Chapter 58: The Wolf Has Arrived!

Chapter 58: The Wolf Has Arrived!

Fortunately, though the cliff appeared steep, there were some protruding rock ledges that could serve as footholds. With the vine’s support, Ye Qing’s descent, which seemed dangerous, was actually quite steady. Apart from overcoming the fear of the several-hundred-meter-deep abyss below the cliff, everything else went smoothly.

Soon, she safely descended to the stone platform and reached out to move the large rock pressing on the little mountain goblin.

As soon as the rock was moved, she saw that the little creature’s leg was twisted and dislocated, with the external injuries horribly mangled.

The little mountain goblin was very weak, so Ye Qing didn’t dare to be careless. She quickly infused the creature with some healing energy to ensure its survival.

Then she carefully pulled the baby mountain goblin out of the crevice, examined its dislocated leg, and confirmed it was a comminuted fracture. Without hesitation, she needled the area around the fracture to numb the creature’s pain and swiftly reset the leg bone, while pouring copious amounts of wood-based energy into the shattered bone.

Within three to five minutes, the little mountain goblin’s fractured leg bones began to heal and fuse at an astonishing speed, and the previously dislocated joints were back in place, looking completely normal again.

The baby mountain goblin, aware of the changes in its body, stared at Ye Qing with wide, astonished eyes, no longer crying out in agony as it had before.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Ye Qing secured the baby mountain goblin to her body, tugged on the vine a few times, and shouted upwards:

"Alright! Pull me up now!"

Meng Jia had been closely watching the situation from above, her heart in her throat for nearly ten minutes, fearing something might go wrong and cause Ye Qing to fall.

Hearing Ye Qing’s call, she immediately signaled the two siblings to start pulling up the vine, and she also rushed to help.

It wasn’t just Meng Jia; the two siblings standing above, who were securing the vine, had long been drenched in cold sweat. Upon hearing Ye Qing say it was time, it was like music to their ears, and they immediately exerted all their strength to rapidly haul the vine upwards.

As most of the vine had been pulled up and Ye Qing was about to ascend, an urgent voice suddenly called out from below to stop them:

"Wait! Don’t pull yet!"

This shout made the three above flinch, their expressions changing instantly.

Unsure why Ye Qing had called for an emergency stop, Gu Weinan asked anxiously, "Master, what’s wrong? Is everything alright?"

Ye Qing was still about four to five meters from the cliff, but to her left, about two arm spans away, a dense patch of low shrubs was hiding a palmate-leaf plant. It was the last medicinal herb Ye Qing had been searching for throughout the day since entering the mountain.

Because the herb was hidden beneath the shrubs, it was completely obscured from view if one looked down from above the cliff. It was impossible to spot.

But by chance, as Ye Qing was secured by the vine and on her way back up after rescuing the baby mountain goblin, she happened to glance up at the shrubs nearby and spotted a great discovery.

"First, let’s get the baby mountain goblin up!"

Ye Qing moved closer to the shrubs and took another careful look, confirming that the compound leaf plant was indeed the medicinal herb she was searching for before signaling to those above her to continue pulling the vine.

After finally making it back to the clifftop, hardly able to catch her breath, the mother mountain goblin rushed up anxiously, attempting to grab the baby mountain goblin from Ye Qing's arms.

Ye Qing quickly spoke to the mother mountain goblin in a soft voice, "Don’t worry, your baby has a leg injury. I need to stitch and bandage it first before you can take him away."

To avoid suspicion, Ye Qing had only secretly healed the baby mountain goblin's broken leg at the foot of the cliff. She hadn’t touched the external wounds—those were just superficial wounds. Though they looked frightening, they would heal and scab over within ten to fifteen days after stitching.

Whether the mother mountain goblin understood Ye Qing or not, she calmed down and no longer tried to snatch her baby. Instead, she stood two steps away, watching her child intently.

Ye Qing quickly pulled out a sewing needle. With no thread, she gestured for the mother mountain goblin to come closer and plucked several thick, long hairs. She used these hairs as suturing thread.

The mother mountain goblin cooperated fully, allowing Ye Qing to pluck several hairs without flinching, even wincing at the pain, her eyes fixed on Ye Qing as she stitched the baby mountain goblin's wounds.

The strange yet harmonious scene left the three onlookers wide-eyed in shock.

