Ch 67: My Wolf Husband

Recently, Fuli had been feeling increasingly restless. The effort of suppressing the surging, primal instincts within him was causing him anxiety. He glanced up at the hazy night sky, where a half-moon hung brightly. Tilting his head, he thought, It’s not yet a full moon—this discomfort shouldn’t be this intense.

It seemed that in the coming days, he would need to exert even greater control over himself. The wild nature he struggled to contain urged him to chase, to hunt, but as the mate of a delicate, small creature, Fuli forced himself to stay rational.

He tore off a leg from a deer somewhat roughly, hearing the little one behind him, down by the stone platform, laughing and chattering away. The quiet of the night only amplified the playful and teasing tones, making his already troubled mind even more chaotic. He bit down hard on a piece of deer meat, his gaze darkening as he watched the little one apply medicine to the cub.

When Lin Shuishi flicked the little white wolf’s privates, Fuli instinctively bared his fangs, letting out a low, threatening growl.

Startled, the little wolf cub scrambled to its feet and quickly darted back into the tree hollow. Lin Shuishi, hearing the commotion, thought something was wrong and looked up nervously at the strong and well-built man surrounded by white wolves.

But that man, with his golden eyes narrowed, was watching him intently, his expression unreadable.

It was a look Lin Shuishi was all too familiar with, and it made his face heat up, quickly wiping the smile off his face.

“…What are you doing, scaring me like that!” he muttered, feeling a bit self-conscious. He cleared his throat and casually moved closer to the fire. Adult wolves didn’t like fire much—they knew it was a dangerous “red flower” that could swiftly consume an entire dry forest in the summer. Even the mischievous cubs who liked to play around with Lin Shuishi had learned to avoid the fire after singeing themselves a few times.

But Fuli wasn’t like the others. Not only did he not fear the fire, but he also liked watching his beloved bathed in the glow of the flames, admiring the relaxed posture and the glistening eyes and brows.

Feeling increasingly flustered under Fuli’s intense gaze, Lin Shuishi tried to distract himself by stoking the fire. But the flames were already burning brightly, the dry wood crackling loudly—there was no need to add more fuel.

As he kept adding more wood, he suddenly felt a deep, scorching presence behind him, moving closer and closer until it pressed warmly against his back.

The breath of the beast was right by his ear. Lin Shuishi bit his lip, his face flushing as he pushed the man behind him back an inch, his eyes darting nervously around. “Go, get away! We’re out in the wild; what if someone sees? You… you need to behave.”

When Lin Shuishi turned around, he saw a dozen or so enormous white wolves lying not far away. Their blue eyes, which had been bright during the day, now glowed faintly in the night, each wolf tilting its head, staring unblinkingly at the pair of them.

It was as if they were a row of powerful, bio-luminescent floodlights…

Any thoughts Lin Shuishi had were immediately scattered under those gazes. He quickly tried to escape Fuli’s embrace—there was no way he could stay like this with such an audience! These white wolves were sharper than any person!

But this time, the usual methods didn’t work; he couldn’t break free. Surprised, Lin Shuishi looked up at Fuli, puzzled. Fuli had always been gentle with him in these moments, especially after their first time left him so exhausted that he passed out, leaving a lasting impression on the beast.

Their eyes locked, breaths mingling, tension mounting. In the dim moonlight, Lin Shuishi could just make out something different in Fuli’s golden, slit-pupiled eyes. They glittered faintly, as if reflecting countless distant stars, drawing Lin Shuishi in, pulling at his very soul.

Deep in the dense forests of Dongshan, in the ancestral lands behind the cascading veil of a powerful waterfall, under the colossal wolf skeleton in a deep, stalactite-filled cave, a golden pool of water began to pulse. The scattered golden frost within it struggled, gathered strength, then surged with power. This spectacle had long been forgotten, fading as the wolf clan declined.

But now, in this secluded, sacred place, it began to stir once more.

Whether in flesh or bone, the spirit of the wolf god would forever be passed down through the bloodline of its descendants, silently guarding these mountains and wild lands.

