On the grasslands, a wolf pack surged like a torrent, racing towards the four individuals.
The dense pack, numbering over a hundred, was a sight even Helian Lanruo, who had lived on the grasslands for over a decade, had never witnessed before.
"Run!"
Upon seeing the staggering number of wolves, Helian Lanruo shouted urgently.
"It's too late."
Li Ziye and Wen Xiuru drew their swords as they watched the oncoming wolves.
Ahead of them, Bai Wangyu calmed his horse before dismounting and pointing his sword forward.
"Can we kill them all?"
Li Ziye stepped forward and asked.
"Even if we can't, we must."
Bai Wangyu replied solemnly, "Brother Li, take care of yourself."
"Heh."
Li Ziye chuckled lightly, "Do you really think I need your protection? Just kidding, just make sure Princess Lanruo is safe."
"Brother Li, seeing you act so chivalrously is something both the master and I are not quite used to."
From behind, Wen Xiuru stepped forward, smiling at the approaching wolf pack.
"She's a princess; if something happens to her here, we'll have no explanation."
Li Ziye then turned to Little Red Riding Hood and said with a smile, "Old Bai, this mess isn't my doing. I won't take the blame. I said this morning I didn't want to come, but you insisted. And it was your horse that startled them. If Law and Confucianism asks later, you're carrying the can."
"Alright." Bai Wangyu replied calmly.
Facing a life-and-death crisis, the three of them showed no fear, instead joking amongst themselves, their composure in stark contrast to their previous frivolity.
Behind them, Helian Lanruo, seeing the three men's calm conversation, felt her own anxiety gradually subside.
Perhaps, they really could make it back alive.
"Awooo!"
The wolves' howls echoed across the open grassland, traveling far without mountains or walls to impede them.
"The howl of the wolves!"
Far away, the Great Sovereign of Helian heard the howling from the north, his expression tightening.
"It seems the wolves have found their prey."
A Helian tribe relative remarked.
"It's getting late; we should head back."
The Great Sovereign glanced at the sky and said, "Where's Lanruo? Why hasn't she returned?"
"She seems to be with those three from the Confucian School," another Helian relative added.
"Send someone to bring them back immediately," the Great Sovereign of Helian ordered with a frown.
The Helian warriors had all returned, yet Princess Lanruo was nowhere to be seen.
"Has anyone seen the princess?" the Great Sovereign scanned the crowd and demanded.
"Great Sovereign, the princess hasn't returned yet?"
At that moment, Ao Qiong hurried forward, surprised, "Earlier, I saw the princess heading north with those from the Confucian School. She hasn't returned yet. Could she have encountered the wolves?"
"This is bad."
Hearing this, the Great Sovereign thought of the earlier wolf howls, his expression changing as he ordered, "Mount up, everyone. We're going to save the princess."
With that, the Great Sovereign leaped onto his warhorse and galloped northward.
The Helian warriors, upon hearing the command, mounted their horses without delay and followed swiftly.
Across the wilderness, hundreds of warriors rode north to rescue the potentially endangered Princess Lanruo.
Meanwhile, to the north, amidst the boundless wilderness, over a hundred wolves charged closer to the four individuals.
"Brother Li, how much of the Vast Righteousness Chapter martial arts have you learned?" Bai Wangyu asked, watching the approaching pack.
"I've learned a bit of both palm and sword techniques."
Li Ziye replied calmly, "Though not as proficient as you, it's enough."
"Good."
Bai Wangyu nodded, "Wen Xiuru, Brother Li, let's give them a big one, with the spirit of gentlemen."
"A combined move? I shall follow your lead."
Wen Xiuru chuckled, "Brother Li, don't hold us back."
"Fuck you."
Li Ziye retorted, "My swordsmanship is excellent; I was just being modest with you."
"That's good to hear!" Wen Xiuru laughed.
"Awooo!"
As dusk fell and the wolves' howls shook the earth, they were upon them in a blink.
"Brother Li, Wen Xiuru!" Bai Wangyu shouted.
As he spoke, Bai Wangyu's body surged with righteous energy, his sword pressure sweeping across the land as he initiated his attack.
Beside him, Li Ziye and Wen Xiuru drew their swords in unison, their righteous energy stirring the winds.
Together, the pressure around them plummeted, the winds howled, and their sword pressure soared with earth-shaking might.
"Awooo!"
"The spirit of gentlemen!"
The wolves charged, and sword energy surged!
On the wilderness, as the two forces clashed, the swords of the three men slashed down simultaneously, unleashing a torrent of sword energy that left blood raining and limbs flying.
With one strike, they shocked the world.
Before them, a swath of wolves fell, their blood staining the earth.
Behind, Helian Lanruo watched, her expression filled with awe.
Human strength could reach such heights!
"Awooo!"
Yet, the wolves of the grasslands were not so easily cowed. After a brief panic, the pack swiftly encircled the three men, continuing their fearless charge.
Seeing this, Li Ziye and the others repositioned themselves into a triangular formation, each blocking a direction, cutting down the attacking wolves.
Before long, they were drenched in blood—not their own, but that of the wolves.
The wolves were ferocious, and even the three skilled martial artists dared not be careless, delivering each sword strike with full force, leaving no survivors.
Gradually, the bodies of the wolves piled up before them, almost forming a mountain.
However, the wolves seemed endless, and their target began to shift.
Suddenly, a wolf broke through the defense and lunged at Helian Lanruo in the center.
"Ah!"
Faced with the gaping maw, Helian Lanruo seemed petrified, screaming as her body froze.
"Princess."
Bai Wangyu's face changed, and he rushed forward, using his arm to block the wolf's bite.
With a ripping sound, his robe tore, and blood gushed, staining his white Confucian robe.
"Old Bai!"
"Master Brother."
Li Ziye and Wen Xiuru's expressions changed at the sight.
"Don't get distracted, I'm fine!"
Bai Wangyu beheaded the wolf with a single stroke and said sternly, quickly tearing his robe to bind the wound on his arm.
"We can't go on like this!"
Seeing the endless wolves, Li Ziye looked into the distance and said gravely, "To catch the bandits, first catch their king. Hold this position; I'll find the wolf king."
With that, Li Ziye wasted no time and charged into the pack.
"Brother Li, be careful!" Bai Wangyu called out anxiously.
The wolves were relentless, swarming from all directions as Li Ziye maneuvered through them, avoiding direct conflict and seeking to break through and find the wolf king behind them.
In the sky, night fell, and the moon rose, casting a frosty glow over the land.
"Awooo!"
Under the moonlight, a white wolf howled, its stature immense, three times the size of a normal wolf, like a small hill with an imposing aura.
Around the white wolf, a faint glow flickered as if it was absorbing the moonlight to temper its body.
What was more astonishing was that the white wolf's eyes were also white—a White-Eyed Wolf King, a rarity of a century.
The White-Eyed Wolf King watched the battle, guiding the pack with its howls.
All creatures have spirits, and the mutated white wolf's intelligence was no less than that of humans.
It knew that these four were no ordinary people, and their flesh would enhance its power even further.
"Awooo."
Seeing the pack unable to overcome, the white wolf howled again, summoning more wolves to join the fray.
"Fuck your awooo!"
Just then, from afar, a sword flew like a fiery meteor, slashing towards the white wolf.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas