Two days later Under a large tree, Zhang Ling sat on a bluestone, muttering to himself as he looked at the endless woods. "It seems I need to change direction." He was already lost. For two days, he had been walking in one direction without leaving the forest, instead heading deeper into it. Deep mountains and old forests are full of dangers, with many poisonous insects and fierce beasts. It is very dangerous. Fortunately, he had a long knife in his hand, which he had been using to clear the way. Carefully uncovering the cloth on his arm, he saw that the wound had already scabbed over. Zhang Ling breathed a sigh of relief and re-tied the wound. He touched his stomach and took out half a *mianbing(面饼:wheat cake)* from his *huai(怀: bosom)*. This was found on the scarred man. In addition to the three *mianbing(面饼:wheat cake)*, he also found some broken silver, but now in the mountains, money is useless. Of the three *mianbing(面饼:wheat cake)*, only this half remained. If it weren't for the fact that it was autumn, and he had found some wild fruits along the way, and even managed to kill a wild rabbit, he wouldn't have been able to last until now. Sitting on the stone, he finished the *mianbing(面饼:wheat cake)* and drank some clear water from the bamboo tube. After regaining some strength, Zhang Ling took his things, gripped his long knife, changed direction, and set off again, hoping to leave the mountains as soon as possible. The mountain road was difficult, and the sky gradually darkened. Zhang Ling hadn't walked far when his stomach started growling again.
At night, firelight flickered below a cliff on a mountainside. Making a fire was not difficult for Zhang Ling. Looking at the food roasting on the fire, he swallowed his saliva. It was a plump bamboo rat, which he had discovered not long ago. Smelling the aroma of roasted meat, Zhang Ling ate it without hesitation. After eating the entire roasted bamboo rat, he touched his round belly, wondering which way to go tomorrow. After a while, Zhang Ling couldn't think of a good solution and could only take it one step at a time. The stars twinkled in the sky, and it was completely dark. The surrounding mountains and forests were filled with the calls of wild animals from time to time. Fortunately, there was a full moon in the sky, casting bright moonlight, enough to see things nearby. Zhang Ling patted the dust off his body, picked up the two bamboo tubes. The two bamboo tubes were as thick as arms and several feet long. They were water containers he made out of bamboo. He pulled out a piece of wood as thick as his arm from the fire and walked towards one side of the cliff as a torch. Walking along the cliff for a short distance, he turned a corner and came to a *shān'āo(山凹: mountain hollow)*, with some large and small stones under his feet. The darkness here was not illuminated by moonlight. Drip! Drip! The sound of dripping water reached his ears, indicating there was a water source here, which was why he was resting here. Ahead was a huge black-blue stone protruding from the rock wall, with a small *wāxiàn(洼陷: depression)* below it. Drops of water dripped from the bottom of the boulder, forming a small puddle. The water dripped slowly, but a lot of clear water had accumulated. Zhang Ling smacked his lips, lay down on the ground, took a few sips, and then filled the two bamboo tubes with water. He took the torch and returned the way he came, but he hadn't gone far when he noticed something lying on the ground not far away. He had just seen that thing move. The place was dark and gloomy, not illuminated by moonlight. Although he had a torch in his hand, the light was not strong, only illuminating a distance of one or two *zhàng(丈: a unit of length, equal to about meters)* around him. For a moment, Zhang Ling couldn't see what it was, but seeing the outline of the shadow, it looked very much like a wild animal in his memory... He carefully moved his steps, and the dark shadow straightened up and let out a low growl. Hearing this sound, Zhang Ling's heart sank to the bottom. It really was a wolf. The only weapon in his hand was a torch. As a boy, his chances of survival against a gray wolf were slim. After confronting the wolf for a while, Zhang Ling waved the torch and shouted, trying to scare the gray wolf away. But to his surprise, his shouting had the opposite effect. The gray wolf walked towards him step by step. Zhang Ling was so nervous he was about to die, and he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the wolf.
