Chapter 17 — Situation • Slaughtering the Black Wolf
The father and his two sons worked together. The two boys picked wild grapes back and forth while Ling Jingxuan bent down to search for medicinal herbs in the weeds. Because the area was remote, the search was arduous but fruitful, yielding many useful herbs and some edible mushrooms. Thinking of making mushroom soup that evening, he also picked some.
“Daddy, those things are poisonous! Why did you dig them up?”
Having gathered a bunch of herbs, Ling Jingxuan was about to stop when he saw a cluster of mushrooms. Without thinking, he squatted down to continue picking. Suddenly, the older boy’s disgusted voice rang out. Ling Jingxuan turned around and saw the two boys standing hand-in-hand behind him, their faces, which had been so clean for the past two days, now stained with dirt again.
“Hehe… not all mushrooms are poisonous. These are edible. Have you finished picking?”
They were too young to understand further explanation, so Ling Jingxuan subtly changed the subject. They would understand after they ate them; mushrooms were good for them.
“Really? Daddy, let me pick some for you.”
Hearing that it was edible, the little dumpling excitedly rushed forward. Ling Jingxuan quickly hugged him, saying weakly, “Some things aren’t edible, you don’t recognize them, so don’t get involved.”
One a stingy money-grubber, the other a glutton—these two dumplings really have… such distinct personalities, don’t they?
“But I want to help Daddy.”
Tilting his head, the little dumpling looked innocent and adorable, his round eyes filled with undisguised heartache for his father.
“Hehe…no need, Daddy’s not tired. You two go rest over there, and we’ll go back after I finish picking this bunch.”
Feeling a warmth in his heart, Ling Jingxuan patted his bottom and gestured towards the big dumpling.
“Xiao Wu, be good, let’s go wait for Daddy over there.”
Seeing that he still looked unwilling to give up, the big dumpling came over and took his hand.
Ling Jingxuan shook his head helplessly and turned back to bury himself in the mushroom patch. He wasn’t lying to Xiao Baozi; there were indeed a lot of mushrooms in this cluster. Some were dull in color, while others were colorful. Edible and inedible mushrooms were mixed together, but he picked them all. From ancient times to the present, medicine and poison have been inseparable. Although poisonous mushrooms cannot be eaten, they can be used to make poisons. The three of them lived alone at the foot of the mountain, and their bodies were as thin as bamboo poles. How could they survive without something to protect them?
“This is…”
He quickly sorted and picked a large pile of mushrooms. Just as he was about to get up, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a red light flashing in the grass not far away. Driven by curiosity, Ling Jingxuan turned around and carefully parted the grass. A fist-sized, blood-red, umbrella-shaped mushroom appeared. Seeing its blood-like color, Ling Jingxuan felt a surge of excitement. Without thinking, he used his sickle to cut a piece of cloth from his clothes, carefully wrapped the mushroom and then dug it out by the roots.
Although he didn’t know the name of the mushroom, its bright red color and the fact that nothing grew within a few centimeters around it indicated that it was definitely poisonous—the perfect choice for making poison.
“Xiao Baozi, let’s get ready to go back.”
Ling Jingxuan carefully wrapped the red mushrooms and tucked them into his pocket. He then cut off several pieces of cloth to wrap the medicinal herbs, separating the edible and inedible mushrooms before getting up and walking towards Xiao Baozi, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground not far away. Their bamboo baskets were overflowing. Thinking of Da Baozi’s money-grubbing nature, Ling Jingxuan couldn’t help but shake his head. He figured if he couldn’t turn those wild grapes into money, Da Baozi would definitely betray his own family. It was a headache; he’d have to correct him when he had the chance.
“Daddy, didn’t you say you were going to help Second Uncle pick fruit?”
Greedy as he was, he hadn’t forgotten his business.
“Hehe…Isn’t that over there? Wait for me a moment.”
Pointing to a wild pear tree about ten meters away, Ling Jingxuan put down his bundle, picked up a sickle, and walked over. He had noticed the wild pear tree as soon as he arrived at this forest full of wild fruits. Ling Jinghan’s illness was actually modern-day tuberculosis, and it wasn’t very serious, at least there was no bleeding.
The main reason he couldn’t get out of bed was that he contracted the disease at a very young age and hadn’t received effective treatment, which had worn down his body. Treating early-stage tuberculosis was simple: stewed pears with rock sugar, to be drunk three times a day with meals. However, the stewed water needed to sit overnight to be effective. With some anti-inflammatory and expectorant Chinese medicine, it could be cured in at most half a month.
Snow pears certainly didn’t exist in this era but wild pears would work too. Plus, the air here was good and the wild fruits produced here had a purer flavor, so the effect should be even better than snow pears. As for rock sugar, he would ask in town another day. If they didn’t have it, he would have to make it himself, although it would be quite troublesome.
After picking four or five large, bright orange pears, Ling Jingxuan thought for a moment and then cut off a branch. On his way back, he didn’t forget to cut down a few wild grapevines; their yard was too spacious and regardless of whether they could grow, he’d just put them there.
“Daddy, what kind of fruit is this? It smells so good!”
