Chapter 7: The Monster of the Dark River

"Brother Yu, you can do it too? Why not give it a try," Zhang Lei said with a mischievous grin.

To be honest, I was curious myself to see if Yu Jing could perform the "walking on water" technique. Yu Jing took a deep breath, formed a sword gesture with his fingers, sealed his own meridians, and then breathed deeply three times. According to him, this was meant to stimulate his internal energy, allowing it to circulate continuously and lighten his body.

He tentatively placed his left foot on the water's surface, and indeed, he did not sink. Then his right foot followed, and he walked step by step across the water toward the opposite bank. Where Yu Jing stepped, the water barely depressed at all. I secretly admired his extraordinary ability.

Yu Jing reached the far shore, but Xu Qinghuan was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was an opening behind a large stone by the riverbank, with a few wild grasses growing nearby.

Xu Qinghuan must have gone into the cave. Such recklessness! What if she encounters danger? Yu Jing called to us, "Come over, it's safe."

But how were we to cross? The river was at least twenty meters wide. We had no choice but to swim. The three of us discussed it and decided to swim across, but something unexpected happened. Just as we were nearing the opposite bank, a monstrous head broke the surface, startling us so badly I choked on several mouthfuls of water. Before us emerged a monster's head, seven or eight meters in diameter, its gaping maw as large as a small house. Its rows of teeth were terrifying, each as thick as a human arm.

It all happened so suddenly that none of us could react. The monster snapped its jaws at us, and I thought that one bite would surely mean instant death. I pushed Zhang Lei aside and fell backward, narrowly dodging the beast's jaws. The entertainer uncle dove straight underwater, and Zhang Lei shouted for help before sinking below as well. All this transpired in less than five seconds. Yu Jing rushed over, grabbed me, and dragged me ashore.

Thinking of Zhang Lei and the entertainer uncle, I couldn't help but worry. The monster had already submerged, and Yu Jing was about to dive in to rescue them when Zhang Lei's cry came, "Xu Lin... the river monster has him... hurry, save him!"

I quickly pulled him ashore. It turned out that when the monster lunged at us, I pushed Zhang Lei, and then Xu Lin pulled him underwater, though Xu Lin himself was caught by the monster, his fate unknown. After Zhang Lei's words, Yu Jing swiftly unsealed his meridians and dove into the water. I told Zhang Lei to wait on shore, then followed Yu Jing into the depths of the dark river. Once underwater, I opened my eyes. It was extremely dim, and the river stung my eyes, but once I adjusted, I saw Yu Jing approaching the monster.

The creature's back was covered in tentacles, and Uncle Xu Lin was tightly bound by them, his life uncertain. I drew my dagger from my waist to help, but Yu Jing motioned for silence, took my dagger, and indicated he would cut the tentacles while I rescued Xu Lin. I nodded. Yu Jing deftly severed the tentacles, and I pulled Xu Lin toward the surface. The monster thrashed in pain, leaping out of the water almost at the same time as us, with Yu Jing right behind.

Seeing its prey snatched away and itself wounded, the monster would not let us go easily. It lunged at us again, but by chance, Yu Jing emerged at a blind spot. He stabbed the monster deeply in the neck, enraging it further. It rolled violently, making the river boil. In the chaos, Yu Jing and I dragged Xu Lin ashore. The monster's tentacles shot toward us; I instinctively dodged, but its target was not us, but the large stone by the bank.

When the tentacles wrapped around the stone, I realized what it intended. I pulled Zhang Lei and jumped into the cave behind the stone, Yu Jing supporting Xu Lin followed, leaving the monster roaring at the entrance.

The cave was very spacious, with the entrance three meters above the ground—easy enough to climb, but the monster was still above, so we ventured deeper inside.

Finding a flat area, I laid Xu Lin down and checked him—thankfully, he was only unconscious. Xu Qinghuan hurried over, "Father, what happened? Is my father all right?" she asked, clearly distraught.

"Don't worry, your father is just unconscious," I reassured her.

