The moonlight was obscured by thick clouds, though the sky wasn't pitch black but rather a deathly ashen gray.
Inside the thatched hut, Wang Wen woke up in a daze, feeling utterly chilled to the bone, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
He opened his eyes to assess the situation and realized he had tossed and turned in his sleep, moving too far from the fire, leaving him freezing.
Wang Wen cursed under his breath, shivering as he crouched by the fire to warm up.
The two Corpse Burners on night watch glanced at him but lacked the energy to strike up conversation.
Their eyes remained vigilant, scanning the endless abyss of the night outside, though visibility extended no further than ten meters beyond the hut.
Once Wang Wen's body had warmed up, he suddenly felt a pressing urge to urinate and clutched his stomach as he headed for the door.
The Corpse Burners quickly warned him, "It's pitch black outside right now, don't go too far."
"Got it, I'll be right back."
Wang Wen moved the furniture blocking the wooden door aside and stepped out of the hut.
The biting wind outside made his legs tremble violently, the dampness in the air seeping straight into his bones.
Muttering under his breath, he slowly made his way to a patch of grass not far away.
In that short distance, it felt as if he had entered another world entirely. The faint moonlight was completely blocked by the trees, leaving no trace of illumination.
His heart pounded wildly as he fumbled to undo his belt.
Steam rose.
Once finished, Wang Wen hurriedly ran back toward the hut.
Just as he was about to step out of the grass, his foot caught on a tree branch, sending him tumbling heavily before accidentally rolling down a shrub-covered slope.
To make matters worse, he realized his sword must have been left behind in the grass where he had relieved himself.
Wang Wen wanted to call for help.
But remembering he was the oldest in the group, he shut his mouth out of shame, how could he admit he had gotten himself into such a mess just from taking a piss?
Helpless, he crawled back toward the hut in terror.
Thorns tore at his skin, the stinging pain amplifying his fear.
What would have been a mere ten-meter distance in daylight now felt impossibly far in the darkness.
After finally climbing back up the slope, before Wang Wen could even catch his breath, he suddenly heard heavy panting behind him.
His expression stiffened as he glanced sideways, only to see pairs of glowing green eyes drawing closer. A starving pack of mountain wolves.
"AHHH-!!!"
His scream only provoked the wolves further.
The largest alpha wolf pounced, sinking its teeth into Wang Wen's thigh before dragging him into the darkness.
The cunning of the wolf pack was on full display.
Rather than launching a direct assault on the hut, they retreated in an orderly fashion, intending to wear down their prey's stamina.
Inside the hut, the others jolted awake at the noise. They stared out the window, now silent again, unsure of what to do.
Suddenly, the corner window burst open with a creak.
They instinctively turned, only to find the window wide open, and Ren Qing, who had been lying by the fire, already gone.
In the darkness, Wang Wen struggled briefly before feeling hot breath against his ear, freezing him in terror.
The alpha wolf didn't kill its prey immediately. Instead, it carried him toward a spot outside Flat Top Mountain Village before finally dropping him.
Only then did Wang Wen get a chance to catch his breath.
The wolves circled him, growling as if waiting for something.
A gap split through the thick clouds, allowing moonlight to spill down.
What Wang Wen saw next nearly made him wet himself, had he not already relieved himself earlier, he would have.
The wolves parted to make way as a small, crippled beast limped forward.
The beast's front legs were stunted, forcing it to hobble awkwardly.
But the intelligence in its eyes far surpassed that of any ordinary animal, and it was filled with greed.
Wang Wen suddenly remembered an old hunter's tale about "wolves and cripples colluding."
Legend had it that these crippled beasts were extremely cunning, partnering with wolf packs to hunt. Due to their disability, they often rode on the wolves' backs.
Once they joined forces, the wolves moved with military precision.
What terrified Wang Wen most was the extra eyeball growing from the beast's chin, which it occasionally licked with its tongue.
The moonlight vanished again as darkness reclaimed the land.
The wolves closed in.
Wang Wen knew the beast intended to kill him, but before he could resist, four wolves clamped down on his limbs.
The crippled beast sniffed him before placing its claws on his abdomen, planning to feast on the tender organs first.
Wang Wen's pupils shrank. He suddenly recalled the corpse they had seen upon leaving Sanxiang City, its wounds had looked just like those this beast would inflict.
A despairing whimper escaped his throat as claws pierced his skin, blood seeping out. He thought he was done for.
Then, a fierce wind howled.
The crisp sound of a blade being drawn rang out, and the wolves retreated in unison.
Wang Wen couldn't see anything in the darkness, but a flash of swordlight, bright as the full moon, sliced through the night, followed by the sound of the blade being sheathed.
The heads of the wolves pinning his limbs tumbled cleanly from their necks.
Ren Qing's Double Pupils locked onto the fleeing crippled beast as he crouched, gathering strength in his legs.
Dirt sprayed.
His feet left two shallow craters in the ground.
CLANG!!!
The miaodao flashed again as Ren Qing leaped into the air, the blade plunging downward to impale the beast.
Upon landing, Ren Qing kicked Wang Wen unconscious to prevent him from flailing around, though he misjudged the force, sending the man rolling several meters.
As the beast died, the surrounding wolves seemed to snap out of a trance. They tried to counterattack but found Ren Qing already gone.
Under the crescent moon's glow, Ren Qing stood atop a towering tree branch.
After scanning the area and finding no trace of Song Rong, he refocused on the wolf pack, killing intent flaring.
A light step.
The tree shook violently as if struck, leaves raining down like a storm.
Moonlight. Falling leaves. Blade light.
Ren Qing weaved through them all.
He seemed to merge with the darkness itself, each swing of his sword severing a wolf's head, the stench of blood saturating the air.
It drew nocturnal predators closer by instinct.
Flicking the blood from his blade, Ren Qing sheathed it, grabbed Wang Wen, and vanished after a few flashes.
As for the beasts now fighting over the wolf carcasses, another brutal battle was about to begin.
Back in the hut, the others had gathered their gear, fashioning torches from sticks as they prepared to venture out and rescue Wang Wen and Ren Qing.
Just as they were about to leave, a figure approached.
Ren Qing strode back into the hut, Wang Wen's unconscious body slung over his shoulder.
The others stared at him in disbelief.
"What are you standing around for? Bandage Wang Wen's wounds, there's medicine in my bag."
"R-right..."
Xiao Wu quickly took Wang Wen. Most of his injuries were just scratches from the shrubs.
The wolves, having faced little resistance, had left only minor wounds.
The real reason he was unconscious? A massive lump on his forehead...