Chapter 2: Distress

l last night's events; fragmented memories flashed through her mind quickly enough to make Qi Lin feel like she had been struck by lightning, leaving her ears buzzing and her brain blank. The wolves l...Chapter 2: In Peril

Shortly after Qi Lin and the others left, over ten soldiers clad in armor arrived. Romance穿越novel updates first release on 151看書網, meticulously examining the blood-stained grass.

"General, there is the most blood here; it looks like a struggle took place, but we haven't seen any assassins. I only found this piece of cloth hanging from a branch," said one soldier as he raised the black cloth above his head and respectfully handed it to the general on horseback before stepping back. "I've sent people to search in all directions around here; results should be forthcoming soon. However..."

"However, what" The person on horseback frowned unhappily, an impatient tone evident as he gripped the black cloth tightly in his hand; a strong aura of anger emanated from him. "Speak."

"Yes, this mountain is called White Tiger Mountain, but locals call it Gray Wolf Mountain because it's dominated by wolf packs," answered the soldier carefully, casting a sidelong glance at the bloodstains on the ground. "It’s now late autumn; wolf packs are out searching for food in groups. The assassin not only suffered from poison and multiple knife wounds, but their scent of blood would have attracted wolves to attack them. I believe that they might already be dead."

"Dead" The person on horseback surveyed the area around him, having faintly heard wolf howls when he arrived; it was plausible what had been said. But if an opponent could break through the palace's heavy defenses and defeat several experts alone, their agility must have been exceptional. If not for being poisoned, they might even be able to overcome the Nine-layered Imperial Palace. In this realm, who else besides the Emperor’s two brothers would possess such abilities However, everyone knows that Prince Anbang Ziyin is far away battling an enemy, while another prince, originally designated as the Roaming King Bai Qianye seven years ago when the current emperor ascended to the throne, was stripped of his title, had his tendons severed and bones broken, all martial arts abilities abolished, and demoted to a commoner. He remains missing up until now. Neither of these two men has such capability. Then who else could there be The Emperor seems terrified by this assassin; he even instructed that the body must be found whether alive or dead. It no longer appears possible... Do not slack off in your search. Find him alive, if still living, and find his corpse if dead.

"Yes, sir," replied everyone as they clenched their fists and shouted loudly; this startled birds resting among the trees.

Of course, it wasn’t just the birds that were startled, but also wolf packs.

"This is... ." All soldiers gathered together, staring at the wolves suddenly appearing. It was no longer ten or twenty wolves, but a hundred or more; each one hung its tongue out longingly as they closed in step by step.

The horse started to fidget and showed signs of wanting to flee, but it was tightly restrained by the person on its back and could only retreat nervously.

"General, I will provide cover. Please leave quickly." Each soldier spoke with righteous indignation, standing in front of the horse, ready to risk their lives to protect the general.

"Humph, am I Qin Xiao, a distinguished national guardian general, incapable of handling these beasts" With that said, Qin Xiao used his legs to leap into the air and swiftly drew out his waist sword. The blade emitted a shrill cry like that of a crane.

Qi Lin glanced behind her; she had heard what sounded like a crane's call but knew it was impossible for there to be cranes here. Never mind, carrying an injured person whose fate was uncertain, the priority now was to return to Wolf Den.

"Ow~" Xiao Bai suddenly slowed down, and all his neck fur stood on end, which was how he showed alertness. The wolves around him also began watching their surroundings vigilantly.

"What's wrong" Qi Lin knew that if the situation wasn't urgent, Xiao Bai wouldn’t make such a sound. The noises from the surroundings signified an impending danger, giving her a very ominous feeling. "Could it be... we're in the territory of the Northern Wolf Pack"

How could she have forgotten A pack of wolves lived in the north, though scattered, their numbers were vast. Even though there had never been any conflict before, it was still dangerous. They usually foraged at the edge of the forest but now, with a human inside the woods, they had inadvertently entered the territory of the Northern Wolf Pack. Damn, how could she have been so careless She only thought about avoiding humans and ended up in wolf territory.

Qi Lin carefully observed her surroundings; there were many vines growing around trees that would easily support a person's weight. If she used the vines to escape, along with Xiao Bai's intimidating presence, they could surely get away smoothly, but now they had an injured companion. For Qi Lin herself to leave using vines was already quite difficult, let alone carrying the injured one too. What should they do Qi Lin frowned deeply as several escape plans began forming in her mind, all of which involved abandoning this rescued person. She hadn’t thought about it lightly; for starters, she had no idea whether he was friend or foe, and what if he turned against them once awake Secondly, she owed him nothing, helping him was purely out of kindness, while not doing so would be just as reasonable.

The black-clad man's fingers slightly twitched, his eyes half-open. His long eyelashes were wet with dewdrops, making his gaze even more profound. He moved a little and suddenly felt sharp pain in his chest, but he endured it carefully to breathe without disturbing the wound further. Of course, he noticed the danger around him too. Even saw murderous glints in the eyes of some wolves hidden in the grass, just waiting for an opportunity to attack.

"Little White, stay calm." Qi Lin didn't know that the person in front of her had regained consciousness. In the end, she couldn't abandon this person to leave on her own. So now it was a contest of who could remain calmer. Little White's intimidation wasn't ordinary; as long as they didn't act rashly, they should be able to buy some time.

