Ch 78: My Wolf Husband

With Fuli leading the way at a fast pace, they arrived at the outskirts of Xuancheng before nightfall.

Looking ahead, they saw the weathered city walls in the distance, but the city gate remained intact. The ancient fortress, though battered, still stood as a sentinel at the heart of the Central Plains, enduring the ravages of time, weathered by wind and blood.

Having survived the ordeal and returning to Xuancheng, Lin Shuishi felt a surge of mixed emotions.

He stayed hidden in the forest, watching as soldiers continuously moved in and out of the city gate, clearing the battlefield. Finally, he felt relieved.

Thankfully, the city had not fallen.

The homes of countless people were still standing, and the blood-soaked homeland of the soldiers remained.

On the battlefield outside the city, large piles of vine ghost corpses lay in heaps, and many people were working to clean them up. With not enough soldiers available, even the citizens had grabbed small shovels to help dig pits.

Lin Shuishi, holding onto the strong shoulder of the man beside him, watched the scene from beneath a tall tree. A small braid fell across his eyes, so he reached back to tuck Fuli’s hair neatly behind his ear before asking,

“Fuli, these things look dried up and yellowed. Why not just burn them? There are so many—it would take forever to dig enough pits.”

Fuli shook his head. “They can’t be burned completely, but it’s fine.” The flesh of the barbarian soldiers had long since been drained, and the vine ghosts, born from vines, were essentially made of wood from the inside out, with no risk of spreading disease.

If it were up to Fuli, he would just leave the bodies to decompose naturally; they would soon weather away on their own, even enriching the soil.

However, the blackened, twisted corpses of the vine ghosts were unnerving to look at, with their menacing appearance…

With that, Fuli picked up Lin Shuishi, intending to head into the city, but Lin Shuishi stopped him with a hand. He looked at the city, which was being repaired after the battle, and after thinking for a moment, he turned back to Fuli, looking into his golden eyes.

“Let’s not go. Let’s just go back. It’s over.”

Fuli tilted his head, looking at this ever-changing “human,” and gestured toward the city gate with his eyes—really not going?

Lin Shuishi observed the orderly soldiers and citizens, let out a relieved sigh, and shook his head.

“No, let’s go home!”

They had already risked their lives and done all they could. The rest should be left to the many talented and wise people of the world. He had no more to offer. Besides, the two of them had revealed their unusual natures during the battle, and Lin Shuishi didn’t want to attract any more attention.

All he wanted was to return to Dongshan and live peacefully.

The slightly dry spring breeze swept through the forest, rustling the branches with a soft, persistent sound. Lin Shuishi looked up at the sky, where wisps of clouds floated, swiftly rolling and stretching out in the direction of the wind.

“Hooked clouds, rain drizzling down—spring rain is coming! Let’s hurry back to the mountain and start turning the soil!”

Fuli gazed at the smiling Lin Shuishi for a moment, his eyes narrowing with a meaningful look. Then, without a word, he picked him up and vanished into the forest, leaping toward the vast Dongshan—their home.

After that, the soldiers of Xuancheng never saw Shui Ge’er who had fought alongside them and defended the city gate. Those who survived the battle kept the events of that day deep in their hearts.

The fierce giant wolf that descended from the sky, the young man who transformed into a beast to intercept an arrow on the city wall, and the well-coordinated beast horde that surged in—all became the stuff of legend, a tale old veterans could boast about to their descendants.

But Dongsheng remained in low spirits. Even though the battle had ended in victory and he had been promoted to a minor officer, he felt a deep, suffocating sadness. He hadn’t been able to protect Shui Ge’er. He had watched as the young man was pierced through the chest by an arrow, and after searching through the vine-covered corpses all night, he hadn’t even found his bones.

Dongsheng took a leave of absence, not returning home. With a stack of neatly prepared paper money, he, looking worn and weary beyond his years, trudged up a nearby hill to burn the offerings.

As he burned the paper, he mumbled to himself, apologizing to his brother, asking him to come home on the seventh day to visit, mentioning how their father missed him…

The more paper he burned, the worse Dongsheng felt. Finally, the hardened soldier broke down and began to cry.

Meanwhile, Lin Shuishi and Fuli, on their way back to the mountain, had taken a secluded route to avoid being seen. As they passed by the only high and steep peak in the area, Fuli was about to pick up speed when Lin Shuishi suddenly called out, “Hey, look, is that smoke rising from the forest to the west?” His instincts as a modern person immediately kicked in—setting a forest on fire could land someone in serious trouble!

