Ch 13: My Wolf Husband

The sky had already darkened, and dusk was approaching.

The last rays of the setting sun reflected off the boiling hot springs erupting from the ground, casting a fiery hue across the falling water curtains, like a scene ablaze with evening colors.

The herbivores around the hot springs gradually retreated. After replenishing their water and salt, they quietly returned to the safety of their herds. Meanwhile, the nocturnal predators were just beginning to stir, readying themselves for the night’s hunt.

Lin Shuishi had already finished washing the sheepskin and deerskin, hanging them by the fire to dry. Though his skills were not particularly refined, the skins had become much softer and more comfortable to wear.

Fuli had long since left, having rejoined the fierce wolf pack. The howls echoing through the mountains were a testament to this.

Once again, two green wolves were assigned to stay by Lin Shuishi’s side. One carried the furs and the salt blocks within them on its back, while the other bore Lin Shuishi himself. The two wolves returned him to the treehouse before nightfall, then settled down beneath the tree, showing no intention of leaving.

Lin Shuishi was practically bouncing with excitement as he started a fire to cook the meat. He finally had salt! No longer would he have to endure the bland, flavorless boiled and roasted meat.

He took the crystalline salt from the sheepskin. The salt crystals were of such high quality that they required no further refining, so Lin Shuishi simply ground them down for storage and use.

These minerals should have been buried deep underground, but Lin Shuishi figured that the powerful eruptions of the hot springs had expelled them, scattering the crystals around the spring’s perimeter. Over time, this formed a small surface salt mine that drew the salt-seeking mountain creatures, who passed this knowledge down from generation to generation, embedding it into their survival instincts.

With the salt in hand, Lin Shuishi began to cure the remaining pork and mutton in the treehouse, hanging the meat from the treehouse beams to air-dry. This way, it would taste better and be more convenient to use—just cut off what was needed.

After his work was done, Lin Shuishi sat by the fire to warm himself. He boiled a large pot of snow water shaken from the tree branches, and then started preparing the sheep that Fuli had skinned in the morning. In this cold weather, the sheep’s limbs had already frozen stiff, making them difficult to bend!

Lin Shuishi’s hands were red from the bone knife, and he made a mental note to always handle the meat while it was still pliable in the future. After much effort, he finally managed to open up the sheep’s pelvic cavity. Fortunately, it hadn’t fully frozen, and he could clean it properly.

As Lin Shuishi poured hot water over the frozen entrails to thaw them, the two green wolves, who had been napping under the tree, began to subtly and deliberately inch closer.

The two wolves circled around Lin Shuishi, sneaky and mischievous, making exaggerated noises—sneezing loudly or scratching at the frozen dirt, producing a grating “squeak” where the ground was icy.

Lin Shuishi found it amusing but wasn’t afraid. By now, he had grown braver.

After all, he had witnessed the stampeding beast herd, ridden a mighty white wolf, and even bathed with Fuli himself!

The green wolf showed no hesitation. Before Lin Shuishi could even put down the organs, the wolf had already snatched them from his hands. Then, with a swift motion, it dashed off to the grass pile in the woods, where it happily devoured its prize.

Finally, Lin Shuishi had some peace. After cleaning out the sheep’s stomach, he cut off a leg, started a fire, and began roasting it on a makeshift spit. He sprinkled salt and added some juice from green fruits, letting the meat slowly cook over a low flame. The exterior became crispy while the inside remained juicy and tender.

He also marinated some freshly washed perilla leaves in a bone bowl, while the rest were used to wrap the roasted meat, balancing out the richness and providing a healthy touch.

This sheep was quite fatty, so as Lin Shuishi roasted the meat, he also cut off some of the fat and rendered it in a stone pot, producing a good amount of lamb oil. He used a twig to brush some of the oil onto the drying outer crust of the roast, which enhanced the aroma of the lamb. The remaining lamb oil would be perfect for frying vegetables later on.

Lin Shuishi rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he gazed at the fragrant, crispy roasted lamb leg, ready to treat himself to a well-deserved meal. But just as he was about to dig in, he heard a rustling in the woods. He became alert, unsure how to react as he glanced at the two green wolves in the grass pile, who were calmly eating liver, seemingly unbothered.

Holding his meat, Lin Shuishi strained to listen to the sounds around him, ready to climb up to the treehouse for safety if needed. Suddenly, the rustling was accompanied by two high-pitched yelps, “Awoo, woof woof!”

A small white blur shot out of the bushes like a little cannonball, its legs moving quickly as it dashed straight into Lin Shuishi’s arms.

Startled, Lin Shuishi quickly set the roasted meat aside and reached out to pet the little wolf. But the white wolf pup wasn’t content with just being petted; it rolled around all over Lin Shuishi, rubbing against him. This was the wolf’s way of marking its territory, as if declaring, “This one’s mine! I’ll protect him! And of course, all the good stuff is mine to eat too!”

