Night slowly fell, and the thick darkness stained everything like ink.
Martin and his group seized the time, meticulously checked their equipment, arranged their tents, and then skillfully mounted their horses.
Wielding their long whips, they drove the slaves deeper into the Luoqiu Mountains.
As they traveled, Beitan, full of confusion, couldn't help but ask Martin, "Young Master, logically speaking, the Shadow Wolves pack should have been discovered by now. There are many mercenaries nearby, but there's no news from the town at all. This is truly strange."
Martin looked at his confused expression, a smile playing on his lips, and explained, "A month ago, Vali and I came to the outer reaches of the Luoqiu Mountains to hunt, and we accidentally discovered a small pack of Shadow Wolves migrating here."
"At that time, Vali led me and several Bronze Knights in pursuit. We found them in a very secluded valley."
"The pack wasn't large, only about ten or so. Considering the small number, and that it was daytime, capturing them easily led to the death of the Shadow Wolves, so we retreated without disturbing them."
"Before leaving, Vali set up magical items around the valley to make it difficult for others to detect their presence. This morning before we set off, Vali and I reached an agreement: in exchange for 10 bottles of Knight Power cultivation potions, this batch of Shadow Wolves would belong to me."
As Martin spoke, he carefully searched the winding and rugged mountain path, relying on the route in his memory.
Time quietly passed, and before they knew it, it was the middle of the night. Everyone finally stumbled and fumbled their way to the hidden valley, looking at it.
Martin reined in his horse and calmly began to deploy the plan: "In a moment, have the slaves charge into the valley."
"Adult Shadow Wolves are comparable in strength to a Knight Attendant, and they can move through the night without leaving any trace. It's precisely because of this special skill that the price of Shadow Wolves has remained high. During the day, Shadow Wolves won't leave their dens. To avoid a reduction in their numbers during battle, we can only use this seemingly clumsy method."
"When the Shadow Wolves attack the slaves, they will reveal themselves. At that time, the Knight squad will quickly advance and capture them."
"Beitan, you take your men to capture the cubs. You absolutely cannot let the slaves harm them in the chaos."
After giving his instructions, Martin had the Knight squad ambush themselves against the wind and once again solemnly reminded them that they could only gravely injure the Shadow Wolves, absolutely not kill even one. Then, he motioned for Beitan to drive the slaves towards the Shadow Wolves pack.
Upon learning of their "mission," the slaves stirred restlessly. However, with the group slave contract in place, they had no right to struggle and could only obey the commands of Martin and the others.
However, some slaves, harboring a glimmer of hope, took advantage of the moment Beitan and the others unfastened their restraints. They immediately bolted in all directions. Seeing this, Beitan and the others quickly pursued them on horseback, striking down the escapees with their swords on the spot. This action intimidated the remaining slaves.
However, the smell of blood also permeated the air, and the magical items that Vali had previously set up were gradually running out of their meager magical power.
The vigilant Shadow Wolf keenly detected the anomaly in the air and let out a mournful howl towards the sky.
The Shadow Wolves hunting outside heard the alarm and immediately changed direction, rushing towards the valley like black lightning.
In an instant, the vigilant Shadow Wolf and the 3 mother wolves remaining in the cave charged out aggressively, leaving only one mother wolf in the cave to guard the cubs.
Hidden in the darkness, the Shadow Wolves, like specters, harvested the lives of the slaves one after another.
When the number of slaves sharply decreased to about 40, Martin shouted, "Now!"
The Knight squad and Beitan's group, who had been ready and waiting, charged towards the Shadow Wolves slaughtering the slaves, holding their sharp Knight swords like arrows released from a bowstring.
Two of the Shadow Wolves reacted a little slower and were immediately restrained in place by the Knights using their Knight Power.
The restrained Shadow Wolves struggled madly, baring their sharp fangs, attempting to bite the Knights who were restraining them.
Suddenly, a strange fluctuation appeared in the dark space, and the figures of the Shadow Wolves gradually revealed themselves within the fluctuation. Martin looked closely and counted a total of 5.
After revealing themselves, the Shadow Wolves snarled and roared at the Knight squad and Beitan's group.
Beitan's group and the Knight squad showed no fear and launched their attack first. They split into two groups, one charging towards the Shadow Wolves returning from hunting, and the other rushing towards the Shadow Wolves' den.
Martin stood on a thick branch of a large tree, overlooking the battle in the valley.
As time passed, the tide of battle gradually shifted in favor of the Knight squad.
Seeing this, Martin satisfactorily climbed down the large tree and walked towards the valley, closely followed by the Captain, who possessed Bronze Knight strength.
In the valley, the slaves were almost completely depleted, and the Knight squad had successfully restrained all the Shadow Wolves.
At the same time, Beitan and his group successfully found 5 cubs in the wolf den.
Martin secretly calculated that once he returned to the castle tomorrow, he would sell these Shadow Wolves and cubs to the royal capital through the family's merchant guild, which he believed would fetch a considerable amount of gold coins.