After cleaning and carefully stitching the wound, Ye Qing found some herbs nearby, which she crushed into a paste and applied to the sutured wound. She then tore her old handkerchief into strips of cloth and bandaged the wound before removing the silver needles.

Once everything was done, Ye Qing handed the baby back to the mother.

The mother mountain goblin quickly came forward, hugging her baby, fussing over him, scratching and grooming his thick fur. After a while, she placed the baby mountain goblin on her back.

Turning to Ye Qing, the mother mountain goblin patted her chest and let out a series of howls, as if expressing her gratitude.

Ye Qing smiled and waved, and the mother mountain goblin nimbly climbed up a nearby old birch tree, disappearing from sight after a few swift leaps.

Once both mountain goblins were gone, Ye Qing noticed the three behind her staring at her with admiration and awe.

In this era, supernatural phenomena were not to be mentioned due to special circumstances. However, their expressions clearly showed that they believed Ye Qing must know some kind of magic. Otherwise, how could she encounter foxes, mountain goblins, and other mystical creatures, all of which behaved so obediently around her?

Ye Qing, however, wasn't concerned with what the three were thinking. Her mind was entirely focused on the medicinal herb she had spotted at the foot of the cliff.

Clearly, while Changbai Mountain was rich in species, the last medicinal herb she needed was quite unique. It was likely not well-suited for growth in this region of Northeast China, which is why it took her so long to find just one plant.

It was a glimmer of hope. As long as there was one plant to use as a mother specimen, Ye Qing could produce thousands more. Excited, she urged the four of them, "Stop mugging and joking around. Hurry up and lower me down again. I saw the last ingredient I was looking for, hidden under that shrub! We need to hurry while it's still daylight!"

Startled, the three quickly realized why Ye Qing had suddenly called to stop earlier when she was halfway up the cliff—she had spotted the hidden medicinal herb.

Earlier, Ye Qing's quick and efficient rescue of the mountain goblin had reassured them, so when she asked to go down again, no one objected.

With the first attempt behind them, the second went much more smoothly. Ye Qing had learned from the experience, and her descent was more skilled. She took a hoe and shovel and vigorously dug up the medicinal plant by its roots.

Once back at the cliff top, the group didn’t dare delay. They quickly packed up and hurried down the mountain.

But the mother goblin had led them astray, twisting and turning until they were thoroughly lost in the forest. As the sun began to set, they found themselves unable to find their way out. They were now hopelessly lost in the forest.

The four of them were stunned.

Ye Qing shot a sideways glance at Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei. "Didn't you two claim you could find your way back blindfolded?"

Embarrassed, the siblings quickly tried to defend themselves. "That goblin led us in such a chaotic way. We've never walked this area before, so how would we know it would be like this?"

All of them were anxious, aware of the dangers of staying in the forest at night, but bad luck often comes in waves. The more urgent the situation became, the more unlucky things seemed to happen.

As they wandered aimlessly, dark clouds suddenly gathered overhead, and before long, it began to thunder and rain.

Mountain weather is notoriously unpredictable, and the rain started pouring down. Despite their anxiety, they had no choice but to seek shelter nearby.

Luckily, Gu Weibei quickly found a cave. It wasn’t very deep, but it was spacious enough for the four of them. There was also a small pool of clear water inside, seeping from the cave walls, which they could boil for drinking.

Relieved, they took shelter in the cave to rest and wait for the rain to stop.

Gu Weibei gathered some dry, dead branches and leaves and soon got a fire going. The four huddled around it.

"If the rain doesn’t stop, we’ll have to spend the night in this cave," they said.

After hiking for several hours, all four were exhausted. They boiled a jar of hot water, drank it, and discussed their next move.

As locals, Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei were more familiar with the situation. After looking at the sky outside, they said with certainty, "..."

"This rain is probably going to last for several hours. We can't just stand here waiting. At the very least, we need to solve the dinner problem."

"You two stay here. My sister and I will go into the forest to see if we can hunt some prey!"

With that, the siblings dashed into the rain with their hunting rifles on their backs.

Sure enough, the two of them were experienced hunters born and raised in Changbai Mountain. Within about ten minutes, Ye Qing and Meng Jia had gathered a pile of dry wood to add to the nearly extinguished fire when they heard clear gunshots coming from the forest.

Before long, the siblings returned, carrying a big, dark creature.

