Volume 1, Chapter 30 – The Trouble Subsides

After the black shadow crashed to the ground, it struggled to its feet and shook its head, swaying unsteadily for a moment.

When she got a clear look at the shadow in the firelight, Shi Lan couldn’t help sucking in a sharp breath.

The beast’s body was nearly seven feet long. Its fur was dark green-black, every hair standing up like steel needles. Its long tail hung straight behind it, bared fangs glinting as a pair of emerald beast eyes stared fixedly at Shi Lan, full of vicious light.

This thing is a wolf?!

Looking at the giant beast, which standing up was almost level with her waist, Shi Lan felt a flicker of weakness in her gut.

Only then did the young man and woman come back to their senses.

“Uncle Song, save me!” the young man cried in panic, shouting loudly as he bolted toward the ruined temple’s entrance.

The young woman seemed scared stupid, frozen in place.

The Ironback Wolf stared at Shi Lan for a couple of breaths, then its hind legs bent slightly. In the next instant, it exploded forward, jaws gaping wide to reveal rows of sharp teeth as it pounced straight at her!

Shi Lan let go of the long case in her hands, bent backward at the waist, and narrowly dodged the Ironback Wolf’s charge. As the wolf’s body passed right over her, her eyes turned sharp. She tightened her legs and kicked up with everything she had!

“Awoo!”

A miserable wolf howl tore through the air.

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Shi Lan rolled, sprang to her feet, and stepped back several paces in a row, watching the Ironback Wolf with her full attention.

When she got a clear look at the Ironback Wolf’s movements, she couldn’t help being slightly stunned.

The Ironback Wolf’s spine was arched, its hind legs clamped together, its entire body trembling slightly as if it were enduring extreme pain.

A streak of snow-white blade light flashed past, and the Ironback Wolf—still clamping its hind legs—was sent flying sideways again. A gash almost a foot long opened at its waist, hot wolf blood splattering all over the ground.

“You damned beast!”

Murderous intent surged in Song He’s eyes. He stomped forward and swung his saber again, chopping toward the Ironback Wolf’s neck!

The sharp blade swept through, severing the Ironback Wolf’s head in an instant and cutting off the whimper in its throat.

Song He shot the stone statue a suspicious look, then walked up to Shi Lan and bowed. “Brother Shi, thank you for stepping in so bravely and protecting my young master and young lady.”

The young man behind Song He also bowed in thanks. “I am Lu Chengye. Many thanks, brother, for saving my life and my younger sister’s.”

“It was just a small effort, not worth mentioning.” Shi Lan gave Song He an extra glance. Those two strikes just now were enough for her to see what kind of strength he had.

Outside, things were gradually quieting down. It looked like the trouble had been taken care of.

Lu Chengye went to the young woman’s side and gently called to her a couple of times, finally bringing her back to herself.

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The moment she fully came to, the young woman threw herself into Lu Chengye’s arms and broke down, sobbing.

Shi Lan glanced around, then suddenly remembered that the Ironback Wolf had jumped out from behind the stone statue. She quickly told Song He and followed him to the back of the statue.

Sure enough, the wall behind the statue had a big hole smashed through it. Peering out through the gap, Shi Lan and Song He both froze.

In the moonlight, more than ten wolf corpses, all cleaved cleanly into two halves, lay quietly on the ground. Their wounds were charred black, without a drop of blood flowing out.

Song He had trained with the saber for years. With a single look, he could tell these Ironback Wolves had died under a blade, and that the person who struck had done it with just one swing.

To kill more than ten Ironback Wolves with a single slash—could an Innate Realm martial artist have passed by?

No wonder he’d had the feeling earlier that someone was watching from behind the statue.

Song He was secretly shocked. He stepped through the hole and called out loudly, “May I ask which senior expert lent a hand just now? If it’s convenient, could you show yourself? Allow me to thank you face-to-face!”

Aside from a few strands of night wind brushing past, there was no response at all.