Looking closer, Lin Shuishi grew more anxious and tugged at Fuli’s thick braid. “It really is! There’s smoke! Hurry, we need to put out the fire.”

Fuli, his head being tugged sideways, sighed. With no other choice, he slowly led Lin Shuishi toward the smoke.

The closer they got, the more Lin Shuishi smelled something burning, and he began to hear faint sobbing.

With so many soldiers recently killed, the desolate mountains felt even more eerie!

Fuli’s ears twitched as he identified the source of the sound. Deciding not to go any further, he let Lin Shuishi continue on alone. Lin Shuishi, nervous but determined not to let a fire spread, steeled himself and moved forward, muttering under his breath.

“Who would’ve thought, such a big guy afraid of ghosts!”

Lin Shuishi picked up a fallen tree branch and hurried toward the smoke, loudly shouting to bolster his courage.

“Who’s out here playing tricks and setting the forest on fire? Stop right now, or I’ll have you thrown in jail!”

He thought he was being bold and righteous, yelling with all his might.

But when he appeared, he scared Dongsheng—who had been burning paper for him—so badly that the big man fell backward, his sobs immediately cut off. With a startled cry, Dongsheng accidentally scattered the burning paper money and ashes all over the forest.

“Hey! The fire! The fire!”

“Aah! A ghost! A ghost!”

In the end, after the two of them had been busy and covered in ash, they finally sat down to rest.

Dongsheng, still feeling uneasy, sat at a distance from Lin Shuishi, awkwardly trying to make conversation.

“Shui Ge’er, it’s not… it’s not the seventh day yet. You… you came so early.”

As soon as Lin Shuishi saw the paper money scattered on the ground, he immediately understood. He rubbed his forehead, realizing that the so-called “wild ghost” was actually himself!

Seeing Dongsheng, such a big guy, wanting to get closer but not daring to, with a look of frustration on his face, Lin Shuishi couldn’t help but think that superstitions really could mess with people! They were face to face, how could he be a ghost? He sighed deeply.

“It is a bit early, but I came to collect the paper money.”

“How… how are things down there?”

“…All good. Will you come visit?”

Dongsheng’s face turned pale, and he quickly shook his head. “No, no way! I… I haven’t even gotten married yet!”

Lin Shuishi burst into laughter and quickly reached out to touch Dongsheng, “I’m not dead. Feel this—I’m warm. Look, I’ve got a shadow!”

The dappled moonlight filtered through the forest, clearly casting Lin Shuishi’s small shadow on the ground. Dongsheng finally snapped out of it and, excited, grabbed Lin Shuishi’s small hand, exclaiming, “Shui Ge’er, you’re alive! You’re really warm!”

Just as he finished speaking, a figure leaped down from the tall tree above them, landing like a large, dark tower, standing ominously behind Lin Shuishi.

Dongsheng yelped in surprise again. When he realized who it was, he didn’t dare act out of line. He quickly let go of Lin Shuishi’s warm hand and stood obediently to the side.

Lin Shuishi glanced back and forth between the two of them, then ignored Fuli, focusing instead on telling Dongsheng what he could about his situation. He wanted the Zheng family to know not to worry about him, but there was no need to tell anyone else. It was better if they just acted like they didn’t know anything.

After all, he figured that in this world, with him and Fuli being such anomalies, it might be more convenient for people to believe they were “dead.”

Without much more to say, Fuli, seeing that Lin Shuishi had finished explaining, picked him up and left. Dongsheng watched as the powerful figure of Fuli extended his muscular arms, carefully cradling Lin Shuishi in his embrace as he carried him away.

Dongsheng wiped away the tears he had shed earlier, feeling relieved. “It’s good—just being alive is good!”

He then bent down to sweep the scattered ashes into the soil, erasing any traces. As he worked, the image of Fuli holding Lin Shuishi with such care and tenderness lingered in his mind.

His mother had introduced him to a nice young woman. If he found a wife, he thought, he’d make sure to hold her close like that every day!

As Lin Shuishi moved further and further away from Xuancheng, he felt increasingly free, more and more unrestrained. Standing steadily on Fuli’s back, with the wind rushing past his face, he felt an urge to let out a loud howl!

He opened his mouth, trying to imitate Fuli’s confident and commanding howl, stretching his neck and looking up at the sky. In the end, what came out was a mix of human and wolf-like noises, all jumbled together.

Fuli found the sound rather noisy, so he slowed his pace and casually let out a howl of his own. Suddenly, the entire mountain range echoed with the responses of various wolf packs.

