Ch 69: My Wolf Husband

Lin Shuishi spent the entire night thinking about Dr. Sun, Dongsheng, the old deaf cook, and the familiar soldiers in the camp. These thoughts kept him tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Fuli remained silent, but at dawn, he sent the wolf pack away and set off with Lin Shuishi towards Dingping County.

“Aren’t we going to continue investigating the rattan armor soldiers? Besides, even if we go to Dingping, we might not be able to help,” Lin Shuishi murmured while lying on Fuli’s back. Fuli had his own unresolved matters, and his instincts leaned away from getting involved in human wars. Lin Shuishi didn’t want to sway him from his original path.

Fuli patted his small rear and his deep voice, carried by the wind, reached Lin Shuishi’s ears, “Don’t worry, the Wolf God has already pointed the way for all things.”

Listening to his lover’s soothing voice, Lin Shuishi began to feel sleepy and eventually dozed off on Fuli’s shoulder.

Fuli remained silent, steadily increasing his pace as he hurried forward, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Over the next few days, Lin Shuishi truly witnessed the brutality of war. The villages near Dingzhou were nearly deserted, with only one out of ten homes still standing. In the places ravaged by the war, rivers of blood flowed freely. The barbarians had indeed slaughtered entire towns. Bodies were piled together and set ablaze before they could be properly buried, leaving behind nothing but charred ruins.

He felt pain and hatred, as well as a deep fear.

Along the way, they rarely encountered anyone fleeing the war, as most had been killed.

Two days later, outside Dingzhou City, the two armies had been skirmishing and laying ambushes for half a month. On this day, the drums of war thundered, and the sounds of fierce battle filled the air.

Before they even reached the city walls, the deafening sounds of battle and the pervasive stench of blood filled the air.

They had arrived just in time.

Lin Shuishi’s heart pounded in his chest. Relying on his keen hearing and sharp eyesight, Fuli led Lin Shuishi away from the main battlefield and directly into a secluded forested area on higher ground.

The battlefield was vast, stretching beyond the horizon, making it difficult to discern the tactics and strategies of either side. From a distance, Lin Shuishi could see a group of soldiers, led by a battering ram, breaking through the rattan-armored soldiers surrounding the city. After circling around several times, they managed to breach the barbarian lines and reach the foot of Xuancheng City!

General Zhao Xing also led his troops out of the city, but neither side could break through the formation at the city’s base. The group of soldiers was nearly wiped out, and in the chaos, both sides sounded the retreat.

Fuli’s expression was grim as he led Lin Shuishi, following the retreating army, all the way back across the border river to defend Dingping County.

In Dingping’s command tent, Jiang Zhao was at his wit’s end. The recent war council had been of no use. After the three armies converged, everyone had predicted that Zhao Xing couldn’t hold out much longer. Xuancheng was surrounded, and no one outside had any information about what was happening inside the city. Thus, they had no choice but to launch a desperate attack, determined to defend the heartland of the Central Plains at all costs.

The few available ballistae were put to great use, especially the three most powerful ones, capable of piercing through the elite rattan-armored soldiers of the barbarian army. However, they were laborious to operate, taking half a day to fire a single volley. Even so, this immensely destructive weapon allowed the elite forces of the army to break through the barbarian defenses and reach the base of Xuancheng City.

But to their surprise, a bizarre formation lay beneath the city walls, one that allowed people to enter but not to leave, no matter how many soldiers attempted to breach it. Ultimately, the army was forced to retreat in defeat under the barbarian counterattack.

The soldiers and generals were at a loss. According to reports from scouts, the barbarians had slaughtered a total of thirty-nine cities, large and small. North of the Central Plains, the fields were littered with white bones, and corpses stretched as far as the eye could see.

The court had prepared a hundred different strategies for attack and defense, but in the face of the overwhelming power and defense of the barbarians, all efforts had proven futile. There were even several civil officials who adamantly petitioned the emperor to engage in “peace talks.”

But negotiations were impossible! The emperor, in a fit of rage, drew his sword and killed the leading official on the spot, declaring that any cowardly or fearful officials would be executed without mercy.

Xuancheng was the last stand. If they were defeated, the people would become nothing more than fish on the chopping block, their families destroyed, and future generations condemned to slavery and endless suffering.

The most urgent task was to find a way to break through the barbarian blockade, send someone to observe the formation at Xuancheng, and ultimately, break the formation!