The little boy eagerly took the fruit, inhaling deeply, drool appearing at the corner of his mouth. Seeing this, the older boy quickly snatched the fruit away, “This is Second Uncle’s medicinal ingredient. If you want some, we’ll come back to pick more next time.”
As he spoke, the older boy rolled up the hem of his shirt, tied knots at his waist, and stuffed all the large pears inside.
“I know, I was just asking,” The little boy pouted, feeling wronged. He hadn’t said he wanted any.
“Alright, we…”
Bang! Bang!
Awooo~
Ling Jingxuan was about to say that they should go back first when a terrifying roar suddenly came from the depths of the jungle, mixed with the indistinguishable howl of a wild beast. The father and his two sons were all startled. The two little buns, after regaining their senses, no longer cared about the fruit, and hugged Ling Jingxuan’s legs in terror, their faces filled with naked fear, their little bodies trembling uncontrollably.
“Don’t be afraid, Daddy will go and see.”
Sensing their fear, Ling Jingxuan patted their heads reassuringly and picked up the sickle he had just put down. If he wasn’t mistaken, that howl should be from a wolf and an adult wolf at that. His heart sank. For the first time, he sincerely hoped that he was wrong. If he were alone, even if his physical condition was not good, with the abilities of his previous life, it wouldn’t be difficult to avoid the attack of a wolf. But now, he really had no confidence that he could keep the three of them unharmed from the wolf’s jaws.
“Daddy…don’t go.”
“Daddy, I’m scared…”
The two little boys grabbed him from either side, their identical big eyes brimming with tears. However, they both tacitly held back their sobs. Seeing this, Ling Jingxuan’s heart tightened. He turned and hugged them gently, comforting them, “Don’t be afraid, Daddy will protect you. Have you forgotten that Daddy knows martial arts?”
“But those are wild beasts! What if…what if something happens to Daddy? What will we do?”
The usually mature and sensible older boy finally revealed the fear and apprehension of a five-year-old. Ling Jingxuan felt incredibly sorry for him. He would rather be scolded by his son every day than see him like this.
“Alright, alright, don’t cry. Let’s hurry and leave before the wolves come.”
This was clearly not the place to slowly soothe them. Ling Jingxuan tenderly kissed their cheeks and turned to pick up his bamboo basket.
Thump—
“Ah, waaaah…Daddy, I’m scared…”
“Ah…Daddy…”
But fate seemed to be playing a cruel joke on them. Before he could even stand up, a blood-soaked body fell from the sky and rolled to their feet. The two boys couldn’t hold back any longer and clung to his legs, wailing loudly. Ling Jingxuan had no choice but to put down his bamboo basket again and comfort them with heartache, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, Daddy’s here.”
Over their shoulders, his eyes suddenly turned icy cold as he shot towards the blood-soaked figure lying not far away. From the slight rise and fall of his back, it was clear that he was still alive. As for his injuries, that was none of his concern. He had no interest in the life or death of others. From his past life to this one, his nature had not changed in the slightest. People who didn’t care about him wouldn’t feel the slightest pity even if they died in front of him. Because he had seen too much death, his heart was already numb!
“Waaah… Daddy… Daddy…”
Burying their heads in his neck, the two boys cried until they were almost breathless, their thin, frail bodies trembling like leaves.
Awooo!
Suddenly, a massive creature, entirely black except for a patch of white on its head and limbs, landed in front of them, no more than five meters away. Ling Jingxuan’s heart tightened. He reflexively pushed the two boys behind him, grabbed the scythe lying on the ground and his narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes flashed with icy killing intent. The murderous aura accumulated over countless years as an assassin surged forth, but…
Thump!
“Woo woof…”
The once majestic and strong black wolf collapsed to the ground with a thud, and painful whimpers flowed from between its fangs. Ling Jingxuan looked closely and realized that it was covered in wounds and in a moment, blood had pooled on the ground.
“Don’t be afraid, it’s dying. I’ll go check on it.”
The boys hiding behind him clung tightly to his clothes, too scared to even cry. Ling Jingxuan patted their hands and gently pulled them away. This time, the two boys didn’t stop him, not because they didn’t want to, but because they were too terrified to stop.
“Woo-woo…”
Seemingly sensing his approach, the dying black wolf suddenly howled. Its previously cloudy eyes blazed with murderous intent, its beastly nature fully unleashed and its sharp fangs gleamed with a chilling light. An ordinary person would likely have collapsed to the ground in terror but Ling Jingxuan merely chuckled coldly, gripped his sharp scythe, and leaped into the air.
Awooo~
“Pfft!”
The slender scythe pierced the black wolf’s neck with pinpoint accuracy, blood gushing out. Ling Jingxuan, wielding the scythe, was instantly covered in blood. The two little boys nearby clung to each other in fear. A sinister smile slowly spread across his blood-stained, delicate face, like a real-life god of death descending. Fortunately, his back was to the children, so no one saw it; otherwise, they would have been scared to death. He was terrifying!
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Translator: LazyHermitGal
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal. A little support goes a long way! If you’d like to help me keep creating, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/lazyhermitgal
