"Awooo—"

A piercing scream tore through the night. The wolf, in pain, released its grip, staggering back a few steps, blood gushing from its eyes. Ignoring her own pain, Mu Xue seized the opportunity to run to Ning Yu's side, anxiously shouting, "Quick, light a fire!"

Ning Yu picked up the dropped lighter; the fuel was almost gone, the flame so weak it seemed a gust of wind would extinguish it. He was frantic; he knew he had to ignite the moss quickly, or they would all be wolf food. His hands trembled as he tried again to light the moss, but the faint flame only licked at it, failing to ignite it.

"Damn it!" Ning Yu cursed under his breath, tossing the lighter aside. He knew that relying on this nearly empty lighter was no longer an option. He had to think of something else.

"Ning Yu, look!" Mu Xue pointed to a damp rock not far away, with clumps of dried moss growing at its base. "Use this!"

Ning Yu's eyes lit up, and he quickly ran over, carefully peeling the dry moss off the rocks and gathering it into a small pile of dry tinder. He knew that starting a fire by friction was extremely difficult in damp conditions, but he had to try. He picked up two stones, took a deep breath, and began to rub them together rapidly.

The stones scraped together with a harsh screech, Ning Yu's arms ached terribly, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead. But half a day passed, and still no spark appeared on the stones. His strength was insufficient to generate enough heat to ignite the moss.

"No, I'm not strong enough..." Ning Yu said desperately, panting heavily.

Mu Xue watched Ning Yu's efforts with growing anxiety. She looked around, hoping to find something else to start a fire. Suddenly, her gaze fell on Ning Yu's waist, where a sharp dagger hung.

"Use this!" Mu Xue said, pointing to the dagger. "Rub the dagger against the stone!"

Ning Yu's eyes lit up, and he quickly drew his dagger, rubbing the blade against the stone. The dagger was much harder than the stone, and the sparks produced by the friction were much brighter.

A wisp of smoke slowly rose from the moss. Ning Yu was overjoyed and immediately rubbed the dagger and the stone even harder.

Just then, the wolves saw Ning Yu trying to start a fire. Seemingly sensing danger, they pounced on them even more frantically. A huge wolf let out a low growl and lunged at Ning Yu…

"Watch out!" Mu Xue exclaimed, shoving Ning Yu away abruptly...

Mu Xue pushed Ning Yu away with all her might, but was pounced on by the giant wolf and knocked to the ground. Sharp claws tore through her clothes, leaving several deep, bone-revealing wounds on her body. The giant wolf opened its blood-red maw, revealing its gleaming fangs, and was about to bite Mu Xue's throat.

In the nick of time, Ning Yu rolled away, dodging the attack of another wolf, then drew the dagger from his waist and plunged it deep into the giant wolf's back. The giant wolf let out a piercing howl, released Mu Xue, and rolled on the ground in agony.

Ning Yu didn't have time to check on Mu Xue's injuries; he knew the most important thing now was to start a fire. The wolves were enraged, their eyes flashing with ferocity, ready to attack again at any moment. He picked up the fallen dagger and began frantically rubbing it against the stone once more.

"Ning Yu! Be careful!" Mu Xue shouted weakly.

Ning Yu turned his head and saw two wolves flanking him from both sides. He quickly brandished his dagger and forced one of them back, but the other wolf seized the opportunity to pounce and bite his arm.

The intense pain made Ning Yu almost unable to control the dagger. He gritted his teeth and, with all his might, plunged the dagger into the belly of the wolf that was biting his arm. The wolf let out a scream, released his arm, collapsed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then lay still.

Ning Yu's arm was covered in blood, but he ignored the pain. He shook off the wolf carcass from his arm, picked up the dagger again, and continued to rub it against the stone.

The wolves' attacks grew increasingly fierce; they seemed to have lost patience and began to pounce on Ning Yu and Mu Xue recklessly. Ning Yu and Mu Xue stood back to back, providing cover for each other, struggling to fend off the wolves' attacks.

"This won't do, we'll be worn down!" Mu Xue said, panting heavily. Her body was covered in wounds, and her clothes were stained with blood.

Ning Yu understood this principle. He glanced at the dagger in his hand; the blade was bent and deformed, almost unusable. He looked around, hoping to find something else he could use to start a fire.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on Mu Xue's waist, where a dagger was also hanging.

"Mu Xue, give me your dagger!" Ning Yu shouted.

Mu Xue handed the dagger to Ning Yu without hesitation.

Ning Yu took the daggers, joined the two together, and rubbed them against the stone with even greater force. Sparks flew, and finally, a wisp of smoke slowly rose from the moss…

Just then, a wolf, much larger than any of the previous wolves, silently appeared behind Ning Yu...

“Ning Yu…”