Chapter 117: Chapter 117: The Wolf Pack is Attacking the City
「The next day.」
Jiang Zhi rose before dawn and practiced a set of fist forms in the courtyard.
Chen Ye happened to see her and didn’t hold back his praise. "Every move is sharp and every punch carries momentum. Brother Jiang, what excellent fist work!"
Wiping the sweat from her brow with a towel, Jiang Zhi cupped her hands in thanks.
She could tell that Chen Ye was a martial artist as well, and a skilled one at that.
It was still early and Shen Ningning hadn’t arrived, so Jiang Zhi strolled from one end of the village to the other. She made a patrol, checking to see if any of the families needed a hand.
As dawn broke through the clouds, casting down waves of searing heat, Shen Ningning rode down the mountain on the Black Wolf King.
The little girl yawned, her big, glistening eyes hazy with sleep.
She had returned home very late last night. With the sweltering weather, she had treated herself to a bowl of iced, crushed lychees.
The snow-white lychees were cut into small pieces and placed in a bowl with crushed ice. A layer of osmanthus honey was drizzled on top, along with a light sugar syrup her grandmother had made.
It was unbelievably delicious—sweet, cool, and refreshing with every bite.
She felt completely energized after eating and spent the rest of the night planting in the Immortal Realm, sowing all sorts of fruit seeds.
Now, in addition to snow pears, watermelons, and lychees, she would soon be able to harvest cherries, grapes, and pomegranates.
’When the time comes, I’ll have Grandma make all of them into iced fruit bowls!’
"Ningning." The little girl had just led the wolf pack into the village when she saw a sweat-drenched Jiang Zhi walking toward her.
Sweat dripped from her forehead, but her eyes were dark and bright.
"Sister Jiang, what have you been up to?"
"I helped chop firewood for the entire village," Jiang Zhi said with a cheerful laugh, wiping away her sweat with a towel.
Her gaze fell upon the Black Wolf King the little girl was riding, who looked tall and imposing.
Jiang Zhi’s eyes widened in amazement. She kept her distance, remarking, "This is the first time I’ve ever thought a wolf could be described with one word: handsome."
A flicker of light passed through the Black Wolf King’s calm, aloof eyes. It raised its neck with a touch of pride, its black fur stirring in the waves of heat rising from the sun-baked earth.
The very picture of dominance!
This only increased Jiang Zhi’s admiration. "He’s so magnificent."
The Black Wolf King nodded slightly.
’This kid is much easier on the eyes than that Mo Lingwei fellow.’
Wolf Three strutted forward with a deliberately imposing air, waiting for Jiang Zhi to offer it some praise as well.
Lang Si grabbed its tail in its teeth and dragged it back.
The two wolves nearly started fighting again over the disagreement.
Wolf Three was furious. Lang Si was hopelessly fat and too embarrassed to show off its physique, yet it was stopping *him* from doing so.
Jiang Zhi watched in amusement as the two wolves acted just like people, growling and snarling at each other, baring their teeth ferociously without ever actually coming to blows.
She couldn’t help but ask in surprise, "Are they cussing each other out? What are they saying?"
Shen Ningning let out a crisp laugh. "You’re better off not knowing. It’s pretty vulgar."
Having had enough, the Black Wolf King turned and let out a furious roar. The howl echoed throughout the village and beyond, sending every dog in the vicinity cowering with its tail between its legs.
Naturally, Wolf Three and Lang Si fell silent and behaved themselves.
Seeing that it was about time, Shen Ningning said, "Sister Jiang, please go get Brother Chen. We need to head out."
Without asking for a reason, Jiang Zhi immediately did as she was told.
A short while later, Chen Ye came out to drive the horse-drawn carriage. Shen Ningning told the wolf pack to wait for her in the village, and then the three of them set off for Xitai Village.
Standing once more before the Wu family’s gate, a flicker of sorrow crossed Shen Ningning’s fair face.
It was as if Wu Zuchang’s voice was still ringing in her ears.
She quickly composed herself and pushed the gate open. "Let’s move the items."
Chen Ye and Jiang Zhi were startled. "Move what?"
"Their food supplies. I’ve already spoken with the village chief here." The food Shen Ningning had given the Wu family was stored by Qian Siniang in the cellar, which was why it hadn’t been destroyed in the fire.
After she spoke, Chen Ye and Jiang Zhi began going in and out of the kitchen.
They loaded the carriage with sacks of white rice and white flour, along with various meats and eggs.
Shen Ningning stood at the entrance, not wanting to go inside, afraid the familiar sights would only deepen her sorrow.
She lifted her dark eyes to the scorched, blackened remains of the house.
"Brother Zuchang, I will make sure you can all rest in peace."
