Ch 7: My Wolf Husband

The forest at night.

Lin Shuishi dismantled the small tent he had set up under the tree and moved everything to the earth stove. He dug the stove’s fire entrance deeper and wider, then set up the small tent over it. He blocked the tent’s other side with the deerskin and laid the thick, new sheepskin on the ground over the stove’s fire entrance.

However, both the sheepskin and deerskin had dried out and were stiff because they hadn’t been properly treated. He realized that tomorrow, after gathering the scattered chestnuts, he would need to soften the hides to make them warm and pliable.

With the fire glowing in the stove and frost beginning to form on the ground outside, Lin Shuishi finally completed his work inside and outside the small tent. The tent was now surrounded by earthen walls that blocked the wind, and as long as he kept the fire fed, it would stay burning through the night.

Cuddling the fluffy little wolf, he curled up in the warm, enclosed space. The heat from the stove made him even sleepier. The little wolf felt secure in Lin Shuishi’s embrace, yawning widely and even tearing up a bit.

And so, the young man and the wolf pup slept warmly together in the cold winter night.

This time, Lin Shuishi felt completely at ease, no longer worrying about what he would do if wild animals approached in the middle of the night.

He knew that the golden-eyed man was up in the tree canopy above the small tent. With someone as terrifying as him nearby, no wild beast would dare come close…

The next morning, the tent was still warm. Lin Shuishi was half-asleep when he suddenly felt the little wolf wriggling in his arms. By the time he fully woke up, the pup had already darted out of the deerskin tent flap and was tugging at his pant leg, trying to pull him outside.

“Hey, where are you going? Need to pee? I don’t!”

Lin Shuishi didn’t rush. He carefully rolled up the sheepskin before stepping out, but suddenly, he felt the ground tremble lightly. It took him a moment to realize what was happening—it felt like an earthquake!

He remembered that the year before he had come to this place, his mother had taken him to visit his grandparents in rural Sichuan, and they had experienced a significant earthquake. His mother had pushed him to a safe open area with a tense expression. Thankfully, the low-rise houses in the countryside hadn’t suffered any major damage.

But that feeling of the earth shaking beneath him had stayed with him, and now it was happening again!

The tremor here was mild, but Lin Shuishi could still faintly hear the distant cries of animals. The wolf pup at his feet stood with its ears pricked up, constantly adjusting its ear direction while its body crouched low, baring its baby teeth in a threatening growl.

Just as Lin Shuishi was about to bend down to calm the pup, it suddenly bolted away. Despite being young, it was strong and agile, quickly disappearing into the forest with long strides.

Lin Shuishi immediately felt a surge of panic. He shouted toward the large tree, “Hey, Golden Eyes!”

The dense branches of the ancient tree rustled, but there was no reply.

Lin Shuishi hesitated, torn between staying and leaving, while the sounds of startled animals echoed around him—pheasants fluttered past, only to fly away in a panic, and the cries of wild boars could be heard.

Clenching his teeth and making a quick decision, Lin Shuishi grabbed his bone knife and set off in the direction the wolf pup had disappeared.

He followed for quite a while, initially catching glimpses of the pup, but eventually losing sight of it altogether. The terrain grew increasingly complex, unlike the area around the treehouse, which was dominated by tall, ancient trees. Here, the ground was overgrown with thickets and dense, low-hanging trees. His legs and arms were already scratched in several places.

Lin Shuishi was at a loss, so he called out several times, “Little white wolf! White wolf!”

But instead of finding the wolf pup, he encountered a few foxes fleeing in haste. Frowning, he realized there were too many animals here, which likely meant predators were nearby. Chasing the pup seemed futile, and he was now at risk of becoming someone else’s meal. He decided it would be best to return to the treehouse.

Just then, he heard rustling in the bushes along the path he had come from. Anxiety gripped him—who knew what kind of wild animal was on the loose? He pressed himself against a thorn bush, holding the bone knife defensively across his chest.

Lin Shuishi braced himself, but after a long moment of rustling, two familiar wolf heads poked out of the bushes. Their sly and mischievous expressions were unmistakable—it was the two scout wolves he recognized.

