The Sixth Chapter: Solo Battle Against a Pack of Wolves

  Jade snow rushed away in the wind and snow. Looking closely, her figure had a peculiar rhythm, light as a snow elf, and the snowflakes around her fell gently when they touched her. She seemed to be a snowflake herself, without any worldly aura, merging into the endless wind and snow, leaving no footprints as she went.

  This is the movement she has come to realize in these few days, borrowing from nature's power, feeling the rhythm of heaven and earth and all things, letting herself merge with it, with the dust of the universe in her heart. She can comprehend this point, actually she has already started to comprehend the Tao, only she herself is not yet aware of it.

  The blizzard was so strong that Ah Mu Er's eyes could hardly be opened. The snow was so thick that people couldn't ride horses, and they stumbled and staggered in the snowy ground. All the torches were blown out, and only a wind lamp bought by the tribe leader from a merchant caravan remained, but it also flickered on and off. In such weather, patrolling was a waste of effort, but seeing their cattle being taken away one by one, the tribespeople felt heartbroken and unwilling to give up, hoping that with more effort they could save some.

  Suddenly a figure emerged, as if sliding over the snow, and stopped in front of everyone. Ah Mu'er took one look and saw it was Yu Xue, and immediately became overjoyed:

  "You've arrived just in time. We're short-handed tonight. The wind and snow are too heavy..."

  "Father, you should hurry back home. My younger brother has a high fever and is not feeling well."

  A Mu Er was suddenly anxious. He didn't have this son until he was over 50, and now he treasured him like a precious jewel. He immediately wanted to go back, and hastily led several people away.

  As he walked away, Yuxue said to everyone:

  "Everyone has worked hard! I still have to go out and pick some medicine. If Dad asks, just say I'll be back as soon as possible."

  Yu Xue saw her brother's high fever not receding. She remembered a small valley she had been to before, where there was a warm spring that was warm as spring all year round and didn't freeze in winter. Many fishy grasses grew beside the warm spring. This is a good medicine for reducing fever and clearing heat and detoxifying, with many uses. At this time, she had already memorized all the medical knowledge passed down by her mother, and recognized many medicinal herbs.

  Everyone heard it and shouted "No way!" Yuxue also couldn't care about anything else and floated away.

  The Xiao mountain valley is far from here, two hundred miles away. If it weren't for the blizzard, Yu Xue could make a round trip in two hours. Now that the wind and snow are raging, even with Heart Mirror Body Technique deployed for a long time, it's still very exhausting. However, Yu Xue worries about Amu Tie's illness and uses all her strength to deploy her body technique towards Xiao mountain valley.

  The wind and snow grew stronger. All around was pitch black. Even with her keen eyesight, she could only make out about ten yards away by the faint reflection of the snow. She had to stop from time to time to get her bearings. As a result, she slowed down. After walking many detours, she finally arrived at the small valley. Sure enough, under the stone wall next to the hot spring, she found the fishy grass. She took off the leather bag from her back, swung the sickle and cut a lot of it until the bag was full. She hurriedly put it on her back and returned to the tribe immediately.

  It was the darkest moment before dawn. Looking not far from the tribe, Yu Xue had to stop. She was already at her last gasp. Rushing back and forth for 400 miles, she also ran many detours along the way; all the way, she used the fastest Heart Mirror Body Method. These caused her current true energy to be cut off, and she only felt her eyes turn black. She sat down on the spot, pinched her fingers, and prepared to recover a little before walking again.

  After a while, she felt something was off around her, and with a slight movement, she was shocked. Unbeknownst to her, she had been surrounded by countless wolves! The sky had lightened, the blizzard had subsided somewhat, but snowflakes still danced in the air. Those wolves had her encircled at their center, each one emaciated, with fur that had lost its luster and hung limply on their sides. What was strange was that as the wolf pack's circle grew smaller and smaller, they stopped advancing when they were just a few feet away from her.

  Yu Xue was secretly worried. Her true energy had only recovered to 30%, and today she feared it would be difficult to escape calamity. If her skills were at their peak, using the Heart Mirror Body Technique with all her might, perhaps there would be a great chance of successfully escaping. But now, it was impossible to say.

  A gigantic she-wolf appeared leisurely on the mountain ridge in front. Her fur was snow-white, and her majesty was awe-inspiring. After a brief gaze with Jade Snow, she raised her neck and let out a long howl towards the sky. The wolf's howl was desolate and far-reaching, its lingering sound seemingly carrying the unyielding will of the wolf pack that had lived on this grassland since ancient times. No matter how harsh the environment, no matter how scarce food was, no matter how humans slaughtered them, they continued to thrive on this land, and their vitality never wavered.

  Jade Snow felt hot tears welling up in her eyes. She had killed many wolves, but she had never heard a howl so full of emotion before. It seemed that all living things were born with spirituality, and perhaps humans were just temporary guests on this land.

