Chapter 13

The wolf pounced on Zhang Ke, pinning him to the ground with its powerful paws on his shoulders. The wolf's blood-red mouth, with its ferocious fangs capable of crushing bones, bit down mercilessly. Zhang Ke struggled desperately, holding the wolf's throat to prevent the fatal mouth from closing.

However, Zhang Ke knew he couldn't hold on for long. Another wolf was charging towards him, and soon he would become a corpse, a feast for the wolf pack. His strength was rapidly waning, his arm muscles trembling, and the wolf's mouth was inching closer, bringing him ever closer to death.

Having lived two lives, was he going to die in such a miserable way?

Woof, woof, woof!

Since the appearance of the wolf pack, Da Huang and Er Huang had cowered in the corner, burying their heads between their front legs and growling softly. They were terrified.

Da Huang secretly peeked from between his paws, seeing the wolf pounce on his master's brother and tear at him savagely. This intelligent dog gradually raised its head, its eyes filled with a determined spirit, staring intently.

Suddenly, Da Huang leaped up, a sense of sorrow and resolve visible in its eyes. It growled deeply and charged at the wolf, using all its strength to bite the wolf's hind leg.

The wolf, in pain, never expected this small creature to dare challenge it. It thrashed wildly, trying to throw Da Huang off, but Da Huang held on tightly, refusing to let go.

The wolf, unable to help its companion, turned sharply and bit Da Huang's neck, its sharp fangs piercing through the fur, blood gushing out.

Da Huang let out a mournful howl but refused to release its grip, tearing the wolf's tough skin, leaving the wolf's leg bloody.

The brother's cries spurred Er Huang into action. Its fur bristled, and it charged at the wolf like a cannonball. The wolf swiped with its front paw, sending Er Huang flying over a meter. The resilient dog got up and charged again, its sharp teeth sinking into the wolf's neck.

The wolf swung its paws wildly, striking Er Huang's thin body, making a thudding sound, but Er Huang, fearless in the face of death, bit down hard.

Even the dogs were fighting with all their might, the blood and carnage turning everything into a terrifying crimson. Master Sun could only close his eyes, leaning against a pillar, trembling all over. As for the young maid Xiumei, she buried her head in her mistress's arms, acting like an ostrich.

Only the young girl stared intently, even though she was terrified, she refused to close her eyes. Zhang Ke was fighting the wild wolf on the ground, and her heart felt as if it were being torn apart.

She couldn't rush to help, but she could only cry out with tears in her eyes, "You can do it, you're a great hero, how can you die in the mouth of a wolf? Get up, fight, you will win!"

Zhang Ke finally heard her voice. He couldn't die, or everyone would suffer. His brother and this woman he had only met once!

You don't have the right to die!

The will to survive burned fiercely. Zhang Ke clutched the wolf's neck with one hand, while the other hand searched around. Anything but bare hands would give him a chance!

He gritted his teeth, the wolf's claws clawing at him, blood splattering on his face, the sweet, metallic taste making him more alert.

"Just a wild wolf wants to defeat me? Dream on!"

Zhang Ke's hand suddenly touched a piece of wood, which he immediately grabbed. At that moment, the wolf opened its mouth and bit down.

"Right now!"

Zhang Ke suddenly released his grip on the wolf's neck and turned his head sharply. The wolf's bite missed, and the beast tried to bite Zhang Ke again. But in that split second, Zhang Ke thrust the object in his hand into the wolf's face.

Stab, stab, stab, stab you to death!

Zhang Ke attacked like a madman, his strikes coming like rain. Warm wolf blood splattered on his face, the wolf shaking its head, fighting for its life. In the fierce struggle, one of the strikes hit the wolf's eye.

The eye, whether of a human or a wolf, is the most vulnerable part. Once pierced, a gush of fluid spurted out. The wolf let out a painful howl, leaping up over three feet.

Zhang Ke rolled like a donkey and then sprang up, standing on his feet. The wooden stick was discarded, and his hand firmly gripped the sword hilt.

The injured wolf howled in pain, its remaining eye fixed on Zhang Ke, and it pounced with all its might.

Zhang Ke, gripping the short sword tightly, roared, "Kill!"

The sharp short sword pierced the wolf's mouth, and with the momentum, it penetrated the wolf's skull, killing another wolf. Zhang Ke was now exhausted, almost collapsing, but he knew he still had two comrades to save!

The wolf's fangs had already pierced through Da Huang's neck muscles, and the loyal dog was on its last breath, lying weakly on the ground. The enraged wolf was biting Er Huang's head, blood gushing out, but Er Huang was still struggling.

Zhang Ke was already beside the wolf, his teeth clenched, and his weapon struck swiftly. The wolf's waist was cut in half, blood gushing out, and it quickly lost its life.