Lin Shuishi cautiously approached and asked with some hope in his voice, “Do you know where the little white wolf went?” He figured that if the golden-eyed man could understand human speech, maybe these wild wolves could too.

The two scout wolves exchanged glances—they definitely didn’t understand.

They had originally been ordered to guard the “two-legged” one in the wolf king’s brother’s territory. But when they arrived, they couldn’t find him anywhere. Eventually, they picked up the scent of the wolf king’s cub and followed it to Lin Shuishi.

The wolves assumed that Lin Shuishi and the wolf king’s cub were heading to the same place. But the “two-legged” creature was so weak and slow that the cub had left him far behind…

Remembering the offering of deer liver from the other day, the green wolf didn’t hesitate. It was almost as tall as a person and nudged Lin Shuishi, causing him to topple over onto its back. One wolf led the way, scaring off any panicked animals blocking the path, while the other wolf carried the small and frail Lin Shuishi as they sped forward.

By sheer luck, he was being taken to find the little white wolf.

It all happened so quickly that Lin Shuishi barely had time to react. Suddenly, he was lying on the wolf’s back, rushing through the forest without knowing the direction. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel very afraid. He knew these wolves obeyed the golden-eyed man, and since they seemed intelligent, he hoped they meant him no harm. The thought that they might have understood his request made him a little happy.

It was his first time “riding a wolf,” and despite the urgency of the situation, he took a moment to appreciate the experience. The green wolf ran swiftly, showing no signs of strain from carrying him.

To avoid falling off, Lin Shuishi adjusted his position, wrapping his arms around the wolf’s neck and squeezing his legs tightly against its sides. He could clearly feel the powerful muscles moving beneath the wolf’s fur as it ran. He marveled at the wonders of nature and admired these wild, untamed creatures.

And these wild creatures were quite warm and fuzzy too.

The green wolf glanced back at Lin Shuishi, seemingly satisfied that he wouldn’t fall off, and then picked up the pace.

Lin Shuishi could only watch as the trees on either side blurred past. In no time, they had exited the thorny area with difficult terrain and entered a forest with clear, orderly vegetation. The path led uphill at a steep incline, and the green wolf slowed its pace to climb.

After a short run, they crested the slope, and the ground sloped downward. There was even a small path through the forest, likely an animal trail worn smooth by frequent use. Familiar with the layout of the forest, the wolves quickened their pace again.

Lin Shuishi clung tightly to the green wolf’s neck. In his nervousness, he squeezed a bit too hard, causing the wolf to stretch its neck and cough a few times, shaking its head.

Lin Shuishi quickly loosened his grip and tightened his legs around the wolf’s belly instead, hurriedly apologizing, “Sorry, sorry, it’s my first time—I’m not very good at riding.”

Finally, they emerged from the dense forest, and Lin Shuishi’s view suddenly opened up.

Before him lay a flat basin surrounded by mountains on three sides. In the center was a wide, blue pool of water, reflecting the sky and clouds and steaming gently—it was a hot spring.

Next to the pool were remnants of broken walls and ruins, with bricks and tiles that glowed like white jade, smooth and translucent. It seemed like the remains of a once-grand palace.

But what really startled Lin Shuishi was that the area around the hot spring was filled with wolves! Green ones, gray ones, white ones—an entire pack, all staring intently at him.

Lin Shuishi froze, his whole body tensing up. He had only wanted to find the wolf cub, not stumble upon the entire wolf den…

The wolves all watched him with wary, dangerous eyes. The two green wolves beside him were now cowering too—they were low-ranking in the pack. They let Lin Shuishi down and crouched low to the ground.

Lin Shuishi, feeling helpless, awkwardly stood next to the two green wolves. His new legs suddenly didn’t feel so reliable—they were a bit shaky.

Lin Shuishi watched as a large, strong white wolf with sleek, striking fur slowly approached him. There were clear signs that she had recently given birth. The other wolves parted to make way for her.

