"We hadn't been gone for long before the oxcart broke down. It must be you, you little bastard, jinxing us!"
"I'm already annoyed as it is. Let's just beat her to death!" Uncle Qin yelled impatiently.
Emboldened by her husband's support, Aunt Qin menacingly picked up the bamboo switch she had thrown down earlier. She strode over and grabbed Shen Ningning's dodging body.
"Trying to run? Qin! Come hold her down!"
Shen Ningning's small face was filled with panic. Aunt and Uncle Qin ignored Grandma Qin's pleas, venting all their anger on Shen Ningning.
Qin Fangmei stood to the side, watching with a smug look.
"Mom, she's not listening to you! Beat her! Beat her hard!" she instigated, her expression vicious.
She just hated Shen Ningning.
She was just an orphan, yet she had such fair, delicate skin. Everyone in the village who saw her praised her beauty.
At home, all the good food was saved for her, so how could someone who was half-starved have such fair and soft skin!
Every time the village chief's grandson saw Qin Fangmei, he would tease her, saying that when they stood together, she looked like Shen Ningning's maid!
Shen Ningning's small body was pinned to the ground by Uncle Qin. She couldn't break free, and her cries were heart-wrenching.
"Auntie, Ningning didn't jinx the oxcart."
Aunt Qin, of course, didn't listen. She raised the bamboo switch high, about to bring it down.
Suddenly, a great commotion arose from the village, mixed with terrified screams and fragmented shouts—
"Wolves are here! Run!"
"Wolves?" Aunt Qin looked skeptical and ordered Uncle Qin, "Go out and see what's going on."
The village dogs began to whimper and howl mournfully.
Their own chickens had also shrunk their necks, staying motionless in their coops.
Just as Uncle Qin picked up the hoe by the wall and opened the wicker gate, a huge black shadow lunged at him, carrying a ferocious, metallic stench!
It was a powerfully built black wolf!
It knocked Uncle Qin straight to the ground. In what seemed like an act of revenge, it opened its massive jaws and bit down on the very hand he had used to hold Shen Ningning!
"AHHH—"
Uncle Qin let out a bloodcurdling scream and immediately fainted from the pain.
Terrified, Qin Fangmei and Aunt Qin screamed at the same time.
Aunt Qin turned and ran. She scrambled onto a pile of wood in the corner, climbed over the wall, and fled, completely abandoning her own daughter.
Several wolves, baring their sharp fangs, walked into the courtyard from behind the black wolf.
Qin Fangmei's eyes rolled back in terror. She fainted on the spot and fell straight into the well behind her.
The wolves approached Shen Ningning.
"Ningning! Run!" Grandma Qin cried, her eyes welling with tears.
Shen Ningning couldn't run. Her small body had gone limp.
The Black Wolf King had already walked up to her. Its eerie, brass-colored eyes looked down at the little girl.
They were so close that Shen Ningning could even see the bloodstains at the corner of its mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut, covered her head with her small hands, and braced herself to be eaten.
Suddenly!
The Black Wolf King snatched her up by the collar of her clothes and took off running.
The pack followed close behind, retreating with incredible speed.
"Help! The wolves have taken the child!" Grandma Qin's panicked cries for help echoed through the village.
After quite some time, the villagers finally dared to cautiously approach the Qin Family's home.
The pack of wolves had appeared so suddenly. Aside from killing a few domestic animals, they hadn't harmed anyone besides the Qin Family.
Shen Ningning was carried by the wolf deep into the mountain forest.
About fifteen minutes later, the Black Wolf King finally set her down inside a cave.
The little girl was scared. She pressed her back against the cave wall, her body trembling violently.
She was ready to touch the red mole on her skin at any moment and escape into her "Immortal Realm."
The wolf pack sat before her, all of them sizing her up.
Two wolves standing behind the Black Wolf King whimpered to each other as if whispering, then playfully bared their fangs at Shen Ningning!
Hearing this, Shen Ningning's large eyes filled with tears. She quickly cried out, "Please don't eat me! I'm not tasty or tender, I'm bitter!"
The wolves were surprised and exchanged glances.
'This little girl can actually understand us!'
The Black Wolf King stepped forward and let out a few low growls at Shen Ningning.
The little girl covered her mouth, her voice soft and sweet with surprise. "Are you saying you won't eat me, that you were just trying to save me?"
The wolves all nodded along with their King.
The dark wolf that had been standing behind the Black Wolf King earlier now approached on its own.
It grunted a couple of times, but Shen Ningning understood what it was thinking.
It turned out that this pack of wolves often heard the little girl crying and knew she was always being bullied.
They deeply regretted not taking her back with them when they first found her in the forest as a swaddled baby.
