Ch 52: My Wolf Husband

Above Dongshan, the sky stretched like a vast canopy, and the moonlight was as cool as water.

A giant white wolf stood on a mountaintop like an ancient deity, looking back at the small human lying on its back. This scene seemed like something out of a fantastical and imagined ancient tale, yet it was happening in reality.

Seeing that Fuli hadn’t lost his mind after transforming into his beast form, Lin Shuishi let out a deep sigh of relief, lying comfortably within the soft, long fur. Once he regained his composure, he realized just how comfortable it was! Warm, fluffy, with a scent of sunshine—and, of course, a familiar hint of dog…

Lin Shuishi finally understood why Fuli, when sweating heavily, carried a scent that was both fresh like sunlight and warm like a dog—it was because he was, in essence, a “dog”!

Fuli could feel the little one on his back wriggling and burrowing into his fur, even tugging at a tuft of hair with laughter. So, with a strong push of his hind legs, he leaped into the air! The laughter on Lin Shuishi’s lips was cut short as he let out a startled “Whoa!” and quickly wrapped his arms around Fuli’s neck, spreading his legs to ride on the smooth contours of the beast’s back.

The giant wolf sped through the moonlit wilderness, its long silver mane flowing like waves. On its broad shoulders rode a person, grinning widely and occasionally standing up to mimic the wolves’ howls, shouting out in exhilaration.

The moonlight above enveloped them, and the land of Dongshan nurtured them, filling them with boundless joy.

Before long, the giant wolf, caught up in the thrill, had already reached the edge of Dongshan. Lin Shuishi, looking down from the wolf’s back, could vaguely make out a few scattered villages bathed in the bright moonlight. He didn’t know where this was, but he still felt at ease because Fuli was by his side.

However, just as he was enjoying himself, a sudden pain hit his stomach. “Ouch!” he exclaimed, and Fuli immediately stopped, lying down and gently lowering him to the ground. The wolf then pressed its muzzle anxiously against his soft chest, sniffing and nudging with concern.

Seeing Fuli’s worried expression, Lin Shuishi quickly hugged the wolf’s head to calm him down. “It’s okay, hiccup… I just, hiccup… you were running so fast, and I opened my mouth too wide, hiccup… swallowed a bellyful of wind!”

Fuli was somewhat puzzled but still didn’t dare to let his guard down. After all, his little companion was so delicate that sometimes even his own fluids would choke him. Who knew what might happen after swallowing a gust of wind?

Lin Shuishi could feel the giant wolf’s head burrowing further into his embrace, with one of those tall, golden-furred ears pressed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

The tuft of fur on the wolf’s ear tip tickled Lin Shuishi’s chin, making him itch. So, he playfully let out another hiccup and, taking advantage of the beast’s full concentration, grabbed that ear tip and gave it a gentle bite.

A wolf’s ears are extremely sensitive, filled with blood vessels and nerves, and without thick fur covering them. With Lin Shuishi’s not-too-hard bite, Fuli’s gaze immediately changed. He pulled his head back, his golden, vertical pupils darkening as he stared intently at the person in front of him.

The mischievous instigator suddenly froze. He had thought that Fuli would just shake his head in pain and walk away. He never expected this reaction! Remembering all the times this had happened before, Lin Shuishi began to feel a bit uneasy. But seeing the massive beast before him, his legs turned to jelly.

No way, absolutely not! This could be deadly!

Lin Shuishi instantly perked up, his hiccups disappearing in his fright. He bolted into the depths of the forest. Fuli cautiously and leisurely followed behind, watching his little mate stumble and scramble away, no longer showing any of the excitement or mischief from earlier.

As they were playing their game of chase, Lin Shuishi glanced back and saw that the giant beast had stopped. Instead, it was crouching low, adopting an aggressive stance, its fierce gaze fixed on the mountains below!

This made him worry. Fuli must have heard something that he couldn’t. But down the mountain…

They were already on the edge of Dongshan. Beyond this point were the small villages. Normally, there wouldn’t be any dangerous beasts that would make Fuli so alert.

