Ch 74: My Wolf Husband

Lin Shuishi’s ears had long been deafened by the deafening hum produced by the thousands of bowstrings firing. Now, he didn’t even know whose blood it was that splattered on his face, trickling down from his forehead and into his eyes, causing a sharp pain in his pupils. But he couldn’t rub it away, as his arms were too sore and weak to lift.

The red glow of the setting sun shone on his somewhat dirty little face and into his blood-stained eyes, causing a faint golden hue to flicker in his pupils, but amidst the chaos, no one noticed.

In the distance, the mutated barbarian king led the army of vine ghosts, destroying the barricade formed by the heavy arrows from the ballistae, and with a roar, they broke through the obstacles of long arrows being shot from the walls, reaching the base of the city walls in no time.

Their dried, pale faces were devoid of any expression, their eyes dull, as if they felt no pain, no sensation, just mechanically charging forward. Lin Shuishi couldn’t tell whether these “barbarians” were still living beings or already dead.

Though the walls of Xuancheng stood tall, reaching up to twenty meters, the vine ghosts were unlike ordinary humans. They continued to pile up, layer upon layer, quickly forming a “human ladder.” Their green vines were impervious to oil and fire; the rolling oil fireballs sent down by the city defenders had no effect and only served to burn themselves.

Thus, there was blood and corpses everywhere, and the soldiers on the walls were about to be wiped out. The wounded soldiers who had previously retreated struggled to climb back up the walls from within the city, even if they could only use one arm, fighting with all their might, swinging their swords and spears.

Lin Shuishi came to his senses, gritting his teeth as he stood up. He picked up a weapon beside the body of a fallen officer, as if inheriting his will, ready to fight, to battle.

When one person fell, those who remained alive would pick up their weapons and continue the fight. This way, the spirits of the fallen could rest in peace.

With trembling arms, he raised his weapon and rushed to the battlements that were now unguarded.

He was no longer the helpless, disabled boy lost among skyscrapers; he was a brave warrior, unafraid of life or death, and the countless souls here bore witness to that.

The vine ghosts were already surging over the walls. Lin Shuishi, along with a few wounded soldiers, struggled desperately to finally cut one down, but it was like trying to quench a thirst with a single drop of water. Even the few remaining white wolves were almost overwhelmed by the cold, sinister green tide, with no time to help.

At that moment, two towering vine ghosts roared and lunged at Lin Shuishi, who had just pulled a weapon from a heap of broken vines. His pupils constricted, and his chest throbbed painfully from his heavy breathing.

At this moment, Lin Shuishi’s brain was intensely transmitting sensory signals, and in his eyes, faint golden glimmers appeared. He could see each of the vine ghosts’ movements in sharp clarity, as if in slow motion, down to the tiny mold spots on their pale faces.

His peripheral vision also became sharper, allowing him to clearly perceive the anxious hands of the city soldiers reaching out toward him, the ferocity of the white wolf as it leaped toward him despite having a chunk of its flesh torn off, and the barbarian king who crushed the heads of three soldiers with a single slap…

But his body was heavy, weak, and slow to react.

He could only manage to turn and face the vine ghost, driven by a strangely absurd thought: if he couldn’t dodge, then let his face be slashed. Maybe then Fuli wouldn’t recognize him, and perhaps he would think that Lin Shuishi hadn’t died trapped in the vine ghost siege but had escaped instead.

If his life was destined to end here, Lin Shuishi hoped to give Fuli a glimmer of hope. He didn’t want to leave behind a mangled corpse for his beast; that would break his heart.

Better a parting in life than a farewell in death.

As the vine ghost’s saber, stained with the blood of unknown victims, was about to strike Lin Shuishi, it glinted in the dying sunlight, exuding a menacing aura.

The frail body beneath the blade closed its eyes tightly against the wind, the sweat and blood soaking the hair on his forehead until it revealed the faint birthmark usually hidden there. Now it was a deep crimson, like the richest cinnabar, like warm jade stained with blood.

In that split second between life and death, a blurred figure sped toward the city wall, accompanied by an earth-shattering roar!

