Ch 63: My Wolf Husband

Sun Luqian, caught up in his emotions, was gripping the thinly-clad Lin Shuishi, tears streaming down his face, when he suddenly felt a chill behind him. His hairs stood on end without him even realizing it.

His sobs caught in his throat as he turned around, only to see a towering, muscular figure standing at the entrance, holding up the tent flap. The soft orange-red light of the dawn streamed in behind him, casting a warm glow on his tanned skin and well-defined muscles, and spilling into the tent.

Fuli had spent the entire night trekking through the wilderness. His normally neat braids, which Lin Shuishi usually helped maintain, were slightly disheveled, and his smooth forehead was dusted with strands of hair frosted by the cold morning air.

The early spring weather was still quite chilly, and when Fuli saw Lin Shuishi shivering slightly in his thin clothing, he quickly let the tent flap fall back into place. He was about to move closer but stopped abruptly, realizing he was still covered in a layer of cold frost.

Sun Luqian, looking at the imposing figure at the door, suddenly remembered the rattan armor that had been pierced through in an instant. His grip on Lin Shuishi’s shoulders instinctively loosened, and he quickly withdrew his hands.

Lin Shuishi, still groggy from just waking up and slightly dizzy from low blood sugar, was already feeling faint. As Sun Luqian let go, he let out a small “Ah!” and began to tip over toward the wooden bed.

He expected to fall back onto the bed and possibly drift off again, but instead, he felt a broad, solid arm wrap around him. Rubbing his temples, he looked up to see Fuli, who had somehow already made his way to the bedside.

There was something different about Fuli’s eyes today—they were unusually bright, almost too gold, making him look even less human than usual. The corners of his mouth were slightly puffed, revealing a hint of his unretracted fangs.

As Lin Shuishi gazed at him, he couldn’t resist reaching up to pluck a few dried leaves tangled in Fuli’s braids. To Fuli, it simply looked like his companion was reaching out to him, so he lowered his head and kissed him without a second thought.

Lin Shuishi, caught off guard, was given a loud, smacking kiss! He glanced up at Sun Luqian, who was hesitating and about to step out of the tent, and his face instantly flushed red. Seeing Fuli, who seemed entirely unconcerned and was now trying to undress him, Lin Shuishi was utterly embarrassed!

Suddenly feeling fully awake, Lin Shuishi sprang up from the bed, grabbed the beast’s hair, and shoved him into the blankets. With a quick “Hey!”, he pulled the blanket over Fuli’s head, covering his face completely.

As Fuli lay there, not daring to struggle, Lin Shuishi, his face still flushed, coughed and said, “Uh, Dr. Sun, you were saying?”

By the time they arrived at the armory to test the crossbow, Fuli’s thick black hair had become even more wildly tousled from the tussle with the blankets, giving him a bit of the wild, untamed look he had when he lived alone in the mountains.

Even though the few strands of hair sticking up due to static were somewhat amusing, no one dared to look directly at Fuli. The aura that surrounded him was both concealed and mysterious, deeply intimidating, making people instinctively overlook such a person—someone so profoundly different from everyone else.

There weren’t many soldiers on the field, but because various data points needed to be recorded, people of different builds and strengths were chosen to participate in the test. After firing several arrows at varying distances, they finally determined the optimal tension for the bowstring.

To fire an arrow with the maximum range and force, it required the combined effort of twenty-five strong men or thirty average soldiers. They lined up on either side, straining to turn the winch that tightened the bowstring to its limit. Only then could another soldier use a hammer to strike the firing mechanism and successfully launch the arrow.

As the men gradually mastered the technique, Fuli stood with Lin Shuishi, hidden in the corner of the crowd, watching as the three massive ballistae were lined up in front of them.

In ancient times, production was always meticulous yet hindered by low productivity, so the output of handmade items was limited. Even these three ballistae had been hastily crafted by the craftsmen working around the clock. Several old carpenters had fallen ill from the effort, and those who still stood in the testing field were only there thanks to Dr. Sun’s medicine and sheer determination.

Lin Shuishi leaned against Fuli’s warm chest, watching as a group of soldiers, shouting in unison, turned the winch to draw the bowstring on one of the ballistae. Suddenly, the arrows were released with a series of sharp “whooshes,” as if the sound of them cutting through the air was right in front of him. The giant blackwood arrow, as thick as a spear, pierced through the rattan armor hung on a distant wooden stake, and the soldiers rushed forward to inspect the results, celebrating wildly.

Yet Lin Shuishi, who had personally contributed to the design, felt strangely detached from the scene. Here he was, a cripple in a foreign land, unable to avoid being swept up in the events around him.

Now, he was providing the tools, teaching others how to wield the blade.

Thousands of years of history and the reality before him both spoke of the boundless desires and greed of humanity. War was always inevitable, driven by mutual interests. Today, the barbarians were the invaders, but who knew if the roles might reverse one day, with the defenders becoming the attackers?

When that day comes, the life-saving arrows of today could become the murder weapons of tomorrow.

As Lin Shuishi pondered these thoughts, the man behind him suddenly raised his hand, pointing to the newly constructed ballistae. “Too difficult to move; they can’t be taken up the mountain.”

Fuli’s sense of caution was instinctive. Upon seeing the ballistae, he immediately thought of Dongshan, observing them for a long time before feeling reassured. Despite their power, the ballistae were too cumbersome to transport. They might be effective for defending or attacking a city, but they wouldn’t even make it across the river at the foot of Dongshan, let alone up the mountain.