Meanwhile, in the barbarian camp, inside the grand tent, the blood-red crystal that the shaman worshipped, filled with the blood of various spiritual creatures, pulsed erratically, glowing with thin red lines before finally dimming in failure. The shaman, after a moment of excitement, felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. He took a deep breath to steady himself before calling out to the tent.

“Why haven’t the spiritual creatures been brought yet?”

A man with a purplish face responded stiffly from outside, “Shaman, we received word last night that they have been gathered and are awaiting transport.”

“Transport is troublesome. Have the vine-armored warriors drain the blood and bring it directly to me.”

“Yes.”

“And, has anyone broken through the siege of Xuancheng?” The shaman’s eyes glinted with a flash of red.

“Currently, no. The battle remains at a stalemate.”

Just as the man finished speaking, another figure, his face tinged with green and purple, came rushing towards the tent with a look of terror and urgency. He hesitated at the entrance, his palms slick with sweat, not daring to directly address the shaman. Seeing the purple-faced man step outside to relay messages, he hesitated before nervously whispering in his ear for some time.

The previously stoic man showed signs of surprise on his otherwise rigid face. He immediately entered the tent and knelt on the ground, reporting, “Great Shaman, the spiritual creatures have been stolen, and all the vine-armored warriors have been killed. We do not know who did this; it happened silently and without a trace.”

The shaman, already in a dark and brooding mood, could no longer contain his rage. In a fit of fury, he extended a flexible vine from his back, grabbing the man who had just reported the news outside the tent and dragging him inside. Before the other man’s eyes, the shaman violently tore the unfortunate messenger apart.

Afterward, the shaman calmly adjusted his hair, the vine retracting as if it had never been there. He once again assumed his lofty and composed demeanor, saying coldly, “An ordinary person couldn’t have done this. Go investigate the Fourth Prince of the barbarian king; he’s been having too many thoughts.”

The subordinates, trembling with fear, quickly retreated. The shaman, meanwhile, stroked the black arrow in his hand. “If it wasn’t him, then it must be him! So, he really isn’t dead! The heavens haven’t abandoned me after all. Hahaha!”

Nearby, the personal guards stood with expressionless faces, while the regular barbarian soldiers maintained their distant patrols, unnerved by the shaman’s manic laughter echoing from within the tent. The guards, however, didn’t even blink, their behavior eerie and unsettling.

The atmosphere in the barbarian army had been tense recently, with rumors swirling like the wind. Moreover, among the ministers and princes close to the barbarian king, there was growing unease about the king’s increasing violence and bloodthirstiness. The “blood elixirs” provided by the shaman, though initially giving immense strength and vitality, seemed to have an addictive, corrupting influence.

As a result, dissenting voices began to rise within the barbarian ranks.

“The Fourth Prince is right; we must investigate this matter! Zahaar only questioned the shaman out of concern for the king’s health, yet he was strangled by the king’s order. I can’t accept this!”

The Fourth Prince, seated at the head of the tent, listened thoughtfully before offering reassurance. “We must indeed investigate, but we cannot act rashly. We must not let word of this leak out, nor provoke the king further.”

Unlike his typically brawny and brutish brothers, the Fourth Prince was more slender, though his narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes glinted with intelligence. He bore a striking resemblance to his mother, who had been strangled to death by the drunken, enraged barbarian king.

The Fourth Prince was the son of a Central Plains merchant woman who had been captured and forced into submission. During his youth, he endured endless bullying and torment from his brothers, eventually honing a deep, calculating mind and mastering the art of patience and restraint, earning him his current position.

“However, what worries me most now is the stalemate in our siege of the city,” the Fourth Prince pondered aloud.

An elder barbarian leader with a white beard nodded in agreement. “Our barbarian tribe was driven from the Central Plains by our ancestors and forced to survive in the barren deserts and wastelands. Countless generations have passed since then. We are sacrificing the lives of all our tribesmen in this campaign so that our descendants can live prosperously and comfortably. We seek change, survival!”

He sighed deeply before continuing, “But now, our assault is neither advancing nor retreating. What is the point of this formation at the city gates? To wear us down? To exhaust ourselves? That shaman must have some ulterior motive!”