Just when Lin Shuishi thought death was certain, a massive beast’s jaws suddenly appeared before him, filled with sharp, terrifying fangs. In an instant, it bit down on two vine ghosts. With a loud “crunch,” the two seemingly invincible vine ghosts were effortlessly crushed!

The giant beast shook its head, sending the mangled bodies flying, clearing a large section of the vine ghosts that had swarmed the city wall.

Lin Shuishi stood there, stunned, blinking as blood trickled from his forehead down to the corner of his eye, as if weeping tears of blood.

Before he could react, he felt his body go limp, and he collapsed into a broad, firm chest, held tightly by a body radiating intense heat.

Fuli had instantly transformed into his human form, catching the falling Lin Shuishi. His blood boiled with fury and fear—he had almost lost his moon, just by a hair’s breadth…

Lin Shuishi, however, felt no relief at having narrowly escaped death. The warmth behind him chilled him to the bone. From the start of the battle until now, even in the face of near death, he had never felt such fear and panic! His mind buzzed, and only two words echoed in his heart: This is bad.

In such a deadly situation, Fuli had still come.

“You! Why did you come? Get out of here, go!”

The severely injured white wolves behind immediately leaped in front of Fuli. Then, along with Lin Shuishi, Fuli grabbed them and lifted them up to the highest part of the city tower.

Zhao Xing stood there, blood-soaked, spear in hand, surrounded by fierce warriors guarding him. This was the last remaining command center of the entire army, the highest point of human strength at that moment.

But even these battle-hardened warriors stopped their fighting, looking at the “man” before them with extreme shock.

Zhao Xing had been fighting fiercely when he saw a flash of white in front of the city gate, followed by a soul-shaking beastly roar. The vine ghosts in front of him were suddenly cleared out by the flying remains of two shattered vine bodies. The pressure on him eased, and he wondered which ally had provided this assistance.

Then, he heard the gasps of the soldiers behind him. When he looked up again, he saw the formidable General Wang stepping back three paces in shock!

What stood before them was a monstrous being with a human body and a beast’s appearance! It had sharp fangs and claws, and its nearly three-meter-tall body was covered in golden beast patterns. Its beastly vertical pupils were wide open, radiating intense fury and killing intent.

But Zhao Xing had long gone mad with killing; the vine ghosts below the city had already shattered everyone’s threshold of fear. Left or right, it was just a matter of life and death! So he raised his spear, ready to shoot at Fuli. But just as he moved, the man-wolf turned its head, and those cold, golden vertical pupils glared at him.

Zhao Xing froze in shock, a wave of recognition washing over him. He remembered those eyes—the mysterious man who had broken through the formation that night to deliver a message and supplies had hidden in the shadows, revealing only those cold, golden vertical pupils in the faint moonlight!

The soldiers behind him also regained their senses. They were seasoned fighters, and even in fear, their instincts drove them to raise their weapons again. Zhao Xing quickly raised his hand and shouted, “Stop!”

So, amidst the breathless astonishment of the crowd, the powerful man-wolf leaped onto the main tower, gently setting down the now-exhausted Lin Shuishi and the three white wolves, whose once-white fur was now stained red.

At that moment, a group of vine ghosts climbed up the tower, howling as they charged at the group. Fuli roared and then kicked up a nearby spear. With a swift motion, he grabbed it, flexed his muscular arm, and hurled it at the city gate tower.

The spear flew with a whistling sound, creating a massive hole in the chests of the vine ghosts, continuing its trajectory until it impaled itself into the barbarian army below, knocking down a large group. The spear finally embedded itself in a giant rock below the city, its black wooden shaft shattered, leaving only the battle-hardened spearhead intact.

Fuli then turned back and looked deeply at Zhao Xing, sending chills down the general’s spine. The force behind that single throw exceeded even what twenty men could achieve with a ballista! It was beyond human capability.

But Zhao Xing still swung his spear and asked, “Are you the one who delivered supplies that night?”

As soon as the words left Zhao Xing’s mouth, the vine ghosts below began swarming up again. There was no time to say more; Fuli roared, his muscles and bones shifting, and in an instant, he transformed into a massive white wolf, nearly as tall as half the city gate! The giant wolf turned and leaped fiercely into the advancing enemy tide.