Xu Qinghuan said, "I accidentally fell down earlier, and I think I saw someone in the cave, but they disappeared in the blink of an eye."

Her words made everyone tense; given the darkness and the recent encounter with the beast, concern was inevitable. After a while, Xu Lin gradually awakened, and Xu Qinghuan threw her arms around him, crying, "Father, you're awake, you scared me so much!"

"Thank you, young friends, for risking your lives to save me," Xu Lin said, clasping his hands in gratitude.

"Not at all, if it weren't for your pull underwater, I wouldn't be standing here safely," Zhang Lei replied. After exchanging pleasantries, Xu Qinghuan suggested, "Let's search the area, I still feel something is off here."

So the five of us began a thorough search of the cave. We found no trace of the person Xu Qinghuan mentioned, but we did discover an injured white wolf cub. Xu Qinghuan lovingly bandaged its wounds and cradled it in her arms.

As dusk fell, sleepiness overtook me. I leaned against the stone wall and drifted off. In the middle of the night, I suddenly woke, surrounded by darkness. I struck my fire striker, and in its faint light, saw several wolves staring at me menacingly. I quickly called out, "Everyone, wake up, don't sleep!"

But there was no answer. I looked around—no sign of the others. Had they been devoured by wolves? Aside from Zhang Lei, Yu Jing, Xu Qinghuan, and Uncle Xu Lin, I'd only known them for a few days, but we'd weathered hardships together, supporting each other—something I'd never experienced in the police station. I certainly didn't want anything bad to happen to them. Where were they now? How could they vanish after a night's sleep? There was no time to ponder; I had to deal with the immediate threat.

Facing six wolves, I was at a loss. I'd trained police dogs a year ago, and while wolves and dogs are similar in size, wolves are far colder and much less "understanding." The wolves advanced slowly, forcing me to retreat. Honestly, I didn't want to provoke a conflict, but had no choice. The environment favored them, and if my fire striker went out, I'd be in grave danger.

Sure enough, my greatest fear came true. Perhaps due to the dampness underground, the fire striker extinguished quickly, plunging me into darkness. They say wolves' eyes are green, and now I could confirm it. Their green eyes gave me a faint hope.

With the light gone, the lead wolf attacked. I could barely make out a pair of green glints leaping at me. I dodged left, avoiding the deadly strike, and struck its body. A pained howl echoed in the darkness, and the wolf collapsed. With that blow, I felt certain these were ordinary wolves—no match for me.

Yet things were not so simple. Just as I dispatched the six wolves, a tremendous force struck from behind, sending me flying. I wiped blood from my mouth, feeling intense pain in my organs. I didn't dare let my guard down. I tried to reignite the fire striker, but it failed me at the crucial moment, so I threw it aside and prepared to face my attacker. As the fight wore on, my eyes gradually adjusted, and I looked around, but saw no sign of the enemy.

Suddenly, a fierce wind hit me from behind—another ambush! I cursed inwardly.

I flipped backward and landed steadily. Before me stood a giant beast, five or six meters tall, all white. It slowly turned to face me, and now I saw it clearly—a wolf, standing upright. This must be the leader of the ordinary wolves, the Wolf King. Its attack failed, and it became frenzied, its green eyes turning blood-red.

Step by step it approached, its massive form making the ground tremble. I retreated until my back pressed against the stone wall—no choice but to fight. Unexpectedly, the seemingly cumbersome Wolf King moved with incredible speed, covering three meters in a single stride. Its powerful paw struck down, the whole process under a second, leaving me no time to react. I instinctively channeled my internal energy to protect myself. The blow sent me flying ten meters. Though my energy shielded me, its strength was overwhelming—my bones felt shattered. Having twice struck me successfully, the Wolf King grew more arrogant, pressing closer.

Ever since childhood, I'd never been bullied. Now, humiliated by a beast, I was filled with rage. I clenched my fists, endured the pain, and stood up. "Damn it, I'll fight you!" I launched a kick at its chest, but it barely made an impact—my full-force attack failed even to push it back.