Woo… Woo The gray wolf was agile, and the stone didn't hit it, but instead angered the beast. With a howl, it rushed over. Zhang Ling didn't dare to stay in place and ran away. He ran wildly towards the fire, and only by reaching the fire and getting the *dadao(大刀: broadsword)* would he have a chance to win. The idea was good, but the reality was that the gray wolf was very fast and had already reached his back. The gray wolf leaped up and pounced on his back, its sharp claws and teeth biting towards his neck. Zhang Ling only felt his body sink. In the face of life and death, he also became ruthless. He swung the torch in his hand and struck behind him. This action couldn't use all his strength, but the torch still hit the gray wolf. Then he rolled to the ground, and the gray wolf on his back also fell to the ground. Before he could get up, a sharp pain came from his foot. The gray wolf bit his leg. Zhang Ling quickly turned over and kicked the gray wolf's head hard. After several kicks, the gray wolf didn't let go. He was sweating anxiously and sat up involuntarily. He waved the torch in his hand randomly, and with a muffled sound, it hit the gray wolf's waist and abdomen. The gray wolf retreated to the side in pain, growling. At this time, Zhang Ling's right calf was covered in blood, and the pain made his face twist slightly. He couldn't stand up for a moment and could only clench the wooden stick in his hand, but the fire had gone out during the previous random waving. Woo… Woo! The gray wolf didn't attack anymore, but instead circled him two *zhàng(丈: a unit of length, equal to about meters)* away, occasionally licking its claws and making a few low growls. The gray wolf was not attacking, just circling him, waiting for the opportunity to weaken him and bite him to death. Zhang Ling's face was pale. He often heard the old people say that wolves are animals with strong survival skills, cunning, and patient. The wound on his calf was bleeding, and he would bleed to death before long. There was also a patch of exposed skin on the gray wolf's waist, charred black, but it didn't seem fatal. Zhang Ling glanced at the fire not far away, estimating it was ten *zhàng(丈: a unit of length, equal to about meters)* away. If he could get there, he would have a chance to kill the gray wolf. With a plan in mind, he slowly stood up while waving the wooden stick. He limped towards the fire, and the gray wolf followed closely, always keeping a distance from him. Once the gray wolf got close, he would wave the wooden stick. After a while, he approached the fire. The gray wolf was becoming increasingly agitated and attacking frequently. Zhang Ling looked at the fire only two *zhàng(丈: a unit of length, equal to about meters)* away. The fire was much smaller now and about to go out. But he had already seen the *dadao(大刀: broadsword)* on the ground. Life and death were in a moment. Zhang Ling gritted his teeth and took action first. He suddenly stopped moving forward and shouted at the gray wolf, waving the wooden stick wildly. The action scared the gray wolf back a distance. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he threw the wooden stick at the gray wolf and pounced on the *dadao(大刀: broadsword)* on the ground. The gray wolf also dodged the wooden stick in a flash, leaped up, with its sharp claws and teeth exposed, and pounced fiercely. The man and the wolf rolled on the ground. After a muffled sound, Zhang Ling was lying on his back on the ground, the gray wolf was pressing on him, making a whimpering sound, and the bright blade was piercing through the gray wolf's body. Ah... hiss. It hurts! Zhang Ling struggled to push away the gray wolf's body. Blood was coming out of his chest, and several scratch marks appeared on it. The clothes on his body were also torn into rags. It was close. Looking at the gray wolf's body, he felt a little scared. But he quickly got up. At this time, the most serious injury on his body was the wound on his calf, where a piece of meat had been torn off by the gray wolf. If he didn't treat it, he could only wait to die. Looking at the fire next to him, he pulled out a burning piece of wood from it, covered in sweat, and extinguished the flames on it on the ground. He tore open the rags on his calf, bit a wooden stick in his mouth, and pressed the red-hot wooden stick on the wound.
A piercing pain came from his calf, making him sweat profusely. After a dozen breaths, Zhang Ling took away the wooden stick. His calf was already charred black. After doing this, he couldn't exert any strength, and he was exhausted. Lying on the ground, the light and shadow flickered before his eyes, and his head was dizzy, losing the ability to think.
