Chapter 75: Chapter 75 The Anomaly of the Wild Wolf
Riding back to the village on Big White, Wang Sheng encountered a wolf.
Of course, this wolf was merely ordinary, not the kind that could rival a Martial Artist like the ones before.
But—
“Are there so many wolves around here?”
The area he had previously ventured into in the mountains had a considerable number too, but the only formidable beast he met was Big White. Now, merely taking a casual walk led him to encounter another one.
What was most critical was that once again, it was a solitary wolf.
…
Wolves are pack animals, but including the two before, all of them had been loners.
Casually dispatching the wild wolf, Wang Sheng said, “Big White, go home first!”
After returning to the village, Wang Sheng once again sought out Village Chief Zhou Zhengwen, who this time was at the “school,” while all the children had been taken out by Scholar Jiang to gather inspiration.
That he was asked to come here for discussions indicated the matter was not simple and likely concerned something affecting the entire village.
Moreover, for this meeting, the Chief had not only called all the Martial Artists in the village but also summoned some of the Hunters.
Seeing Wang Sheng, the Village Chief was somewhat surprised and said, “Yun Sheng, I went to find you just now, but you weren’t there. Now that you’re here, it’s perfect, take a seat!”
Although he had something to discuss, seeing the situation, Wang Sheng simply sat down to listen to everything first.
As he sat down, a gaze came his way.
Wang Sheng’s senses were extremely keen; he looked back and recognized it was Li Yongfeng’s master, Zhang Ze.
Zhang Ze had unexpectedly become a Martial Artist and wasn’t weak among First Grade Martial Artists, allowing him to support an escort agency. But clearly, his stroke of fortune was not as great as Xu Qu’s. He could only become a Martial Artist; otherwise, his escort agency would definitely be larger, and he wouldn’t have had to retreat to Qingshan Village.
When Zhang Ze saw Wang Sheng look over, he inexplicably felt a tremendous pressure, though it vanished in an instant. His heart filled with uncertainty, he offered Wang Sheng a smile and then dared not look anymore.
An illusion, perhaps?
Zhang Ze knew it wasn’t.
Living in Qingshan Village for so long, he had gathered information about Wang Sheng from various sources and knew Wang Sheng was the strongest Martial Artist in the village.
Even Xu Qu, whom he felt was invincible, respected Wang Sheng deeply and spoke of him with a hint of fear.
Zhang Ze had never had the chance to meet the man in person, so the impact wasn’t particularly strong. But after that brief eye contact, Zhang Ze knew that if a fight truly broke out, he likely wouldn’t stand a chance.
At first, he thought Qingshan Village was remarkable for having several First Grade Martial Artists, and meeting Xu Qu only solidified that impression.
Now, seeing Wang Sheng, he truly understood what it meant to be a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers lay.
A small village with Martial Artists one stronger than the next, but that also meant greater safety in a place with stronger individuals.
While he was lost in thought, the Village Chief spoke about the matter at hand.
“As everyone here is aware, over the past month, we’ve expended significant effort fortifying the village against wild beasts. You should all know why we’ve done this—to defend against the wolf packs!”
No one was surprised; the village’s endeavors hadn’t been hidden from anyone.
“This matter is not fearmongering. A month ago, Xingpeng and Yun Sheng encountered a wild wolf that could rival a Martial Artist, but that was just the beginning. Since we’ve started constructing the defenses, the patrolling Martial Artists have repeatedly encountered wild wolves—solitary wolves, some comparable to Martial Artists, others just ordinary.”
“In one month alone, just while patrolling, we’ve encountered nearly ten wolf incidents.”
Hearing this, Wang Sheng raised an eyebrow.
He had been focused on breaking through his Blood Qi’s strength this month and hadn’t paid attention to this matter, not expecting the village to have encountered wild wolves so frequently.
However, given the way the Village Chief spoke, it seemed they managed reasonably well and didn’t face any severe issues, so his encounter with a wild wolf wasn’t particularly surprising.
Of course, the Village Chief gathered so many people here for more than just this.
True to that assumption, after briefly explaining the month’s events, the Village Chief continued, “After a month of investigation, we’ve discovered a severe issue: a wolf pack has emerged in the nearby mountains, and it’s very possible our target is Qingshan Village.”
This revelation startled the gathered Martial Artists, though the Hunters didn’t seem quite as taken aback.
Xu Qu asked, “Village Chief, how are you sure of this?”
Not just him, Wang Sheng was also curious.
Typically, animals wouldn’t attack human settlements.
Firstly, there’s the difficulty of the attack. While humans might be weaker than animals in some aspects, their ability to use tools was enough to deter the vast majority of animals.
Of course, the current wolf packs might have several wolves comparable to Martial Artists, so they might not fear this, but even so, hunting animals would be much simpler than assaulting human villages.
Then there’s the second point: Are humans really better prey for wolves than animals?
Human flesh should be less appealing to animals than that of other animals. If it were a time of disaster and the wolves were desperate, an attack might be possible. But in the mountains surrounding Qingshan Village, where animal resources are tremendously abundant, starvation shouldn’t be an issue.
With food available, and easier methods to obtain it, for the wolf pack to choose attacking a human village would mean something’s gone wrong with the Wolf King’s mind.
So, Wang Sheng, too, was eager to know the basis for this judgment.
But—
“The reason is simple; in fact, it’s been inferred by several Hunters here, based on the nature of the wolves. We can’t be one hundred percent certain, but it’s something we have to guard against.”
The Village Chief’s reason was straightforward and irrefutable.
Martial Artists might be powerful, but unless specialized in this area, they indeed lacked the Hunter’s expertise.
“Of course, all these judgments are mere possibilities, but preparatory measures are necessary. I’ve called you here to assign some tasks…”
The tasks for the Martial Artists did not include Wang Sheng, Xu Qu, or Zhang Ze, only five Martial Artists had assignments.
However, Zhang Ze volunteered to be part of it.
The Martial Artists’ task remained patrolling, while the Hunters were to set traps around the village. If the wolf pack indeed attacked, these traps could serve as effective deterrents.
After the assignments were complete, everyone went to carry out their tasks.
Wang Sheng knew the Village Chief wouldn’t give him a task, so he wasn’t too surprised. When the time was right, he’d take direct action; he was keen to test out his new methods.
It remained to be seen whether the wolf pack would truly come.
…
Meanwhile, atop a distant high mountain overlooking Qingshan Village, a giant wolf over three meters long eyed the direction of the village with a glint of greed.
Encountering so much Blood Qi here, how much could its strength improve if it devoured them all?
It only wished there were more children and adolescents!
Howl!