Chapter 331: Nine Wolves at the Gate

Nine of them?

Thinking back to when the Alpha first led his pack into her territory, Xia Qing paused for a couple of seconds and asked, “Any injured or sick wolves in this group?”

“Nope.” Hu Zifeng replied confidently, stressing, “They’re all strong, every one of them. Pretty fierce, too.”

Xia Qing nodded. “Let ’em come in. No need to block them.”

Still worried, Hu Zifeng, who was in charge of Section Three’s security, objected, “That wolf pack is extremely dangerous. Are you sure you can handle them? Maybe I should ask Luo for permission to bring two teams over, just in case?”

Even watching through the camera, seeing the wolves loping through the rainy, tangled Evolved Forest was intimidating for Hu Zifeng. He hadn’t faced them head-on, but he knew all too well his ten-man squad was no match for these wolves.

Little Five, the Evolved Cat whose fuzzy head poked from inside Hu Zifeng’s protective suit, widened his round black eyes, staring at the wolves on the screen. Afraid the cat might get scared, Hu Zifeng gently scratched its tiny chin.

If they showed up armed, the wolves could get spooked and trigger a fight. So Xia Qing cut right to the chase: “Crippled Wolf came to trade with me yesterday. What we exchanged was kind of bulky, so they need more wolves to carry it. They’re really just here to haul stuff.”

What would wolves need to transport that takes so many Evolved Wolves? Hu Zifeng mentally ran through a quick list. The only thing in Section Three that fit was probably the rotary tiller.

Would wolves even want a rotary tiller? Clearly not. He pushed down his curiosity and replied, “Alright, call me if anything happens. I’ll stay on standby here.”

After hanging up, Xia Qing filled a barrel with water and headed home. She found Alpha still soaking in the bath, not shivering or showing any sign of pain.

Is the medicine’s effect fading that fast?

“Your Majesty, is the water too cold? Want me to reheat it for you?” Xia Qing peeled off her protective gloves, dipped her hand in the tub for a few seconds, but didn’t feel the tingling she expected from the medicinal effects.

It shouldn’t have lost all its potency—maybe she just didn’t soak her hand long enough. Still, she didn’t dare leave it in longer; Zhang San had set clear rules for the bath duration. Plus, Alpha was glaring at her fingers like he was annoyed.

Honestly, with his soaked head, Alpha looked more silly than imposing. Xia Qing pulled her hand back, putting on a straight face. “Water’s perfect, Your Majesty. Soak for another twenty minutes then get out, alright? Too long in this stuff won’t do you any good.”

She slipped into the kitchen to start breakfast.

Meat congee for Er Gou as usual. For herself, leftover pork bone and radish soup from last night, with two corn and wheat mantou. With the Yi Stone fridge, Xia Qing could prep two meals at once and steam enough buns for several days—so much more convenient.

Once the congee was simmering, she went to check the wooden door under the eaves.

One look and she was startled—a pair of muddy wolf paw prints had appeared on the door she’d just varnished last night.

She didn’t need to guess which wolf was responsible; of the three, only one was interested in doors.

What, is Crippled Wolf claiming ownership by leaving his prints?

Xia Qing grabbed the varnish and touched up the spots where the prints had damaged the finish, then called over Er Gou. “Crippled Wolf’s coming this way with a whole pack. Er Gou, stick close and back me up, yeah?”

Facing nine Evolved Wolves all at once—even with one familiar face—made her pretty nervous.

Finishing her sentence, she noticed Er Gou’s ears swivel as he cast a glance outside.

She’d long noticed Er Gou’s hearing was excellent. Was that ear-flip a sign the pack was near? Xia Qing took a deep breath, pulled out her phone, and switched to the High Slope camera feed.

Half a minute later, Crippled Wolf appeared first on screen in a protective suit. Then came the gray, black, brown and auburn wolves, each slipping into view. Even just traveling they moved in formation, ready to attack or retreat at a moment’s notice.

The camera started flagging each unfamiliar face as an intruder, sending alert after alert to her phone. Xia Qing felt her heart jump in time with every warning.

This was the same wolf pack that had effortlessly wiped out a combat squad last year. The pressure was unreal!

Seriously, it’s just picking up a door. Why do they need such a dramatic formation? This is way too much.

Wait—

In the thick of her nerves, Xia Qing spotted a bouncy, brown-gray wolf hopping at the end of the line and some of her anxiety melted away.

Hey, isn’t that Lame Wolf? Long time no see.

The wolves didn’t bother with the stone bridge as they crossed the river—they just jumped over the four- or five-meter stretch. Every one of them landed neatly and gracefully. Xia Qing couldn’t help but envy their agility.

Then she watched her buddy Old Goat trot out to meet them, share a quick nose-bump with Crippled Wolf, and blend right in with the wolf pack. The whole scene was so bizarre it almost felt wrong.

Er Gou rubbed against Xia Qing’s leg before dashing into the rain to greet the others. That finally eased Xia Qing’s nerves for good.

She checked the time and walked back inside to talk to Alpha. “Your Majesty, it’s time to come out. Your subordinates are almost here.”

Alpha didn’t budge, so Xia Qing drew herself up and insisted, “Don’t soak too long in that medicated water or you’ll get hurt. Out. Now.”

Alpha stared at her for two seconds, then leapt straight out of the bath and looked her right in the eyes.

“Okay, right away.” Xia Qing rinsed the medicine off his fur with freshly heated, filtered water. “All done, Your Majesty. Shake yourself off and I’ll towel you dry then brush your coat.”

Sure enough, Alpha gave himself a good shake, spraying water everywhere until only a few big droplets clung to his fur.

Watching him, Xia Qing finally realized his pain tolerance was way higher than Er Gou’s. He’d just soaked forever and popped out like it was nothing. “Your Majesty, all your wolves have arrived. Let’s head out, shall we?”

As soon as Alpha stepped out, Xia Qing realized she’d overestimated him. He was moving awkwardly—no wonder he’d jumped out so suddenly.

Alpha was proud to a fault, so Xia Qing didn’t dare carry him. She just followed as he limped outside.

The pack was already waiting. Crippled Wolf had left the others outside the yard and brought only Lame Wolf in, who was currently washing his paws under the eaves.

“Lame Wolf, long time no see.” Ignoring the wild, dangerous pack for now, Xia Qing took the initiative to greet Lame Wolf.

Lame Wolf, who’d been splashing water with Crippled Wolf, perked up at her voice and sent the wash basin flying in excitement. The wolves outside were startled, snapping into a defensive stance and baring their fangs.

Xia Qing sighed…

“Woo—”

Alpha let out a stern growl. Lame Wolf immediately froze, head drooping, afraid to move an inch. The wolves outside quickly hid their fangs and stood at attention.

Crippled Wolf finished cleaning his paws, wiped them dry on the hay, and walked over. He and Alpha sniffed each other in greeting, then Alpha flopped onto the hay under the eaves to rest.

Crippled Wolf came up to Xia Qing, lifting his head so she’d notice the pocket on his suit.

Seeing how full Crippled Wolf’s protective suit pocket was, Xia Qing’s heart raced with anticipation.