I was wrong. The Wolf King seemed almost sentient; its lips curled as if mocking my weakness. Before I could land, it used its signature move, raising its powerful paw and swatting me aside once more. The humiliation was immense—being toyed with by a beast, again and again. I couldn't endure it any longer; I was ready to perish together with it.

But I didn't even have the qualification to die with it. After another missed attack, the Wolf King seemed to tire of the game. It stomped on my waist, the weight as crushing as a mountain. I thought my life would end here—twenty-something years old, and already done for. In movies, dying people recall their lives, but now I knew that was unrealistic. There's no time for memories. Just as my eyes closed, I saw a flash of fire.

When I awoke, daylight had broken. I found myself lying on a large stone by the river. I wasn't dead? I felt a surge of joy. "Zhang Lei, Yu Jing, Qinghuan, Xu Lin, you're all here! Can anyone tell me what happened?"

It turned out the wolf cub had sneaked out while everyone slept. Xu Qinghuan was the first to notice and woke everyone to search. She said she'd called me several times but couldn't wake me, so she let me rest while the others looked for the cub. Trouble found them soon after. Xu Qinghuan blamed herself for not keeping someone on watch.

When had I become such a heavy sleeper? In this world, I needed to stay alert! Ultimately, it was my own weakness. Yu Jing and Zhang Lei went to gather firewood. Xu Lin said, "We haven't eaten all day—I'm starting to feel hungry. I'll see if I can find some wild game."

At that moment, only Xu Qinghuan and I were present, along with the wolf cub in her arms. Xu Qinghuan seemed shy, lowering her head. I sat beside her on the stone, and she instinctively scooted away a bit. I wondered if ancient people were all so reserved. "Miss Xu, how did you all get me out?"

"Oh, it was Brother Yu who saved you—he was injured by the wolf," she replied.

Yu Jing had rescued me from danger several times. Besides gratitude, I felt deep guilt—so weak, always needing others to save me. I couldn't help but sigh.

"Why are you sighing, Brother Li?"

"It's nothing—just call me Yunfei."

A faint blush crept across Xu Qinghuan's face, making her look even more charming. Soon, Yu Jing and Zhang Lei returned, carrying two wild rabbits. Zhang Lei went to the riverbank to skin them for lunch.

"Is your injury all right, Brother Yu?"

"Oh, it's just a scratch, nothing serious," Yu Jing said as he built the fire.

"Brother Yu, do you know what kind of wolf that was? It was so formidable."

"I don't know. I've never seen such a huge wolf before. But I do know wolves fear fire, so when I saw you injured, I threw a torch at it."

"But why did the wolf attack you?" Xu Qinghuan voiced her doubt.

"I suppose it was avenging its kin. Earlier, I killed six ordinary wolves. And since we have its cub, we should return it."

"What? You mean there are more ordinary wolves?" Yu Jing was surprised.

I recounted the events in the cave.

"So that's it. It must have been the Wolf King. Such wolves appeared once in the Cangxi Empire and were slain by a junior martial artist. But the one then wasn't nearly as large as this one. It's said these Wolf Kings possess intelligence. Since you've killed its companions, it may seek endless revenge," Yu Jing said, putting down the firewood. I'd suspected it was a Wolf King, but never imagined it was so powerful—I couldn't even hold my own for a single round.

"For now, the only way is to return the cub to the cave, hoping to resolve the conflict," Yu Jing advised.

After a hearty meal, we discussed where to go. We were all at a loss, now wanted criminals in the Cangxi Empire, with nowhere to turn.

"How far does the Empire's 'Death Order' reach?" Xu Qinghuan asked.

"It's hard to say—it depends on the target and the bounty," Yu Jing replied.

"Why not go to Elder Xiaoxiang's place? Yu Jing still has internal injuries and shouldn't travel far," I suggested. Yu Jing smiled, assuring us his injuries were nothing serious. After some discussion, we decided to seek refuge with Yu Jing's master, Xiaoxiangzi, in the deep mountains. Before leaving, I returned the white wolf cub to the cave entrance. The Wolf King gave me a meaningful look, but did not attack.

And so, we departed.