"What did you catch?"

As soon as they saw what the siblings had brought back, Ye Qing and Meng Jia curiously gathered around.

"It’s a porcupine!"

Gu Weibei explained,

"It weighs about twenty jin. That’s a decent size for a porcupine. You have to be careful with this thing. Its body is covered in spikes, and getting pricked by one is no laughing matter!"

Ye Qing took one look and understood. A porcupine was covered in quills from head to tail. The quills were likely not poisonous, but they had barbs. When they pierced human skin, pulling them out would rip the flesh, making it very painful.

Still, judging by the size of the porcupine, once it was cleaned and roasted over the fire, it would be more than enough to feed the four of them for dinner.

Meng Jia couldn't help but ask, "You managed to catch something so quickly? You’re really skilled! No wonder you can go hunting in the mountains with the village's experienced hunters!"

Gu Weinan grinned:

"We got lucky this time. With such heavy rain, the animals were all hiding. We were hoping to find a rabbit burrow or even a drenched chicken."

"But instead, this dark-headed creature suddenly charged out of the bushes and tried to attack me."

"I reacted quickly and took it down with one shot. Otherwise, I might have ended up looking like a hedgehog!"

Pointing to the barbs on the porcupine, Gu Weinan continued:

"These quills are its defensive armor. Most large predators in the mountains are cautious of it and generally don't dare to provoke it."

"I guess it was hiding from the rain in the forest. When it heard us approaching, it probably thought it was being targeted by a predator and decided to attack first."

Ye Qing couldn't help but give Gu Weinan a thumbs-up.

"A porcupine weighing over forty pounds, even after removing the skin and organs, still leaves more than ten pounds of meat. We can use the meat to smoke and roast a suckling pig, and the remaining organs can be used to make a traditional pork offal soup. It's more than enough for us to eat."

Hearing Ye Qing's suggestion, everyone's eyes gleamed with hunger, and their stomachs conveniently rumbled in response.

Eager to eat such a delicacy, they wasted no time in dividing the tasks.

Gu Weinan and her brother immediately took out their daggers, preparing to butcher the porcupine. However, after watching for a moment, Ye Qing found it unbearable.

It was true that the siblings were excellent hunters, but their method of cleaning the carcass was too rough and lacked any finesse. If they continued like this, the porcupine's meat would end up shredded, making it impossible to roast a suckling pig.

Ye Qing's eyes twitched with frustration as she watched. After holding back, she finally couldn't bear it any longer.

"Alright, step aside, both of you. I'll handle the butchering. You two should go back into the forest and fetch more dry firewood. With this rain, the wood will soon be soaked. If we're staying here overnight, we need to prepare more wood."

Upon hearing Ye Qing's instructions, the siblings didn't hesitate and immediately went to fetch more firewood.

As a medical student with experience in anatomy, Ye Qing was more than capable of handling the dissection of an animal. As her dagger made its first incision, the porcupine, which the Gu siblings had struggled with, was quickly skinned clean.

By the time Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei returned with the firewood, a complete porcupine skin lay at Ye Qing's feet.

"That fast?!" They had only been gone for less than three minutes, and Ye Qing had already finished skinning the porcupine.

The two widened their eyes in disbelief, and even Meng Jia curiously came over to take a look.

Joking aside, she had been taught anatomy by the dean himself; if she weren’t quick, how could she have scored full marks?

Ye Qing glanced at the three of them and decided to show off her skills.

In a dazzling display, within less than five minutes, Ye Qing’s dagger moved skillfully, like a skilled butcher, dismantling the skinned porcupine with ease. The bones and meat were separated, and the organs were neatly categorized and laid out.

The entire process flowed smoothly, and as she worked, Ye Qing explained to Gu Weinan and Meng Jia, pointing out the joints, explaining where to make incisions, and what to watch out for when cutting certain organs.

Realizing that Ye Qing was giving another impromptu lesson, Gu Weinan and Meng Jia immediately dropped their casual expressions and listened attentively.

Gu Weibei, on the other hand, looked stunned, his jaw almost dropping.

"Damn," he thought, "This Educated Youth Sister is amazing! Not only can she castrate pigs, but she can also skin and dissect a porcupine so effortlessly. How does she do it?"

