Chapter 52 – Selling the Wolf

Chapter 52 - Selling the Wolf

Indeed, when luck comes knocking, there's no stopping it; one could even stumble upon wealth while strolling down the road.

Wei Dahu squatted down and prodded the lifeless gray wolf lying before him. This wolf was enormous, nearly three times the size of the village's largest yellow dog. Two deep bloody holes adorned its neck, with the spilled blood seeping into the mud beneath it. Feeling its body, Wei Dahu noticed it had already started to stiffen.

Even in death, the wolf exuded a fierce aura distinct from others of its kind.

The pool of blood on the ground—was it shed during its desperate escape or after being dragged out by its packmates post-mortem?

Having abstained from the nocturnal commotion, Wei Dahu didn't bother with the pack's activities. Encountering three or five wolves was one thing, but he wasn't foolish enough to seek entertainment among a wolf pack. Nevertheless, he couldn't shake off the curiosity. The howling in the northwest lasted half the night before gradually subsiding. Initially, he planned to explore that direction, figuring that if it was indeed a battle for the wolf throne, one of the two combatants would inevitably perish. With such a golden opportunity at hand, he decided to test his luck.

No matter how united a wolf pack might be, they wouldn't linger around a defeated wolf's corpse indefinitely. Besides, if the wolf king lost and a new ruler ascended, he doubted the deceased king would still have "loyal subjects" by its side. Even if they were willing, the new king would surely drive them out of the pack.

A lone wolf disconnected from its pack held no terror for Wei Dahu.

Thus, as dawn broke, he extinguished the fire and set off towards the northwest. After about an hour and a half, the pungent scent of blood reached his nostrils. Following the odor, he stumbled upon this gray wolf that had been dead for an indeterminate amount of time, sprawled on the road.

Its fur was drenched in blood, indicating a fierce battle. It bore numerous wounds of varying sizes, particularly two bloody holes on its neck. Wei Dahu examined the body and determined that these were the fatal injuries. Perhaps the victorious new wolf king had no interest in further conflict, allowing this wounded wolf to flee so far before succumbing to its wounds.

Wei Dahu gently touched its stiff fur, which was far from the softness of fox fur. However, this pelt wasn't meant for warmth; wealthy families could afford more luxurious and warmer fox fur capes. Wolf pelts had their own market, especially those of a wolf king.

Hanging such a pelt at home would deter even malevolent spirits. Not to mention the unworldly gentlemen outside, even Wei Dahu, looking at this defeated wolf king, felt a slight itch to hang it as a guardian in his house. This king, who had led countless battles and commanded a pack with a single howl, still conveyed a visual sense of power despite now being a cold corpse.

The deceased wolf king had once been a ruler.

Wei Dahu reached into its abdomen and lifted the heavy body, feeling its weight of at least a hundred pounds on his shoulder. He was glad he hadn't joined the wolf pack's commotion last night. The new wolf king must have been ferocious to oust this one. He came to the mountains for money, not to vie for the wolf throne. He didn't want to return home injured, causing his wife worry.

Finding a wolf king's corpse brought Wei Dahu an exhilarating thrill of a fortunate discovery. He hadn't encountered any significant creatures along the way; even the wolves that followed him at midnight eventually fled. He promised his wife he'd spend at most one night in the mountains and had no intention of venturing deeper. He merely wanted to explore and, if lucky, take on a big game. If not, hunting a wild boar or deer would suffice – more silver and meat were always welcome.

Unexpectedly, his first venture inward led to such a stroke of luck.

As Wei Dahu prepared to leave with the wolf king's body, rustling sounds came from the nearby woods. He paused, glancing in that direction.

Behind the tree trunk, two wolves, one large and one small, were hiding. As Wei Dahu looked over, his gaze met the icy, ruthless eyes of the she-wolf. Instinctively, the she-wolf recoiled slightly, but the cub beside her lifted its neck and let out two mournful howls at the corpse of the wolf king on Wei Dahu's shoulder.

The cub's voice was still immature, much like its frail body. Nevertheless, it possessed immense courage, showing no fear towards the human who could potentially pose a threat to its life. It gazed sorrowfully at its defeated father.

A slight stirring occurred in Wei Dahu's heart. He turned his head to glance at the wolf king's corpse on his shoulder, hesitated for a moment, and then threw it back into the pool of blood.

Advancing a short distance, he stood from afar, observing the direction of the wolf king's corpse. He saw the she-wolf leading the cub cautiously forward. She bent down to lick the wolf king's body, then took two steps back, nudging the cub closer.

The cub approached and began licking the already dried blood on the wolf king's neck.

The she-wolf and her pup cast one last glance at the lifeless body of the wolf king before they began to retreat slowly into the depths of the forest. Before leaving, the she-wolf's icy gaze fixated on Wei Dahu's position, then without turning back, she turned and departed.

Wei Dahu stood in place for a long while. The mother and her cub did not return. The scent of blood would undoubtedly attract other beasts. Thus, he stepped forward and hoisted the wolf king's corpse back onto his shoulders.

On his way back, he didn't pause even once. He took shortcuts and hurried as fast as he could, finally reaching the town just as the sun was at its highest point.

Upon entering the town with the carcass of a hundred-pound gray wolf slung over his shoulder, he immediately drew a series of gasps.

"Whoa, is that... a wolf?"

"Wolves can be this large? Aren't they usually scrawny?"

