Ch 77: My Wolf Husband

Sinking, constantly sinking, swaying and drifting, uncertain and unsteady.

It was something he had experienced before, that dark and quiet place, filled with eerie mists.

He forgot who he was, where he came from, or where he was going—just floating.

This newly arrived wandering soul, not quite dead, not quite alive, was different from the other dim spirits. He was pure white, with tendrils of golden light shimmering around him. The most striking feature was a small tail that followed him.

It was a small, fluffy ball of golden light, sometimes clinging to his shoulder, other times perched on his head, always trying playfully to catch his attention.

He picked up the little ball of light, unsure of its meaning, but instinctively stroked it, soothing it with affection.

The light ball grew happy, nudging him in a certain direction, occasionally pausing to look around cautiously, using its light to scare away any approaching shadows.

The path was shrouded in dark mist, like one entrance after another into chaos, sending chills down his spine. As he walked, his heart grew restless.

He remembered that he was supposed to find someone, but in his haze, he couldn’t quite recall—was he searching for a person, or something else?

But the obsession was deep, weighing heavily on his mind.

The more he thought, the harder he tried, and the brighter his light became. Gradually, he began to remember a beast, a mountain, golden eyes from their first encounter, a winter treehouse, and the gentle stream in early spring…

So he kept walking, then began to run, faster and faster, until it felt like his soul might take flight!

There was a name in his heart, but it was stuck in his throat, unable to come out, as if his mouth was sealed shut. No wonder there was no sound here—it was eerily silent.

But in his heart, he repeated it over and over, “Fu… Fu… Fuli!” Yes, that was the name! He mustn’t forget it—how could he ever forget? He needed to keep it close, warming himself with it, until he dissolved into smoke and faded away.

But the longer time passed, the heavier his body became, the slower his steps grew, as he was drained, worn down, gradually turning into the same dark shadows around him.

The little ball of light grew frantic, hopping around in circles, desperately spinning faster and faster. Finally, with a burst of effort, it stretched out a tail! With a great strain, it sprouted four stubby little legs, though this did little to improve its appearance.

Lin Shuishi was panicking when he suddenly noticed this awkward little creature. He blinked in surprise, curiously reaching out to touch it, only to see it wagging its tail so vigorously it nearly took off!

And so, with this strange little companion, he trudged on for what seemed like an endless time, with no end in sight.

As Lin Shuishi wandered in a daze, a voice reached his ears, as if muffled by some barrier, buzzing faintly and indistinctly. It was an ancient tone, echoing through the boundary between life and death, reaching this place.

The sound triggered a memory—he recognized that tone. It was the ancient language of the wolf god clan, the one Fuli occasionally spoke. He had once begged Fuli to teach him, but each word seemed to embody a natural law or binding force, too heavy to speak aloud.

With great effort and focused thoughts, he managed to learn only one name.

“Fuli, Ashina Fuli!”

With a loud bang, a shock reverberated through Lin Shuishi’s ears, as if something had shattered. His vision suddenly cleared, and he instinctively closed his eyes against the brightness.

When he opened them again, he saw, at the very end of the path, a silver-white giant wolf emerging from the layers of dark mist, bathed in light, racing toward him.

Without hesitation, Lin Shuishi ran toward the giant beast, his eyes shining brightly. If he could see him again, even running felt too slow…

Dongshan, in the secret ancestral land.

A giant wolf curled its body, carefully and protectively guarding a human form. They lay deep in a golden pool beneath the massive wolf skeleton, tightly embracing each other.

If they couldn’t live together, they would at least rest together in the same grave. The golden pool shimmered with ripples, while the vines draped from the wolf bones into the water, creating a scene of serene tranquility. It made their tragic fate appear especially peaceful and beautiful.

But suddenly, the pool began to stir. In no time, all the scattered golden light in the pool started to gather madly at the bottom, merging into their flesh, mending and healing.

The vines on the wolf bones withered and bloomed again, falling and then sprouting once more. As the sun and moon alternated in the mountain, the flowers and green vines eventually stabilized. However, the golden spring lost its color, becoming just an ordinary pool.

The two figures at the bottom of the pool were so full of life, yet still unable to wake.

In the dark chaos, a giant wolf glowing with golden light ran tirelessly, carrying a white figure and a strange little ball of light on its back. The wolf was searching, exploring, determined to break through this mirror-like world of water with his moon.

They ran for what seemed like an eternity, the beast panting heavily. Lin Shuishi had no idea what was happening, nor how Fuli had arrived there, but he had a feeling that if they didn’t find the way out, Fuli would never escape. He would be trapped in this murky space forever.

Just as the light on Fuli’s body began to fade, almost to the point of disappearing, the little ball of light that had been sticking close behind suddenly jumped high, its tail wagging so fast it left only a blur.

Fuli, exhausted, looked up and was suddenly illuminated by a burst of white light.

In the distant darkness, two blazing white lights appeared.

As Lin Shuishi focused, he realized they were two white wolves, their entire bodies glowing with a radiant aura. One was very tall, with a stern, commanding presence reminiscent of the white wolf king; the other was gentle and wise, with deep, knowing eyes.

These were the old wolf king and queen, finally reunited beneath the banyan tree on the mountaintop, moving together in perfect harmony.