Lin Shuishi felt the pup’s round, soft belly and realized it must have already eaten its fill back at the wolf pack. Feeding it any more would likely make it sick.

He gently rubbed the soft, downy fur on the pup’s belly, playfully wiggling its little legs, all the while marveling at how perfect this fur would be for knitting a sweater!

The little thing had no idea how treacherous human hearts could be—some may appear gentle and weak on the surface while secretly coveting others’ downy fur!

Watching the pup laze around by the fire, Lin Shuishi finally tossed it a chestnut to gnaw on, allowing himself to settle down for his meal.

In the end, Lin Shuishi set aside a piece of roasted meat, leaving it to warm by the fire. His thoughts lingered on the person who had yet to make an appearance—Fuli. The roast was delicious today, and he wanted to save some for him to try.

Had he ever eaten cooked meat before? Would he like the taste of the fruit juice on it? Should Lin Shuishi roast some more chestnuts too?

Or… would he even come at all?

With such thoughts swirling in his mind, Lin Shuishi fell asleep inside his small tent.

Late into the quiet night, Fuli silently stood in the moon-dappled shadows of the trees, listening to the crackling of the fire’s embers in the earth stove. His gaze was deep as he looked at the strange little tent below him.

The animal skins that had covered him during the day had been taken by Lin Shuishi, kneaded and worked until they were soft and supple. Now, they were neatly folded by the fire, warmed by the heat, making them comfortable to wear. On the stove, a wooden bowl was placed upside down, covering a piece of roasted meat, with three shiny, plump roasted chestnuts arranged next to it.

Fuli sat crouched beside the small tent, listening to the steady breathing of the person inside as he slowly ate the food.

The taste was unlike raw, bloody meat—it was human food. Fuli wasn’t used to the seasoned, cooked meat, but he still chewed it all thoroughly. It was as if doing so could prove that he was also human, that he was the same as the person inside the tent!

This fierce “beast” harbored such thoughts. He began to ponder his origins and his eventual destination.

The moonlight was bright, and the mountains were silent. Occasionally, a few low wolf howls echoed, only to be muffled by the dense forest and deep valleys, quickly fading into stillness.

The old she-wolf, once the queen of the pack, emerged from her hollow tree and padded over to the injured young wolf king. She lowered her head to sniff her “child,” catching the scent of new flesh growing, and lovingly licked him. This was a sign that the lead wolf would soon recover, unlike his father, who had passed away quietly beneath a tree after suffering grievous wounds.

The old wolf stood alone on the ridge, her thick fur still reflecting some of its former luster as the mountain wind blew through it. She had lived for thirty-eight years, nearing the lifespan limit of a white wolf. She had seen much in her life, eventually raising a successor and painstakingly nurturing the last descendant of the wolf god’s lineage.

With calm and deep eyes, she gazed down at the vast grasslands, the valleys, and the forests. Every creature adhered to its own survival rules and destiny. The white wolf pack, too, upheld their generations-old promises and vows, guarding this ridge, living and breeding, never to leave.

But when she thought of the “human” who had entered the wolf pack today, she felt that the time had come. The descendant of the wolf god would eventually have to leave this mountain and sea, returning to the world of humans.

No matter how well he had learned or how fierce he had become, Fuli was fundamentally different from any member of the wolf pack.

Because he was not, after all, a wild beast.

And the “human” the old wolf queen was thinking about was now, in the morning, interrogating the little wolf cub by squeezing its white paw.

“Come on, confess! Did you eat the roasted meat? Wolves can’t eat salt! Your fur will fall out!” He said this while slyly pulling out a handful of the cub’s downy fur. “See? This is what happens when you eat salt.”

Despite his words, his hands moved quickly, gathering up the soft fur to save for spinning into yarn.

But as Lin Shuishi cleaned up around the tent, he noticed some chestnut shells scattered on the ground, and he paused. Only Fuli ate chestnuts like that, without peeling them, chewing them up into bits with his strong teeth.

He then checked the place where Fuli had left his animal skins, and it was empty. It finally dawned on him that he had wrongly accused the little wolf cub.

Fuli had been here. Lin Shuishi blamed himself for sleeping too soundly, missing the chance to ask if Fuli liked the roasted meat, to exchange a few words.

As Lin Shuishi stood there in a daze, the green wolves suddenly came trotting up from somewhere. One had its fur slightly disheveled, while the other had a few bright bird feathers sticking out of its head.

They lowered their heads in front of Lin Shuishi, and with a “plop,” each wolf spit out a large, bright red egg from its mouth! The eggs were beautiful, even larger than goose eggs.

From their disheveled appearance, it was clear they had been up to some sneaky mischief! Lin Shuishi looked at the two proud wolves, both amused and exasperated.

“Where did you steal these from? You’re in trouble now!”