It must be said, Ye Qing’s butchering was incredibly clean and neat, leaving the meat and bones perfectly separated. After applying a coating of seasoning to the wild boar meat and briefly marinating it, they skewered the meat and placed it over the charcoal fire for grilling.

The internal organs were sliced and placed in a clay pot for stewing. Gu Weinan also added some wild mountain leeks, minced wild ginger, and a handful of wild chives and mushrooms she had gathered while collecting firewood. Soon, a pot of offal soup was ready.

The four of them sat by the fire, drinking the offal soup while waiting for the roast suckling wild boar to cook.

The small jar of seasoning that Ye Qing brought was made from various spices, salt, peanuts, sesame, crispy sugar, and other ingredients. The marinated meat was exceptionally fragrant, and as the wild boar meat’s oil slowly dripped onto the charcoal, the aroma soon filled the forest, making everyone’s mouths water.

Curious, Meng Jia asked, "Master, what seasoning are you using? It smells amazing!"

Without turning her head, Ye Qing rattled off the spice names. "Oh, it’s a blend of powdered Chinese herbs, star anise, fennel, nutmeg, angelica dahurica..."

The three were overwhelmed by the list of names. They hadn’t even heard of many of these herbs, and the fact that they could be used as seasoning surprised them, making them feel as if they had learned something new.

Seeing their surprise, Ye Qing smiled and glanced at the roasting wild boar over the fire, a mischievous thought crossing her mind.

"Traditional Chinese medicine is pretty amazing. My seasoning is nothing out of the ordinary. There are even more unusual ingredients that traditional Chinese medicine practitioners often use. For example, do you know what Zi He Che is?"

The three shook their heads in unison.

"It’s the placenta, used primarily to nourish qi, blood, and essence."

As soon as she said this, their expressions turned strange, clearly shocked by the idea of using a human placenta in medicine.

But Ye Qing wasn’t satisfied yet and continued, "Do you know what Ye Ming Sha, Wang Yue Sha, and Zuo Pan Long are?"

The three wore confused expressions.

Ye Qing explained with a smile, "Ye Ming Sha is bat feces, Wang Yue Sha is rabbit feces, and Zuo Pan Long is pigeon feces. They are all traditional Chinese herbs."

Their expressions changed drastically, and the bowls of offal soup suddenly lost their appeal.

She didn’t stop there and added, "And do you know what Ren Zhong Huang is?"

The three of them stood up and walked out together.

Given the talk of people and something yellow, even a fool could guess what it was.

Seeing the expressions and reactions of the three, Ye Qing couldn't help bursting out laughing from behind.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, the roast suckling pig was finally cooked to perfection—crispy on the outside and tender inside—and ready to eat.

The three, who had been feeling queasy from the earlier mention of medicinal names by Ye Qing, quickly forgot about the interlude and gathered around, ready to enjoy the feast.

Ye Qing took the dagger, intending to hand it to Gu Weibei to start cutting, but at that moment, she happened to look up and met a pair of greenish eyes in the woods.

The moment her eyes met a pair of greenish eyes in the woods, Ye Qing's heart skipped a beat, and her hair stood on end.

"Damn it! Gu Weinan, Gu Weibei, get your weapons!"

Ye Qing immediately whispered urgently to the Gu siblings, "Get your weapons!"

Hearing Ye Qing, Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei thought she meant to take out their knives to cut the meat, so they quickly reached for their daggers.

Ye Qing was on the verge of tears, so anxious that she was sweating, and gave them frantic eye signals.

"No! The guns! Quick, grab the guns! A wolf is coming!"

The two siblings froze for a moment and instinctively looked behind them.

What they saw left them frozen in place.

Just a few steps from the cave, a grey coyote stood dominantly in the dark rain, its gaze fixed on them.

The four of them instantly felt as if they were facing a formidable adversary.

Gu Weibei reacted the fastest, quickly shouldering his hunting rifle and handing another one to Gu Weinan.

Wolves are pack animals; if one appears, there are usually at least three to five together.

With one appearing outside their cave, it meant there were likely several more lurking nearby.

But just as the tension peaked, a strange, shrill whistle echoed through the woods. Upon hearing the whistle, the coyote turned around and ran back into the forest.

After hearing the whistle, both Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei were momentarily stunned. They exchanged a glance before suddenly shouting loudly towards the forest outside:

"Big brother, is that you?"

