Chapter 186: Negotiating Terms

Twice the enemies meant twice the suffering.

With a furious roar, Ke Jihai hurled his spear. It shot forward like a bolt of lightning, skewering the foremost assailant straight through the chest.

But in that instant, the sky above throbbed with a heavy wingbeat, as though some massive bird was drawing near. A prickling warning shot up Ke Jihai’s spine. Without thinking, he threw himself into a roll.

A fireball the size of a cauldron crashed down where he had stood a moment earlier. Black paving stones split apart, and the snow-covered undergrowth instantly withered to ash.

Ke Jihai looked up, and his breath caught.

A massive bird circled overhead. Its head was that of a crow, its wings leathery like a bat’s, and its neck long and serpentine. However, it had no tail.

On its back sat a rider wearing a bronze mask, only two empty eyeholes revealing anything human.

Ke Jihai’s fists clenched in fury.

If only I had my longbow! If I had it, would this abomination dare screech and swoop above my head?

Indeed, its cry was just like that of a crow—harsh and grating.

“Father!” He Yue cried out in alarm. He rushed in front of He Chunhua and raised his arms. As soon as he raised his arms, he shot an ice arrow forth.

Before it struck, the ice arrow split into three, fanning out in a triangular spread. One enemy fell screaming, but the rest had already closed the distance.

And the only one before them was He Chunhua.

He Lingchuan was unable to return in time. He reached for his broken saber to hurl it when more figures suddenly streaked out of the woods, toppling three of the attackers in a blur of motion.

The rescuers froze everyone in shock.

It was a pack of wolves.

But they were not ordinary wolves; these were massive, gray-coated beasts the size of calves. Their limbs were corded with muscle far beyond those of common wolves. Once they brought an enemy down, their savage maws tore into flesh until nothing was left.

The leader of the pack clamped its jaws over a man’s skull, gave a savage shake, and ripped the head clean from the body. Blood sprayed in a crimson fan.

Eight enemies had come charging in. Five were butchered in moments. The remaining three faltered, then bolted in panic.

The giant wolves did not bother to chase.

Within a few breaths, He Lingchuan reached his family, saber at the ready and directed at the pack. “Stop right there! Take one more step and I’ll cut you down where you stand!”

True, the wolves had just driven off their foes. But the one trapped in the net was a wolf monster. What if they were all in cahoots?

Sure enough, more figures emerged from the treeline. It was six or seven more of the same giant wolves. They moved to surround both the net and the wolf monster caught within.

Sweat beaded in He Lingchuan’s palms. He Chunhua’s eyes narrowed.

“We mean you no harm,” said the foremost wolf, its mouth opening to form human words. “Our target is that madman in the sky!”

He Lingchuan followed its gaze upward.

The giant bird still flew above, fireballs spewing one after another. They slammed onto the walnut boat, each blast sending up a shower of sparks.

Ke Jihai had no ranged weapons. He ripped branches from the trees and hurled them skyward, but the bird easily dodged every throw.

“My boat!” He Lingchuan’s chest clenched at the sight of the walnut boat being battered and set aflame. The pain was so sharp it stole his breath.

The elegant walnut boat was battered by the fireballs spewed by the monstrous bird, its polished planks pitted with blackened craters. Flames licked across the wood, spreading faster and faster.

From the start, the boat had only been crafted as a means of travel. Yes, it had been treated against fire, damp, and rot, but it was never meant to withstand the punishment of battle like a true magical artifact.

As for the bird—whatever species it was—its fireballs burned so hot they were tinged violet, hot enough to set even the snow-covered stone ground alight.

The boatman tried desperately to quench one cluster of flames after another with his pole, but for every one he doused, more sprang up. Soon, the fire had spread beneath the hull.

The sight made He Lingchuan’s chest clench as though pierced. The boat had only just swallowed one of his precious profound crystals, and now this! Rage surged up, and he forgot entirely that the boat technically belonged to He Chunhua. From his storage ring, he pulled out a bow and some arrows, sprinted a few paces, and sent them arcing high toward Ke Jihai.

His own archery was still lacking, and with his left shoulder injured, he could not properly draw a bow at the moment. But his right arm retained all its strength, and with that throw, the weapon and accompanying ammunition soared over twenty meters through the air.

The giant bird stooped to intercept it.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Hehe, come then.

He Lingchuan gave a cold laugh and flung his broken saber.

It was a clean throw. But the monster was as agile as an eagle, twisting in midair to evade. The saber whistled past harmlessly and vanished into the dark.

“Huh?” He Lingchuan blinked.

So it won’t actually hit them every time, eh?

Still, that brief delay was all Ke Jihai needed. He seized the bow, spirit surging, snatched up the nearest arrow, and without so much as aiming, drew and shot.

A gleam of cold light split the night.

On the bird’s back, the bronze-masked rider raised a bell and shook it. The clear chime of the bell rang out, and a gale surged in midair.

His reflexes were quick, but they were useless. This arrow was infused with origin energy, and that origin energy was meant to pierce divine techniques.

The wind shoved at it, but only enough to nudge its course by a finger’s breadth. Instead of striking the bird’s belly, it punched clean through the root of its wing.

The bird shrieked in agony, its wings beating frantically as it tried to glide toward the opposite mountain ridge.

But hoofbeats thundered up the mountain as over a dozen riders, Ke Jihai’s men, arrived at last.

Ke Jihai shouted, “Don’t let it escape!” He drew the bow again.

