Ch 24: My Wolf Husband

In the silent valley, with the stars hanging low and clouds obscuring the dark moon, the pack of wolves prowls and fiercely holds the mountain ridge.

Beside the wolf king, Fuli’s burly body lies motionless on the ground. A thick arrow is cruelly embedded in his shoulder, and after so much time, the blood from the wound has dried, but it still shows a faint bruise, indicating poison.

Lin Shuishi is frozen in place, unable to believe what he’s seeing. It seems like an absurd dream to him—where did this arrow come from? Who could have injured such a formidable beast?

When he finally wakes up from the dream, he is still in the dirt hut on earth. Although they are still miles apart, both he and Fuli are safe.

The wolf king steps forward, gently pulling Lin Shuishi, leading him to Fuli’s side. Lin Shuishi kneels on the ground, trembling, reaching out to Fuli. The muscular movements of the back are familiar, but the usual warmth has turned cold.

“Fuli, Fuli. Fuli!” He calls out repeatedly. Normally, Fuli would gaze at him with dark golden eyes, but now there is only silence.

Lin Shuishi panics, feeling a lump in his throat, but looking around, there are only desolate mountains and a group of anxious white wolves. They are skilled in battle and fighting, but how could they heal? The wolf king’s belly was even ripped open by a bison, and he had to help sew it up himself.

Thinking of this, Lin Shuishi’s eyes light up. If the wolf king, so close to death, could fully recover, then surely Fuli, who is so strong, can too!

With newfound determination, he wipes the tears from his face and examines the wound.

The arrow is embedded deeply and the exposed part is covered with purple barbs. Lin Shuishi gasps. Who has invaded the Dongshan Mountains and used such a poisonous weapon?

The poisoned arrow must be removed, and the toxic blood squeezed out. Lin Shuishi tears off his woolen shawl, wrapping it around the barbed arrow. Taking several deep breaths, he gathers his courage, grips the thick arrow, and closes his eyes, pulling with all his might.

However, the barbs on the arrow tear at Fuli’s flesh, making it extremely difficult to remove. Lin Shuishi’s strength is insufficient for this task. As he grits his teeth and continues to pull, an old, large wolf steps out from the pack. The white wolves make way, and the wolf king steps aside.

The old wolf’s eyes are somewhat cloudy but still look at Fuli with sadness and affection. After a moment, realizing Lin Shuishi’s helplessness, she lowers herself closer.

Lin Shuishi feels a warm breath on his hand and looks up to see the old wolf leaning over the arrow. He urgently warns, “This arrow is poisoned, stay away!”

The old wolf does not move but looks up at Lin Shuishi. He is taken aback by the human-like eyes, filled with wisdom, emotion, the vastness of the stars, and the changes of the world.

The old wolf licks Lin Shuishi’s cold hand, and he instinctively releases the arrow. The old wolf tilts her head, bites onto the animal skin wrapped around the arrow, and with a shift in demeanor, her eyes become sharp. She digs her front claws into the ground, bites the arrow firmly, and with a shake of her head, the arrow is pulled out along with Fuli’s flesh.

Ignoring everything else, Lin Shuishi immediately moves to Fuli’s back, desperately squeezing the blood from the wound. Due to the barbs, the wound is both deep and wide. Even if he risked his life to suck out the poisoned blood, his small mouth cannot cover half of the wound! He can only press and squeeze out the blood.

The wound exudes a significant amount of purple-black tainted blood. Lin Shuishi then drags Fuli to the hot spring in the wolf den to clean the wound. The spring continuously bubbles up from underground and flows away, a source of fresh water that the wolves rarely drink, making Shuishi feel secure about using it to wash out the poison.

However, Fuli’s size is too large for Lin Shuishi to drag him by himself. Seeing this, the wolf king, having learned from the previous actions of his mother, immediately helps to pull Fuli along. He trusts Lin Shuishi’s method because it worked for him before; Fuli’s situation is different.

The wound on Fuli’s back is cleaned, but due to excessive bleeding, the flesh around it is stark white. Fuli remains motionless, showing no signs of waking up. Lin Shuishi worries that the poison has circulated through Fuli’s blood over time, and it can’t be managed by treating the wound alone!

He sits by the spring and thinks for a while before deciding that he must take Fuli down the mountain.

Only humans create various poisons to satisfy their own desires, and only humans possess the medical expertise to save lives from peril.

It’s both contradictory and complex.

Lin Shuishi, using his remaining strength, drags and carries Fuli to the ridge but is exhausted. After the shock, his limbs are weak, and he’s barely managing to keep going. The only hope is to get Fuli down the mountain for a chance of survival!

