Ch 35: My Wolf Husband

Lin Shuishi’s hand still trembled as he gripped the knife, staring wide-eyed at the wailing, venomous refugee bandits before him, and at the distant city gate, where flags had just begun to appear.

It was as if he had been struck by a harsh reality. The world had torn open a bloody corner, revealing its true nature to him. Lin Shuishi now fully understood that he could no longer view the world as he used to; he had to survive as Shuige’er. The times had changed, and the past was irretrievably gone.

Hearing the faint call from the weak being behind him, Fuli hesitated, pausing his hand that was about to tear off the bandit’s arm.

He panted heavily, gritting his teeth as he struggled to suppress the murderous urge within him. He threw the nearly lifeless man aside and turned to approach Lin Shuishi.

Without a word, Fuli bent down, scooped Lin Shuishi up, and started walking away.

Lin Shuishi, still in a daze, with a few splashes of blood on his face, finally snapped back to reality as he was tightly held in Fuli’s arms. He tilted his head to cautiously observe Fuli’s expression, gently kicked his legs, and lightly patted Fuli’s firm shoulder, signaling to the unconscious Cheng’an lying on the ground.

Fuli cast a heavy gaze toward Cheng’an, frowned, and without even reaching out, kicked Cheng’an into the nearby ox cart with a swift motion. Cheng’an landed with a thud, crashing into the middle of the cart bed, which finally jolted him awake.

Hissing in pain, Cheng’an winced, and as he regained consciousness, he was first startled by the sight of the blood-soaked bandits on the ground. Then, he turned and saw someone carrying Lin Shuishi into the forest.

He was about to shout for them to stop, but suddenly realized that the person carrying Lin Shuishi wasn’t a bandit. That strong, broad back, and the uniquely braided hair were unmistakable—it was Lin Shuishi’s injured benefactor! It must have been him who arrived just in time to save them. Goodness, what a terrifying sight! The bandits lay with their limbs bent unnaturally, clearly broken, their bodies covered in blood.

Looking more closely, Cheng’an noticed that Lin Shuishi was calmly lying on the man’s broad shoulder, not making a sound. The two were followed by the “puppy,” stumbling along as they were about to enter the forest.

But just then, the big man paused, seemingly listening to Lin Shuishi mutter something. He stopped, and like a wolf, turned back to glance at Cheng’an.

Realizing that they were waiting for him, Cheng’an rubbed his head, finally understanding. Ah, they were waiting for him!

He looked down at the severely injured bandits on the ground, narrowed his eyes, and decided to leave them to their fate rather than reporting them to the authorities. He didn’t want to invite trouble or incur the wrath of the refugee bandits. Instead, Cheng’an calmly checked the ox cart. The bandits had planned to steal it outright, so they hadn’t touched the ox or the goods, which were still securely piled up.

The driver had fled into the forest, hopefully to safety. As for the bandits on the ground, Cheng’an had no interest in getting involved with them. He couldn’t be bothered to report them and risk unnecessary trouble. So, he simply led the uneasy ox, following Fuli along the small path into the woods.

What he didn’t know was that shortly after the ox cart left, several wolves with mixed fur from the nearby hills emerged from the bushes, baring their fangs and growling as they descended upon the bandits.

As Fuli walked along the path, his ears twitched, and a flash of light flickered in his dark golden eyes before gradually receding into their depths.

At that moment, Fuli could have leapt through the forest, which would have been much faster, but he didn’t. He continued to walk steadily, measuring the distance of this homeward journey, carrying the female in his arms, like a human, slowly making his way back. Although his “slowly” was still fast enough that Cheng’an, who was driving the cart behind him, could barely keep up.

Lin Shuishi lay in Fuli’s arms, his mind racing with thoughts. The journey felt overwhelmingly long, but eventually, lulled by the man’s steady steps, he relaxed and drifted into a drowsy sleep. At that moment, he felt there was no place safer than this warm embrace.

He was fast asleep when suddenly he twitched, grabbed at something with his hand, and softly called out in his dream, “Fuli!”

The man didn’t stop; he just softly responded, “Hmm.”

The person who had been restless settled down, once again relaxing into the strong chest, unmoving.

There was only one path wide enough for an ox cart to pass through on the way back to the village, so halfway there, Cheng’an encountered the cart driver who had fled earlier. The driver had hoped that his ox cart might have made it back safely on its own, so he had chosen this path—and, as luck would have it, he really did come across it!

Cheng’an breathed a sigh of relief. Despite everything, they hadn’t lost anything valuable on this trip. Seeing how unsafe the area around the town had become, he immediately told the Zheng family not to go out unnecessarily. He had prepared everything they needed, and it was best to stay home and have a proper New Year.

He then went to the old village chief’s house to explain the situation, so the chief could warn the villagers. The old village chief understood the situation; the people of Rehe Village rarely traveled far. They lived off the mountains and rivers, and only the Zheng family had someone who studied and traveled often.

After taking care of everything, Cheng’an returned home, where he and his brothers divided the goods from the ox cart. They also delivered Lin Shuishi’s share up the hill. However, Zheng’s second brother was too frightened of Fuli, so it was up to Cheng’an and his third brother, Dongsheng, to carry the rice, flour, and oil, along with the small basket full of spices, up the slope.