They left only after all the food was loaded, but Shen Ningning made sure not to touch a single personal belonging of the Wu family.
Only after her carriage had departed did the villagers of Xitai Village, who had been watching from their homes, dare to come out.
They watched the carriage disappear in a cloud of dust, shaking their heads and clucking their tongues.
"That Shen Ningning is so heartless. She kept saying how well the Wu family treated her, but as soon as they died, she took all the food away."
"I know, right? And she didn’t even offer to share any with us. I heard she’s loaded. To think she’d actually take that food back. That girl has some serious character flaws."
Upon returning to Xiangyun Village, Shen Ningning had Chen Ye and Jiang Zhi take the food to Aunt Liu’s house.
Aunt Liu had already received the little girl’s instructions and had been busy since morning, gathering four other village women to help.
Shen Ningning also brought over two vats of meat and vegetables from her own home.
Aunt Liu was surprised. "Ningning, are we making this much?"
"Yes. Make it all into a big batch meal: four dishes and a soup, with rice or steamed buns as the main staple. In three hours, I’m taking it to the city."
Aunt Liu realized she didn’t have enough people and went to borrow the use of two more families’ stoves.
Shen Ningning was very generous, giving them another ten taels of silver.
With oil sizzling in hot woks, Aunt Liu and the other women divided the tasks and set to work. They washed vegetables, minced fillings, chopped ingredients, and stir-fried, enveloping all of Xiangyun Village in the fragrant aroma of cooking food.
The sizzle of food in hot oil over roaring fires—the very essence of hearth and home—rose from beneath iron woks and ladles, drifting up from the chimneys as thin wisps of smoke that curled toward the sky.
Shen Ningning borrowed two large water vats from Granny Chen and filled them with fresh water she had previously stored at her house.
Next, she asked Chen Ye to make a trip to the Capital City to buy over a hundred large bowls.
The total cost was twenty taels of silver, which the little girl paid for herself.
Three hours later, they set out for the Capital City. The carriage was laden with four large cooking pots and the two vats of water, into which they had placed large, pre-prepared blocks of ice.
The load was heavy and bulky, so both Jiang Zhi and Chen Ye sat on the driver’s bench.
Meanwhile, Shen Ningning rode the Black Wolf King, following behind the carriage.
Jiang Zhi couldn’t resist glancing back.
The wolf pack was a sprawling, dark mass. Shen Ningning had brought over twenty wolves with her, and Jiang Zhi had heard this was less than half the entire pack.
’But bringing so many wolves into the city... will the guards really not stop us?’
’I have to protect Shen Ningning no matter what,’ Jiang Zhi resolved.
The sun blazed as fiercely as ever that day, and heat shimmered up from the ground.
Outside the gates of the Capital City, the band of refugees lay motionless on the ground, awaiting their final moments.
Some of those around them may have already been dead for some time, their bodies emitting a foul stench and swarmed by flies.
All the city’s splendor and riches lay just beyond that wall, yet they would never have the chance to enter it in their lifetime.
Starving and sweltering, they were not far from death.
Just then, the ground began to tremble, and a sound like a distant stampede reached their ears.
The refugees struggled to sit up, staring toward the end of the road. This wasn’t the sound a normal carriage made.
Meanwhile, the guards standing atop the high city walls had already spotted an unusual sight.
On the horizon at the far end of the road, a horse-drawn carriage appeared first.
But what followed close behind was a massive, dark pack of ferocious giant wolves!
The guards thought they were seeing things and rubbed their eyes hard.
They stared again, only to realize it was real!
The wild wolves were well-fed, their fur dark and glossy, their bodies as large as bears.
The most terrifying one was the black wolf at the very front.
Wait...
One guard cried out in alarm, "There’s a little girl riding on its back!"
"Quick, send an urgent report! A wolf pack is attacking the city!"
"Close the city gates—!"
The refugees, being much closer, could also see clearly now.
Upon realizing they were wolves, those who were still alive scrambled to their feet in a panic, wailing as they fled toward the city walls. They began clawing desperately at the stone, trying to dig their way through.
They shrieked in desperation, "Let us in! Let us in!"
Of course the guards wouldn’t open the gate.
’Maybe if the wolves eat these refugees and fill their bellies, they won’t try to enter the city!’
As soon as the thought crossed a guard’s mind, however, he saw the lead carriage come to an abrupt halt.
Shen Ningning calmly jumped off the Black Wolf King’s back.
The Guard Commander, having heard the report, rushed to the scene. He stood on the wall, frowning as he took in the situation below.
He watched as the two people from the carriage began to unload something.
The Guard Commander muttered in uneasy confusion, "What in the world are they doing?"