"Fool! You're talking about the wolves in storybooks that descend from the mountains during famines to eat people. Starving wolves would indeed be skin and bones! But this hunter is carrying a robust gray wolf on his shoulder. How did he catch it?"

"Is it dead? It must be dead, right? It won't suddenly jump up and bite, will it?"

"It's definitely a dead wolf. Look at the blood on the hunter's body..."

The crowd, who had been heading in different directions, now followed closely behind him, wherever Wei Dahu went. They whispered among themselves, pointing at the gray wolf on his shoulder. None of them had ever seen such a fierce wolf; its brutal aura was overwhelming, even its corpse appeared terrifying!

Some children were frightened into tears, and their parents quickly covered their eyes, not wanting them to see such a menacing creature, for fear that they might have nightmares at night.

Among the crowd stood a middle-aged man dressed in expensive clothing. He looked both excited and scared as he gazed at the gray wolf and called out, "Hey, hunter, um... would you, would you sell that gray wolf on your shoulder?"

When the hunter turned to look at him, the man trembled in fear, stammering as he spoke.

No wonder he was timid. The hunter was an unusually sturdy man, and on top of that, he was carrying a rather large gray wolf, a complete one with all its limbs intact, not just a pelt. The man's usual leisure activities were limited to betting on cricket fights or cockfights. To have a wild beast like a wolf, which only appeared during famines to prey on humans and was never seen otherwise, standing right before him was surreal.

Even though it was just a corpse, he could vividly imagine its sharp, ferocious fangs from its tightly closed mouth.

If it were alive, it could rip apart an adult human with its bare jaws.

The news spread like wildfire, and people rushed to invite their friends and relatives to witness the spectacle. There's a wolf! A hunter has brought in a huge gray wolf into town! Come quickly and see!

The townsfolk flocked to where the hunter was, with daring young lads begging their elders to take them along. However, no matter how curious the young girls were, they were kept indoors by their families, forbidden from stepping out.

In less than fifteen minutes, Wei Dahu's location was swarmed with people.

Finding an empty spot, he tossed the wolf king's body onto the ground and addressed the crowd, "This is a wolf king. Its fur is entirely gray without a hint of any other color. Its teeth are razor-sharp, and it's in its prime." With that, he squatted down, pried open the wolf's mouth for all to see, and casually plucked a few tufts of its fur.

He didn't mention how the wolf had died but instead turned to the affluent middle-aged man who had first spoken, "I brought it here to sell. I won't skin it; it's the entire creature. Are you interested?"

"You, you give me a price!" The middle-aged man still stammered as he looked at him.

"Sixty taels," said Wei Dahu.

"Sixty taels? You're robbing me blind!" The middle-aged man was furious, "Top-quality wolf pelts in the fur shops fetch no more than twenty-some taels. You want sixty taels for this unskinned, bloody mess? Do you think I'm ignorant of market prices?"

"You mentioned wolf pelts, but is my offering just any wolf pelt?" Wei Dahu's expression grew impatient. He pointed at the daunting wolf king's corpse on the ground. To compare an ordinary wolf pelt with this one, were you trying to pull a scam?

So what if it's dirty? Didn't it just engage in a fierce battle last night? Would it die if there wasn't blood on its body?

Wei Dahu was too lazy to argue with him. He sold goods based on fate; he and this man simply had no such connection.

Some people around them tried to haggle, hoping he could lower the price by a few taels. After all, the middle-aged man had a point - top-quality wolf furs in the fur shop only cost around twenty taels. Yet Wei Dahu was asking for sixty, almost tripling the price!

Wei Dahu remained steadfast, even thinking that sixty taels was too low. If he took this wolf to the county, he could sell it for more than a hundred taels. As before, those who could afford to buy a wolf pelt wouldn't mind an extra couple of silver coins. They could afford warmer and softer fox furs; instead of tanning the wolf skin for clothing, it would be more impressive to hang the entire head with its skin on the wall at home.

Of course, he had no interest in knowing what others would do with the purchase. The price was fixed at sixty taels - take it or leave it. He wasn't budging on the price.

There were wealthy people in the town, but not everyone had the audacity to spend sixty taels on a dead wolf immediately. Even if they were eager and desired it, they'd have to consider whether their wives would kick them out along with the wolf.

Moreover, this hunter truly wasn't open to negotiation! He wouldn't budge even for a single coin!

As more onlookers gathered, Wei Dahu grew increasingly annoyed. There weren't many farm chores in the village at the moment, so many young men came to town seeking odd jobs. He didn't want his acquaintances to see him selling the wolf, as it might spark gossip back in the village.

The crowd thickened, and Wei Dahu was about to carry the wolf away when a servant-like boy pushed through, raising his hand and shouting, "Make way, make way! Hey, hunter selling the wolf, my young master wants your wolf!"

With that, he pulled out a pouch from his chest and tossed it towards Wei Dahu.

Behind him, the young master he had addressed was struggling to emerge from the crowd, shielded by two guards.

Wei Dahu ignored them, reaching out to take the money pouch. He tore it open and peered inside. One gold ingot and two silver ingots – one gold was worth fifty taels, while two silver were worth ten. Sixty taels was neither too much nor too little.

With the money in hand, Wei Dahu nodded at the servant and pushed his way through the crowd to leave.

"Author's Note"

Second installment - 3 -

I seem to have caught a cold with a headache. I'll need to rest today, fearing that I might miss an update tomorrow. 0,0