The door to Lin Shuishi’s house was open. In the yard, the horse and the wolf were still engaged in their entirely unrelated “conversation.” The little wolf was “howling” as it proudly recounted its brave deeds from the day, puffing out its small chest with pride! But the clueless horse seemed unable to understand the wolf’s language, so the little wolf, not one to be discouraged, decided to act out the events itself!

The black horse had grown quickly; it hadn’t been long since it descended the mountain, and it already had the outline of an adult horse. Its large, bright eyes resembled those of its mother, and at that moment, it was calmly watching the little white wolf roll around the ground, busy with its reenactment.

Honestly, the horse thought that this carnivorous beast’s cub was a bit silly…

When the two small creatures saw someone enter the yard, they stopped what they were doing and stared at the gate, watching as two “humans” carried in a lot of things, with one of them, who looked familiar, heading toward the house.

Seeing this, the little white wolf quickly rolled up off the ground, pinned its ears back, and hid. The leader inside the house was already in a bad mood, and even the wolf didn’t dare get close! And yet, a “human” had the nerve to go inside? The wolf was afraid of getting caught in the crossfire! Naturally, the horse was, too.

Cheng’an originally thought that since they were delivering things, it would be polite to greet Lin Shuishi and check if the young one was still frightened. He was still young, and after experiencing such a dangerous moment today, Cheng’an was worried there might be some lingering effects.

But as he reached the doorway, he noticed that the usually mischievous animals had both scurried off to the livestock pen and were occasionally peeking at him—something was strangely off.

When he opened the door, he finally understood why: animals’ instincts are often the most accurate! As soon as Cheng’an opened the door, he could faintly see Lin Shuishi nestled in the man’s arms on the kang, fast asleep. And that so-called benefactor? He looked like a wild beast defending his territory. As soon as someone entered, he stood up, wrapping Lin Shuishi tightly in his arms, his chest hunched and head raised, ready to drive him away.

Normally, no one looked too closely, but now that Cheng’an was this close, he could see that the man’s eyes were golden! And his pupils were unusual! But Cheng’an was already chilled to the bone from being stared at like that, so he stiffly backed out of the room as quickly as he could.

Cheng’an felt a mix of fear and turmoil inside; he finally understood why his father was always so worried when it came to Lin Shuishi. This… this kind of person, this kind of strange being, was far from an ideal match!

Inside the house, after the “human” had left the territory, Fuli lowered his head, nuzzling against Lin Shuishi’s chest and cheeks, carefully sniffing the small body beneath him. Amidst the rich fragrance mixed with his own strong scent, Fuli felt very content. He laid down quietly, resting there peacefully.

Lin Shuishi slept deeply, his mind unsettled after witnessing such a bloody scene, as if his very soul had been shaken. He remained in a hazy, dreamlike state, though he felt no discomfort—only warmth. He sensed a giant wolf lying beside him, its body curled protectively around him as it watched over him with a predatory gaze, anxiously nuzzling and licking him.

Outside, a crescent moon hung in the sky, seemingly gathering strength, ready to unleash its full light and warmth when it reached its fullest.

Under the faint light of this crescent moon, a family from the remote village was quietly moving their belongings out of the village. This was none other than the uncle and aunt of Lin Shuishi, the same ones who had sold him to be sacrificed to the wolves. Accompanying them was a rather clever-looking ger, with a strikingly red birthmark on his forehead—a sign of his good fertility.

“Father, hurry up and move the last of the junk. Forget about the useless stuff! The main wife of Master Xu won’t let me bring too much. Once we live in the Xu household, there’ll be no shortage of fine things!” This ger, their son, was the pride and joy of the couple. He had finally secured a position as a secondary spouse to Master Xu, and now he was bringing his parents along to help him navigate the treacheries of the inner household.

At that moment, the ger’s mother was busy packing up a cabinet. Seeing the old, worn cabinet in front of her, she couldn’t help but think of the fine wooden one that had been taken by those bastards from Rehe Village. If only they still had it, it would have been perfect to bring to the Xu household as a display of status!

Anger flared within her, and she grabbed her husband’s ear. “This is all your fault! How could you be so useless, letting people walk all over us without saying a word!”

Her husband clutched his ear, groaning, “Blame me? Your brother wasn’t any better! I asked him to find an excuse to arrest someone, but he kept saying this wouldn’t work, that wouldn’t work, making excuses left and right!”

The ger watched his parents bicker and sighed, feeling that they were hardly the most dignified of elders, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Finally, the woman snapped, “My brother has official duties, not that you’d understand! If you have any guts, go find those things and bring them back! That’s the proper thing to do!”

Fueled by anger, her husband decided to take matters into his own hands. He had always been overshadowed by his sister when they were children, which had shaped his current temperament. Now, with his blood boiling, he recalled hearing that Lin Shuishi wasn’t living with the Zheng family but rather on his own, and a plan began to form in his mind.

Hmph! Those things are mine to reclaim, and it’s perfectly justified!

So, urged on by his wife and son, he set out under the moonlight toward Rehe Village. He trudged up the slope and, seeing the faint smoke rising from the chimney above, a cold smile crossed his face.

I’ll show them what I’m capable of!