  Suddenly, the wolf pack around her let out a long howl in unison, shaking the earth. Yu Xue's heart sank, no matter what, her brother was waiting for her to bring back the medicine. Today, it would be a fight to the death. Even if she died, she would die like a Mongolian warrior, fighting with all her might. She shouted loudly at the mother wolf:

  "Come on, let's start fighting. You can only survive by eating me. I can only save my brother by killing you."

  The mother wolf seemed to understand, nodding slowly.

  Jade Snow sprang up, tied the leather bag tightly on her back, grasped the sickle in her right hand. The pack of wolves rushed forward.

  Blood splattered everywhere. Yuxue's figure dodged and weaved among the pack of wolves. Every knife strike was accompanied by a mournful howl. Her knife skills were already quite exquisite, with each move swift, steady, and accurate. She advanced or retreated, bent her waist to jump up, avoiding the sharp claws and stinky mouths that reached out towards her, striking at the nearest wolf. The blade sliced through the gaps in the bones, piercing the vital points. Only by doing so could she conserve her true energy. Although she couldn't use her knife aura, relying on this painstakingly practiced knife skill, she was invincible among the pack of wolves.

  Unfortunately, the wolf pack is fearless of death. One falls down, and more rush up immediately. The wolves on the periphery are still devouring their companions' corpses, and with the bloody hot fresh meat in their bellies, they are instantly invigorated, howling again as they charge forward. Even if they are killed instantly and fall into the same fate, they do not retreat at all.

  Yu Xue has gradually lost the concept of time. Her entire spirit and muscles are mobilized, immersing herself in this world of knife techniques. What's in front of her is no longer slaughter, but a series of exquisite knife moves that have reached the pinnacle. She has opened up a new realm of martial arts for herself once again.

  Good times didn't last long, she found trouble coming. The sickle in her hand was polished every day, but after all, it was just a grass-cutting sickle, not a divine sharp sword. It gradually rolled up and could no longer stretch freely. Her true energy was also running out.

  As far as the eye can see, the snowy ground has turned into a bloody mess, with countless wolf corpses lying about. The wolf pack is now only one-third of its original size and no longer has the energy to feed on the bodies of their own kind. The strong smell of blood has attracted large numbers of wild beasts from afar to watch from a distance. Due to the intense fighting in the area, although they do not dare to approach, there are always several bold tigers and leopards that quickly run over, pick up the nearest wolf corpse, and take it away to enjoy with their own kind. A cacophony of snarling and screeching then erupts. The sky is filled with large flocks of birds of prey circling above, waiting for the battle to end so they can feast on the carnage.

  Yu Xue's clothes were tattered and stained with wolf blood and snow water, dripping onto the ground from the hem. Only the leather bag on her back was intact. Many places on her body had been scratched by wolf claws, and human and wolf blood mixed together could no longer be distinguished. Her hat had long since fallen off somewhere, so even her hair was matted with thick fresh blood. Her entire face was stained bright red, unrecognizable, only revealing a pair of shining eyes. However, now those eyes showed fatigue and sorrow, she had killed until her hands were soft! In the midst of chaos, she glanced at the mother wolf, seeing deep sadness in its eyes. She felt a pang in her heart, and with one hand showing mercy, she loudly said to the mother wolf: "Let's end it here today. Your kin are not many, take them away quickly. I will not pursue!" In fact, she didn't have the strength to pursue, only wanting to stop fighting.

  The wolf was silent for a while, then let out a few long and short howls. The pack heard it, retreated slowly together, and suddenly scattered and ran away. They had been thinking of escaping for a long time, but were afraid of the leader wolf and didn't dare to retreat.

  Yu Xue let out a sigh of relief, lowering the broken sickle in her hand, and turned to walk back to the village. Suddenly, a white shadow flashed before her eyes, and she subconsciously swung her knife. A low growl, a thud, and the mother wolf fell to the ground. Yu Xue felt a surge of anger, but saw that the mother wolf was lying on the ground, its chest and abdomen torn open with a large gash, its clear and sorrowful eyes devoid of ferocity. Yu Xue suddenly understood that in this battle, 70% of the mother wolf's pack had died, all of whom were the strongest and most skilled hunters. Without them, the mother wolf no longer had the will to live. Yu Xue felt a deep sense of respect for the mother wolf.

  The mother wolf gasped for a moment, then stood up shakily and gestured to Yuxue to follow her. As they walked, she dragged out a long trail of blood in the snow. When they reached the mountain ridge where they first appeared, she used her paws to dig a small pile of snow. Before long, she dug out four little wolves from the snow pile. The mother wolf licked the little wolves and turned to look at Yuxue. Seeing Yuxue nodding, she could no longer hold on and fell down with a thud, tears streaming from her eyes. Yuxue's eyes also grew moist. She untied her blood-stained fur cloak and wrapped the four little wolves, who hadn't even opened their eyes yet, in her arms. The mother wolf saw this and slowly closed her eyes.