Just as Lin Shuishi was about to respond, a sudden commotion erupted in the testing area. One of the ballista’s firing mechanisms had snapped, causing the arrow to veer off course. The weight of the misaligned arrow threw the twenty or so soldiers off balance. Amid the panicked shouts of Sun Luqian and the elderly craftsmen, a massive black arrow, like a dragon emerging from the sea, flew straight toward Lin Shuishi and Fuli!

In that instant, Fuli’s blood suddenly boiled, and the massive black arrow shot toward him, reflecting in his golden eyes. The scene was eerily familiar to the Wolf God tribe, as if a memory from yesterday resurfaced. The Wolf God had once unleashed a black arrow that pierced through the bodies of traitors, imprisoning their cruel and bloodthirsty souls.

Fuli’s beast-like pupils narrowed into thin slits, his muscles tensed, and a deep growl resonated from his chest. Lin Shuishi barely had time to shout “Fuli!” before he saw him leap into the air with incredible force, launching himself high above the ground.

At that moment, the soldiers, who had been shouting for others to clear the way due to the misfired arrow, fell silent as if their throats had been cut off. They watched in stunned disbelief as this man, with nothing but his mortal body, leaped several meters into the air, heading straight for the giant arrow that could easily pierce through rattan armor in the test.

Some, unable to bear watching, closed their eyes, anticipating the worst. No matter how strong and sturdy someone was, that arrow would surely impale them completely!

But Dongsheng, who was stationed nearby with the logistics team, broke into a cold sweat as he witnessed the scene, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of his throat. The others might not know, but he did! It wasn’t just the arrow—if Fuli transformed into his beast form, none of them would be more than a mouthful. And here they were, worrying about someone else? They should be worrying about themselves!

But with the entire army watching, if Fuli truly transformed into a beast, wouldn’t that spell disaster for Shui Ge’er as well? Dongsheng’s heart sank, his anxiety causing his temples to throb.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Fuli, now mid-air, let out a thunderous shout, a sound so powerful it made everyone’s ears ring. Before Dongsheng could even react, Fuli caught the massive arrow that had been launched by the combined force of the three bows on the ballista—single-handedly!

With a powerful twist of his waist, Fuli forcibly redirected the trajectory of the arrow, bending it in mid-air. With a firm grip, he snapped the arrowhead clean off with a loud “crack,” and then, using the remaining momentum, he hurled the arrow shaft into the ground.

The training ground fell into a stunned silence, the only sound being the “buzzing” vibration of the arrow shaft embedded in the solid earth. Lin Shuishi, seeing that Fuli was still in human form, let out a huge sigh of relief, thankful that he had managed to maintain control at the last moment. All those training sessions in Dongshan hadn’t been in vain, after all.

Lin Shuishi no longer cared what others thought of Fuli. As long as he hadn’t lost control and transformed into his beast form, causing chaos in the middle of the army, they still had a chance to recover from this situation.

At this moment, Dongsheng wiped the sweat off his brow, quickly assessing the tense situation. His small, sharp eyes darted around, and then he clapped his hands loudly and shouted, “Well done! Truly worthy of being Rehe’s best hunter, you’ve mastered the bear-fighting skills passed down from your master!”

Everyone suddenly understood, realizing, “Oh, so that’s why this person seemed so extraordinary—he’s learned from a family tradition!” They were genuinely impressed by the talent.

The atmosphere on the training ground immediately relaxed, with cheers and praise echoing around. A few people even called out, asking to learn the craft themselves.

Dr. Sun seized the opportunity to shift the focus back to the success of the ballista, ensuring that people didn’t dwell too much on Fuli and Lin Shuishi.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, many still casting respectful glances from a distance, Lin Shuishi’s thoughts raced.

They needed to leave—if they stayed any longer, they might get exposed!

After landing, Fuli remained standing in place, looking dazed and confused. Lin Shuishi hurried over, grabbing Fuli’s large hand and examining it closely. Seeing that he was unharmed, Lin Shuishi gave Fuli’s solid arm a firm slap.

“Why did you jump so high? We could have just dodged it!”

Fuli tilted his head slightly, speaking in a low, gruff voice, still struggling to suppress the wolfish instincts that threatened to take over, causing his speech to sound somewhat animalistic.

“No, this arrow… we need to find the arrow.”

Seeing Fuli acting a bit strange, as if something had influenced him, Lin Shuishi quickly pulled him away. Along the way, Dongsheng followed stealthily but didn’t dare get too close. He waved at Lin Shuishi, relieved to see that the two were unharmed, then removed his sweat-soaked scarf, wrung it out, sighed, and returned to the camp.

But before he could reach the new recruits’ camp, a crowd gathered around him, bombarding him with questions.

“Hey, kid! You’ve got someone like that in your ranks? Come on, introduce him to us!”

“Who’s his master? Is it Boss Zheng? I want to learn too!”

“Boss, I’ll bow to you! Just get the master to take me in as a disciple. Haha, I’ve got a missing tooth; you think the old man will mind?”

Dongsheng, having just caught his breath, looked at the rowdy group of mischievous recruits, and his eyebrows shot up. Drawing on the patience he’d honed over time, he scowled and scolded them impatiently.

“Get lost, all of you! You want to learn? The old man’s only running a martial arts school in the underworld now—should I send you on your way?”

“……”

“No need for that…”