At this thought, Lin Shuishi felt a chill in his heart. Could it be people? If anyone saw Fuli in his current form, they would surely think he was a monster. Word would spread by tomorrow, and they couldn’t just kill everyone to keep it a secret because they saw Fuli’s beastly form.

So Lin Shuishi quickly stepped forward and whispered to the giant beast, “Fuli, come here, hide in the forest! Quickly!”

The giant wolf glanced down the mountain, then at his mate. After a moment of thought, he obediently and silently padded into the dense forest, crouching low to conceal his massive body.

After a while, Lin Shuishi faintly heard voices on the mountain path, and there were quite a few of them. They carried torches, casting flickering light as they searched the forest. Lin Shuishi crouched until his legs went numb, waiting for the lights to finally disappear. Only then did Fuli stand up, gently picking Lin Shuishi up in his jaws and swiftly heading back to the Dongshan wolf den.

The entire journey back, Lin Shuishi’s thoughts were heavy. He recalled that dark canyon and the day Fuli lay wounded in the wolf den, his back marred by arrow wounds.

Returning to the wolf den, Fuli was still in his beast form. With a few light leaps, he effortlessly ascended to the mountain ridge. Upon seeing such a robust silver-white giant wolf, the entire wolf pack emerged, bowing their heads in submission. The memory passed down through their bloodline made them instinctively accept this divine beast, willing to follow and obey without question.

This was the spirit of their ancestors, the illustrious yet tragic leader of the wolf clan, and the true owner of the ancestral grounds of Dongshan.

The wolf king approached humbly, sniffing cautiously. However, upon catching the scent, its eyes suddenly widened, and it looked up at the giant wolf in surprise. In no time, Lin Shuishi saw the wolf king lose all formality. It began jumping around Fuli with excitement, even dragging the timid little white wolf over.

This once-serious and imposing leader of the white wolf clan was now wagging its tail joyfully—something Lin Shuishi had never seen a white wolf do!

The wolf king, full of pride, even gave the little white wolf a nudge as if to say, “Look! Your dad’s brother is amazing! You should learn from him.”

Fuli glanced down at his “silly little brother” jumping around, sniffing the wolf king’s nose in return. The wolf king then rolled over, showing its white, fluffy belly in a gesture of submission and affection.

Once the entire wolf pack recognized that this giant wolf ancestor was none other than Fuli, the second-in-command, they became even more excited. Lin Shuishi stood at the entrance of the den, holding a few gray wolf pups that had just opened their eyes, feeling as if he were in a surreal scene. The usually stern and cold white wolves were all wagging their tails in unison, creating a blur of movement in their joy.

He smacked his lips in amazement but decided to focus on his own tasks. The wild vegetables he had left out to dry in the warm sunlight had now turned into dried herbs. With the morning dew settling in, he needed to gather the dried vegetables quickly to prevent them from getting damp.

Fuli’s large size made it impossible for him to enter the warm den, so he lay on the open ground outside the wolf den, his eyes fixed on his little companion as he gathered the “dry grass” and used it to cook a pot of aromatic food.

Lin Shuishi had been feeling a bit down after encountering the group of people at the foot of the mountain, but being back here, surrounded by such a peaceful and serene atmosphere, soothed him. So, after washing his face at the hot spring, he energetically began to cook. As for the other troubling matters, he decided to leave them for tomorrow. After all, a good meal was the priority.

Lin Shuishi kindled the fire under the iron stove, adding a generous amount of pine bark to get a roaring flame, and then started stir-frying. He had several jars of rendered animal fat—mutton, beef, pork. Whatever the wolf pack hunted, Lin Shuishi turned into cooking oil! Even the leftover oil dregs were cherished by the white wolf pack.

The wolves found “human” methods truly fascinating. The ordinary, greasy oil residue that wolves usually disliked became delicious and crispy once Lin Shuishi prepared it. For a while, the wolf king even used the oil dregs Lin Shuishi made as a reward for the pack members who had performed well, boosting morale so much that the wolves were even more diligent during their daily “group howling” sessions!