  Jade Snow took a last look at the battlefield. At this time, countless birds and beasts were fighting over the wolf's corpse, and the scene was chaotic. Within ten miles, everything was a shocking crimson red. This tragic battle had only fulfilled their desires!

  Yu Xue's heart was heavy. On this grassland, whether it was humans or animals, survival had never been an easy task. The law of the jungle where the strong preyed on the weak happened every second, and only by huddling together and gathering strength could one avoid being devoured at will. That mother wolf was so intelligent, if she abandoned her pack and children, she might still be able to survive. But for the sake of raising her offspring, for the sake of her own judgmental error, she was willing to take responsibility and die a heroic death. This kind of sentiment was even more noble than some humans. She stroked the warm little wolves in her arms, determined to raise them well.

  Yu Xue trudged through the snow, one foot deep and the other shallow. Her true energy was almost depleted, and she could no longer use her light body technique. Her whole body felt weak and soft, only supported by her strong willpower. The sickle in her hand had lost its shape, resembling a bent iron rod, but she still grasped it tightly. Because her right hand's five fingers had long since lost sensation, they were stuck to the handle of the sickle, unable to change their position. Her entire right arm, from shoulder to the tip of the sickle, was covered in wolf blood. Snowflakes fell on top, melting into a bloody liquid that hadn't yet flowed to the tip of the blade before freezing again into ice. Yu Xue looked like a person made of blood. After walking for about half a mile, she heard the sound of horses and people coming from behind a gentle slope in front of her. Her spirit suddenly lifted greatly.

  It was already past noon, and Ah Mu'er saw that Yu Xue had not returned yet. Although his son's situation was critical, he couldn't help but summon dozens of brave warriors from the tribe to go find him. Suddenly, someone reported that the beast group surrounding the village had withdrawn, and all the flying birds and beasts within a radius of 50 miles were moving in one direction. From that direction came the faint sound of a large pack of wolves howling and beasts roaring.

  Asking clearly that Yu Xue had gone in this direction, Ah Mu Er's tears flowed freely, and he hastily led his men to hurry over. The snow was three feet deep, and although they drove the best horses in the tribe with all their might, the people still found it difficult to proceed. From time to time, the horses would fall down, and they would have to pull them up and continue on. After traveling dozens of miles for more than two hours, they finally arrived.

  A' Mu'er's heart was burning with anxiety, and after rolling and crawling, he finally managed to climb over a gentle slope. At a glance, he saw a small figure in the snowy ground below. He dismounted his horse and rushed over. The crowd suddenly cheered and rushed towards Yu Xue together. When they arrived, everyone was shocked. They saw that she was covered in blood, her condition extremely frightening.

  Jade Snow saw her father, forcing a smile. The crowd felt a chill run down their spines. All they saw was her face covered in blood, and now she revealed her white teeth, not beauty but horror.

  A'mur grasped Yu Xue's shoulders and carefully examined her up and down, but couldn't determine the extent of her injuries because she was covered in blood. He trembled with a low voice:

  "Child, how badly are you hurt? Is it serious?"

  Yu Xue's body had many scratches, but they were all superficial and no longer bleeding. She smiled and said:

  "I'm fine. This isn't my blood. Don't worry, Dad. I've already gotten the medicine for brother. Let's hurry back."

  At this time, some curious tribesmen had walked a little further and saw the terrible battlefield under the small mountain ridge in front of them, and suddenly exclaimed.

  Everyone ran over. Ah Mu'er saw it and asked Yu Xue:

  "Did you kill all those wolves?" Yu Xue nodded.

  A-mu-er's heart was stirred. Such a brave warrior, yet it was his own daughter whom he had raised since she was young!

  The tribesmen found the body of the mother wolf and dragged it over to the chief with cheers. Such a snow-white fur of a giant wolf, everyone had never seen before. This pelt is worth many cattle and sheep.

  Jade Snow said:

  "She is a true warrior. Father, let's take her back and give her a proper burial."

  The crowd returned to the tribe. It was already near dusk. Since the beasts retreated, the tribespeople no longer needed to guard the sheep flock. Except for those on daily patrol, everyone rested in the tribe. Seeing a group return, they all gathered around with excitement. Then there were those young and mischievous ones who vividly described Yu Xue's bravery, as if they had seen it with their own eyes. For a time, Yu Xue's reputation in the tribe was unmatched, rising to heroic status in everyone's minds.

  No one disbelieves. Everyone sees her terrifying appearance with their own eyes. Without a fierce battle, it won't become like that. And to escape from being surrounded by wolves, that's simply not human. What else is it if not a hero!