A few seconds later, there was indeed a response from within the forest:

"It's me!"

As soon as they heard Gu Weidong's familiar voice, everyone immediately felt relieved. However, thinking of the wolf from just now, Gu Weinan couldn't wait to warn:

"Big brother, be careful! There was just a wolf in the forest. Be sure to check your surroundings and make sure you're not being encircled by a pack!"

There was no sound from the forest, but after a short while, Gu Weidong came into everyone's view.

He was holding a weakly lit flashlight, with Yang Dazhi behind him. Both of their clothes had been soaked by the mountain rain, but upon seeing the four people standing in the cave, their worried hearts finally settled.

"What are you all doing here?" Yang Dazhi asked. "Didn't we agree that you'd just take a quick walk outside, gather some herbs, and come down the mountain by three or four in the afternoon? How did you end up so deep in the forest, and why aren't you going home at night? Do you have any idea how worried sick Mom, Dad, and the village cadres have been looking for you?"

Yang Dazhi, who usually didn't talk much, couldn't help but scold them as well:

"Especially you two! Ye Qing and Meng Qing aren't from around here, so I can understand, but you two are local. Don't you know how dangerous it is to be in the deep mountains of Changbai Mountain at night?"

"You're being too reckless!"

Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei hung their heads in shame, not daring to meet their big brother and brother-in-law's eyes.

Ye Qing immediately felt embarrassed. Honestly, she was the oldest among the group. But the reason they were stuck in the deep mountains today was her fault. If she hadn't insisted on following that mountain spirit, they wouldn't have gotten lost and would have definitely been down the mountain by three or four in the afternoon.

She quickly explained to the furious Yang Dazhi:

"Dazhi, please come inside and warm up by the fire first. This isn't Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei's fault. It's my responsibility. We encountered an unexpected situation that held us back."

Saying that, Ye Qing led the two into the cave and explained about their encounter with the mountain spirit.

Meanwhile, the Gu siblings quickly tended to the fire, and Meng Jia served them each a bowl of hot pig offal soup.

After hearing Ye Qing's explanation of how the four of them rescued the baby mountain spirit, Yang Dazhi looked amazed:

"You actually encountered a ghost baboon? Those things are extremely fierce. The old hunters in the mountains say they dare to fight with bears and often come out on top. Did it hurt any of you guys?"

Gu Weinan immediately began to brag:

"Of course not, Ye Qing is incredible. With just a few words of reassurance, the mountain goblin immediately calmed down. Not just the mountain goblin, she can even deal with the fox spirit. After this trip into the mountain, she's practically become the friend of all the animals here."

Gu Weidong turned his gaze to Ye Qing:

"So you even ran into a fox? It sounds like you had quite the adventure in the mountains?"

Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei quickly chimed in, describing what had happened in the mountain. They focused on how they had been surrounded by a group of squirrels and how Ye Qing had helped them break free.

As Gu Weidong imagined Ye Qing charging through a horde of squirrels, a glimmer of amusement flashed in his eyes. He was about to ask how Ye Qing had resolved the situation and even brought back two baskets of pine nuts, when suddenly, Meng Jia pointed toward the rain-soaked darkness, her voice trembling:

"It's the wolf! It’s back!"

At these words, the group immediately stopped chatting and turned to look outside.

As soon as Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei saw the green eyes, the two brothers panicked and hurriedly reached for their guns.

But just then, Gu Weidong smiled calmly and said:

"Don't worry, it's here for me!"

The four were instantly bewildered and looked at Gu Weidong in surprise.

Yang Dazhi hurriedly explained with a smile:

"This coyote is an old friend of my brother. He even raised it for some time. When it got dark and you hadn’t returned, Mom and Dad were so worried they asked Captain Wu for help and gathered a few strong men to come look for you in the mountain."

"But the mountain is so big, how could it be easy to find you? My brother said he would go into the mountain to look for Man Cang and have it guide us."

"To our surprise, the coyote still recognized my brother. After sniffing your belongings, it actually led us straight to you!"

Just as he finished speaking, Gu Weidong took off a strange whistle from around his neck, blew it, and waved at the coyote in the rain:

"Man Cang, come here!"

The coyote, which had been standing still in the rain, looking fierce and intimidating, immediately let out a howl and dashed straight towards the cave.

