Chapter 7

"Is something wrong, Xiao Lan?"

"What are we stopping for?"

"There's a powerful beast ahead," Xiao Lan said with a grave expression.

Upon hearing this, the hunters behind her all tensed up, gripping their hunting knives tightly. Two of them even drew their bows and arrows from their backs, ready to shoot.

Xiao Lan, whose real name was Cui Ailan, was a legendary figure in Xishan Village, with a great reputation.

Dongshan Village and Xishan Village were less than forty miles apart, both relying on Fushan Mountain for their livelihood. The two villages had a lot of interaction, and there were many hunters. It was hard to say which hunter was more outstanding, but since Cui Ailan became a hunter, the hunters from both villages almost unanimously acknowledged her as the best hunter in the two villages.

Cui Ailan's father was also a hunter. When Ailan was three or four years old, her father would carry her on his back to hunt in Fushan Mountain. After a few times, he discovered that Ailan had an exceptionally keen intuition for the dangers in the forest, a rare talent. Hunting skills were usually passed down through generations, so Ailan started learning from her father at the age of five, and by the time she was thirteen, she had already hunted a lone wolf. After this incident, Cui Ailan's name spread throughout the two villages.

Apart from this, Cui Ailan's most legendary aspect was her marriage. From the age of twelve, Ailan grew rapidly, and by the time she was sixteen, she was already about her current height. Due to her height, she had never been able to find a husband.

In ancient times, the husband was the head of the household, and men were considered beautiful if they were handsome, while women were considered beautiful if they were delicate. Men in ancient times preferred women who were frail and delicate, and Cui Ailan, having grown up hunting, was naturally not gentle. Moreover, her height made her seem intimidating, and if a man married her, he might feel overshadowed. Therefore, even at the age of twenty-three, Cui Ailan was still unmarried.

Although she was unmarried, Cui Ailan had a great reputation among the hunters. Whenever she led the hunters into the mountains, they almost always had some success. In the current harsh political climate, life was difficult for the common people, and being able to hunt for food to support their families was a significant benefit. For these reasons, Cui Ailan's reputation grew even more.

Because of Cui Ailan's reputation, when she said there was a powerful beast ahead, the hunters did not doubt her at all. Moreover, the man tied to the ox's back was Cui Ailan's brother, Cui Dalang, who was severely injured. Cui Ailan was naturally more anxious than the others.

Lin Bei did not know Cui Ailan's reputation, but he was also surprised. The branch he was on was extremely lush and high, at least seventy meters away from Cui Ailan, and he had not moved at all. Despite this, he was still detected by this woman. It was said that there were extraordinary people in the countryside, and Lin Bei believed that Cui Ailan was likely one of them.

However, Lin Bei did not reveal himself. After the incident where he was hunted, Lin Bei knew that as a giant python, he would have almost no interaction with humans. If he came down, the hunters would definitely attack him with their bows and knives. Lin Bei did not want to hurt anyone, so it was best not to meet them.

Lin Bei did not move, but Cui Ailan was getting impatient. Her brother's leg had been bitten off by a wolf, and he might die from blood loss. At this moment, finding a safe place to bandage him was the priority. Although Cui Ailan sensed danger ahead, the wooden shelter was on the way. If they took a detour, it would be too far, and the wolf pack was already getting restless. Cui Ailan had no choice but to take the risk.

She passed under Lin Bei's tree cautiously, looking up a few times. The sense of danger came from above, and this feeling was even more terrifying than when she encountered a bear that had just woken from hibernation at the age of seventeen. However, there was no movement in the tree, and it was only after walking a dozen paces that Cui Ailan realized she was drenched in sweat.

After the hunters passed, the wolf pack followed.

The wolves' senses were no less acute than Cui Ailan's, and they also detected Lin Bei. Low growls came from their mouths, a clear sign of a challenge.

In the forest, the conflicts between predators were almost irreconcilable. When facing a common prey, predators would first drive away or kill those who posed a threat. In the limited intelligence of the wolf pack, Lin Bei was clearly seen as a threat.

Lin Bei turned his head and looked at the hunters who were still not far away. On the ox's back was a large bag, and Lin Bei smelled the scent of dried meat. This scent made his mouth water; it was food.

"I'll help you drive away the wolf pack, and you should give me some food as a thank you, right?" a thought crossed Lin Bei's mind.

In fact, Lin Bei had already had the idea of helping these people. As a human, he could not stand by and watch them be killed by wolves. Moreover, he now had the ability to help. Of course, if he did not have the ability, he would have watched from the sidelines.

Lin Bei quietly slid down from the tree.

The wolves' growls grew louder, and they gathered together, clearly seeing Lin Bei as a powerful threat.

Ahead, hearing the wolves' howls, one of the hunters was surprised and asked, "What's going on?"

"It must be that fierce beast and the wolf pack in conflict."

"Doesn't that mean we're safe?" another hunter was still a bit dazed.

"Probably, but Ailan, what kind of fierce beast is it? Even the wolf pack isn't afraid?"

Cui Ailan shook her head gravely, indicating that she did not know.

These hunters had been hunting for at least five or six years and were familiar with the fierce beasts in the forest. A wolf pack of over twenty wolves would make any fierce beast retreat. They could not imagine that it was a giant python, and one of such an extraordinary size.

Lin Bei had already quietly climbed down the tree and hidden in a bush. This bush was on the path between the wolf pack and the hunters, clearly showing the wolves his intention.

Low growls continued to come from the wolves' mouths. It was unclear how they communicated, but the wolf pack formed a half-circle, surrounding the bush. Lin Bei glanced at the surrounding wolves and focused on one of the three wolves on the left.

This wolf was slightly larger than the others, with smoother fur and a more ferocious and strong appearance, clearly indicating its status as the alpha wolf.

The alpha wolf was not the same as the wolf king. The alpha wolf was usually the strongest wolf in a small pack. Generally, a wolf king would lead a pack of at least several hundred wolves, so the leader of a small pack like this could only be called an alpha wolf.

Additionally, a small wolf pack usually consisted of about seven wolves, known as the "seven wolves." However, this wolf pack was clearly larger, and it was precisely because of their numbers that they dared to attack a group of eight people and an ox.

Facing the wolf pack, Lin Bei realized how intelligent these creatures were, with an exceptionally strong fighting instinct. The wolves were at least seven or eight meters away from him, constantly moving, occasionally extending their claws to scratch at him, and their continuous howls created a tremendous pressure.

If it were another giant python without intelligence, it might have been easily overwhelmed by the wolves' actions and howls. However, this did not apply to Lin Bei.

The alternating use of his tongue and eyes allowed Lin Bei to capture movements more effectively. He could even predict whether each of the wolves' actions was an attack or a distraction. He found that over ninety percent of their actions were distractions, so he did not move at all, coiled up, and did not attack first. Lin Bei's goal was to hold the wolf pack back, and he felt that killing these wolves would be genuinely difficult, as their speed was not to be underestimated.

After about ten minutes, the wolf pack, known for their patience, also became anxious. They sensed that they were facing a tough opponent, and since their target was not Lin Bei, they were getting impatient.

One wolf had approached within about four meters of Lin Bei, testing with its claws. Seeing that Lin Bei did not move, it suddenly lunged at Lin Bei's raised tail.

This attack was real!

PS: It's a bit slow, but I haven't written for almost a month. Let me take a moment to get back into it. I feel I'm almost there, and I'll soon be back to regular updates.

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