Chapter 28: Blood Battle with the Wolf Pack

  From Quyang south to Zhengding, one horse galloped on the plain. Liu Ze's light carriage reduced its retinue and would pass through Zhengding in half a day. Turning westward, the terrain gradually rose, and the road became bumpy. Looking into the distance, high mountains and steep ridges undulated continuously. However, these companions had all traveled with Liu Ze over the Ba Mountains and Shu waters. Although the Taihang Mountains were also majestic and unusual, having experienced the treacherous Shu Road that was harder to climb than ascending to heaven, this place was merely a few small hills.

  Liu Ze squinted his eyes, gazing at the mountain peaks shrouded in a bloody sunset. Not far away, on the mountain ridge, there were remnants of a collapsed earth wall. On a massive stone by the road, the words "Wei Ze Guan" could be faintly discerned. This was actually the "Niang Zi Guan", known as the ninth pass under heaven, where the Zhongshan State had built the Great Wall during the Warring States period. The remaining earth wall must have been the city wall left over from the Zhongshan State hundreds of years ago. Later, Princess Pingyang, sister of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, stationed her army here, hence the name "Niang Zi Guan". This place was a strategic location that controlled the gateway to Shanxi and Hebei, and had been a crucial battleground for military strategists throughout history. Yet at this moment, it was desolate and abandoned, devoid of any signs of human life.

  Liu Ze said to the crowd, "The sky is getting late, this place is desolate and uninhabited, tonight we can only camp here, tomorrow we can reach Shang Ai." Then he chose a flat slope on the mountain, his men set up tents, tied up horses, gathered firewood, lit bonfires, boiled water for cooking, everything was in order.

  July's heat flows, but on the summit of this vast mountain range, a gentle night breeze brings a hint of coolness. The night sky is dark and starry, the world is quiet, and from afar comes the howling of wolves, echoing through the empty valleys, mournful and long-drawn-out.

  At this time of the year, especially in the mountains, it was rare not to have wolves and tigers. Liu Ze and his men had been traveling for several months and were used to the nocturnal serenade. A few wolf howls didn't faze them. But tonight seemed different. At first, there were just a few wolves howling, then the sound spread across the wilderness, growing louder and echoing through the valleys.

  Wolf pack! Liu Ze and Zhang Fei exchanged a glance, nodded slightly, without saying a word, but their expressions turned serious. The other henchmen also became tense. A lone wolf might not be scary, but a wolf pack is terrifying. Hundreds or thousands of wolves gathering together, the level of terror is absolutely geometrically increasing. Even tigers and lions have to retreat in fear.

  Liu Ze immediately ordered the partners to gather all the horses together, hearing the wolves howl, the horses were already uneasy. They formed a circle around the horses with large carts, cut down trees and piled them around, forming an enclosure. Once the wolf pack approached, they would immediately ignite the wood, forming a fire ring. Wolves are afraid of fire, using the raging flames to block the wolf pack's attack. Dozens of partners worked together, fortunately, the hillside was all dry branches, in no time, high piles of hay had been stacked around the perimeter.

  Liu Ze felt slightly relieved and ordered the hay to be divided into two parts, with a circle of hay piled around the outside and a large pile in the middle. Once the wolf pack approached, the surrounding hay would be set on fire, and then more hay would be added according to the intensity of the flames, as long as the fire could be maintained. Wolves are nocturnal animals, so if they could hold out until dawn, the wolf pack would disperse on its own.

  The howling of the wolf pack grew louder and more mournful, and soon they saw the shadowy figures of wolves darting about in the distance, swift as the wind, with a faint green glow flickering in the darkness. The wolf pack seemed to be gathering towards them under some sort of command. Everyone's heart was in their throat, each gripping their weapons tightly, the only sound being the crackling of the torches which cast a faint light on the scene.

  Suddenly, a hurried footsteps came from the foot of the mountain, accompanied by the low howl of wolves. Immediately after that, a loud shout was heard, followed by the sound of clubs hitting and bones shattering.

  Liu Ze secretly called out that it was not good, and upon hearing this sound, he knew that someone below the mountain had encountered a pack of wolves. Judging from the footsteps, it was only one person. In this desolate mountain wilderness, even if one had exceptional martial arts skills, it would be difficult to escape the wolf's bite when facing several hundred ferocious wolves alone. Liu Ze immediately ordered his companions to hold their positions and light the firewood circle once a wolf approached. If any wolf broke through, they were to quickly kill it. Then he called out to Zhang Fei, who held a torch in his left hand and a sword in his right hand, and rushed down the mountain.

  But on the mountain road, a burly man was wielding a broadsword, and with every loud shout, a wolf's brains would splatter, falling to the ground. However, the wolf pack did not retreat in the slightest, but instead became even more ferocious and savage. Dozens of wolves surrounded the man, howling as they repeatedly pounced on him. The man's arm strength was astonishing, and he continuously struck down dozens of vicious wolves without ever showing signs of fatigue. Every time his broadsword went down, it was with great force and momentum, and any wolf that came into contact with it would either have its skull shattered or its spine broken. However, the wolf pack's relentless attack also put him in a precarious situation.

