Chapter 159: The Wolf Pack Attacks

Although it was autumn, the mountain was still lush with vegetation. Despite the dense weeds, there seemed to be fewer small animals than before.

Inadvertently, I spotted a peculiar plant on the ground.

"Come here, come here, look at this."

I called everyone over, and Li Zijian and Chen Chen leaned in to see what had caught my eye. This plant was certainly not the foxtail grass my great-uncle had mentioned, yet it stood out among the weeds, looking quite extraordinary. Its stem was covered in tiny, dense thorns; it didn't look like a flower, but rather a strange sort of grass.

To my surprise, I detected a faint trace of spiritual energy emanating from it. If it were just an ordinary weed, how could it possess such energy? I plucked it, placed it into the basket behind Li Zijian, and said, "Let's keep moving."

This trip up the mountain had been incredibly rewarding. Not only had we enjoyed the primitive scenery, but we had also encountered many bizarre things—trees that looked like humans with birds perched upon them, and strangely shaped flowers, all possessing an intangible beauty. We even saw a weasel, though it didn't seem to be a shapeshifting spirit, as I couldn't sense any spiritual energy from it.

"Brother Yao, how about we spend the night here?" Li Zijian asked, clearly having lost his mind.

"Hmm... sure, I'll be sure to collect your corpse tomorrow."

We continued walking and stopping, in high spirits, but then an accident occurred. Suddenly, a wolf's howl echoed through the mountain—it sounded like a whole pack, or perhaps just one.

"Damn it! There are wolves. Let's head back," Li Zijian said.

No sooner had he spoken than Chen Chen retorted, "Can you stop worrying so much? Ordinary wolves probably couldn't even touch us."

Li Zijian thought about it and realized he was right, so he felt less afraid. I kept my eyes peeled, scanning the surroundings in hopes of spotting something, but beyond that single howl, there was nothing. Just as I convinced myself it was just a normal wolf, a cry for help drifted from the distance. I lifted my head again, peering into the void.

"Brother Yao, did you hear that?"

"I'm not deaf. Let's go take a look."

Chen Chen and Li Zijian agreed. As we pushed forward, I finally grasped the basic layout of the area. It was a mountain range, not just a single peak, and I learned later that each of these mountains had a name.

We moved quickly and soon reached the vicinity of the sound.

"Lin Yao, there's blood here."

I looked down where Chen Chen pointed and, sure enough, found a pool of blood. I followed the trail slowly, sensing pulses of spiritual energy. A few meters later, I heard the cry for help again.

"Help!"

The voice was young and tender, sounding like a small child. I quickened my pace and finally reached the source. I saw a young boy, only at the second grade of the Spirit Leaf stage, brandishing a beautiful white longsword, surrounded by dozens of wolves.

Chen Chen and Li Zijian rushed up and immediately drew their weapons. I held back for a moment; the boy looked barely in his teens, yet he remained remarkably calm under the siege of so many wolves. Several carcasses already lay at his feet—he was quite skilled. These were no ordinary wolves; each one exuded its own spiritual energy and a ferocious aura.

When the boy saw us, a flicker of hope crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a steely resolve. Just as I was about to draw my blade, a larger wolf let out a thunderous howl, so piercing that I had to shield myself with spiritual energy.

"Damn annoying," Chen Chen muttered, charging in with his spear. Li Zijian set down his basket and drew his halberd.

I didn't feel the need to use my sword; I simply stood back and unleashed bursts of Thunder Technique. These wolves weren't particularly strong—at most, they were at the third grade of the Spirit Leaf stage. Against the three of us, they stood no chance, and more than half were slaughtered in an instant.

The boy’s lips curled into a happy smile as he wove through the pack with his sword. But things didn't go as planned. Just as I thought the threat was over, the ground began to tremble. I looked sharply to the right and saw a large bear charging toward us. This bear was significantly stronger, at the third grade of the Spirit Flower stage. A single bear was no threat, but more followed behind it. Was it as if these animals were colluding?

"Don't get tangled up! Let's go!"

I shouted and leaped in front of the bear pack, channeling energy into one hand and instantly manifesting five bolts of lightning. They struck the bears, and I drew my Snow Blade. With a deafening boom, several bears were blasted away, leaving the scene a bloody mess.

By then, Li Zijian and the others had mostly finished their fight. I urged everyone to leave immediately, not wanting to waste more time. The boy had been bitten on the arm by a wolf; he was bleeding, but he didn't complain of the pain. I found a secluded spot, took bandages and ointment from my ring, and helped him dress the wound.

"Kid, what's your name, and what are you doing here?"

Looking closely, the boy was delicate and quite mature for his age—a promising talent for the cultivation world.

"My name is Ma Qingzhi. I'm here to gather herbs as my master instructed."

I scratched my head. I hadn't heard of any other cultivation expert living here. The boy seemed to notice my confusion and explained, "My master is traveling the world with me and recently set up camp nearby. We might be leaving soon."

So that was it. I had only heard of such wandering masters in stories; I never expected to encounter one.

"Big brothers, why don't you come over to my place for a visit?" Ma Qingzhi said, showing his white, cute canine teeth.

I glanced at Chen Chen and Li Zijian, who had no objections.

"Let's go, let's pay a visit."

In truth, I wanted to meet his master. Anyone capable of training such a young boy must be a formidable expert, and in this world of cultivation, it never hurts to know powerful people.

The boy nodded and led us down the mountain—or rather, toward the next one. From the front, my great-uncle lived on the leftmost mountain, and the boy was leading us to the middle one. As we walked, the vegetation and scenery remained much the same. I wondered how he remembered the path, until I noticed he was marking the trees with a small knife every few steps. Perhaps the three of us combined weren't as sharp as this kid.

Before long, we arrived at a clearing where a small wooden cabin stood.