Chapter Fifty-Six: Perilous Circumstances

Qin Feiyang leaned close to the Wolf King's ear and whispered a few words.

“Will it work?” the Wolf King asked, eyeing him skeptically.

“Absolutely,” Qin Feiyang assured him, pounding his chest.

“All right, for the sake of that delicious bear paw, I’ll take the risk!” The Wolf King nodded, rose, strode out from the thicket, and let out a sudden wolf howl.

“A wolf!” The people at the scene paled in an instant.

Wolves, by nature, are savage—and crucially, they are pack animals. Instinctively, all eyes turned toward the Wolf King, even those dozens engaged in battle with the black bear.

Immediately, they saw a pair of eerie green eyes, coldly fixed upon them, causing their skin to crawl.

“Roar!” At that exact moment, the black bear seized its chance, ferocity unleashed. Its massive paws swept out, sending the surrounding youths flying, blood spraying from their mouths, faces drained of color.

Several even fainted on the spot.

Without pause, the black bear lumbered toward the forest, running for its life.

“Don’t let it escape!”

“Damn it, how did a wolf just show up out of nowhere?”

“Archers, what are you waiting for? Shoot!”

Those who had been knocked aside ignored their injuries, quickly encircling the black bear once again.

The archers split into two groups—one targeting the black bear, the other whirling their arrows toward the Wolf King, attacking him with wild abandon.

“Wind’s rising, time to bolt!” The Wolf King’s expression changed, and he turned to flee.

Swish!

A dozen arrows rained down, slicing through the air, their tips gleaming menacingly in the night.

The Wolf King darted left and right like a monkey, barely avoiding the barrage. Still, several arrows managed to graze him, blood streaming down and staining his white fur.

Yet the assault was not over.

One arrow whistled past, like a cold venomous snake, flying between his hind legs.

“Ah…”

“My precious…”

“Wait!”

“Safe? Thank goodness! My luck holds, nothing broken…”

The Wolf King broke out in a cold sweat, fleeing without a backward glance.

Meanwhile, Qin Feiyang was also within range of the arrow storm, but every arrow aimed at him was effortlessly sliced apart by Cangxue, leaving him unharmed.

Beneath a large tree to his left, a woman in red, gravely wounded, leaned against the trunk. Her gaze followed the Wolf King’s disappearing figure, her eyes glinting with chilling light.

Suddenly, she turned to the nearby archers and barked, “Go after it—kill that beast at any cost!”

“Understood!” The archers nodded, iron bows in hand, pursuing the Wolf King.

As long as it wasn’t a pack, one wolf could be dealt with.

But as they passed by the thicket, Qin Feiyang, like a phantom, leapt out. Cangxue flashed icy brilliance in his hand, and in an instant, he slit their throats.

“Ambush!” One clutched his neck, staring at Qin Feiyang in disbelief, summoning all his strength to shout.

But his voice was barely audible, drowned out by the fierce combat and the bear’s roars.

Thud. The next moment, he collapsed, dead.

Seeing only a lone wolf, the three great families paid it little mind, focusing once more on the black bear. With nightfall and the thicket’s cover, no one noticed their comrades had died.

Qin Feiyang glanced at the battlefield, a cold smirk on his lips. Quickly, he gathered their quivers, slung them on his back, grabbed an iron bow, and retreated to rendezvous with the Wolf King.

The Wolf King was licking his wounds. When he saw Qin Feiyang approach, he bared his teeth and growled, “Little Qin, I nearly lost my precious! If you don’t get me that bear paw, you’ll regret it!”

“Do you even have those?” Qin Feiyang asked, eyeing him curiously.

“You’re asking for trouble again, aren’t you?” The Wolf King chuckled, staring mischievously.

Qin Feiyang’s veins bulged. He snorted coldly, “Fine, you win. Next is step two: you distract them, I’ll stay hidden and pick them off with arrows, sowing confusion. That way, the bear stands a chance to escape.”

The first step had been to secure an iron bow and enough arrows.

“Damn, you want me to be bait again? Not happening!” The Wolf King protested.

“Do you want that bear paw or not?” Qin Feiyang asked.

“I do,” the Wolf King nodded.

“Then hurry up,” Qin Feiyang urged impatiently.

“No,” the Wolf King shook his head.

“So do you want the bear paw or not?” Qin Feiyang frowned.

“I do!” The Wolf King nodded, suddenly full of energy.

“Then move!” Qin Feiyang snapped.

“Nope.” The Wolf King shook his head.