After waiting a while and getting no answer, Song He returned to the ruined temple with Shi Lan.

The young woman had mostly calmed down by now. After Song He offered a few words of comfort, he left the temple to tally their losses and check on casualties.

“This little woman, Lu Lingshan, thanks Young Master for saving my life today.” Lu Lingshan wiped away the tear tracks on her cheeks, stepped in front of Shi Lan, and bowed.

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Shi Lan waved it off without much concern. “No need for courtesy. I didn’t do much.”

After taking a careful look at Shi Lan, Lu Lingshan’s face flushed slightly. When they’d first come in, it had already been dark, and with the place so shabby, she hadn’t had the heart to look closely at what Shi Lan actually looked like.

Now, seeing that her savior was actually such a handsome young gentleman, Lu Lingshan couldn’t help letting her thoughts run wild.

Out in the wilderness, saved by a handsome young lord—wasn’t this exactly like the stories in those books?

Thinking of that, Lu Lingshan shyly said, “Such a great life-saving grace… this little woman has nothing with which to repay…”

“Miss Lu, you’re too polite. There’s no need to repay me.” Shi Lan shook her head, bent down, and dragged the cloth-wrapped long case back to the fireside before sitting down.

The rest of Lu Lingshan’s words were stuck in her throat. She couldn’t get a single syllable out. In the end, she could only stomp her foot in frustration and dive into her blankets, curling up into a ball.

After checking it over, Shi Lan finally let out a breath of relief.

The System’s products really were reliable. Even after such a heavy impact, the wooden case didn’t have so much as a scratch.

Lu Chengye came over and sat down beside Shi Lan, a somewhat ashamed look on his face.

“To think I’m even a student of Taixu Academy, yet today, when faced with nothing more than a low-level wolf demon, I was scared out of my wits. It’s truly shameful. I’ve no face to see my teachers.”

“Lu Gongzi, you don’t walk the martial path. It’s normal to be scared for a moment when facing a demonic beast.” Warming her hands by the fire, Shi Lan saw how self-reproachful he looked and offered a word of comfort.

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Lu Chengye shook his head, his guilt only deepening. “I am a disciple of the Confucian School. What we cultivate is the righteous qi in our chests—stand upright, fear no shadows, fear no ghosts or monsters, demons or spirits. Yet today, faced with a demonic beast, I shrank back. I’ve truly read the sages’ books in vain!”

Hearing the words “Confucian School,” Shi Lan recalled what Su Lanyue had told her before and couldn’t help asking curiously, “You’re from the Confucian School?”

“Shameful as it is to say, I barely count as one of its disciples.”

“How does the Confucian School cultivate? I don’t sense any special power from you, Lu Gongzi.”

“We read the classics of the sages, understand the principles of a gentleman, and cultivate awe-inspiring righteous qi. So long as we are ashamed before neither heaven and earth nor our own hearts, we will be invincible in this age! As for me…” As he spoke, a hint of embarrassment crept into Lu Chengye’s expression.

“After studying bitterly for over a decade, I still haven’t managed to cultivate that righteous qi in my heart.”

“You don’t need to be anxious, Young Master. You’re a disciple of the Confucian School—different from us common martial artists. If you truly cultivate that righteous qi, it would be equivalent to an Innate Realm martial artist. You’re still young; you’ve got a long road ahead.”

Song He walked back in and sat down beside Lu Chengye, smiling as he offered this bit of comfort.

“Uncle Song, how bad are our casualties?” Lu Chengye asked worriedly.

“Nothing too serious. Two heavily injured, seven or eight lightly injured. The losses aren’t that great. Ironback Wolves aren’t considered high-level demonic beasts.”

“That’s good.” Lu Chengye let out a breath.

There was not much time left before dawn now. Shi Lan suddenly remembered the horse she’d tied outside. She hurriedly ran out to check, only to find that the horse she’d tied under the tree was nowhere to be seen—only a snapped rein left behind.