The strongest white wolf can barely carry Lin Shuishi across the ridge, but it’s impossible to transport a comatose Fuli. His large body and strong muscles make it impossible for him to hold onto the wolf’s back or find any leverage.

Reluctantly, Lin Shuishi lays animal hides from the cave beneath Fuli, using the remaining hides to tie Fuli to himself. He clenches his fists, biting his gums until they bleed, and struggles to drag Fuli behind him with the skin rope.

The wolf pack helps, grabbing the hard hides under Fuli and pulling together. Eventually, they make it through the grasslands and into the forest.

However, their speed is too slow. It’s uncertain whether Fuli can hold on until they reach the bottom of the mountain, and dragging him makes crossing the ridges impossible.

Lin Shuishi is overwhelmed with helpless sadness and torment. Fuli can save him, but he cannot save Fuli. The rope across his shoulders has already worn through and is swollen.

Unable to hold back his tears, Lin Shuishi, still young and inexperienced, feels furious at his own helplessness while being alone in a foreign world. But there’s nothing he can do.

He tightens the rope, gritting his teeth, and trudges forward despite the difficulty, tears falling onto the dry leaves and branches.

At this moment, the waning moon peeks out from the dark clouds, casting a faint light over the Dongshan Mountains, allowing him to see the surroundings. As Lin Shuishi pulls Fuli along, he suddenly hears a familiar, loud horse whinnying ahead.

Lin Shuishi looks up and sees a tall, strong black horse standing in front of the trees!

Its sleek, shiny coat glistens under the moonlight, and its muscular lines are well-defined. The night breeze gently ruffles its long mane, and with a toss of its head, the mane flows softly. The horse is robust and beautiful, like a mysterious spirit of the mountains.

Lin Shuishi, surprised, hoarsely calls out, “The Horse King!”

The wolf pack watches warily as the black horse leader approaches. They usually avoid each other, respecting and being cautious of one another. Now, in this moment of crisis, they are especially careful.

The wolf king stands in front of Lin Shuishi and Fuli, with fierce blue eyes glaring at the tall Horse King. The horse’s sturdy hooves can easily break a predator’s spine.

Soon, a smaller black horse, panting heavily, emerges from the forest. It doesn’t dare approach the wolf den but goes to find Lin Shuishi, bringing help with it! However, it can barely keep up with the pace of its mother and is exhausted.

With the arrival of the small black horse, the tense atmosphere eases somewhat. The wolves recognize the little horse and the opportunity it presents, so they relax a bit.

Lin Shuishi, disregarding everything else, sees the strong Horse King and feels a surge of hope!

As if acknowledging this, the Horse King lies down on the ground. The wolf pack steps back, allowing Lin Shuishi, despite his struggles, to place Fuli on the horse’s back and secure him with the animal hides to prevent falling. The horse is so high that a fall could cause serious injury.

Fuli’s large body fits perfectly on the broad back of the horse! It’s just right! Lin Shuishi finally relaxes his tense face and calls the large wolf familiar with the mountain trails, still lying on its back.

The little horse saw that Lin Shuishi was riding the wolf instead of it! Annoyed, it stamped its hooves, but it understood that even without carrying anyone, it couldn’t keep up with its mother’s speed. It was too weak and needed to grow strong! Eat more, sleep more, and run more!

In the midst of the little horse’s rich imagination, the animals of the Dongshan Mountains, led by the white wolves and the Horse King, sped forward with Lin Shuishi and Fuli. The wolves led the way, and the Horse King galloped steadily behind them.

Both animals are known for their endurance and speed. Lin Shuishi felt that it wasn’t long before dawn, and he could already see Rehe Village!

As dawn approached, the wolf pack stopped advancing. They watched as the two horses and two people returned to the earthen house, and then they withdrew back to the Dongshan Mountains.

As the first light of dawn approached but had not yet arrived, the wolves in the mountains surrounding the Dongshan Mountains howled, all the wolves in the pack, regardless of type, looked up to the moon and howled to the sky, their voices echoing loudly.

Even the villagers down the mountain could faintly hear the sounds. Rehe Village felt a sense of awe, but the distant mountain village, which had a grudge with the wolf pack, was terrified and immediately moved several households as soon as it was light enough, unable to stay any longer!

Back in the house, Lin Shuishi settled Fuli, heated up the kang, and gave him some warm water. Then he took a bundle of hides and a few lingzhi mushrooms, packed them into a basket, and walked down the slope to the Zheng family’s house, knocking on the door. He needed to find the best doctor nearby for Fuli!