The sun gradually tilted westward.
The light in Wolf Valley softened, casting long shadows.
The wolf cubs were tired from playing and huddled in their mother's embrace, sleeping soundly. Several adult wolves lay at the valley entrance, their ears twitching from time to time as they alertly listened to the sounds outside.
Yang Jiu still lay on that giant rock, eyes closed in a light doze.
A long time passed.
"Awoo—!"
A familiar wolf howl came from the distance.
Yang Jiu opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
They're back.
—
Outside Wolf Valley.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled through the forest, casting patches of mottled light and shadow.
Great Remnant walked at the very front, head held high and chest out, his four paws moving like the wind. His grey-black fur shimmered faintly in the sunlight, his gaze sharp and proud, and his stride—it was as if he wasn't just walking back, but was a general returning in triumph.
Behind him, Hei Sha followed closely, equally imposing.
Further back was a grand procession.
Over thirty Ninja Wolves were divided into three rows, emerging from the dense forest with steady and powerful steps. Their cold, eerie eyes glinted in the dim light, and every step they took carried a heart-pounding sense of pressure.
This was a true wolf army.
And in the middle of the procession, over a dozen wolves held things in their mouths—
A few slightly struggling gray hares.
Several pheasants with colorful feathers.
Two half-grown roe deer.
In the last row, two burly black wolves walked side by side, together holding a wooden stick in their mouths—no, it wasn't a stick.
It was a simple stretcher made by passing a wooden stick through sleeves and tying it.
On the stretcher lay a person, motionless.
Seeing this scene, Yang Jiu couldn't help but stand up abruptly from the giant rock in surprise.
The two black wolves had already entered Wolf Valley and gently placed the stretcher on the ground, then stepped aside, looking at their patriarch as if seeking credit.
Yang Jiu leaped down from the giant rock in a few steps and landed in front of the person.
It was a young man, wearing tattered coarse cloth clothes, covered in dirt and bloodstains. His face was turned to one side, his eyes tightly closed, and his breathing was so faint it was almost undetectable.
Yang Jiu raised his head and looked at Great Remnant.
Great Remnant grinned, his tail held high, with an expression that said "Praise me, praise me":
"Patriarch, we captured a head of human!"
That tone and demeanor were exactly like a small dog bringing back a fat rabbit and waiting for its master to pat its head.
Looking at its appearance, Yang Jiu's mouth couldn't help but twitch a few times.
A "head" of human?
Why does that term sound so awkward?
He took a deep breath, suppressed the urge to complain, and asked, "This human, where did you catch him?"
"The west!" Great Remnant answered decisively. "Not too far from that Mountain Stronghold. This guy was wandering alone at the edge of the forest, and we pounced as soon as we saw the chance."
Yang Jiu nodded.
He turned around, his gaze falling on the person.
The young man lay on the ground, motionless.
His clothes were in tatters, covered in dirt and bloodstains. Most striking were the deep blood holes on his legs—marks left by wolf teeth biting through, which were still seeping blood now.
Yang Jiu frowned.
Bitten like this...
He stepped closer and nudged the person's head with a paw; the head slumped limply to the side without any reaction.
He still had breath, but it was so weak it was almost undetectable.
Whether he could survive was hard to say.
Yang Jiu withdrew his paw and pondered for a moment.
Since they had captured him, they couldn't have done it for nothing. Even if this person only had one breath left, he had to be saved—only a living human could provide useful intelligence.
"Carry him inside."
He turned around and instructed Great Remnant.
"Throw him into the cave so he doesn't die from the sun, then feed him some life spring water to keep him alive."
"Remember, don't let him die."
Great Remnant nodded vigorously: "Yes, Patriarch!"
It turned and growled at the two black wolves carrying the person: "Did you hear that? Carry him in, and be careful!"
The two black wolves quickly picked up the wooden stick again and carefully walked toward the grotto.
Yang Jiu stood in place, watching the person being carried into the cave, and then withdrew his gaze.
As for the other animals captured alive, they were all driven into the breeding pens.
He paced over to take a look.
The pens were very lively—gray and white rabbits huddled in a corner nibbling on fodder, pheasants flapped their wings and scratched pits in the sand, and three wild boars lay lazily in the shade, two large and one small, their bellies rounded from eating. These were the spoils Great Remnant and the others had captured alive from the forest yesterday.