A guard quietly placed a bowl of plain porridge on the table. The weary Jiang Zhao waved his hand dismissively, “Take it away.”

“But, General, you should eat something. The old cook specifically instructed me to bring this to you, saying that you must eat. The entire army is counting on you.”

Jiang Zhao sighed, listlessly reaching for the porridge and dismissing the soldier. The dim candlelight flickered weakly, and the only sound in the tent was the clinking of the spoon against the bowl.

Just as he was about to swallow a spoonful of porridge, Jiang Zhao felt a gust of wind blow into the tent, causing the flame to leap suddenly. In the shifting light and shadow, a tall figure was cast on the tent wall.

There was no time to call for help. Jiang Zhao instantly reached for his concealed sleeve arrow, but before he could trigger it, his hand froze. He hesitated for a moment, then cautiously and tentatively spoke.

“Hero?” The figure didn’t move, and Jiang Zhao, starting to recognize who it was, regained his composure after a few breaths. With a steady gaze, he continued, “Was it not that the hero had left the camp? My apologies for not being able to see you off personally. What brings you here today…?”

Before Jiang Zhao could finish his carefully worded speech, the figure abruptly tossed a cloth-wrapped bundle onto the table, knocking over the bowl of porridge with a clatter.

Startled, Jiang Zhao decided to drop the pretense. He realized that his usual persuasive words were useless here—the figure’s presence conveyed a clear message: no nonsense, just business.

Jiang Zhao, shaking out his sleeve, grabbed the bundle without hesitation, showing no concern that it might be a trap or an assassination attempt.

That day, after their encounter on the main street, he had been secretly investigating and monitoring for quite some time. Although he couldn’t determine Fuli’s origins, he knew that his heart wasn’t in this place—he was a mysterious figure, yet not entangled with any major factions.

Fuli clearly didn’t want to deal with the aristocrats and officials but was certainly not on the side of the barbarians. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have delivered food supplies to General Zhao Xing.

Thinking of this man’s secrets and abilities, Jiang Zhao’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately opened the cloth bundle. In the dim candlelight, he could see that it was a piece of wild boar skin, freshly scraped clean with a sharp blade, still bearing traces of fresh pig fat and blood.

Jiang Zhao was puzzled but determined not to give up. He asked, “Hero, is this…?”

Fuli didn’t enter the tent; his shadow was cast on the tent’s fabric. Upon hearing the question, he responded directly, “Yes.”

The General, who had lost his appetite, gasped sharply, pushing aside the bowl of porridge and quickly studying the boar skin. The skin bore an intricate pattern, etched into its surface with something sharp dipped in black charcoal.

Staring at the complex, ancient symbols and markings, the renowned Jiang Zhao was at a loss.

He couldn’t make sense of it.

Before he could call for help, the silent shadow had already disappeared without a trace.

The next day, Jiang Zhao gathered all the trustworthy scholars and military officers to study the “heavenly script” on the boar skin together.

A vassal king, who was a military man by nature, grew increasingly frustrated and finally burst out in anger, “What the hell is this gibberish?”

Even the learned scholars turned pale. Not only could they not decipher the drawing, but staring at it for too long made them dizzy! For the first time in their lives, they shared a sentiment with the soldiers they usually looked down on.

Meanwhile, in an abandoned village near the military camp, emptied by the war, Lin Shuishi found a relatively clean courtyard to stay in temporarily. The place had long been deserted. Although it had been thoroughly looted, with not even a bed left, the high walls provided some measure of privacy.

The previous night, he had dozed off by the campfire, watching Fuli dip his claw into the black charcoal and draw intricate patterns on the boar skin. The more he watched those lines, the sleepier he became, until he drifted off, vaguely feeling a few white wolves padding over to let him lean against them.

Lin Shuishi had a good sleep and woke up in the warmth of the wolf pack, only to find Fuli in the courtyard, preparing the game. He rubbed his eyes and got up to join him.

The white wolf that had been lying under him finally got up as well. It hadn’t dared to move all night without orders, serving as a makeshift cushion. It didn’t mind, though, as the little creature was light and gentle.

But the wolf needed to pee! It had been holding it in all night!

Just as Lin Shuishi was about to step out the door, he saw a white blur shoot out the window and disappear in an instant. He let out a “Whoa,” and chuckled, “So energetic this early in the morning.”