The white wolf’s pale blue eyes looked at Lin Shuishi with suspicion. She moved closer to sniff him, tilting her head. If the little white wolf did this, it would have been cute, but this imposing white wolf’s curious head tilt only made Lin Shuishi more nervous. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was the little white wolf’s mother—did she think he was a child thief?

After finishing her inspection, the white wolf circled Lin Shuishi twice, then turned her authoritative blue gaze toward the two green wolves. The two cowards lowered their heads, not daring to lift their eyes, and made low, grumbling noises in their throats.

The white wolf stared at Lin Shuishi for a moment longer before turning away and letting out a howl. She then gracefully returned to the wolf pack. Hearing her call, the other wolves stopped watching Lin Shuishi and shifted their attention back to the opposite side of the mountain, where a snow-covered rocky slope lay.

Lin Shuishi had no idea what they were looking at. With the immediate danger seemingly passed and no wolves paying him any attention, he took a few shaky steps backward and sat down on the ground, too afraid to run.

As he sat there, sweating from the cold, a little cub suddenly squeezed out from somewhere within the wolf pack after hearing the white wolf’s howl. With a series of “woofs,” it ran straight to Lin Shuishi.

In an instant, it was in his arms. Lin Shuishi took a closer look and, with a mix of relief and frustration, tugged at the little white wolf’s cheeks. Seeing the wolf pack with their backs turned, he had to suppress his anger and muttered quietly, “You little rascal! If I knew you were running to the wolf den, I wouldn’t have chased after you! What do I do now?”

The little white wolf didn’t seem to care and, after snuggling with him for a moment, ran back to the pack, gazing toward the mountain ridge. Lin Shuishi started to feel uneasy. The wolves’ behavior suggested that some danger was approaching, something he wasn’t aware of.

The two green wolves had already risen to their feet. They initially wanted to return to the outskirts of the pack but hesitated when they looked at Lin Shuishi.

As Lin Shuishi sat on the ground, unsure of what to do, he suddenly felt the ground begin to shake slightly. It didn’t feel like an earthquake; it was more like the thunderous approach of an army. At that moment, the wolf pack, led by the white wolf, began to charge toward the mountain ridge, leaving only the cubs and some of the weaker, older wolves behind.

The little white wolf tried to join them but was quickly grabbed by the scruff of the neck by another wolf with some gray fur and tossed back to Lin Shuishi.

Thinking quickly, Lin Shuishi comforted the pouting wolf cub, then patted the green wolf beside him. Understanding his intention, the green wolf crouched down to let him climb on, and they rushed forward together.

Following behind the pack, Lin Shuishi reached the snow-covered ridge and gasped in shock.

Below him stretched a vast plain covered in winter snow, with patches of green grass still visible.

What shocked him the most was the massive herd of wild buffalo thundering across the plain toward the wolves’ side of the slope. Behind the buffalo, a few scattered deer and horses also ran.

Though the wolf pack numbered at least three to five hundred, they stood no chance if that mass of dark animals trampled them.

Lin Shuishi was terrified, but he couldn’t understand why the wolves weren’t fleeing. Instead, they held their ground at the ridge, their eyes resolute.

Suddenly, from within the stampeding buffalo herd, he heard a powerful wolf howl, “Awoo!”

The wolves responded, their howls echoing across the mountain ridge. The frantic animals hesitated momentarily but continued their frenzied charge, led by their panicked leader.

Lin Shuishi, caught in the middle of it all, felt both the primal fear of humans toward wild beasts and a rising sense of exhilaration.

Amid the wolves’ angry howls and the pounding of hooves, Lin Shuishi was startled to see a lithe figure leaping through the panicked herd.

This figure rode a sturdy, strong white wolf, almost the size of a small cow. With a powerful leap from the wolf’s back, the figure landed on the back of a massive, charging buffalo, jumping from one beast to another until he found the giant lead buffalo. He then leaped onto its neck.

The buffalo immediately thrashed, crashing into the other members of its herd. The fallen buffalo were instantly trampled into bloody mud by the stampeding horde, causing Lin Shuishi’s teeth to chatter in fear.

Was the golden-eyed man trying to get himself killed?