Chapter 38: The Token of the Agreement

Gulp!

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. Old Master Chen, his face cold and set, gripped his hunting rifle and cursed under his breath, "Damn it, our luck is truly rotten!"

He was absolutely right. Running into a wolf pack in these woods twice in a row—that was more than just bad luck. Ordinarily, wolves would never approach a site where there were campfires and humans.

I glanced left and right, snatched a rifle from the ground, and gripped it with white-knuckled intensity, while my bow remained strapped across my back.

Thump-thump!

My heart was hammering so hard against my ribs that I felt it might burst from my throat.

About ten seconds later, gray wolves emerged slowly from the treeline, fanning out to surround us. They snarled and snapped at us, and I noticed several of them drooling onto the ground; it was clear they were starving.

"Damn it!" Old Master Chen roared, raising his rifle to take aim. He whispered to me, "Sanqi, when you get the chance, set these tents on fire! Wolves fear fire. If the flames are big enough, it might hold them off for a while!"

"O-okay!" I replied, my voice trembling.

My gaze darted toward the nearby tents as I frantically calculated how to ignite them quickly. The pack was clever; when Old Master Chen raised his rifle, they clearly recognized the lethality of the weapon. They stopped their advance, circling the camp instead—neither moving forward nor retreating. I knew this was their basic tactical approach.

Wolves are intelligent beasts. They don't charge blindly like wild boars, nor do they sprint like cheetahs. Their offense relies entirely on strategy; unless they see a chance for a killing blow or receive a signal from their alpha, they rarely strike.

"Sanqi, do it now!" Old Master Chen barked.

Despite the paralyzing fear, I forced myself to pivot. With lightning speed, I grabbed a burning branch from the campfire and hurled it toward the tents. Sparks erupted and danced into the air.

Seeing this, the closing circle of wolves recoiled in a massive wave. Soon, the tents were engulfed in a roaring inferno, flames licking toward the sky.

Standing amidst the heat, Old Master Chen and I both let out a long, collective breath. The towering flames would likely keep the pack at bay.

*Awoooo!*

But just then, a howl ripped through the forest. It was short and powerful, so intense that it seemed to shake the very leaves from the trees. At the sound of that cry, the retreating pack immediately stabilized, holding their ground.

My heart sank.

Then, a pair of glowing green eyes, each the size of a fist, appeared in the woods. As they drew closer, a massive wolf—nearly half the size of an ox, its fur shimmering and sleek—slowly stepped into the clearing. Strangely, as I locked eyes with it, I felt as though I saw a flicker of profound intelligence in its gaze.

As the beast emerged, I heard Old Master Chen draw a sharp, ragged breath. He stared at the creature in disbelief, his grip on his rifle slackening.

I wasn't surprised. A giant wolf alone wouldn't have rattled him, but sitting atop that beast was a girl.

She wore animal skins, her face painted with vibrant, colorful pigments, her black hair cropped at the ears, giving her a wild, untamed appearance. She held a dagger in one hand and gripped the wolf’s fur with the other, her eyes fixed steadily on us.

I was stunned and blurted out, "Old Master Chen, she..."

I wanted to tell him that I had seen this girl and her giant wolf before. But Old Master Chen raised a hand to stop me, saying calmly, "I know. Sanqi, step back."

"Huh?" I was confused, but under his stern glare, I retreated a few paces. Old Master Chen let out a long sigh, set his rifle on the ground, and began to walk toward them.

The wolves across from us bared their teeth, ready to pounce, but the giant wolf beneath the girl let out another short, sharp cry. The pack went still, watching Old Master Chen with unblinking eyes. I was terrified; he was unarmed, and if the wolves snapped, he wouldn't last more than a few seconds.

Old Master Chen walked right up to the girl and began to speak to her calmly. Because of the distance, I couldn't make out their conversation. I only saw the girl furrow her brow in thought for a long moment before she finally replied.

As she spoke, Old Master Chen pointed at me. She turned her gaze to where he was pointing, and as her eyes met mine, a shiver went through my entire body. It was a haunting sensation, the same feeling I had when I locked eyes with her back at the Duizi Chamber—that same uncontrollable trembling.

After studying me for a long moment, she gave Old Master Chen a blank nod. She reached into her tunic, pulled out a white object, and tossed it to him, seemingly agreeing to his terms.

Clutching the item, Old Master Chen’s face broke into a smile. He gave her a formal bow before turning and walking back toward me.

I hurried to meet him. "What on earth just happened, Old Master Chen?"

He glanced at me, shook his head slightly, and whispered, "We'll talk later."

As the tents burned down to ash, the wolves moved in, dragging away the corpses of the hunters and disappearing back into the forest. They didn't bother us at all.

Before leaving, the girl on the wolf’s back gave me one last, deep look. She sheathed her dagger, grabbed a handful of the wolf's fur, and with a single howl and a powerful leap, the creature vanished into the woods.

Silence returned to the clearing.

I swallowed hard and asked again, "Old Master Chen, what did you say to her?"

He glanced at me, considered for a moment, and tossed me the white object. "We just reached an agreement."

"An agreement? What kind of agreement?" I stared at the object in my hand. It was about the length of a finger, curved, and looked like... a wolf's tooth. Etched into the surface were intricate, winding symbols—some kind of rune.

Old Master Chen lit a cigarette and patted my shoulder.

"Sanqi, this agreement is only to your benefit, never your harm. I can't tell you the specifics, but keep this wolf tooth safe. It is the token of our pact."