Chapter 85

A piercing howl echoed from the woods. Under the moonlight, dozens of ferocious wolves charged out of the dense forest like a gust of wind, rushing towards them in a frenzy. Liang Dazhuang was so frightened that he shouted "Oh my God!" and completely ignored what Murong Feiyun was saying. Clearly terrified, he kicked off his big feet and ran down the mountain. After running a few steps, he immediately realized that the bundle was seriously slowing him down, so he threw it down the mountain. The two bundles rolled down, their destination unknown. At this moment, Liang Dazhuang was only thinking about saving his life, and he even abandoned his master, let alone the luggage. With a determined heart, he also hugged his head, curled up his body, and rolled down the slope like a ball of flesh. Normally, he wouldn't have had the courage to do so, but with death on both sides, he would rather die from falling than be torn apart by the pack of wolves.

Hu Xiaotian didn't even have the mood to scold him. He held a water-fire stick in both hands, turned around with the little girl on his back, and ran towards the large rocks where they had just rested. His first reaction was to climb up the rocks, hoping to escape the wolves' encirclement.

Murong Feiyun followed closely behind. A blue wolf was the first to arrive, and when it was about two zhang away, it clearly crouched its hind legs and then leaped into the air, opening its massive jaws with two rows of white, sharp teeth aiming for Murong Feiyun's face. Murong Feiyun swung her long sword, striking the blue wolf's neck with a "pu!" The blue wolf's head was severed at the base, and hot blood spurted from the broken body.

Murong Feiyun's movements did not pause. She thrust backward, and a blue wolf that was sneaking up from behind was hit directly. The sword pierced through its body, and when she pulled it out, the blue wolf let out a groan and fell to the ground.

Two blue wolves came from either side to track Hu Xiaotian. Murong Feiyun followed, slashing left and right, driving the blue wolves back and protecting Hu Xiaotian as they retreated to the pile of rocks. Hu Xiaotian's water-fire stick was also in action, waving up and down to fend off the wolves' pursuit. Fortunately, they were not too far from the pile of rocks. Returning to where they had rested, Hu Xiaotian pushed the little girl up onto the large rock, then climbed up himself. Murong Feiyun, having killed three blue wolves, also retreated to the large rock. Only Liang Dazhuang, when encountering the wolf pack, did not return but rolled down the mountain, his fate unknown.

Retreating to the pile of rocks was their only choice, as the wolves, though ferocious, were not good climbers. Only by retreating to higher ground could they temporarily avoid the wolves' encirclement.

In a short time, nearly thirty ferocious wolves had followed them to the pile of rocks, circling around the large rock where Hu Xiaotian and the others were hiding. Some wolves stood upright, placing their front paws on the rock, and the sharp claws scraping against the stone walls made a grating sound. The howls of the wolves rose and fell, extremely piercing.

The number of wolves continued to grow. Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyun looked down at the sea of wolves, their hearts filled with fear. The little girl, cold and scared, tightly hugged her shoulders, biting her lips to suppress the urge to scream.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Why did so many ferocious wolves suddenly appear?"

Murong Feiyun shook her head. The wolves continued to arrive, and a rough count showed there were already sixty to seventy of them. They kept howling, calling for more of their kind.

The little girl suddenly said, "A beastmaster! These wolves are being controlled by someone."

Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyun turned to her. Murong Feiyun asked, "How do you know?" After asking, she immediately realized that the little girl must have encountered such a dangerous situation before, which is why she came to this conclusion. This little girl was truly a troublemaker. Since they met her, they had been plagued by misfortune, and now they had even attracted wolves.

The little girl didn't explain but said softly, "A beastmaster uses special methods to control and drive these wild animals. To escape the current predicament, we must quickly find the beastmaster hiding nearby and eliminate them. Otherwise, the number of wild animals will only increase, and they will not retreat until their goal is achieved."

Murong Feiyun nodded. She had heard of this before but had never encountered a beastmaster. Listening carefully, amidst the howls of the wolves, she seemed to hear a different sound, a sharp and prolonged voice mixed in with the howls. The sound seemed to come from the southwest. Murong Feiyun gripped her long sword and said to Hu Xiaotian, "Stay here and wait for me, I'll be back soon!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Feiyun, I think it's safer to stay here until dawn. The wolves will naturally disperse when the sun comes up."

The little girl said, "You're thinking too simply. As long as the beastmaster continues to give orders, the number of wolves will only increase, and there might even be other wild animals."

Hu Xiaotian looked at the seemingly innocent little girl, feeling extremely frustrated. Who was this girl? How could she have attracted so many powerful figures to chase and block her? His gaze fell on the blue-printed bundle in her hands. Could there really be something important on her?

The little girl, seeing Hu Xiaotian's gaze, became wary and hugged the blue-printed bundle tightly, turning her body to the side. This indirectly confirmed Hu Xiaotian's suspicions, but he had no intention of coveting the treasure in her bundle. The priority was to save their lives. Even if she carried treasures worth a fortune, they were insignificant compared to her life.

Murong Feiyun was ready to leave when she heard Hu Xiaotian say, "Feiyun, you must come back safely!" Turning around, she saw Hu Xiaotian's eyes full of concern and worry, and she felt a warmth in her heart. She gave Hu Xiaotian a bright smile that could melt ice and said, "Lord Hu, we haven't even taken office yet." With these words, she lightly tapped her foot on the large rock and leaped into the air. Before leaping, she had already chosen her next landing point, jumping out of the wolves' encirclement and pausing on a slightly lower rock, then leaping to another rock.

Hu Xiaotian watched her move as light as a swallow, jumping between the rocks as if walking on flat ground, gradually feeling relieved. With Murong Feiyun's martial arts, even if she couldn't defeat the wolves, she should be able to protect herself.

Just as Murong Feiyun was about to leave the pile of rocks, her foot had just landed on a rock when a blue wolf the size of a calf suddenly leaped out from behind the rock. Under the moonlight, its massive jaws were wide open, and its white, sharp teeth reflected a cold light. Even from a distance, Hu Xiaotian could see the saliva dripping from the blue wolf's mouth.

Murong Feiyun reacted quickly, aiming for the blue wolf's massive jaws, and her long sword flashed, piercing through its mouth, killing it instantly. Although she avoided the wolf's ferocious bite, the sudden attack and the close distance made it impossible for her to completely avoid the wolf's attack, and the wolf's front paws still landed on her shoulder.

Hu Xiaotian was worried, but he saw Murong Feiyun kick the wolf away and jump off the rock. As soon as she left, three blue wolves pounced on the rock almost simultaneously. If she had been a second slower, she would have been surrounded by the three wolves.

Seeing Murong Feiyun successfully escape the wolves' encirclement and move farther away, Hu Xiaotian felt a great relief.

Below, the wolf pack had gathered to about a hundred, howling and circling around the large rock. Although Hu Xiaotian had strong mental fortitude, he couldn't help but feel terrified. Their only hope of breaking through the encirclement was on Murong Feiyun. If she could find the beastmaster, they might be able to drive away the wolves. If anything happened to Murong Feiyun, it would mean their total destruction. In other words, their fate was entirely dependent on the success or failure of Murong Feiyun's mission.