All three wolves that had entered the fort were killed, but Zhang Ke paid a heavy price. His chest was almost torn apart, old wounds reopened, and blood seeped through.

Qiao Fu and Qiao Gui were not unaware of the danger inside the fort, but there were still too many wolves outside, and they could only hold on, shooting arrows to kill the wolves trying to sneak in.

When they heard Da Huang and Er Huang's howls, Qiao Fu's heart almost broke. These two dogs were raised by him, intelligent, and his best friends.

"Old Two, don't panic, shoot quickly!"

Hearing Qiao Gui's reminder, Qiao Fu calmed down, gritting his teeth and drawing three arrows at once, a first for him, but he was confident he could succeed!

His father had told him that a great archer, when shooting, focuses solely on the target. Qiao Fu was in a special state, seemingly hearing and seeing nothing, yet everything was on his mind.

If he were conscious, he would be surprised to find that the bow was fully drawn, like a full moon.

"Die!"

The bowstring released, and the three arrows shot out. Hearing the howls, all three wolves were hit and fell on the snow.

This feat not only terrified Qiao Gui but also the wolf pack outside. By now, over twenty wolves had been injured or killed. More than half of the wolf pack's strength was lost, and the remaining weak and injured wolves were too scared to advance, retreating.

No matter how the lead wolf howled, it was useless.

Qiao Fu was not in good shape either. His superhuman effort had drained all his strength, his arms limp, and his body weak. He fell off the wall, landing in the snow, and rolled to Zhang Ke's side.

"Brother Ke, are you okay?"

"I won't die, but Da Huang might not make it!"

Qiao Fu rushed over and saw Da Huang's mouth spitting out blood, its large eyes losing their luster, a tear in the corner of its eye.

Qiao Fu fell to his knees, trembling, and hugged Da Huang. Sensing its master, Da Huang extended its tongue and weakly licked Qiao Fu's hand.

Tears streamed down Qiao Fu's face, and he cried like a child, "Da Huang, please, don't die, don't die. I still want to take good care of you, feed you well, and find you a mate, have a bunch of puppies..."

No matter how much he pleaded, he couldn't save Da Huang. It tilted its head and lost its life.

Zhang Ke's eyes were also filled with tears, his head tilted back, trying not to let the tears fall. Suddenly, a large white head appeared on the wall, its eyes flashing with a fierce light, staring down at them.

"It's the lead wolf!"

Its massive body, its domineering and arrogant eyes, the king of the wolves!

This beast was not giving up. With many of its subordinates dead or injured, it had to act personally. Using a few thin wolves to form a human ladder, it climbed the wall. In front of it were only prey, its body coiled, and its limbs ready to pounce!

Qiao Fu, having shot continuously, had swollen arms, especially the last shot, which drained his strength. Zhang Ke was also covered in injuries.

Only Qiao Gui still had some fighting power. He immediately raised his bow, not even aiming, and shot an arrow at the lead wolf.

The lead wolf was more cunning than expected. Sensing the threat, it suddenly leaped to the left. Qiao Gui's arrow missed, hitting the wall with a thud, sending up a cloud of dust.

"Bad!"

Qiao Gui tried to draw another arrow, but it was too late. The lead wolf, like a bolt of lightning, leaped down from the wall, its mouth open, ready to bite.

In a panic, Qiao Gui swung his bow, which the wolf nimbly bit and threw away.

The lead wolf then lunged forward, biting Qiao Gui's sleeve and knocking him to the ground. The fierce lead wolf was much stronger than expected. Qiao Gui struggled, but the wolf's mouth was getting closer, its foul breath almost overwhelming him.

Qiao Gui, growing weaker, tears in his eyes, shouted, "Don't worry about me, run, run as far as you can!"

"Brother!" Qiao Fu screamed, unable to stand or help. He closed his eyes in pain, unable to bear the sight.

At this moment, one person had not given up, and that was Zhang Ke! He had brought the Qiao brothers out and couldn't let them be harmed!

Zhang Ke, enduring the pain, ran to a dead wolf. His knife was still embedded in the wolf's skull. He gripped the hilt and kicked down with his foot, each kick pulling at his rib wounds. The intense pain made sweat drip from his forehead, his face pale and frightening.

Zhang Ke gritted his teeth, and with a thud, the knife finally came out. He barely managed to charge at the lead wolf. He wanted to strike, but in his current state, he doubted he could break the lead wolf's bones. An injured wild animal would be even more dangerous.

Suddenly, Zhang Ke found the best point of attack. He gathered all his remaining strength, and the lead wolf's back was turned to him.

"Die!" Zhang Ke's knife stabbed fiercely into the lead wolf's rear!