In the blink of an eye, the coyote reached Gu Weidong’s feet, its tail wagging high, rubbing against his leg with an eager look of anticipation in its eyes.

The dramatic change almost made Ye Qing's jaw drop.

Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei quickly realized what was happening and asked in surprise:

"Big brother, is this the same wolf cub from back then? How has it grown so big?!"

Seeing the confused expressions on Ye Qing and Meng Jia's faces, Gu Weibei immediately explained:

"This is Man Cang. Before our big brother joined the army, there was a year when the village organized a hunting trip into the mountains. That's when we came across it. The mother of this wolf had died, either in a fight with a leopard or some other fierce beast. The wolf cub was probably less than a month old, wounded, and weak. It stayed by its mother’s remains, nudging her body and searching for milk."

"My big brother felt sorry for the little wolf and brought it back to the village. He secretly fed the cub rice porridge for several months until it could find food on its own in the mountains. Only then did he release it back into the wild."

Gu Weinan also chimed in:

"My brother got scolded plenty for raising a wolf. He brought the cub home and lied to our mom, saying it was a wolf-dog."

"Since Man Cang was too young to eat hard food, my brother took rice from home, took it to the mill, ground it into powder, and cooked it into porridge to feed the little guy."

"Eventually, the truth was accidentally revealed, and our mom chased him all around the village with a broom. Haha! I never thought that after all these years, this wolf would grow so big!"

After hearing this story, Ye Qing couldn't help but look at Gu Weidong as he interacted with the wolf.

According to what the Gu siblings and Yang Dazhi had said, raising the wolf cub happened at least seven or eight years ago, not long after the apocalypse began. The Gu family's conditions were certainly not good back then, especially since they had also taken in Yang Dazhi. Their household must have been struggling financially.

Under those circumstances, for Gu Weidong to have secretly fed rice to a wolf was the definition of a mischievous child.

When his mother, Cuilan, found out, she must have been livid. Ye Qing could easily imagine the chaotic scene of Cuilan chasing Gu Weidong with a broom, ready to give him a beating.

Now, watching the warm and harmonious scene between the man and the wolf, Ye Qing's lips curled into a smile, and her eyes softened unconsciously.

If she had a phone in hand at that moment, she would definitely capture this heartwarming scene. Paired with the fairy-tale-like story that spans seven or eight years, posting it online would surely touch many people's hearts.

Wolves generally live between twelve to sixteen years. This wolf was around eight years old, in the prime of its life. It had grown into a mature adult male, a formidable presence among the wolves in the forest. Yet, in front of Gu Weidong, it still wagged its tail and acted affectionately, its dominant and fierce aura vanishing completely.

Ye Qing suddenly remembered the time when the apocalypse had just begun, and the Golden Retriever that had been abandoned by its owner and relied only on her.

After countless battles and her occasional use of wood-element abilities to enhance the puppy's physical condition, that Golden Retriever had, over ten years, grown into a handsome and imposing dog.

"If not for the accident, its future would have been long and brilliant."

On the other side, Gu Weinan tentatively stretched out her foot, intending to reach out and touch the imposing large coyote, just like her brother.

The moment she showed any sign of approaching, the coyote turned its head, baring its teeth and showing a ferocious expression.

Gu Weinan's expression changed abruptly, and she quickly withdrew her foot, complaining, "Man Cang, don't you remember me? I took care of you too back then. Why are you so obedient and submissive to Big Brother but so fierce to me? Isn't this favoritism a bit much?"

Next to her, Gu Weibei glanced at his sister sideways and replied, "Are you talking about the time you secretly threw away the carrots and celery you didn't like and made Man Cang eat them for you?"

Caught off guard by Gu Weibei's public call-out, Gu Weinan was so angry that she immediately pounced on her brother, and the two of them argued and fought for a while before finally settling down.

Undeterred, Gu Weinan tried once again to approach the coyote.

But no matter how hard she tried to get close, the coyote completely ignored her, not even sparing her a glance, leaving Gu Weinan frustrated.

"Big Brother! Let me touch him! I've never touched a coyote this big before!"

Unable to win the coyote over, Gu Weinan shifted her target to Gu Weidong.

Having finished his bowl of hot pig offal soup, Gu Weidong finally felt his chilled body warm up. Ignoring his whining sister, he turned to Ye Qing and asked, "Do you want to touch him?"

