met free Chapter 176 The Scent of Blood Attracts a Pack of Wolves
Chapter 176 The Scent of Blood Attracts a Pack of Wolves
Night fell silently, as dark as ink, enveloping the entire small mountain village. After distributing grain and silver to the villagers, the village chief invited Wen Yuxia and the others to stay overnight in the village.
Wen Yuxia, along with Bei Yi and Bei Er, followed the village chief to the lodgings he had arranged for them. The village chief said gratefully, "Our benefactors, the courtyard has already been cleaned. Please rest here, and I will have someone bring you food later."
Wen Yuxia helped them wipe out the bandits, retrieve their grain and livestock, and even shared silver with them. Nan Yi and the others were also helping the villagers bury their dead relatives and clean up the bloodstains on the ground. The village chief believed that the only thing they could do to help Wen Yuxia and the others was to cook for them.
Wen Yuxia said coldly, "A place to stay is fine; there's no need for the village chief to prepare meals."
After the village suffered such a calamity, Wen Yuxia didn't know how to face the villagers. Since returning from the bandit suppression, she had kept a stern face and hadn't shown a single smile.
Bei Yi's voice was gentle. She told the village chief that they had enough grain, fresh meat, and vegetables to eat, and that they could take care of their own dinner without troubling the villagers.
The village chief left, profusely thanking him. Bei Yi carried the firewood to the center of the yard, skillfully lit the fire, and the roaring flames instantly illuminated the entire yard.
Wen Yuxia moved Xiaoya and her brother out of the space, looked at the two still fast asleep, a slight smile appeared on her lips, and she quickly pointed her index finger at them.
Xiaoya opened her eyes and called out sweetly, "Princess!" Xiaohu, before even opening his eyes, burst into tears. Bei Yi picked up the milk that Wen Yuxia had taken out of her spatial storage beforehand and said softly, "Xiaohu, don't cry. Smell what this is."
After swallowing a spoonful of milk, Xiao Hu's face showed a satisfied expression. Wen Yuxia said to Xiao Ya, who was standing to the side, "Drink a bowl of milk first, and have some snacks to tide you over. We'll have dinner when your master and the others come back."
Bei Er was busy working alone in the kitchen. The sensible Xiao Ya finished her milk and ate a pastry before running off to help her second master in the kitchen.
After Xiao Hu finished eating, he fell asleep again. Bei Yi put him on the bed and then went to the kitchen. Wen Yuxia stayed alone by the fire, lost in thought.
Nan Yi and the others worked with the villagers to dig pits and shovel soil on the hillside. One pit after another took shape in their hands, and one body after another, simply wrapped in straw mats and cotton blankets, was carried into the pits. One grave after another stood on the hillside.
Nan Yi couldn't bear to stay at the cemetery and disturb the villagers as they bid farewell to their deceased loved ones. He led Nan Er and the others down the hillside, carefully covering up all the bloodstains left on the road and in the courtyards of each household with soil.
The stench of blood in the air gradually faded. Nan Yi and the others had completed this tedious task and headed in the direction Wen Yuxia and the others had left in.
In the kitchen, Bei Yi and Bei Er had already prepared the meal. They placed the food on the stone table in the courtyard, and a fragrant aroma wafted through the air.
Wen Yuxia walked to the stone table, on which were placed five large basins containing four dishes and a soup in generous portions, with not a single speck of meat in any of the dishes.
Bei Yi said softly, "Princess, as you instructed, I only made steamed egg with minced meat for Xiaoya." "You two are quite good cooks," Wen Yuxia said calmly.
Many people died in the small mountain village, and Nan Yi and his group also killed many bandits on the mountain. Wen Yuxia had no desire to eat meat, and apart from Xiao Ya and her brother who knew nothing, Wen Yuxia believed that Nan Yi and the others also couldn't eat meat dishes, so she ordered Bei Yi to prepare a table of vegetarian dishes.