Before he could wipe the drool from the corner of his mouth, leftover from sleep, Fuli handed him the leg of some unknown bird—lean and muscular, it looked like it packed a punch!

Fuli had already mastered the basics of roasting, so Lin Shuishi stuffed his mouth with the cooked bird leg. Although the cooking wasn’t perfect, the freshness of the meat made up for it. Munching away, he looked up and mumbled, “What were you drawing last night? I was half-asleep and couldn’t really tell.”

The morning was a bit chilly, so Fuli stoked the fire in the courtyard. “Formation diagram.”

“Formation diagram?” Lin Shuishi didn’t grasp it immediately. After a moment, his eyes lit up, and he quickly swallowed the tough meat. “Is it the formation diagram for the siege of Xuancheng? Can you break it?”

Fuli tore off a piece of raw meat to eat and calmly nodded at the astonished Lin Shuishi.

“Then we need to get it to the general and the others right away.”

“I already did.”

“Last night?”

“Yeah.”

Fuli thought for a moment and added, “I just figured it out fully. Couldn’t break it before. Had to observe the movement of the stars.” His inherited memories were incomplete, and it was only after transforming into a werewolf in the forest a few days ago that some of them came back to him.

“It involves celestial phenomena too?” Lin Shuishi was instantly impressed; this was way beyond his understanding.

He breathed a sigh of relief, but as he ate, he thought about Fuli’s taciturn nature and cleared his throat, deciding to probe a bit more.

“So, that kind of thing, is it common around here? I mean, can people easily understand it?”

Fuli paused and turned to look at Lin Shuishi. Seeing his reaction, Lin Shuishi suddenly had a feeling that he already knew the answer.

“Or could you explain it a little?”

No one spoke, and the two of them quietly locked eyes.

Lin Shuishi recalled the complex patterns he had glimpsed the previous night and slowly took a deep breath.

“Come on, if we’re any later, Dr. Sun will scold us!”

But he was mistaken—Sun Luqian no longer had the time to scold anyone.

At the camp, Dr. Sun’s medical tent was especially crowded. The tent was filled with people lying down—both frail scholars and battle-hardened generals. These men held significant ranks, the backbone of the army, but now they were all feeling dizzy and looking a bit pale.

Dr. Sun was busy taking pulses one by one when Captain Shen Ping hurriedly lifted the tent flap and exclaimed, “Doctor! The Rear General has vomited again!”

“Oh dear, bring him here! I can’t leave.”

Shen Ping sighed in frustration, then quickly went back to carry the frail Jiang Zhao to the medical tent.

It wasn’t until dusk that Dr. Sun finally managed to stop the dizziness and vomiting by sticking each of these officials and generals with silver needles.

The piece of fresh pigskin, which had been lying on a tray, was untouched. No one dared to handle it again. Jiang Zhao had remained silent about the origin of the skin, but everyone felt it was cursed. Not only was it indecipherable, but looking at it also made them feel incredibly nauseous. If anyone else had brought it out, they might have been accused and arrested.

Dr. Sun had cautiously tested it for poison with silver needles and various traditional methods, finding nothing harmful. Without opening it to see the patterns inside, it was just an ordinary piece of pigskin!

In fact, because it had been left in the warm tent all day, it had started to smell a bit, attracting a few flies…

The recovered generals were now stable, and with the help of guards, they left Jiang Zhao, who was slumped at the end of the bed, to return to their own tents, looking like porcupines with silver needles sticking out of their heads.

Jiang Zhao opened his eyes, his energy drained, and gave a sideways glance at his elder brother, who was known as a master of medicine.

“Aren’t you curious about the origins of this diagram, Brother?”

Dr. Sun, finally able to take a moment to wipe his sweat, replied, “Mingxi, I know you just as well as you know your elder brother.”

Jiang Zhao closed his eyes and adjusted himself to a more comfortable position on the bed, smiling at the response. “Yes, even my name was given by you when we were children.”

The only sound in the tent was that of Dr. Sun washing his hands. After a long pause, Jiang Zhao spoke again, “Brother, who exactly are those two? You know I’ve never asked, but given the current situation…”

Dr. Sun sighed in exasperation, “I don’t know much either. I happened to meet them in a village when they were injured and treated them. They came from deep in the mountains, with no real ties to the outside world, and they have pure hearts. They would never secretly harm the generals, I am certain of that.”