About a dozen rabbits, seven or eight pheasants, plus these three wild boars.
Though the numbers weren't many, it already looked somewhat like a farm.
Yang Jiu nodded with satisfaction.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before they could be harvested on a small scale. By then, the wolf pack would achieve "food freedom."
"Continue capturing," he instructed the wolves standing nearby. "Capture more of those that breed fast, like rabbits and pheasants."
"Yes, Patriarch!"
—
The next day.
The morning sun had just spilled into Wolf Valley, and Yang Jiu was lying on the stone platform, sleeping dizzily.
Suddenly—
"Patriarch!!! That head of human is awake!!!"
A voice like a clap of thunder rang in his ear.
Yang Jiu started, nearly rolling off the stone platform.
He abruptly opened his eyes and saw Great Remnant's wolf face pressed very close, eyes wide and round, with hot breath puffing out of his mouth.
"...Can you be a bit quieter next time?"
Yang Jiu's mouth twitched as he raised a paw to push that large face away.
Great Remnant was completely oblivious and continued wagging his tail excitedly: "Patriarch, that human! He's awake!"
Yang Jiu climbed up, shook his fur, and let out a lazy yawn.
Awake?
Quite fast.
He leaped down from the stone platform and walked toward the grotto.
"Let's go take a look."
—
Deep in the grotto, the light was dim.
The human youth sat leaning against the stone wall, his face frighteningly pale.
The places where he had been bitten through on his legs had scabbed over, but the surrounding flesh was still red and swollen—it was the trace of his body slowly recovering after the life spring water had kept him alive.
Hearing footsteps, he abruptly raised his head.
Then, his whole body froze.
A giant gray wolf was slowly walking into the grotto.
Its shoulder height was almost at his chest, a faint blue light faintly shimmered beneath its fur, and its amber eyes glinted coldly in the dim light.
The youth's pupils suddenly contracted, and his body instinctively shrank back, his back pressed hard against the stone wall.
"Don't... don't come over..."
His voice was hoarse and trembling, his dry lips opening and closing like a rabbit driven to a dead end by a predator.
Yang Jiu stopped three meters in front of him.
He sized up this human—
In his early twenties, thin, with a layer of thin calluses on his hands, but not the roughness of someone who holds a blade year-round.
Although his clothes were tattered, the fabric was ordinary coarse hemp, not the attire of a samurai.
An ordinary civilian?
Or the lowest level of mountain bandits?
The youth was also looking at him.
No, he was looking at "them."
Because Great Remnant, Hei Sha, and Scar had also followed in and were now squatting behind Yang Jiu, over a dozen cold eyes staring at him in unison.
The youth's breathing became more and more rapid, and his body shook like a sieve.
Yang Jiu withdrew his gaze and spoke indifferently:
"What is your name?"
Hearing this magnetic, overbearing, and youthful voice.
The youth was stunned.
He widened his eyes and stared fixedly at the gray wolf in front of him, his mouth opening and closing, opening and closing, and it took a long time before he squeezed out a sentence:
"You... you can speak?"
Yang Jiu's mouth twitched slightly.
This point of focus...
"I asked what your name is," he repeated, a hint of impatience in his tone.
The youth started and quickly answered:
"Ki... Kinoshita Jōsei!"
"..."
Yang Jiu was silent for a second.
Jōsei?
Is it the one he knows?
He sized up the youth—mm... doesn't look like it.
He continued asking: "Where are you from? From that Mountain Stronghold to the west?"
Kinoshita Jōsei nodded frantically: "Yes, yes, yes! I'm from the stronghold, just a handyman, really just a handyman! Lord wolves, please spare my life!"
Yang Jiu ignored his pleas and continued asking: "How many people are in the stronghold? What do they do? Are there any Ninjas or Ninjas?"
Kinoshita Jōsei was taken aback, a look of struggle appearing on his face.
Yang Jiu narrowed his eyes.
Kinoshita Jōsei shuddered and quickly spoke:
"I'll talk! I'll talk!"
"In the stronghold... there are over fifty people, all refugees, wanted criminals, and some... some mountain bandits."
He swallowed and looked at Yang Jiu cautiously.
"The leaders are three Chiefs; they are all Wandering Ninjas and very powerful."