Chapter 109: The Wolf Pack Descends the Mountain

Leaving all worries behind, Tang Banxia led the little koi fish down the mountain.

The gains from this entire afternoon equaled what she usually earned in three days, and she was deeply grateful to the little koi fish.

She personally escorted her back to the Song family.

By this time, the Song household was already in complete chaos. After Song Yu’s fourth brother came down the mountain and didn’t find Song Yu, he returned home to no sign of her either.

They were utterly panicked. Just as the Song family was about to mobilize the entire village to search, Tang Banxia arrived with her.

Old Lady Song, seeing Song Yu standing there lively and well, immediately embraced her with a cry, “Koi treasure, where have you been? You scared Grandma to death!”

Captain Song still retained some composure; upon seeing Tang Banxia, he asked, “Tang Zhiqing, where did you find Koi treasure?”

Song Yu’s mother, Lin Huaisu, tears welling in her eyes, kept circling around Song Yu, repeatedly thanking Tang Zhiqing, “Thank you, thank you so much.”

Tang Banxia: Uh~

“Well, I took her up the mountain but didn’t inform you,” she said.

The Song family was more anxious about Song Yu than she had imagined—just an afternoon missing and they were already organizing a search?

“It wasn’t Sister Tang’s idea; I insisted she take me up the mountain,” Song Yu hurried to explain.

“No worries, no worries, as long as she’s safe,” Old Lady Song quickly smoothed things over.

“Oh, by the way, there’s something else.” Tang Banxia took the lingzhi mushroom out of her basket. “This is…”

Before she could finish, Song Weimin slammed the door and Liang Sujuan dragged her inside.

Tang Banxia: ???

Once inside, Old Lady Song held Song Yu and said, “Tang Zhiqing, please continue.”

“Oh, alright,” Tang Banxia said, pretending not to notice anything unusual. “This was accidentally discovered by Song Yu—it’s a lingzhi mushroom.”

As soon as she spoke, Song Weimin and his wife, along with Old Lady Song, all looked astonished. “Lingzhi?”

Tang Banxia silently tightened her grip—it all seemed a bit theatrical.

“Yes, it’s quite aged,” she handed the mushroom to Lin Huaisu. “I know this request might be bold, but if you intend to make use of it, could you please consider me first?”

She couldn’t help feeling bitter about losing the twenty-year-old lingzhi right before her eyes.

The three from the Old Lady’s family exchanged uncertain glances.

Tang Banxia, understanding their hesitation, added, “Please don’t feel burdened. If you have other plans, that’s fine too. I just hope you’ll consider me first.”

“Tang Zhiqing, you misunderstand,” Song Weimin was the first to speak. “If not for you, how could we have gotten this lingzhi at all?”

That was the truth. Even if Song Yu had the luck, she wouldn’t have recognized it without Tang Banxia’s knowledge.

“It wouldn’t be right to buy it offhand—it truly belongs to Tang Zhiqing,” Song Weimin, ever smooth, returned the lingzhi to Tang Banxia’s hand.

Tang Banxia: ....

Heart pounding wildly!

But she was a woman of principle. “Don’t refuse, I….”

“Wolves are coming down the mountain!”

“Hide quickly!”

“Wolves are coming down the mountain!”

What on earth?

The Song family and Tang Banxia simultaneously dropped down behind the wall.

Hu Zhaodi, pale-faced and running swiftly, shouted as she ran, “A pack of wolves is coming down the mountain!”

“Everyone, hide quickly!”

Song Weimin said, “Mother, get inside and hide, be quiet. I have to go out.”

“Weimin~” Liang Sujuan’s eyes brimmed with tears.

“I’m the captain; I must take charge,” Song Weimin said, then vaulted over the wall and ran off.

Liang Sujuan sobbed softly.

Old Lady Song remained calm, gathering the children into a single room, bolting the door, locking it tight. The entire family, along with one outsider—Tang Banxia—hid inside, holding their breath and daring not to move.

Elsewhere,

Song Weimin caught up with Hu Zhaodi.

“Zhaodi, is what you said true?”

