The wind whistled past their ears as they galloped for an unknown duration until the horses finally came to a stop.

Shen Hong clung to his horse’s belly, nauseated from the relentless galloping over the bumpy mountain paths. They had finally reached the mid-mountain slope. Looking back, there were no signs of wolves pursuing them.

A recruit said, “We’re… we’re saved.”

Shen Hong stared blankly at his waist. He had brought a bamboo pole when he came, but he had given it to He Yan. At the thought of He Yan, his face turned pale again, and he asked tremblingly, “…Where is He Yan?”

They only had one bamboo pole. The only pair of Mandarin Duck Blades had been lost – one misplaced by Shen Hong, the other stuck in the alpha wolf’s throat. He Yan had no weapons at all. With three fierce wolves approaching, how could one person escape?

“Should we… go back to check?” he gathered his courage to ask.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Zheng Xuan coldly stared at him. “The wolves are still there. We barely managed to escape. Do you want to go back to die?”

“But He Yan is back there alone. He won’t make it,” Shen Hong’s eyes reddened as he thought of He Yan, whom he considered a good person – they had just been eating pine nuts together.

“Didn’t he tell us to go down the mountain to find the instructor?” the recruit beside Zheng Xuan said. “Let’s tell the instructor and have him come to the rescue?”

“No.”

Shen Hong looked at Zheng Xuan in disbelief. Zheng Xuan’s expression remained unchanged as he said, “If we tell the instructor, he’ll know about us crossing the mountain peak.”

“He just saved us! If it wasn’t for He Yan, we would already be dead!” Shen Hong shouted.

“You know that even the three of us nearly died. How could he survive alone against a wolf pack? It’s certain death!” Zheng Xuan’s voice was even louder than Shen Hong’s. “Crossing the mountain peak violates military orders. At best, we’ll be flogged; at worst, beheaded. Do you want others to die for someone already dead? Shen Hong, is that what you want?”

Shen Hong was stunned by the shouting. Naturally timid, he would have lived a peaceful life as a pharmacy’s young master if not for his family’s misfortune. Now faced with such a situation, he was already panicked, and the mention of a possible beheading made him shiver.

He still had a mother to care for. If he died, there would be no male heir – how would his family survive?

“I… I…” Shen Hong stammered.

“After we go down the mountain, act as if nothing happened. When the sun sets, we’ll tell the instructor that He Yan, against all advice, crossed the mountain peak alone and couldn’t be found,” Zheng Xuan said emotionlessly.

This not only blocked He Yan’s last chance of survival but also framed him for violating military orders. Shen Hong shook his head, but the other two, worried about their punishment, quickly agreed. Zheng Xuan stared at Shen Hong and said, “Feel free to report this if you want. It’s your word against ours. We’ll see who the instructor believes.”

Without waiting for Shen Hong’s reaction, he spurred his horse forward. With no other choice and the day growing late, Shen Hong could only follow.

…

As dusk approached, the forest grew increasingly dark.

The horse had lost its way on White Moon Mountain. He Yan gripped the bamboo pole and looked back, relieved to have finally shaken off the wolves.

This was the first time she had encountered such persistent wolves. He Yan grimaced, remembering the wolves she had encountered in Mo County. During the famine there, wolves within a hundred li had been caught for food, unlike these brazen ones on White Moon Mountain. Thinking of this, she felt that the slant-eyed Zheng Xuan was truly brainless for wanting to catch and raise wolf cubs. Wolves were untameable creatures – those that could be tamed were tail-wagging house dogs, while wolves would only tear out one’s throat.

The horse turned in circles, refusing to move forward.

The forest looked identical in all directions. While evading the wolf pack, she hadn’t been able to mark the trees and had likely crossed the mountain peak, unsure of her current location. If Shen Hong and the others hadn’t informed Liang Ping in time, and with darkness approaching, escaping the forest would become impossible. Without flint and fearing wild beasts, she would have to spend the night on the mountain.

Lost in thought, she sighed and dismounted, planning to search for a sheltered cave. As soon as she straightened up after dismounting, she suddenly sensed something amiss.

It was hard to explain why – perhaps it was instinct honed from years on the battlefield. She instinctively tilted her head as a black shadow passed overhead, something grazing her neck and drawing blood.

The horse reared in fright. He Yan lost grip of the reins, and the horse bolted into the forest depths. She turned around to see the black shadow crouched in the grass, revealing two jade-green eyes.

It was one of the wolves from before.

He Yan looked at the wolf and then at its approach direction, suddenly understanding. Among the previous wolves, one had been clever enough to know it couldn’t catch up with He Yan on horseback, so it had taken a shortcut. White Moon Mountain wasn’t He Yan’s territory, but it was these mountain beasts’ domain. The wolf had likely been lying in wait for some time, waiting for He Yan to lower her guard before going for her throat.

The wolf had nearly succeeded.

He Yan touched her neck, feeling the burning sensation and blood on her hand. Seeing its first strike fail, the wolf bared its fangs and lunged from behind.

He Yan rolled on the ground, avoiding its claws but growing anxious. Now without her horse, she had to fight this wolf with only a pole.

She thought how even if Shen Hong had brought just a string of flying daggers when coming up the mountain, it would have been better. She thrust the pole forward, aiming for the wolf’s head.

The bamboo pole struck the wolf’s head with a “bang,” breaking it in half. The wolf, only slightly bleeding, turned to He Yan with a furious howl and attacked again.

“What a useless pole!” He Yan cursed, dodging. The wolf was cunning, avoiding frontal attacks and trying to bite her neck from behind. After several dodges, she was caught once, but she elbowed the wolf’s belly. The wolf yelped but desperately pinned her down.

They grappled together, rustling the forest floor’s leaves. He Yan struggled to keep the wolf’s jaws away from her, wondering if she would have to bite the wolf herself. Just as this thought crossed her mind, she felt the ground disappear beneath her feet. Before she could react, she heard a “thud” as she and the wolf fell together.

The sky became a circle above, tree branches appearing higher. Below was uneven soil and a wolf just getting to its feet.

She and the wolf had fallen into a trap together.