Bei Er stood at the courtyard gate, looking around. When he saw Nan Yi and the others, Bei Yi said, "Princess, Nan Yi is back."
Bei Yi's voice echoed in the silent night sky. Nan Yi and the others heard her voice and saw her figure. They quickened their pace and entered the courtyard.
"Princess, your subordinates have cleaned up the village," Nan Yi said, kneeling on one knee and bowing with clasped hands.
"Thank you for your hard work," Wen Yuxia said softly.
Bei Yi and Bei Er brought hot water and invited Nan Yi and the others to wash up. After washing up, Nan Yi and the others changed into clean clothes before walking to the stone table and picking up their rice bowls.
After the meal, everyone sat around the warm fire. Nan Yi quietly recounted how the villagers knelt before the graves, weeping uncontrollably and wailing mournfully.
Wen Yuxia and the others deeply sympathized with the villagers' pain at losing their loved ones. Under the firelight, everyone's face looked particularly solemn, and the already tense and oppressive atmosphere became even more somber.
After sitting in the courtyard for a while, Wen Yuxia said calmly, "Bei Yi and Bei Er are in charge of keeping watch at night. Everyone else, go back to your rooms and rest!"
Although the smell of blood had faded considerably, she was still worried that the wolves, with their keen sense of smell, would be drawn to the mountain village by the scent.
Unable to bear seeing the villagers of the small mountain village encounter bandits and then wolves, she arranged for Bei Yi and Bei Er to stand guard at night by the mountain road at the end of the village.
Before returning to her room, Wen Yuxia couldn't help but remind him again: "Bei Yi, stay alert, and report back immediately if anything happens."
"Princess, please rest assured. We will report any developments immediately," Bei Yi and Bei Er said in unison.
In the dead of night, everyone in the small mountain village was fast asleep, except for Bei Yi, who was leaning against a tree. Suddenly, Bei Yi leaped up and pounced on a large tree next to him.
Just now, she clearly heard the sounds of jumping and landing. Although the footsteps were very light, they still occasionally made a crisp sound when they stepped on the dead wood and fallen leaves on the ground.
A soft, tinkling sound rang out in the still night. With his keen hearing, Bei Yi realized a wild animal was approaching. His voice was urgent: "Bei Er, wake up! There are footsteps!"
Bei Er opened her eyes and listened carefully. There were indeed faint footsteps in the quiet night. She quickly said, "Go back and inform the princess. I'll go check ahead."
Of the four sisters, Bei Er was the best in martial arts, while Bei Yi was the oldest but the weakest. Bei Yi did not object to Bei Er's arrangement.
Bei Yi whispered, "Be careful!"
Bei Er leaped continuously from tree to tree until she could clearly hear the panting of a running wild beast. She stopped to carefully observe what kind of beast it was.
Greenish-blue eyes filled the entire forest—wolves' eyes. Bei Er's scalp tingled with dread. One pair, two pairs, three pairs… one hundred and seventy-eight pairs.
My God, 178 wolves! Of all things, they were all crouching under the big tree where she was. Bei felt a chill run down her spine, holding her breath as she stared at the dense pack of wolves beneath the tree.
The wolves sat obediently on the ground, looking up directly at the alpha wolf howling softly. The alpha wolf, with its jet-black fur, howled at varying lengths, and the wolves sitting on the ground listened intently in complete silence.
On the way here, Wen Yuxia had already guessed that the attackers were wolves. She quickly arranged the formation: "North One, North Three, North Four, and South Seven, stay at the end of the village to ensure that no wolves escape into the village. If you can't stop them, warn the villagers."
"South Four, South Five, South Six, ambushed and killed the wolf pack halfway out of the mountain. South One, South Two, South Three, follow me into the mountains."
Wen Yuxia, along with Nan Yi, Nan Er, and Nan San, approached the wolf pack from different directions. The scene of the wolves having a meeting shocked them. Wen Yuxia used the branches of a tree as cover and took a picture of the scene with her mobile phone.