And at that moment, the walnut boat finally gave way beneath the searing assault of true fire. With a loud pop, it collapsed back into a small sphere.

The crushing weight pinning the giant ape vanished. Freed, it launched itself skyward like a blazing rocket.

It leapt about fifteen meters high, soared over their heads, and snatched both rider and bird out of the air, dragging them like a weighty scale into a gorge below.

Ke Jihai’s arrow flew after them, sinking deep into the ape’s backside. The monster bellowed in pain but did not let go.

Everyone rushed to the cliff’s edge. Below, the gorge was pitch black. A few pine trees had already been flattened, while the rest shuddered violently at their crowns.

The giant ape still lived, and it was forcing its way out.

Ke Jihai barked orders to two of his men, “Follow it and see where it goes.”

They spurred their horses in chase at once.

Meanwhile, the wolves still faced off against He Chunhua’s group. But now that Ke Jihai’s troops had arrived, their side was reinforced, and their hearts steadied. The signal arrow fired earlier had also alerted the guards of Luming Garden. Hoofbeats echoed from up the mountain road, and it sounded like they would be here soon.

Pain gnawed at He Lingchuan’s wounds until his grimace was closer to a snarl. He reached for his waist and felt the broken saber.

The wounded coachman had already fainted from agony. The youth staggered to his feet. Madame Ying thanked him breathlessly. He only waved his hand. “N-no matter, so long as you are safe, madame.”

He Yue frowned at the youth’s back. “Your blood is black. The arrow was poisoned.”

One of Ke Jihai’s men, a medic, stepped forward and offered a pill. “Take this antidote first.”

It was effective against common toxins. Yet after swallowing it, the youth’s brow only darkened further. His limbs began to twitch, and a low moan escaped his lips.

At this rate, he would soon slip into unconsciousness.

Madame Ying paled. “What do we do?!” Had the boy not shielded her, she would have been the one poisoned.

Ke Jihai’s face tightened for a moment before he decided. “Take my token and hurry down the mountain to Jinghe Hall. The Fu Family’s famed physician is in residence there, and I recall he’s an expert in treating poison!”

At once, his men lifted both the youth and the fainted coachman and galloped downhill.

By then, the ten or so guards from Luming Garden had arrived. They froze at the sight of the wolf pack, and weapons rang as blades were drawn.

If word got out that monsters were running rampant at the imperial hunting estate, it would be a stain on their record for dereliction of duty.

Surrounded by so many hostile humans, the wolves grew uneasy; several bared their teeth.

“Stay your hands for now,” Ke Jihai called out. “The ones who ambushed Lord He and me have already left.” He stepped forward to parley with the captain of the guards.

The lead gray wolf repeated, with emphasis, “We do not seek conflict. We chased Dong Rui here only to rescue our young master.”

“Young master?” He Chunhua’s gaze swept down to the werewolf lying on the ground. Since the masked rider had left, it no longer raved. At the moment, only low, resentful snarls came from it.

“This is our young master, Lu Ze. He was gravely wounded, and Dong Rui used him, forcing him into this state,” the gray wolf said with a trace of sorrow. “My name is Lu Xin. We are the Rock-Wolf clan of the North Star Tundra. Please return our young master!”

They had not snatched him immediately because Dong Rui was present. Even if they had freed him from the net back then, the werewolf would have still obeyed him. He Chunhua understood that well. He answered, “This creature is my prize. It nearly killed me earlier.”

He Lingchuan stripped off his coat so the medic could treat his wounds, then looked toward the wolves. “If the roles were reversed and you stole our prize, would you be willing to hand it over?”

“We can offer compensation,” Lu Xin replied. “There are several rare herbs in the North Star Tundra. With our clan’s secret formulas, we can process them into agility and endurance spirit medicine. Not only can warriors benefit from such medicine, but horses can also travel farther and tire less after taking them.”

Even Ke Jihai looked tempted at that. Even if the faster and longer-running mounts were only used by scouting parties, it could noticeably increase a force’s mobility.

He Chunhua shook his head. “Mere herbs cannot equal the status of your young master.” He turned back to the wolf monster. “Is your entire clan here?”

“Most of our clan members remain on the North Star Tundra, guarding our territory.”

He Chunhua pointed to the werewolf on the ground. “If I return him to you, can you restore his reason?”

Lu Xin replied at once, “We can only try.”

He Chunhua glanced at Ke Jihai for his opinion. Ke Jihai answered instantly, “Lord He may handle your captive as you see fit.”

“I’m heading north to Xia Province to recruit troops. My manpower is stretched thin,” He Chunhua said, having already made up his mind. “Send a small squad to my banner, at least fifteen healthy adult wolf monsters. Is that too much to ask?”

These wolf monsters had already shown considerable combat ability, and the advantages of a wolf pack, whether it be endurance, discipline, or obedience, were well known. He Chunhua knew that many forces supplemented their human units with monster troops, as such troops could help make up critical shortfalls.

Lu Xin was taken aback. He had not expected such an audacious demand. The pack huddled together, whispering in a language the humans could not parse; their tails lashed in agitation, and the dispute clearly ran hot.

After a long while, Lu Xin turned back to He Chunhua. “The North Star Tundra has many threats. Our strongest must stay to defend our territory; we cannot leave our kin for extended stretches.”

He Chunhua’s brow furrowed.

Fortunately, Lu Xin quickly offered a compromise, “Very well, Lu Jin and I will sign an alliance with you now, and we will fight alongside you.”