Lin Shuishi desperately reached out, but all he was left with were a few silver-white, stiff hairs in his hand.

“Fuli! Fuli!”

As he shouted, Jiang Zhao, who was protecting him, finally confirmed the identity of the giant beast. Although he was astonished, he also felt a sense of relief—indeed, only a non-human body could possess such near-divine abilities!

“General Zhao! The giant wolf is a friend, not a foe! Protect this young man!” he shouted. At this critical moment, the once fearsome beast had become their last hope in the midst of death. The most urgent task now was to protect the person entrusted to them. Whether they lived or died next was up to fate. The fact that no soldier in the city had abandoned it, despite such a catastrophe, already spoke volumes of their honor.

Upon hearing the rear general’s shout, the others snapped out of their daze. So be it! In this moment of ghostly siege, they could believe that the wolf god, as the common folk said, had manifested before them.

A few fierce warriors, reeking of blood, formed a protective circle around Lin Shuishi with their backs against the city wall. By now, Lin Shuishi’s cries were futile; the giant beast had already cleared the enemies near the city walls and was charging headlong into the surging “tide of ghosts.”

In the roaring green tide, the silver-white wolf stood out sharply. Even such a massive wolf seemed small in the face of the overwhelming enemy, but like a drop of water in boiling oil, it caused turmoil and chaos wherever it went!

The three white wolves Lin Shuishi had with him earlier were already formidable, but they couldn’t compare to this giant beast.

Gritting his teeth, Lin Shuishi watched as Fuli clashed with the barbarian king and began to fight. The sight stirred something fierce within him. Since Fuli had come, they would fight together—if they were to die, they would die together!

Suddenly, Lin Shuishi felt his heart race, and a burning sensation spread from his abdomen. In a short time, his previously weakened body regained strength, and he felt much more powerful.

Lin Shuishi stood up, breathing heavily, and swiftly grabbed a saber from a nearby guard, slashing down at the vine ghost beneath the battlement.

The others barely had time to react and feared the worst.

The person they were protecting was small and slender. When the stray hair on his forehead was lifted, the generals finally noticed the bright red birthmark on his forehead. This was not just a young man—it was a young brother! And they had let him onto the battlefield. How could someone like him possibly fight against a vine ghost?

As a nearby general shouted “Retreat!” and rushed forward to rescue him, they witnessed the young man, with arms as thin as sticks, slice through the green vines on the vine ghost’s chest with a single stroke, revealing the dried-up body inside.

The crowd was stunned, and Jiang Zhao, too, pushed aside the guard beside him, staring at Lin Shuishi in disbelief. When the two of them had been adjusting the ballista strings together, he hadn’t noticed such strength in him!

After cutting through the vine armor, Lin Shuishi reached out with his other hand, plunging it into the vine ghost’s dried chest and pulling out a black, murky object. The vine ghost, though still intact with all its limbs, suddenly froze, its body stiffening like a puppet with its strings cut, before it fell off the city wall.

Lin Shuishi had noticed this when Fuli had pierced through that group of vine ghosts with a single spear—once their chests were pierced, the vine ghosts “died.” It reminded him of the shattered vine corpses in the Dongshan Gorge, where similar black orbs had been found inside their chest armor.

Fuli had mentioned at the time that these were seeds.

Jiang Zhao immediately realized that this was the key to the vine ghosts’ movement! He rushed to Lin Shuishi, grabbing the hand still holding the black orb, and asked in a trembling voice, “What is this?”

The rear general noticed that the young man’s hand was unexpectedly strong, and his once black pupils had a faint golden hue. Lin Shuishi crushed the black orb in his hand and replied, “Seed, vine seed.” He then thought for a moment and added, “The vine ghost’s heart—strike it, and it won’t move anymore.”

Jiang Zhao immediately announced to the city’s defenders that to kill a vine ghost, they should aim for the center of the chest!

However, the green vines were incredibly tough, and if the outer shell couldn’t be cut through, it was futile. But knowing the weakness gave them at least a slight advantage.

While Fuli fought fiercely below the city walls, giving the soldiers of Xuancheng a moment to catch their breath, a figure hidden within the green tide of vines revealed a twisted, eerie smile.

“Heh, found you!”