But from the woods, a soft rustling sound grew closer and closer.

He swiftly shielded Jian Dan behind him, and the two slowly retreated until they reached the base of a large tree.

"Climb the tree!"

"ah?"

“A wild animal has come out. You climb the tree and don’t come down unless I call you.”

Since Jian Dan didn't move, he simply took matters into his own hands and began to lift Jian Dan up the tree.

Even the most simple-minded person would realize that he was trying to protect himself, but...

"No need, hey, put me down, it's okay."

After patting and hitting him, Qin Qinghuai put the person down with some skepticism, but his own wariness remained, and he still stayed close to Jian Dan.

Soon, several tall figures appeared leisurely in front of them.

Qin Qinghuai's eyes narrowed.

"Wolf!"

At this moment, he completely forgot about the simple shadow; he became tense, thinking only about how to bring the person down the mountain safely.

"You climb the tree first, I'll handle this."

Jian Dan's head only reached a little below his shoulder, but he lifted her up with a single effort.

"Listen to me, you climb the tree first, and you can come down when it's safe."

He held her tightly, and even her simple strength was somewhat ineffective. His demeanor was completely different from his earlier jovial manner; he was now like a sharp sword about to be drawn from its sheath, his arms tightly wrapped around her, clearly serious.

In this situation, it was best not to joke around anymore. He patted his swollen arm.

"Put me down. They're probably here for me. There's no danger."

"......What did you say?"

Several seconds passed before Qin Qinghuai turned his head in a daze.

"That's a wolf, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

She looked at him simply and earnestly.

Do you believe me?

He nodded subconsciously, then realized something was wrong.

"But?"

He shouted simply and directly in that direction.

"Little Grey!"

"Awoo!"

The lead wolf drooped its tail and ran over happily.

"Alright, let me go. Haven't you seen this before?"

The iron arm finally released its grip, though it still held on loosely. He rubbed his waist briefly and called out,

"Little Grey, may you have good fortune, peace, and joy."

Qin Qinghuai finally recalled that one frame of memory that he wasn't quite clear about.

"Is this... real?"

Simply grin.

Do you think this is a dream?

Qin Qinghuai didn't dare to say it. In those few days, he was in a daze and kept thinking whether he had seen it wrong or his memory was blurred. In the end, he still couldn't figure it out.

He slapped his hand away and simply walked forward.

"Little Grey, I have to go now. I probably won't be able to come see you for a long time."

"Awoo?"

"Hey, why don't you move? Move to the other side of the mountain, then I can still see you when I come up the mountain from there, okay?"

"May you have good fortune, peace, and joy. You... you've become familiar with the wolves, haven't you? Will you stay here, or come with me?"

"Woof woof woof!"

Raising them from kittens to adulthood, it would be a lie to say there's no affection involved. But these dogs are really not very competent; they haven't done their job of guarding the house at all.

These past few years, I've been running around in the mountains with Little Grey, and now I'm even mingling with the wolf pack.

"Fine, you can move with Little Grey. I'll come find you on the other side of the mountain, but you're not allowed to come down. If you come down, you might scare the villagers, and they'll kill you and eat you."

"Awoo?"

"Woof woof woof!"

Qin Qinghuai was dumbfounded, yet also didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This interspecies communication went very smoothly, with each person speaking their own language. The only question was whether she would be satisfied with the outcome.