Chapter Twenty-One: The Wolf Arrives

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The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, Chen Jianchen rose at dawn as usual. He caught sight of Yingning seated in a corner of the room, eyes closed in meditation—ever since it had awakened and gained spiritual intelligence, it practiced Daoist arts, absorbing and releasing the essence of heaven and earth. Whenever it had a moment, it would meditate and cultivate, racing against time, forsaking sleep and food, heedless of the hours.

To cultivate the Dao is, by its nature, a lonely pursuit.

Chen Jianchen did not disturb it, slipping quietly out of the room.

Abao was already up, preparing breakfast, which was surprisingly plentiful—Chen Jianchen had handed over the two silver ingots he’d received from Wang Fu to Madam Mo. Madam Mo was astounded, never having seen so much money before, and quickly asked where it had come from. Chen Jianchen replied that it was a fee for calligraphy, paid by Master Wang.

Madam Mo asked no further questions, delightedly accepted the money, and immediately increased Abao’s budget for groceries by half.

Ever since Abao had moved into the Chen household, she had practically taken over all the chores, bustling about tirelessly. What’s more, she was remarkably skilled in the kitchen—truly a woman fit for both the drawing room and the stove, her diligence beyond compare.

Having Abao at home was like possessing a rare treasure.

Chen Jianchen couldn’t praise her enough. Yet every time he did, Abao’s cheeks would flush, her shyness and joy mingling, her radiant beauty unmistakable.

After breakfast, Chen Jianchen returned to his room and asked Yingning what it wanted to eat.

Yingning replied, “Since awakening and learning the arts, this little fox no longer eats meat. Occasionally, fruit or clear water will suffice.”

Hearing this, Chen Jianchen nodded and was about to fetch some water when he suddenly heard the furious barking of hunting dogs and noisy voices outside—something was happening.

At the sound of the fierce dogs, Yingning instinctively trembled and edged closer to Chen Jianchen.

Chen Jianchen frowned, soothed it with a few words, then stepped outside to see what was going on.

He found the villagers gathered in a clamor, many crowding together and shouting.

As Chen Jianchen approached, the villagers greeted him and made way.

“What’s happened?” he asked.

Zhang Third replied, “Master Chen, wolves came to the village last night. One of Li Big’s mountain goats was eaten—nothing left but blood on the ground.”

Indeed, within the circle, Li Big sat on the ground, tearfully lamenting—losing a mountain goat was a costly blow for his family, as if a piece of his heart had been carved out.

Wolves?

Chen Jianchen shuddered and quickly asked, “How could this happen?”

Zhang Third answered, “Maybe it’s the cold weather and heavy snow—wolves struggle to find food in the deep mountains, so they come out to attack livestock. Things like this have happened before. I’m about to head out with Shuisheng and Huowang to hunt them. Unless we kill or drive off the wolves, they’ll linger at the edge of the village, waiting for nightfall to sneak in again.”

Though Zhang Third said that wolves invading and eating livestock had happened in past years, Chen Jianchen felt uneasy; something about this seemed unusual, perhaps connected to the wolf demon Yingning had mentioned...

After learning what he could, he returned to tell Yingning.

Yingning wrote on a sheet of white paper: “I also believe it’s the wolf demon. It doesn’t dare enter the village openly, so it targets livestock, causing trouble and seeking opportunity.”

Chen Jianchen pondered in silence.

Yingning wrote again: “Master, all this trouble is caused by this little fox. If I left, there would be no more issues.”

Chen Jianchen laughed and said, “Your troubles are mine now. Just stay here in peace.”

...

By dusk, the hunters who had gone out to hunt wolves returned, dogs in tow, but empty-handed. They had searched the area around the village for miles but found no trace of any wolf.

This was truly odd.

The hunting dogs kept by the families were all seasoned and experienced, having tracked countless prey; if wolves had been nearby, they should have smelled them. Perhaps the snow had buried all traces?

None could explain it.

As evening fell, the village butcher, Zheng Da, returned. Unlike usual, today he was panting and sweating profusely. Someone joked, “Zheng Da, were you chased by a ghost, running so fast?”

Zheng Da was broad and powerful, among the strongest men in the village, his fierce temperament making him someone few dared confront.

Wiping his brow, Zheng Da replied in a gruff voice, “You don’t know—I met a wolf on my way back. Damn it, these beasts are getting bolder, coming out before dark.”

At the mention of wolves, a crowd gathered around, eager to hear his story.

Zheng Da said, “I went to the township to sell meat today. All I had left on the way home was a pig’s head skin, planning to fry it up for dinner. Passing through the willow grove, a huge wolf silently followed me—at least three feet long, more than a foot tall, its fur black as charcoal...”

The willow grove he spoke of was just south of Jingyang Village, not far—about a mile away.

Zheng Da continued, “I thought, this beast has guts, coming after a man in broad daylight. So I took out my butcher’s knife to scare it...”

Someone jeered, “With your fierce mug and sharp blade, that black wolf must have been scared out of its wits.”

Yet Zheng Da’s expression was strange, still shaken. “Scared? Not a bit! You have no idea—when I flashed my knife, the beast wasn’t frightened at all. Instead, it bared its fangs, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth. Its gaze was deep, glowing with an eerie light—truly unsettling. I pride myself on my courage, but staring into its eyes, I was overwhelmed by fear. I quickly cut off a pig ear and threw it on the ground...”

Someone asked, “Why throw a pig’s ear?”

“Are you stupid? I figured the wolf would focus on eating it and leave me alone... Sure enough, the black wolf grabbed the ear and swallowed it in one gulp, but then kept chasing me.”

The crowd was startled by the tale and listened intently.

“Not to make a fool of myself, but I’ve never been so scared in my life. As the wolf gained, I kept cutting off pieces of meat—by the end, all I had left was a pig nose. Damn it, there goes my dinner.”

“And then?” everyone pressed.

“I ran for my life, finally making it out of the grove and closer to the village, where I ran into Fang Dapao and a few others from the neighboring village. Looking back, the black wolf had vanished—probably scared off by the crowd.”

The villagers sighed in relief for Zheng Da, and wondered if Li Big’s goat had been devoured by this very black wolf.

It seemed highly likely.

Such a fierce, audacious wolf was rare and would be difficult to deal with. They began discussing how to set traps at the village’s edge...

Their debate was intense, none noticing Chen Jianchen nearby, his brows knitted as he gazed toward the village entrance—his eyes unfocused, staring into the distance.

Another night descended...