The black-clad figure was momentarily stunned. He clearly felt Qi Lin’s trembling body, but hearing what she said, he remained calm and fearless. This woman... how strong is her heart Just as he wanted to continue observing the situation, he suddenly sensed movement beside him. The black-clad figure glanced敏銳地一眼，發現十幾匹狼正藏在那裡，已經做好了攻擊的準備。等不了了。

"Ah!"

Qi Lin suddenly felt a tightening around her waist and became lighter as she was lifted off the ground, eventually being placed on a tree trunk. Little White had already started to confront their opponent and was successfully breaking away from the wolf pack. However, some wolves were weaker and were encircled, but Little White didn't abandon any of them; he shielded them all. Qi Lin finally let out a breath.

"I didn't expect you to be worried about the wolf pack rather than your own safety." The black-clad figure said through his mask in a tone that was indifferent after exerting effort, causing sweat to break out on his forehead. If not for knowing this tree was large enough, he wouldn't have been able to carry Qi Lin to another tree further away. Now, he had to hold his breath and calm himself down.

Qi Lin turned her head to look at the black-clad figure, just as he closed his eyes; it seemed that he had received serious injuries and was now recuperating. The wolves below were beginning to gather, indicating they intended to trap them here. Calming her breathing, Qi Lin spoke up, "Now, I only need to worry about myself."

The black-clad figure opened his eyes, looking at Qi Lin's dark eyes. Even though she was clearly scared enough to be sweating coldly, she managed to hide it so well; truly a strange woman. "Only you"

"Can't you escape on your own" Qi Lin knew the black-clad figure could easily leave by himself, but there was no reason for her to tell him to consider his safety. "You look more than just injured. Are you poisoned"

The black-clad figure looked at Qi Lin as if asking a question, yet spoke without emotion—it was merely polite words on the surface.

In fact, Qi Lin was looking for something to talk about because she was too nervous. However, the other party seemed indifferent and didn’t have any urge to continue asking questions. As the saying goes, the more you know, the sooner you die, so she wasn't willing to take risks. Although staying here was safe, such a wolf pack would easily attract those people who had just left them, possibly involving her in their affairs. Moreover... This tree wasn’t absolutely safe either; at night, snakes and other insects would divide up their space. Nothing seemed like a good solution since even Little White might not be able to come for help. For now, she could only rely on the vines to slowly leave.

"Those people won't come," the black-clothed man said indifferently when he noticed Qi Lin’s worry. "You can use these vines to escape."

Qi Lin looked speechless at the black-clothed man. She really wanted to use these vines to leave, very much so from the beginning, but she couldn’t help asking sarcastically: “Do you think everyone is as capable as you are in imitating Spider-Man”

"Spider-Man" The black-clothed man looked at Qi Lin with a puzzled expression and carefully pondered over her words.

“Never mind.” Realizing she had said something inappropriate, Qi Lin didn’t feel like explaining anymore. As the sky grew darker, stars began to appear in the heavens. The black-clothed person showed no intention of leaving either, so Qi Lin simply sat on a tree branch and the black-clad man joined her. She took off her bag which contained wild fruits she had picked herself, along with some fruit that was effective at keeping insects away. Qi Lin took out a few pieces and carefully applied their juice to the nearby tree trunk. This would avoid unnecessary trouble and then took out edible fruit. After thinking for a moment, she handed one over to the black-clothed man: "It's too dark to tell what this is, so if it’s poisonous, it’s not my problem."

Qi Lin only heard a faint sound as the black-clothed man took the fruit from her hand. Soon after came the crisp sound of teeth breaking the fruit open; he had eaten it. She also took one out and bit into it right away. But upon biting down on the first piece, she grimaced at how sour it tasted.

"Spit, spit, spit," Qi Lin spat out the residue from her mouth and began to suspect that she might have picked some Hawthorn fruit. She was just about to throw away the fruit in hand when someone nearby snatched it away. A crisp sound followed after which she felt a sudden rush of saliva; but she swallowed it back down: "If you’re hungry, I still have more. That one is mine and... It’s very sour."

“Haha, no problem.” The black-clothed man swallowed the last bite of fruit and felt an energy surge from his dantian to the top of his head; the numbness in his limbs gradually disappeared. Truly a blessing in disguise—she didn’t expect that the poison on her body would be neutralized by this wild fruit. When he first ate one, its sourness was unbearable. But after swallowing it, he felt an energy surge within him and realized that his meridians were being unblocked one by one. He never expected that a simple wild fruit could neutralize the poison from which even his own antidote couldn’t save him; of course, he didn’t mind at all.

Afterward, Qi Lin and the black-clothed man did not speak to each other. They remained silent, while wolves still lurked below them. As more stars appeared in the sky, temperatures dropped abruptly, making Qi Lin feel cold; her animal hide was thin anyway, so she felt even colder now since she usually stayed in caves and huddled with Little White for warmth.Mm." A light hum served as an answer.However, this sound made Qi Lin's heart skip a beat. Her hands rubbed back and forth restlessly as she awkwardly approached Bai Qianye.Bai Qianye naturally underst...