Hu Zhaodi’s legs were weak from running, sustained only by her determination. Seeing the captain, she relaxed and nodded, “By the haunted house.”

At noon, Lai Di had been craving jujubes.

Hu Zhaodi, a kind older sister, remembered and left work early in the afternoon to pick some jujubes to bring home.

But the nearby jujube trees had long been stripped bare by others. Afraid to venture deep into the mountains, she had no choice but to go near the haunted house.

While others dreaded the haunted house, for Hu Zhaodi, it was a paradise.

Few people went there, and as a child, she had found plenty of food nearby to keep her and her two younger sisters from starving.

Yet, upon arriving nearby, she saw the wolf pack, grew frightened, and hurried back to warn everyone.

Song Weimin did not know these details. Hearing the location, his expression hardened; the haunted house was not far from the village.

“Zhaodi, go back home quickly and hide. Don’t come out, understood?”

With that, he hurried to the captain’s office, grabbed a copper gong, and struck it repeatedly: “A pack of wolves is coming down the mountain! Everyone hide!”

“Hide! Hide!”

Hu Zhaodi’s shouting was heard by many.

With the captain’s warning, the crowd quickly scattered, rushing home to hide.

Song Weimin then gathered the village’s able-bodied men, arming them with shovels, machetes, sickles, and more, and stationed them firmly at the foot of the mountain.

Among them stood Geng Zhengfei and Wen Mubai, with Hu Qixin and Sun Wenming closely following Wen Mubai.

Geng Zhengfei subtly moved closer to Wen Mubai.

Soon, faint footsteps echoed through the forest. Song Weimin’s expression stiffened: “They’re coming.”

Everyone tightened their grip on their weapons.

A sleek black wolf appeared first, then a second, third, fourth…

Each time a wolf appeared, the crowd’s expressions grew graver, until the fifteenth wolf showed itself, and their faces turned pale.

“That’s… a medium-sized pack,” a trembling voice whispered.

“Don’t panic!” Song Weimin barked. “There are more of us than those beasts!”

The wolves came too suddenly, with no warning. There was no time to call the militia for backup.

Ancient Moon Village would have to face this alone.

Wen Mubai mingled among the crowd, casually picking up a metal rod used to tie doors, a flicker of deep thought passing through his eyes.

Something was off!

Wolves usually only descended in winter when hunger drove them to seek food. How could they come down now?

Autumn was when prey was at its fattest and healthiest.

Thinking of the dog that had suddenly appeared here, Wen Mubai lowered his long lashes, concealing the depth of his contemplation.

But for now, the immediate danger was paramount.

The wolf pack, upon seeing the armed group, bared their chilling teeth and snarled, exuding menace.

The alpha wolf howled a charge, and the pack surged forward with agility.

Song Weimin shouted, “Be careful! Don’t let them enter the village!”

With that, he charged ahead.

Geng Zhengfei followed closely, and Wen Mubai was not far behind.

The wolves came fiercely. Some, terrified, collapsed to their knees, crying out and turning to flee. But most followed the captain, charging bravely.

Behind them were their homes, their parents, wives, and children. The thought of letting the wolves in chilled them to the bone.

So what was there to fear?

In the blink of an eye, men and wolves clashed.

To avoid revealing his skills, Wen Mubai limited himself to protecting Hu Qixin and Sun Wenming.

He moved fluidly beside them, wielding his blunt weapon, aiming for the wolves’ waists with swift strikes, reminding, “Aim for the wolves’ waists.”

Then, with a reverse swing, he struck another wolf sharply.

Following his advice, the others also targeted the wolves’ waists.

This was the weakest spot on a wolf. A successful hit would cripple them, rendering them powerless for a long time.

Ancient Moon Village held the numbers. With combined effort, the wolf pack gradually thinned.

The wolves hidden in the mountains were cunning; seeing the tide turning, they immediately sounded the retreat.

The pack obeyed the alpha’s command without hesitation, withdrawing hastily.

Some hot-headed ones wanted to give chase but were pulled back by Geng Zhengfei, “Don’t pursue!”

“Oh~ We won!”

“We won!”