Jiang Zhao, feeling somewhat weak, watched the flies buzzing around the pigskin with growing frustration. “I know, but this diagram is too mysterious for us to comprehend. Breaking the formation is difficult, and the opportunity for battle is fleeting!”

“Did the person who delivered the diagram provide any explanation or hints?”

Jiang Zhao thought about it and felt even more disheartened, his face turning pale. “He only said one word.”

Dr. Sun, recalling the stranger with deep golden eyes, assumed there must have been a key explanation left behind and was eager to help figure it out. “Oh? What did he say?”

Jiang Zhao raised his hand, tired and speechless, and covered his eyes. “He said, ‘Yes.'”

“?”

“He said, ‘Yes.'”

“……”

An awkward silence filled the tent, as the two highly skilled brothers felt a tightness in their chests. Just then, a guard reported from outside the tent.

“Reporting to the medical officer, there are two people outside the camp requesting an audience. They say they are old friends.”

Jiang Zhao suddenly sprang up from the couch, no longer feeling dizzy, his eyes shining with excitement. Dr. Sun quickly asked, “Did they give their names?”

“Reporting, sir. The two visitors said they are called ‘Shui Ge’er.’ Should they be admitted?”

Before Dr. Sun could respond, Jiang Zhao urgently ordered, “Bring them here—no, invite them over quickly!” Then, after a moment’s thought, he added, “Treat them with the usual courtesy. If anyone asks, say they are old friends of Dr. Sun’s from his hometown, seeking refuge.”

The guard took the order and left to fetch the visitors.

Dr. Sun began to stretch his body, sore from a full day of acupuncture, eager to discuss important matters with the two visitors. But when he thought of Brother Shui, a sense of familiarity and affection returned, and he cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

“Those rascals! They’ve walked right into our hands!”

Outside the tent, as Lin Shuishi entered the camp once again, he noticed a stark difference from before. But he also understood that the previous camp in Dingping was hardly a real military camp, merely a small rear supply base. Now, it was the convergence of three armies, where a single order could determine the fate of the nation.

He and Fuli were led on a lengthy walk, which took about the time it would take to drink a cup of tea, before arriving at the so-called “medical tent.” Although the guards stopped at the entrance, they couldn’t help but feel uneasy when they saw the imposing aura of the warrior beside Lin Shuishi. They feared that if this man attempted to assassinate the general, no ordinary person would be able to stop him!

At that moment, Shen Ping, the Rear General’s trusted captain, arrived. He gestured for the guards to step back and personally escorted Lin Shuishi and Fuli into the tent.

Lin Shuishi, recognizing a familiar face, greeted him politely, “Brother Shen!”

But Shen Ping had no time for pleasantries. His face was pale and somewhat green—he had also seen the “ghostly diagram”…

Fuli remained vigilant, staying close to Lin Shuishi, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. If there were any signs of trouble, he would ensure they could quickly escape.

The atmosphere was tense, revealing the strict discipline of the military camp. Lin Shuishi said little until he saw Dr. Sun, ready to discuss things in detail.

As he glanced around, he noticed that Jiang Zhao was also present—saving him some trouble.

The group wasted no time with small talk. Jiang Zhao immediately stood up and brought the tray holding the diagram closer to the two of them.

“Hero, you are a person of great talent, but the diagram you have given us…”

Lin Shuishi was unaware that this piece of pigskin had caused a room full of generals to become dizzy. He only noticed the flies buzzing around and the scent of poison detection herbs in the tray, and one thought crossed his mind.

“This… is rotten?”

Lin Shuishi turned to look at Fuli, his eyes filled with reproach, as if to say: See? I told you that bringing in a piece of dead pigskin was a bad idea. Now that it’s warmed up, it’s started to stink! Look, even the scholars here are turning green from the smell.

Fuli shrugged: It was a freshly hunted wild boar—seemed convenient at the time.

Jiang Zhao and Dr. Sun exchanged glances, sensing something amiss. Noticing that Lin Shuishi and Fuli seemed unaware of the diagram’s peculiar nature, Dr. Sun unfurled the pigskin and cautiously asked, “Brother Shui, take a look.”

Lin Shuishi peered at the dense black markings on the pigskin, then leaned in to sniff it.

“Huh, Doctor, the smell isn’t that bad.”

“……”

Lin Shuishi blinked, noticing the strange silence between the two men. He scratched his head, clearly confused.