A burly and silent barbarian warrior suddenly stood up, breaking the tense silence. “Enough, we can’t delay any longer. Tomorrow, I will go and confront that shaman myself. You all don’t need to worry about me!”

The Fourth Prince hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent, watching the warrior leave the tent and disappear into the distance.

However, the next day, a fresh severed head was displayed at the entrance of the military camp. It was reported that someone had attempted to assassinate the great shaman and was killed by the barbarian king on the spot, with blood splattering the royal tent. The head belonged to the warrior who had once been the king’s most loyal subordinate, his most trusted right-hand man. But the king did not even blink as he raised his sword, as if he were merely slaughtering a chicken, to serve as a warning to the rest of the “monkeys” who dared to challenge him.

This was the state of the barbarian tribe, and similarly, far away in the city of Dingping, General Jiang Zhao faced his own challenges. Although the three armies were expected to arrive soon, they had yet to report to Jiang Zhao or take any orders, making it impossible to devise a unified military strategy. Should they all charge in together when the time comes? Or should they all remain inactive, waiting for General Zhao Xing to be worn down before advancing?

With the country on the brink of collapse, there could be no further internal strife. Jiang Zhao found himself caught in the turbulent flood of human desires, constantly weighing the ambitions of one cunning figure after another, calculating and scheming, aiming to survive by any means necessary.

At the front lines in Xuancheng, the barbarians had laid siege to the city but were baffled by their inability to starve out Zhao Xing. The defenders of the city seemed to grow stronger and more spirited, while the barbarians, who had surrounded the city, were left wondering how such a small city could sustain its troops with enough food.

Unbeknownst to the besiegers outside, the situation inside the city was far from one of starvation. In fact, the food supply was quite sufficient. Although fruits and vegetables were scarce, there seemed to be an endless supply of rice bags and military rations being mysteriously delivered from within. Every few days, a secret tunnel was dug, and small paws would furiously dig away, only to emerge with yet another stash of food. The soldiers inside the city were thrilled to move the supplies, not caring for gourmet meals but simply grateful for enough food to keep their bellies full, allowing them to take up arms and swords and continue their determined defense of Xuancheng.

As long as the city stands, so do its people.

On this particular day, the sun shone brightly, and for some unknown reason, the pressure from the barbarians had eased slightly, giving the soldiers a brief moment to catch their breath. They sent a team to the tunnel entrance at the city gate to retrieve more provisions.

But today, instead of the usual sacks of rice, small piles of dried fruits, almonds, pine nuts, hazelnuts, and wild mushrooms were tossed out from the tunnel. The provisions were not neatly packed in military sacks as usual but were scattered loosely.

One of the soldiers, surprised, exclaimed, “Hey? What’s going on today? Wow! These are all high-calorie foods! Look, there are even fruits!”

The unusual commotion caught the attention of the deputy general, who reported it to Zhao Xing, prompting him to come and inspect the situation.

Soon, the generals and soldiers were standing outside the perimeter, watching curiously but refraining from disturbing the “provision officers.” These officers had been personally appointed by General Zhao Xing after a hearty meal.

As the pile of wild delicacies and mountain goods grew taller, everyone was drooling with hunger. Zhao Xing, standing with his spear in hand, was equally puzzled, scratching his head and thinking, “Is Jiang Zhao really that resourceful? Did he raid a rodent’s nest or something?”

However, Zhao Xing was somewhat mistaken. This had nothing to do with General Jiang Zhao; it was simply that the “provision officers” had developed a taste for their task.

With no more sacks to fill, they decided to clear out the nearby animal dens, taking all the winter stores left behind after the animals’ hibernation. After all, no matter how cozy the burrow, it couldn’t withstand the claws of a pangolin.

Unfortunately, many of the rodents and rabbits, having just enjoyed a hearty meal of fresh spring greens, returned to their burrows, intending to settle in and sleep off their “wealth.”

Instead, they were stunned to find their dens dug out and emptied clean!

In that moment, their defenses were shattered. Damn, they’d been robbed!