  Liu Ze took a look and saw that saving people was urgent, so he rushed into the wolf pack first, swinging his sword to kill, and cut off four or five wolf heads in a row. Zhang Fei charged forward with a loud roar, his ring-headed knife chopping like cutting vegetables, and wolf blood splattered everywhere. The danger behind the man was lifted, and his spirit surged, letting out a long whistle, and with a swing of his carrying pole, two more wolf heads were smashed to pieces. The three men stood back-to-back, each guarding one side, and even if there were many more wolves, they would be helpless. Before long, the wolf corpses piled up like mountains in front of them. Liu Ze and the other two fought while retreating, withdrawing towards a high ground.

  At this time, a different wolf howl came, the wolves' attack stopped abruptly, but they didn't leave, and instead gathered more and more, surrounding Liu Ze and his two companions in layers, keeping a distance of about one zhang. The wolves in the front row crouched down, their green eyes staring straight at them, their mouths open, revealing white teeth, constantly letting out low growls.

  The most intense battle was over, and the three of them finally let out a sigh of relief. The man turned sideways, slightly bowed his head, and said: "Thank you both for your help, I'm deeply grateful."

  Liu Ze glanced at him, and under the flickering firelight, he saw that the man's face was as red as cinnabar, with a pair of majestic eyebrows and piercing eyes. His physique was quite impressive. He said, "Since we've met on this road, let's work together to help each other out. No need for excessive courtesy, but at present, the crisis is not yet over, and we must use all our strength to fight our way out. If we can retreat back to the camp, we'll be safe."

  "Big brother, why aren't these wolves attacking? Instead, they're surrounding us in a big circle. Are they trying to trap us?"

  Liu Ze took a closer look, and this pack of wolves was indeed the famous Zhongshan Wolves of later generations. Among them, there must be a wolf king commanding, and that strange howl just now must have come from the wolf king's mouth. Being the wolf king, it must be different from the others. Liu Ze thought to himself as he looked around, and sure enough, on the high ground opposite the mountain slope, surrounded by more than a dozen sturdy male wolves, was a larger wolf with grayish-white fur and thick limbs, which must be the wolf king of this pack.

  "In a pack of wolves, there is a wolf king, whose intelligence far surpasses that of the other wolves. Seeing that scattered attacks are futile, it uses its howl to command the pack to surround but not attack, gathering the wolf multitude and preparing for an all-out assault."

  Zhang Fei's interest was piqued, and he said, "What's this Wolf King? Let me take a look!"

  Liu Ze picked up a cobblestone from the ground and exerted a few strands of force in his hand, striking it towards the Wolf King. The Wolf King didn't move at all, only stretching out its front paw to knock the stone to the ground, but its gaze became even more ferocious as it stared fixedly at Liu Ze.

  Liu Ze was shocked, the stone he had secretly used his strength to throw earlier, even a skilled martial artist would have found it hard to catch, but the wolf king simply swiped its paw and deflected the stone. It seemed that this wolf king was no ordinary wolf.

  "Capture the leader first, as long as we kill the wolf king, the rest of the wolves will retreat without a fight."

  "With so many wolves in between, how can I get close to the wolf king?"

  "After a short while, when the time for battle arrives, we will slowly close in on them. As long as we get within ten zhang of the Wolf King, I have a plan to kill him."

  Just as they were speaking, the wolf king let out a low howl, and the wolves in the front row glared with their green-glowing eyes, opening their bloody mouths and pouncing on them together. Liu Ze and his two companions did not dare to be careless, each guarding their own position, Liu Ze holding his sword, Zhang Fei wielding his knife, and the red-faced man swinging his broadsword, fiercely striking the pack of wolves that pounced on them. In an instant, wolf corpses were scattered all over the field, but they could not stop the wolf pack's offensive. Since Liu Ze had made arrangements beforehand, the three of them fought while advancing, gradually narrowing the distance between themselves and the wolf king.

  When he was about ten zhang away from the Wolf King, Liu Ze suddenly loosened his hand, and the long sword shot out like a white rainbow, piercing towards the direction of the Wolf King. However, the aim was off by quite a bit, and it landed at an angle about seven or eight feet away from the Wolf King. Zhang Fei and the red-faced man were both shocked, as Liu Ze's strike had missed by too much, and now he didn't even have his sword in hand - how could he resist the pack of wolves' attack?

  Liu Ze, however, remained calm and composed, raised his fist and heavily smashed it onto the wolf's belly, sending the wolf flying into mid-air. He loudly shouted at Zhang Fei: "Zhang Fei, strike my back with all your might!" Zhang Fei was slightly stunned, but Liu Ze's tone was firm and commanding, so he didn't think twice and slapped his left palm onto Liu Ze's back with great force.

  Liu Ze was already rising to his feet when he received the palm strike, using Zhang Fei's power to propel himself like a great bird spreading its wings and flying into the air, landing ten zhang away. However, Zhang Fei's palm strike was too powerful, striking Liu Ze's back like a hammer, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood as he fell to the ground like a broken kite. The Wolf King swiftly pounced towards Liu Ze, who was eight chi away, opening its jaws wide and revealing rows of sharp white teeth, viciously biting down on Liu Ze's neck.