He had noticed that Ye Qing's expression seemed off, as if she had fallen into a kind of sorrowful reverie. Not wanting to ask directly, he instead tried to divert her attention.

Ye Qing was taken aback by Gu Weidong's question.

She had stroked cats and dogs before, but she had never tried petting a coyote.

"Can I?"

Her eyes brightened, and her gaze was fixed on the coyote, a stirring in her heart.

Seeing that Ye Qing was no longer lost in thought, Gu Weidong quickly patted the coyote's head and gave a direct order:

"Full Hold, get down!"

Upon receiving the command, the coyote immediately obeyed and lay down on the ground.

"Flip over!" Gu Weidong commanded.

The coyote quickly flipped over, exposing its white belly and curling its paws in the air, transforming from a fierce jungle predator into a goofy, helpless husky.

Comparing the coyote's previous fierce and majestic demeanor in the rain with its current fluffy and silly posture, Ye Qing could hardly contain her laughter.

At Gu Weidong's signal, Ye Qing reached out to gently stroke the coyote's belly and neck. Surprisingly, the coyote was extremely cooperative and didn’t mind being petted for a long time.

Ye Qing hadn’t expected the coyote to be so gentle, and her heart melted. She turned and fetched some porcupine bones she had set aside earlier, giving them to the coyote as a reward.

The coyote cautiously examined the porcupine bones and glanced at Gu Weidong for approval before taking them into its mouth.

Ye Qing's memories surged again.

She remembered how her little golden retriever used to come to her for cuddles and affection, ignoring everyone else. The dog would only eat food given by her and nothing else.

The familiar scene made Ye Qing feel a bit dizzy, and her eyes welled up with tears, but she quickly lowered her head to hide her emotions.

Seeing how comfortably Ye Qing was petting the coyote, Gu Weibei, feeling a bit envious, quietly tried to join in. But as soon as his intentions became clear, the coyote abruptly stood up, baring its fangs and bristling, as if it were about to pounce and bite his neck. Gu Weibei was so frightened that his face turned pale.

"Hahahaha, did you think you were special? Don’t kid yourself! If Big Brother doesn’t agree, nobody gets to touch him!"

Seeing Gu Weibei also getting rejected, Gu Weinan felt a sense of balance and immediately began teasing her brother mercilessly.

After petting the coyote for a while, Ye Qing withdrew her hand. The group then sat down to eat, finishing off the entire roast suckling pig.

With their stomachs full, the rain outside finally slowed down, but the night had fallen, making it impossible to see the path down the mountain.

Since Gu Weidong’s flashlight had also run out of battery, it would be unwise to go down the mountain now. The six of them decided to stay in the cave for the night.

However, they still needed to remain vigilant, as the mountain harbored various dangers, and a wild beast could attack at any moment.

Thus, the six of them split into three teams, taking turns keeping watch and adding firewood to the campfire to ensure it would keep burning until the next morning.

As long as the fire didn't go out, wild beasts wouldn't dare to approach.

Yang Dazhi and Meng Jia were responsible for the first half of the night. Because it had recently rained, the animals were unlikely to venture out, making this the safest shift. Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei were assigned the second half, as they would have had enough rest by then, and with dawn approaching, the animals would be back in their nests, making the risk relatively low.

The early morning hours would be the most challenging. People tend to be the most drowsy during this time, while nocturnal animals would be active. It was best for Gu Weidong, Ye Qing, and Man Cang, the coyote, to take the watch during this period.

Ye Qing was in low spirits that night. She lay in the corner, unable to fall asleep, and even after replacing Yang Dazhi and Meng Jia, she remained wide awake.

Noticing Ye Qing's unusual state, after taking over from Yang Dazhi and Meng Jia, Gu Weidong sat by Ye Qing's side and, while adding firewood to the campfire, asked calmly:

"Have you ever kept a pet?"

Ye Qing was taken aback and paused before nodding slightly.

"Yes, I had a golden retriever. Someone had abandoned it, and I took it in. But before I came here, it saved my life and died."

This matter had always weighed heavily on her heart, and she had never told anyone. Ye Qing had never felt that there was anyone who understood her enough to confide in.

But it was as if the night had made her unusually vulnerable and sensitive. Seeing Gu Weidong's calm, composed eyes, Ye Qing suddenly felt an impulse. She wanted to talk to him about her past.