Chapter 9

In the midst of the hidden waterfall and deep pool in Lao Ya Ridge, Wei Shiban stripped naked, swam to the waterfall, and washed his hair and body. The dirt was all washed away, leaving him feeling fresh and his mood much brighter. After opening the first acupoint, his mindset subtly changed. Subconsciously, he felt a bit more like the protagonist. He regretfully thought, why didn't a beautiful woman come to disrupt this bathing scene?

He carefully washed his clothes and dried them on the rocks, then caught a few fish and roasted them to satisfy his hunger. He rarely ate fish, finding them too bony and not very filling, but occasionally eating them was quite tasty.

After the wind and sun had dried his clothes halfway, Wei Shiban put them on and ran east along the mountain foot.

He came to the white-barked pine tree, whistled twice, and looked up at the branches that seemed covered in snow. It was late autumn, the weather was cool, and every year at this time, Wei Shiban would hunt more to store for the harsh winter.

Standing under the pine tree, he felt a hint of transcendence.

The tranquil and peaceful scene was broken by a sudden dash of a blue wolf. The blue wolf was as strong as a calf, nearly as tall as a man, with a wide-open mouth showing sharp fangs, and moved swiftly like the wind.

Wei Shiban's grip on the hunting spear tightened, and he slightly bent his waist, unsure if he recognized it. Was this the blue wolf he had hunted with? It had grown so much in such a short time!

The blue wolf circled him once, then lazily lay down. Wei Shiban smiled and sat beside it, reaching out to pet its head as usual. The blue wolf turned its head away, not letting him succeed. This was a familiar game; Wei Shiban remembered that the blue wolf would only let him pet it when it needed something.

"Do you want to see the old bear's remains?"

The blue wolf narrowed its eyes. It didn't understand what Wei Shiban was saying, but instinctively felt that this sentence was important.

Wei Shiban laughed wryly. His gaze fell on the blue wolf's back, and his pupils suddenly dilated. He saw clearly that among the dark green fur, a golden streak was jumping. It turned out the blue wolf had made some progress in practicing the technique on the animal skin fragment, no wonder it had grown so much and moved more agilely.

How did it manage to do that?

Wei Shiban took out the animal skin fragment from his chest, spread it in front of the blue wolf, and pointed to the first human figure, tapping it a few times. The blue wolf perfunctorily raised its head, made a gesture of swallowing moonlight, indicating that it was not difficult.

Wei Shiban held the animal skin in his hand, his fingertips caressing the strange human figures, thinking, "The technique on this animal skin must have some significant origin. Even animals can practice it. The blue wolf has a cluster of golden fur on its back; I wonder how many acupoints it has opened... Could it be that it has a natural talent, also a congenital body..."

He couldn't help but laugh bitterly, unsure whether to be jealous or relieved.

It was still early, and Wei Shiban had a sudden idea. He pointed in the direction of Black Pine Valley, made a gesture, and called the blue wolf to go with him. The blue wolf became excited immediately, the blue fur on its neck standing up. Since practicing the technique on the animal skin, its strength had greatly increased, and it could kill tigers and bears alone. If it met the old bear again, although it couldn't defeat it, escaping would not be a problem.

Man and wolf traversed the mountains and ridges. Wei Shiban ran as fast as a galloping horse but still couldn't keep up with the blue wolf, which looked down on him.

After two hours, they arrived at the forest where the old bear had died, and Wei Shiban stopped. There were still a few mountains away from Black Pine Valley, and the blue wolf was full of suspicion, looking around, unsure what he was up to.

Wei Shiban used the hunting spear to dig up the buried bear skin and bones. The blue wolf saw clearly that it was the old bear that had killed its parents. Its eyes turned red, and it roared fiercely, leaping up and tearing at the bear bones, scattering them everywhere.

After a frenzied bout of biting and tearing, the blue wolf finally exhausted its strength and collapsed on the ground. It couldn't break the bear bones or tear the bear skin. Even the dead remains seemed to mock its overconfidence.

After it had vented its anger, Wei Shiban gathered some dry branches, built a bonfire in the pit, and threw the bear bones in piece by piece. He loosely rolled up the bear skin and threw it into the fire as well. This was originally to comfort the blue wolf, but the bear skin was covered in pine resin, which ignited immediately, the flames rising several feet high, thick smoke billowing into the sky.

The blue wolf stared blankly at the fire, tears rolling down its eyes. The great revenge was achieved, but it didn't feel joyful. Without personally biting through the old bear's throat and eating its insides, what kind of revenge was it? But it would never have the chance again.

After burning for a long time, the fire gradually diminished. The bear skin was charred black, and the bear bones were as clear and white as jade. Wei Shiban pushed the soil into the pit, covering it properly, and thus settled one matter.

The blue wolf slowly turned its head, seemingly making a decision. It walked to Wei Shiban, bent its front legs, and bowed three times, indicating its willingness to follow. Wei Shiban patted its head, feeling a myriad of emotions, and said, "Good, you don't betray me, and I won't betray you. From today on, your name is Qing!"