Qin Feiyang’s anger flared. “You want the paw but won’t be bait—what do you want? If you’re so capable, shoot the arrows yourself!”

“How am I supposed to shoot? Wolves don’t have hands! You’re asking the impossible.” The Wolf King stared at him, righteously. “And what if my precious actually gets wrecked this time? Will you pay? Can you?”

“Fine, you win. I’ll go alone, all right?” Qin Feiyang felt utterly defeated, tempted to curse, and ran toward the battlefield.

“Little Qin must be cursing me now…”

“Hell with it, I’ll risk it!”

“Precious, please stay safe!”

The Wolf King steeled himself, chased after Qin Feiyang, and said, “Remember—swift, precise, ruthless!”

“Trust me,” Qin Feiyang smiled.

“Good, let’s move!” The Wolf King ran toward the battlefield’s right flank.

Qin Feiyang took the left, hiding behind a large tree.

The black bear was on the brink of collapse—blood poured from its wounds, its eyes dull, even swinging its paws seemed a Herculean effort.

“Awooo…” The Wolf King stood on a small hill opposite, howling at the sky.

“What’s going on?”

“Could there be more than one wolf?”

The families’ faces changed yet again.

The archers quickly nocked their arrows, shooting at the Wolf King in a frenzy.

“Awoo!” The Wolf King turned and fled, his howls unsettling everyone present.

At that moment, Qin Feiyang stepped out from behind the tree, drew three arrows, and aimed at three youths fighting the bear. He pulled the bow taut.

Swish!

With three sharp cracks, the arrows plunged into their chests, blood spraying high.

“Who the hell is shooting wildly?”

“Can’t you aim properly?”

The sudden chaos shocked the others, who shouted angrily.

Swish!

Qin Feiyang smiled coldly, drew three more arrows, and fired. Three more youths fell dead.

Then he vanished into the forest, changing his position.

“Who is it?”

“Show yourself!”

Those fighting the bear were furious, but fear crept into their hearts.

The archers looked around, bewildered and innocent.

They had aimed for the bear—how could they have killed their own?

The woman in red surveyed the scene, her face paling. She shouted, “It’s not one of us—someone’s hiding in the dark, shooting us!”

“Awooo…”

The wolf’s howl echoed again.

Swish!

At the same time, a cold arrow zipped through the air, piercing the red-clad woman’s chest.

She screamed, and fell dead.

“Who is it?”

“If you have the guts, come out and fight!”

“Hiding and ambushing—what kind of hero does that make you?”

The three families began to panic.

A savage wolf lurked on one side, a cold-blooded killer on the other; who knew how many more would die under the arrows?

But the black bear was invigorated! For a moment, it fought fiercely, driving the families back.

“Stop it!” a young man shouted.

But before the words left his mouth, an arrow pierced his throat, killing him instantly.

“Who is it?”

The families were in complete disarray.

The black bear tore through their ranks, dragging its exhausted body into the forest.

“After it!” A dozen strong youths immediately gave chase.

Swish!

Three arrows whistled after them. The youths dodged, and with a thud, the arrows buried themselves in nearby tree trunks.

“Close call!” The youths broke out in cold sweat, looking toward where the arrows had come from—only to see a shadow vanish into the woods.

“Dare to ruin our plans!”

“After him—alive or dead, bring him back!”

Two shouted.

Soon, dozens with torches surged into the forest, murderous intent filling the air.

The strong youths continued to pursue the bear.

The wounded remained behind to recover.

“Little Qin’s cover is blown; things are getting dicey,” the Wolf King muttered, standing atop a boulder, watching the torchlight flickering in the woods, his eyes gleaming with ferocious light.

“If anyone dares harm him, I’ll make sure none leave alive tonight!”

He leapt down and raced into the forest.

...

“He can’t have gone far—find him!”

“That bastard dared ambush us—when we catch him, he’ll wish he were dead!”

Dozens entered the forest, spreading out like a net, searching thoroughly.

“Huff!”

Qin Feiyang hid high in a lush tree, watching the approaching crowd, breathing heavily, sweat streaming down his forehead, his gaze grim.

These were all martial artists—one on one, he feared nothing.

But in a direct confrontation, his chances of survival were slim.

A youth in black, torch in hand, arrived beneath the tree, scanning his surroundings.

Suddenly, he felt something drop on his neck. He reached up, puzzled—water?

He sniffed it, eyes sharpening.

Not water—sweat!

Abruptly, the youth retreated and shouted, “He’s up there—shoot!”

Swish!

Dozens of arrows, whistling sharply, rained upon the tree.