Not to be outdone, Lin Shuishi bent down and grabbed Fuli’s strong neck muscles with both hands, shaking him back and forth.

“You’re laughing at me! Ah, you’re laughing at me!”

Even with his vulnerable spot being teased, Fuli remained relaxed. He even managed a slight grin, giving a playful squeeze to the round, firm butt in his hands.

The two of them continued to playfully bicker as they moved along. However, Lin Shuishi soon noticed that on their way back to Dongshan, there were surprisingly many animals, and all of them were predators, moving in groups.

Fuli shook his now slightly reddened ears from Lin Shuishi’s earlier pinching and, after thinking for a moment, explained, “The beast horde fought, some were injured, so they’re resting along the way.”

“Ah?” Lin Shuishi felt a pang of guilt. After all, the Dongshan beast horde had charged down the mountain for his and Fuli’s sake!

“How are they doing? Are they okay?”

“They’re fine. Just some injuries. They’re taking it slow, heading back to the mountain.”

Lin Shuishi thought about those large creatures and couldn’t help but feel bad. And with the weather soon turning to spring thunderstorms, the rainy season could make healing even more difficult.

As he was fretting, Fuli noticed that the little creature on his back had suddenly quieted down, so he continued, “The ancestral land’s vine branches—they can be crushed to treat their injuries.”

As soon as he said that, Lin Shuishi’s small frame perked up. He leaned over, pressing his little head against Fuli’s cheek, with a few strands of hair standing upright, and asked carefully, “Really? But what if they run out? The ancestors, uh…” Lowering his voice instinctively, he asked, “Will the ancestors still be able to grow back?”

Ever since Lin Shuishi had awakened from the golden pool in the ancestral land, he had developed a deep respect for those massive remains, abandoning any materialistic beliefs and firmly believing that the ancestors’ spirits were watching over them.

Fuli nodded. “The body of the wolf god is meant to nurture all living things.”

Having received the approval of the sole heir of the wolf god clan, Lin Shuishi became quite bold! So, on a day when the skies were heavy with clouds, he pulled up a bunch of nearly rotting vine branches from the ancestral land. He put them in a large stone mortar, where his little white feet stomped them into a pulp. He then mixed in some clear, warm spring water from the wolf den, creating a green, sticky ointment.

It was breeding season in the wolf den, and the newborn wolf pups, just learning to run, were drawn to the sweet scent on Lin Shuishi. Watching him move around was too much fun for them to resist. They all rushed into the stone mortar, getting themselves covered in green juice, sniffing and sneezing little sprays as they went.

The little white wolf, now fully integrated into the pack and participating in hunts and patrols, came home early that day. As soon as he caught the familiar “human scent,” his blue eyes, still a bit sulky from being scolded by the wolf king, lit up. He dashed toward the hot spring pool!

Lin Shuishi was already overwhelmed, trying to fish out the wolf pups from the stone mortar when he suddenly felt a gust of wind from behind!

Before he could be knocked over, Fuli appeared out of nowhere and, with a swift and precise movement, grabbed the little white wolf by the scruff of his neck, staring at the reckless pup with an expressionless face.

Lin Shuishi set down the soft, squirming pup he was holding and turned around to see the little white wolf dangling from Fuli’s strong arm, its tiny legs hanging limply, looking both obedient and timid.

Lin Shuishi reached out, his hand still stained with green vine juice, and ruffled the little wolf’s already sharp claws.

“Well, well, who do we have here? So fierce and mighty!”

The little white wolf couldn’t stand being teased like that and instantly perked up, wagging his tail excitedly and frolicking around, clearly overjoyed!

As the hunting party returned, the mother wolves came over to retrieve their mischievous pups, carrying them off one by one.

However, the wolf queen did something unusual. She approached Lin Shuishi, circled him a few times, and then, after glancing at the calm Fuli, dared to come closer. She sniffed Lin Shuishi, her blue eyes widening as she tilted her beautiful white head and pressed her ear to Lin Shuishi’s stomach, listening intently.

Lin Shuishi, for his part, was completely bewildered.

After a moment, the wolf queen stepped back a few paces, stood beside Fuli, and squinted her eyes as she opened her mouth, sticking out her tongue in what seemed like a smile.

Surprisingly, Fuli also broke his usual cold demeanor and grinned—truth be told, he looked a bit silly.

But as Lin Shuishi watched the two of them, both acting so mysteriously, he couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine.

What’s wrong with these two?