Chapter 1103: A Wolf Pack’s Wounds

“Number Four, are all these your companions?”

After wandering through the mountains with the elder wolf for over an hour, Xia Qing finally arrived at a hidden, dry cave deep in Mount Twenty-Six. Inside, six fierce, injured Evolved Wolves lounged in various states of rest. Xia Qing let out a quiet sigh at the sight.

Outside the cave, more than twenty Evolved Wolves stood guard. With six more injured inside, Number Four’s pack was larger than she’d expected.

With so many wounded wolves, it didn’t take a genius to know they’d recently been in a massive brawl. But who had they fought? And did they win—or lose?

Having finished his end of the deal by helping Xia Qing safely collect Purple-flower Groundwort, the elder wolf nudged her, urging her to get on with healing his companions.

Since the wolf had honored his promise, Xia Qing intended to keep her word too. She began tending to the injured pack.

Compared to last October, after the wolf-bear-snake battle when Crippled Wolf dragged her up Hill Sixty to treat the battered Northern Wolf Pack, Xia Qing’s first-aid skills—and the gear she carried—had improved by leaps and bounds.

She disinfected her hands, tugged on a pair of sterile gloves, and quickly administered oral sedatives to the group, ready to start treatment.

For torn skin and flesh, she trimmed fur, disinfected, and patched minor wounds. Major injuries got stitched up. Swollen legs? She checked for poison or bruised tissue and treated as needed. If a leg was broken, she disinfected, palpated for severity, and did a quick fix. Cracked or missing teeth were harder—she could only feed them painkillers and anti-inflammatories and hope for the best.

Wolves outside the cave growled in agitation, but with Huo Zhun holding the entrance and two wolves standing guard by her side, Xia Qing didn’t worry about being attacked. She focused entirely on patching up the wounded.

She’d just finished the last of the six and was straightening up when Huo Zhun called out, “Sister Qing, a young wolf is coming this way—its mouth is bleeding.”

Turning around, Xia Qing recognized the adolescent wolf at once. It was the smallest of the three she’d rescued from Scavenger Valley days ago. A deep gash split the left side of its mouth, fresh blood dripping steadily to the ground.

Injured as it was, the little wolf looked much livelier than when she’d freed it from that cave—its spirit and vitality plainly intact.

Xia Qing studied the pup for a few seconds. Sure enough, it was a Brain Evolution wolf. She poured sedative into pure spring water and said, “Number Four, have it drink the medicine.”

But before the elder wolf could even growl a command, the young wolf dipped its muzzle and started lapping up the medicated water. The act must’ve hurt terribly, but the wolf seemed unfazed, calmly and naturally finishing its drink.

That alone made Xia Qing view this young Brain Evolution wolf with newfound respect.

Once the sedative kicked in, Xia Qing checked the tear on its face. She did what she could—cleaning and stopping the bleeding—then turned to the elder wolf and said, “Number Four, I can’t treat this pup’s injury here. I need to bring it back to Section Three. The one with the broken front leg needs to go too.”

Facial wounds weren’t like those on the body. A long tear like this needed layered stitching—deep muscle, inner cheek, and outer skin. If not done properly, cosmetic issues aside, the wolf might lose movement in its jaw.

Sharp teeth are an Evolved Wolf’s primary weapon. If its jaw can’t move well, it’ll never fight the same.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Number Four bared his fangs at Xia Qing—a sign of reluctant agreement.

Once the decision was made, there was no time to waste. While both wolves were still under sedation, Xia Qing called Huo Zhun in to help—each of them cradling a wolf, ready to head out.

Noticing the elder wolf wasn’t following, Huo Zhun asked quietly, “Sister Qing, what about the others?”

“Number Four will stay behind and care for them.” Xia Qing didn’t need to ask. She knew he’d remain—injured packmates needed him.

The five remaining wolves had only superficial injuries. Xia Qing applied Idol’s special hemostatic and antibacterial medicine, instructing Number Four to tear open a packet each day so the injured wolves could drink it. As long as they didn’t get infected with the Evolution Bacteria, those wounds would be mostly healed in five days, and nearly fully recovered within ten.

She left ten days’ worth of medicine for them.

As Xia Qing and Huo Zhun carried the two wolves out of the cave, they were quickly blocked by the rest of the pack. Leading the group was a silver-gray she-wolf in her prime, sporting two claw marks across her body.

She was almost as large as the Alpha of the Northern Wolf Pack. One look at those bright green eyes, brimming with killing intent, and Xia Qing knew—this was another Brain Evolution wolf. The she-wolf crouched in a fighting stance, ready to take them on.

Judging from her posture and the way the others followed her lead, Xia Qing pegged her as this pack’s leader.

Er moved to shield Xia Qing, quietly watching the silver-gray wolf.

Number Four slowly stepped forward. The two wolves locked eyes, silently communicating. After a tense pause, the pack leader bared her fangs in a low, menacing growl.

Negotiations had failed—the leader didn’t trust Xia Qing and wouldn’t let her take away her packmates.

Xia Qing had already noticed the deep-seated hatred these wolves bore for humans—no less than what she’d seen with Hui Three and the Western Wolf Pack. As far as they were concerned, Xia Qing was another of those human ‘Scavengers’ who’d once hunted Evolved Wolves. The fact that Number Four had brought her wasn’t enough to earn their trust.

Number Four didn’t force a fight with the Alpha. Instead, he turned to Xia Qing with a calm gaze. She responded in kind, “Huo, let’s bring the wolves back inside and treat them here. No more taking them away.”

“Alright,” said Huo Zhun. He had no idea what was going on between the wolves, but he always obeyed his captain.

Back in the cave, Xia Qing pulled out fine needles and thread to suture the young wolf’s face.

She’d learned cosmetic stitching from Chang Li, watched facial suture technique videos, and practiced together with Crippled Wolf—using pork as their test subject.

Now that the pack’s queen had denied her request to transfer the injured, Xia Qing simply did what she could on the spot. However well the stitches held would depend on circumstances.

After finishing the young wolf’s face, Xia Qing mixed plaster powder with gauze to make a cast, soaked it, and carefully reset the broken leg on the other wolf. She wrapped the limb tightly with the plaster, which would harden to keep the bones in place.

After giving the elder wolf some final instructions, Xia Qing left the cave with Huo Zhun and Er. She’d done all she promised. Whether these two severely injured wolves could heal—that was out of her hands.

“Sister Qing, are we heading straight back now?”

Once the helicopter was airborne, Hu Zifeng turned to Xia Qing. “So, where to next?”

Xia Qing stroked Er, thinking aloud, “We said we were inspecting the Evolved Forest. Why don’t we swing by the Northern Evolved Forest before heading home?”

“Sure,” Hu Zifeng replied, directing the helicopter northeast along their previous path.

Passing over Mount Thirty-Six, Xia Qing peered down but saw no sign of an Evolved Tiger.

Flying past Hill Forty, she spotted the Western Wolf King atop the snowy mountain, head thrown back in a long, mournful howl. She found herself missing the Yi Stone hanging from its neck all over again.

Over Hill Fifty-Eight, she caught a glimpse of the Alpha of the Northern Wolf Pack leading a charge, pursuing prey with flawless grace—every stride the picture of wild power.

And as they flew above Hill Fifty-Eight, Xia Qing glimpsed a tiny monkey, wearing a grimy hat and carrying a backpack, curled up atop the highest boulder on the mountain peak!