With the help of the Liu Xiaoqiao siblings and Song Chongjin’s shooting, the wolves were momentarily thrown into disarray. The hunters, experienced as they were, seized the opportunity to retreat towards them while defending against the wolves’ attacks. Soon, both groups merged together.
Seeing that the rescue party consisted of only five people, among whom three were unfamiliar faces, the hunters, whose spirits had been lifted at first, were immediately dumbfounded.
A bearded hunter at the forefront stepped forward, "Xiao Qiao, why are there only a few of you?"
Liu Xiaoqiao surveyed everyone’s expressions and hastily explained, "We had guests at our house today and took our guests for a stroll in the forest. On our way back, we heard your distress signals. My older brother has gone back to deliver the message; we were worried about you, so we came over to check first. Uncle Huzi, is everyone alright? Weren’t you going after a herd of deer? How did you get involved with a pack of wolves?"
Uncle Huzi let out a sigh, "Don’t even mention it! We were indeed following the deer, and when we got to Heifengkou, we ran into Blind Bear. The bear went berserk, and your Uncle Erkui and Master Zhuangzi had their arms broken by Blind Bear, legs too."
"We struggled hard before finally dealing with Blind Bear. Just when we were about to rest, we somehow got targeted by this pack of wolves, forcing us to abandon our prey and retreat here, only to end up surrounded by the pack."
"I was making a last-ditch effort, hoping somebody from the village was nearby and would hear our distress whistle, perhaps even make it back to the village to call for a rescue party!"
After finishing, he pulled Liu Xiaoqiao aside, "It’s one thing for you siblings to come, but why did you bring a few unfamiliar outsiders? Isn’t that a hindrance?"
Liu Xiaoqiao spoke softly, "They are guests at our house. One of them is a very skilled hunter. When things got urgent, I was worried something might have happened to you all, so I brought them along. They knew halfway here it was a wolf pack. I urged them to go back, but they said the more people, the more help..."
Uncle Huzi’s expression softened somewhat. After all, their intentions were good.
"So, what do we do now? It’s almost dark, and when it gets dark, this forest becomes the domain of these furred beasts. We need to figure something out..."
Wang Yongzhu naturally heard the conversation between Liu Xiaoqiao and Uncle Huzi, but she didn’t take it to heart.
She looked around and couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but she felt that the commotion within the wolf pack seemed somewhat abnormal?
She tugged on Song Chongjin’s sleeve and leaned in, "Why do I feel something’s not right?"
Song Chongjin frowned, "Be careful in a minute, this wolf pack seems..." His voice suddenly stopped as he looked towards a particular direction.
Wang Yongzhu also looked in that direction and saw a blue-grey wolf on a high rock with a very noticeable tuft of white fur on its head, looking down at them from above.
That gaze, so intent, was directed squarely at Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin.
Seeing the two looking its way, the wolf raised its head and let out a long howl, after which wolf howls resounded from the bushes around them, one after another.
The howling was piercing, and the more timid hunting dogs had already tucked their tails and shrunk their heads, trembling as they lay on the ground.
Uncle Huzi, Liu Xiaoqiao, and the other hunters’ faces all turned pale as they grasped their bows and hunting knives, warily surveying their surroundings.
Wang Yongzhu let out a long sigh, "So it’s an old acquaintance, eh!"
Song Chongjin’s expression grew solemn. Of course, it was an old acquaintance; the wolf was the leader of the pack that had previously besieged him. Last time, he and Yongzhu had killed more than a dozen together, a heavy loss for the pack indeed.
To his surprise, in just a few months, this wolf had rallied a new tribe. Judging by the number of wolves surrounding them, this pack was even larger than the previous one.
To meet an old enemy is to see red all over again.
It seemed they were destined to fight to the death.