Lin Shuishi scooped out a ladle of pork fat, heating it until it sizzled. He then tossed in a handful of chopped wild onions and garlic, stir-frying them until fragrant, before adding slices of pork belly and fresh, undried wild vegetables. After sprinkling a small pinch of salt and spices, he sautéed the ingredients until the edges of the meat turned golden brown. He then served the fragrant mixture, stuffing it into freshly baked flatbread.

Lin Shuishi happily munched on his “meat bun,” but before he could finish, a group of eager little wolf cubs gathered around him, hoping for a bite. They had already learned the routine: sitting neatly at his feet, tilting their heads, and folding their ears in a display of cuteness. The more well-behaved they were, the more likely they were to get some of the tasty food.

Worried that the food might be too salty and harm the wolves’ health, Lin Shuishi added water, turning it into a soup, and dipped some bread into it to share with the clever little cubs. Even after they had eaten their fill, they lingered, rolling around and lifting their paws in hopes of getting seconds.

Exasperated, Lin Shuishi picked up a chubby little white wolf and carried it over to Fuli, who was busy gnawing on a whole wild ox. He held the wolf cub up in front of Fuli and, through gritted teeth, said, “Do you think it knows how cute it is, huh? Using its cuteness as a weapon—my extra food is going to be all gone!”

The moment the cub was in front of Fuli, it instantly changed its demeanor, losing its sparkle and becoming meek and timid.

Fuli, however, looked amused, his golden eyes glinting with laughter as he made soft rumbling sounds in his throat—something Lin Shuishi couldn’t quite understand. But seeing Fuli’s bright eyes softened his heart, and he gently set the cub down, then turned to lean into Fuli’s embrace.

The giant beast’s body radiated warmth, and as his chest rose and fell, Lin Shuishi found himself wrapped in the thick, soft fur. He contentedly rolled around on Fuli’s belly, where the fur was particularly soft and seemed to generate its own heat.

Curious, Lin Shuishi parted the fur to take a closer look and was surprised to find that the fur was three layers deep! There was a layer of fine fluff close to the skin, a middle layer of coarser wool, and a top layer of long, fine silver hair. Grinning mischievously, he ran off to fetch a bowl of water and poured it over Fuli, only to find that the outer layer of fur was waterproof—the water didn’t even wet the tips.

Lin Shuishi blinked in astonishment. This… this was the perfect material for making woolen clothes!

Without another word, he dashed back to the den to grab his trusty grooming tools, the ones that the little white wolves had all approved of.

Excited, Lin Shuishi set to work with a wooden comb, even bringing out a special basket for collecting the fur. The fur on Fuli’s belly was the softest, and Lin Shuishi busily combed away.

But to his surprise, the fur was so smooth that the comb glided through it effortlessly, without pulling out a single strand.

“!”

Lin Shuishi couldn’t believe it and refused to accept defeat! He tried different angles and spots, combing for a long time. Fuli, finding the process rather pleasant, lifted his body slightly and turned to watch his industrious little companion.

Unexpectedly, their eyes met, and Fuli was greeted by a pouty, grumpy expression on Lin Shuishi’s face.

Finally, Lin Shuishi let out a cold chuckle and pulled out a pair of sharp scissors that gleamed in the light.

“Hmph, you ripped my sweater, so you should have expected this day to come. You’re going to pay for it!”

Fuli was momentarily stunned as his little companion began snipping away at the fur on his belly, filling a basket halfway with the soft fur. Once satisfied, Lin Shuishi’s mood brightened, and he happily ran back to the wolf den.

Fuli, left behind, sneezed as some loose fur tickled his nose. The giant wolf let out a deep sigh, glancing down at the now-uneven fur on his belly. Curling up, he lay down again, his gaze drifting toward the flickering light at the den’s entrance. He silently vowed to remember this and make sure that mischievous little creature would repay him… slowly, over time.