So, upon hearing Shen Ningning's cries again, they couldn't bear it any longer and decided to rescue her!
Shen Ningning asked pitifully, "Then… were the ones who abandoned me my daddy and mommy?"
The wolves shook their heads, indicating they didn't know. Shen Ningning's eyes dimmed with disappointment.
'If I can't find my parents, I'll have to stay here and live with Aunt Qin and the others.'
Perhaps sensing the little girl's thoughts, the Black Wolf King gently tugged on Shen Ningning's sleeve, inviting Ningning to live with them.
The pack grew excited, howling enthusiastically in agreement.
'Our father is the Black Wolf King of this entire forest! No one dares to mess with us!'
'Besides, this little pipsqueak understands wolf language. Of course we have to keep her around to play with and cure our boredom.'
Shen Ningning's eyes sparkled as if lit by a new hope. "Can I bring my grandma here too?"
After a brief silence, the Black Wolf King nodded in agreement.
The little girl was overjoyed. She quickly pushed herself up, wanting to run home and bring her grandma back.
But the places where she had been beaten before still ached faintly.
She lost her footing, and with a soft THUMP, her little bottom landed back on the ground.
The Black Wolf King sighed, gently sniffed Shen Ningning's wounds, and motioned for her to rest and heal first.
Shen Ningning's voice was sweet as she mimicked the other wolves with a couple of whimpers. "Thank you, Langlang!"
Her cry actually made the Wolf King pause in surprise.
The other wolves immediately gathered around Shen Ningning, taking turns licking her hair to groom it.
The little girl wasn't scared at all. Instead, she giggled with pure innocence.
In her eyes, these wolves were much kinder than her aunt.
They were fierce, but they weren't unreasonable. They wouldn't suddenly grab a stick and beat her like Aunt Qin did.
Just then, a RUMBLE came from the stomach of a black wolf with a patch of white fur on its neck.
It let out a few dissatisfied howls, and the other wolves whimpered in response.
Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes. She understood.
They were hungry.
They hadn't hunted much in the village just now, so they were planning to go hunt for real.
Just then, they looked at Shen Ningning.
Their eyes seemed to ask if the little girl wanted something to eat.
Shen Ningning quickly waved her hands. "You don't have to go hunting! I have lots and lots of food right here!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately touched the red mole, ducked into her space, and vanished before the wolves' eyes.
A living person had just disappeared! The startled wolves shot up, looking left and right.
'She's gone?!'
The next second, Shen Ningning reappeared in the same spot.
She was holding fresh pork in her arms, along with a whole chicken that had been skinned and plucked.
"Here, for you to eat!" The little girl placed the food before them as if presenting a treasure.
The wolves, including the Black Wolf King, stared at the little girl in astonishment.
Shen Ningning gave a sweet smile. "I have an Immortal Realm, and it has everything inside!"
She didn't dare let anyone else know this secret, but she felt completely at ease with her Langlang.
She grabbed the Black Wolf King's paw with her small hand and tried to bring it inside with her, but it was no use.
'It seems the Immortal Realm only allows me to enter alone.'
Shen Ningning pouted, a little dejected.
'That means Grandma can't live in the Immortal Realm with me either.'
The wolf pack, however, was ecstatic.
'This little one we brought back can not only understand us, but she can also conjure up tons and tons of food!'
The Black Wolf King distributed the meat among the pack.
As for Shen Ningning, she decided that if she couldn't bring them into the Immortal Realm, she would just move things out of it.
In just one day, she diverted the Spiritual Spring, causing a once-dry spring on the mountain to bubble forth with its water.
Shen Ningning also piled the Wolf Cave high with fresh meat and delicious fruit.
She soaked in the Spiritual Spring for half a day. By the third day, her injuries were mostly healed, leaving only faint marks.
"Langlang, I'm going down the mountain right now to get Grandma!" Her little face was filled with anticipation for her new life.
The Black Wolf King immediately lay down, motioning for Shen Ningning to climb onto its back.
They were going to escort Shen Ningning down the mountain!
The wolf pack set out. With Shen Ningning riding the Black Wolf King, they returned to Xiangyun Village.
To avoid causing a panic, the little girl had them wait in the forest near the village.
She walked back to the Qin Family's home alone.
Pushing open the door, she saw Aunt Qin hanging laundry. When Aunt Qin turned and saw Shen Ningning, she looked as if she'd seen a ghost.
"You're not dead?!"
The little girl wasn't the least bit afraid of her now. She knew the wolf pack was nearby and would protect her!
Shen Ningning lifted her chin, her voice fiercely adorable. "Where's my grandma? I'm taking her with me!"
Aunt Qin looked at her with contempt. "Her? You got her killed!"