At that moment, Lin Shuishi felt a sudden peace. Life and death are like two ends of a river; if you follow the shore, one day you will meet again at the river’s end.

Fuli quickly took a few steps forward. The two figures, his “mother” and “father,” kept their distance, guiding him through the deep darkness, across the boundary between life and death, showing him the way home.

The closer Fuli got to them, the brighter his surroundings became. Finally, as the old wolf king vanished into a sudden burst of blinding white light, Fuli leaped forward in frustration. A sensation of weightlessness overwhelmed him, and Lin Shuishi lost consciousness.

At the bottom of the ancestral pool, Lin Shuishi suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath, only to have water rush into his lungs. As he struggled, a force from below pushed him up, breaking through the surface of the water in an instant.

Fuli had woken up, his muscles contracting as he transformed back into human form. He held Lin Shuishi tightly as they emerged from the water and landed on the shore.

Lin Shuishi, still coughing from having swallowed water, looked up and saw the man’s eyes, red with emotion.

His usually wild and unyielding hair was now soaked, dripping water onto his face. His lips were tightly pressed together, drained of color, and his eyes, still filled with the lingering fear of almost losing everything, were deeply fixed on the coughing Lin Shuishi in his arms.

The man’s arms were trembling slightly as he held him, but Lin Shuishi broke into a smile, a smile that grew brighter and more unabashed with each passing moment.

Lin Shuishi reached up and touched the man’s cold face, then gave it a playful pinch.

“Cough, cough… Hah! Cough, cough… The old wolf king is better-looking than you!”

In response, the man tightened his embrace, his hands gripping him so firmly as if trying to merge him into his own body. Only then did he feel a sense of relief, a tangible assurance that they were both still alive.

Outside Dongshan, the wolf pack had already returned to their den on the mountain ridge. However, the wolf king was extremely worried and, following the scent, found his way to the waterfall at the entrance of the ancestral land. The oppressive atmosphere kept him from venturing inside, so he paced back and forth at the entrance, his fur soaked by the spray from the waterfall. He shook off the cold water uneasily.

After the shaman’s death, the vines that had been connected to him struggled for a while before finally withering and dying.

Without anyone to command them, the vine ghost army could only mechanically continue their assault on the city, easily overwhelmed by the surrounding beast horde. Seizing the opportunity, Zhao Xing ordered a charge! The ballistae were lowered to the ground, lined up at the city gates, and fired in unison, exhausting the last of their stock.

Caught between a frontal and rear assault, the vine ghost army was quickly reduced to a mere handful of stragglers, no longer posing any threat.

The wolf king panted heavily; he had fulfilled the responsibility passed down through his family for generations. Turning around, he led the beast horde away, retreating like a receding tide, dispersing into the mountains and forests.

Thanks to their well-coordinated efforts, the beasts suffered no significant casualties. Even those who were injured didn’t rush back. The herd would take its time, pausing to rest along the way as they made their leisurely return to Dongshan.

However, the wolf pack, anxious about the fate of the two, quickly made their way back to Dongshan like an army on a forced march.

The wolf king was worried, but then he suddenly stood up and looked toward the inside of the waterfall. Before long, he saw his elder brother, restored to his human form, carrying his living, breathing companion as he walked out from the ancestral land.

“!!!” The wolf king quickly approached, lifting his head to sniff Lin Shuishi carefully. He sniffed once—alive? He sniffed again, his blue eyes widening in surprise—alive!

Feeling a bit spooked, the wolf king leaped back a distance, standing on a stone platform as he turned to look at the two of them. Then, he quickly ran back to the wolf den, loudly proclaiming, “The human is alive!”

Fuli kept a stern expression on his face, while Lin Shuishi, trying to lighten the mood, joked, “See, your brother is acting all foolish. The old wolf king is still the coolest.”

After laughing for a while and seeing that Fuli wasn’t responding, still glaring at him, Lin Shuishi sighed, “Oh no, now that he’s calmed down, he’s mad at me for taking the arrow.”

But he couldn’t help but worry about how everything had turned out. Had the city been saved? Had the vine ghosts been wiped out? Did the beast horde return safely to the mountains?

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Lin Shuishi patted his head, reflecting that being alive meant having worries, having thoughts—being alive…

Being alive was truly wonderful.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly, and Dongshan was as lush and vibrant as ever, with a sweetness in the air.

Fuli eventually gave in to Lin Shuishi’s persistent pleading, and they quietly made their way back to Xuancheng.

However, along the way, Fuli kept a close watch on everyone, reacting to even the slightest rustle. Lin Shuishi resorted to all sorts of antics and chatter to lighten the mood, talking non-stop the entire journey.

“Hey, by the way, I encountered this weird little fluffy light ball—ugly as could be, but oddly cute. It stuck to me the whole way, really strange!”

Fuli raised an eyebrow, glancing at Lin Shuishi’s flat lower abdomen, and huffed.

“Ugly?”

Lin Shuishi nodded, “Yeah, it even squeezed out a little tail, hahaha.”

Fuli nodded, reaching out to rub Lin Shuishi’s small belly, while secretly pondering.

Only one came out; I wonder how many more there could be. The wolf king had twelve…