi, still trembling, managed to ask, “A-are you hurt? I-I have some cloth strips.”

Fuli suddenly turned back, his eyes glinting faintly in the moonlight. He clearly saw the small, trembling figure, now crying from the cold, with a bit of snot on his nose—he looked rather pitiful.

Suppressing his irritation, Fuli walked over to Lin Shuishi.

He quietly thought to himself that perhaps this was how the weak creature managed to survive—by appearing so helpless that it triggered his restraint and tolerance. It was a rather impressive survival strategy.

Fuli didn’t realize that this approach might only work on him. After all, what wild animal would care if its prey looked pitiful? They only cared if it was tasty.

When Fuli reached Lin Shuishi, he didn’t say a word. He simply picked him up with one hand, ready to leave. As Lin Shuishi got a closer look, he realized that Fuli wasn’t injured at all—he was just sweaty, probably from the heat of the fight. Seeing that Fuli was about to carry him off, Lin Shuishi felt a bit panicked.

He knew that the arm gripping the back of his neck could easily tear him apart if Fuli chose to exert his strength!

Not daring to resist, Lin Shuishi clutched the now half-empty vine basket to his chest. Like a frightened cat, he tucked in his head and let the human-like beast carry him away.

Fuli moved quickly, sometimes covering more than ten meters in a single leap. Unlike Lin Shuishi, who had to take small steps and navigate around steep slopes, often needing to check his markers to stay on track, Fuli found a direct route, leaping over several cliffs. In just a short time, Lin Shuishi was safely back at the treehouse, though he felt a bit dizzy from the wild ride.

Fortunately, after setting him down, Fuli was called away by the howling of wolves. Left alone under the ancient tree with only the little wolf pup, Lin Shuishi watched as the pup tried to imitate the howls of the wolves in the mountains, lifting its head and letting out a small, high-pitched “ha-woo.” But it accidentally choked on its own saliva, leading to a fit of coughing.

Amused, Lin Shuishi reached out to pet the little wolf, gently soothing it. The soft, downy fur of the white wolf helped to calm his nerves after the recent scare. After resting for a bit and feeling steadier on his feet, Lin Shuishi went to fetch a leftover roasted lamb leg for the pup.

His intention was to keep the little wolf quiet, as its immature howling wouldn’t scare off any enemies and might even attract wild animals.

With a sigh of relief, Lin Shuishi walked over to the earth stove beneath the tree and poked at the fire with a small stick, finding that there were still some embers left. It turned out that putting a large piece of wood on the fire before leaving at midday had been a good idea!

He quickly gathered some dry leaves to rekindle the fire and set water to boil. He cut off a piece of frozen venison from the treehouse, put it in the pot to simmer, and prepared the mushrooms and water celery. He tossed the hardier fungi into the venison soup first.

Water celery doesn’t keep well, so it needed to be eaten first. Lin Shuishi set aside some of the white mushrooms to use in the next meal.

Before long, the aroma of the meat soup filled the air, the rich scent of venison mingling with the earthy flavor of the mushrooms. The little wolf abandoned its roasted bone and nosed its way over to Lin Shuishi, trying to jump into the stone pot. Lin Shuishi quickly grabbed the pup, rubbing its ears. “Wait! The meat isn’t done yet.”

As he spoke, he tossed a few chestnuts into the stove, where they began to pop and crackle as they roasted.

When the soup was nearly ready, Lin Shuishi snapped the water celery and added it to the stone pot, stirring it gently with a clean branch.

And so, a frail young man and a small wolf pup sat obediently by the stove, waiting to enjoy a rather unique meal.

The warm firelight from the stove bathed the two of them, casting a soft glow in the cold and dark night, illuminating their two small, well-behaved heads.

When Fuli returned from hunting with the wolf pack, this was the scene that greeted him.

He hung a small wild boar on a tree branch and then crouched on the tree trunk, silently watching the two small figures illuminated by the firelight below.

It wasn’t until the scent of the cooked meat wafted up to his nose that he finally grabbed the prey and leaped back to the ancient tree, but he didn’t show himself. Instead, he simply tossed the small boar down with a thud, right in front of Lin Shuishi.

Lin Shuishi jumped in surprise, instinctively leaping away. His newly acquired legs were more agile than ever—proving that human potential is truly limitless!

Seeing it was a small wild boar, Lin Shuishi knew that the golden-eyed man had returned. He delivered prey every day, and without it, Lin Shuishi would have long starved.

The little wolf, meanwhile, was too focused on slurping the meat soup from a broken porcelain bowl to pay any attention to anything else. Having just been weaned, the rich broth had completely won it over, making it think of Lin Shuishi as a good caretaker, much like its mother.

Fuli, watching from the tree, frowned. He was beginning to think that this cub from the wolf king’s family was a lost cause—only concerned with eating and likely unfit to fulfill its duties to the pack in the future.

Lin Shuishi glanced at the small wild boar, then at the darkened tree above. After hesitating for a moment, he took out the roasted chestnuts that had just popped open from the fire. He had tasted them—they were delicious and filling!

He walked to the platform of the treehouse and, just like before, wrapped the warm, cooked chestnuts in a large leaf and placed them on the wooden board. “Try these. They’re good,” he said.

After a brief pause, he decided not to say anything more and slowly descended the ladder.

When he looked back, he saw that the golden-eyed man hadn’t just vanished like before. Instead, he was sitting on the treehouse platform, cautiously sniffing the pile of cooked chestnuts.

Relieved, Lin Shuishi returned to the warmth of the stove and sat down to enjoy the dinner he had carefully prepared. Despite the lack of seasoning, the mushrooms and water celery had helped eliminate the slight gamey taste of the meat, bringing out the rich flavor of the venison.

He ladled out some of the slightly milky broth and took a sip. It was warm, satisfying, and filled him with contentment.

When he finished eating and looked up, he saw that the man was still on the platform. The moonlight filtered through the branches, giving the once fearsome beast a more tranquil appearance.

By the soft light of the moon, Lin Shuishi could see that the golden-eyed man was still studying the chestnuts. His large, sinewy hand picked up one, turning it over and over, but he hadn’t taken a bite.

Scratching his head, Lin Shuishi fished out a few more chestnuts from the stove and took them with him as he climbed the vine ladder. He didn’t go all the way to the platform but stopped on the ladder just below it.

Fuli looked up at him and saw the small “female” skillfully peeling away the hard shell of the chestnut with slender fingers, revealing the golden-yellow nut inside. Lin Shuishi then popped it into his mouth, chewing happily, his eyes narrowing with pleasure. He demonstrated the process again, indicating that Fuli should try it that way.

Fuli watched Lin Shuishi and narrowed his eyes slightly, then casually tossed the chestnut into his mouth. He bit down hard, “crunching” the entire chestnut, shell and all, and spat out the chewed-up shell.

“….”

Lin Shuishi’s eyes widened in surprise. He stared at Fuli for a moment, then, without a word, he turned around, “tap-tap-tap,” down the wooden ladder, and didn’t bother with him again.

Fuli, however, smirked slightly and tossed another chestnut into his mouth.

Surprisingly, it was pretty good.

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Thandar: I hope Mr. Fu-Tarzan-li here has some pants on, with all the crouching he been doing 🫣 🥚🍆🥚