Chapter 9
The wolves, eager to pounce, slowly approached the carriage.
The carriage suddenly lurched, and Yu Wan deduced that a wolf had jumped onto it.
What should we do? What should we do?
fire!
Yes, with fire!
She quickly used whatever was available, pulling up the mat from the seat, wrapping the wire mesh on the barbecue grill, stuffing it with a dozen or so pieces of charcoal, and then lighting it with a tinderbox.
In an instant, thick smoke billowed from the carriage.
Once the car was ablaze, she suddenly pulled open the curtain and prepared to jump out.
To avoid running into wolves head-on, she held a burning strip of cloth in her hand.
The firelight illuminated the area around the carriage, where a dozen wolves were staring fiercely at Yu Wan.
Yu Wan threw the burning strip of cloth at the wolf closest to her, and the wolf, as expected, was afraid and dodged away nimbly.
In an instant, the entire carriage burst into flames. To avoid being caught in the crossfire, Yu Wan had to keep her distance from the carriage while also guarding against the wolves that were about to pounce on her.
Fortunately, the wolves were afraid of fire and smoke and dared not make any rash moves, so the two sides remained deadlocked.
Yu Wan's mind raced; she had to get rid of them as soon as possible, otherwise, if the carriage burned down, she would also be doomed.
Suddenly noticing some dry branches at her feet, she immediately had an idea. She carefully squatted down to pick them up, borrowed a light from the carriage, and once the branches were on fire, threw them far away towards the wolf pack.
The wolves were indeed terrified and took a few steps back, but still refused to leave.
Yu Wan began to think of ways to break the deadlock. Suddenly, she remembered that although she didn't have any weapons in her system, she did have ingredients and tools. She had no shortage of kitchen knives, cleavers, scissors, bamboo skewers, and charcoal.
The only limitation is the limited amount of ingredients each day, but there are plenty of tools.
She simply took out a machete from the system and threw a lot of charcoal into the carriage to add fuel. All she could do now was stall for time. As for what to do after she had exhausted all her methods, she could only take it one step at a time.
An hour later, Yu Wan became increasingly exhausted. Concentrating was very taxing, so the wolf pack dared not approach, nor were they willing to leave. The two sides maintained a safe distance.
Yu Wan was grateful that she had a cheat system; the system contained food that could satisfy her hunger and replenish her energy.
However, there wasn't much left. She would move all the ingredients out every day to earn money, leaving only a little for emergencies.
The cold wind howled, and under the cover of night, gusts of pure white, crystalline snow would occasionally be blown up and melt away in the fire.
This winter has been truly unforgettable.
Another half hour passed, and she was cold, sleepy, and exhausted, on the verge of collapse. But she couldn't give up. She could even foresee that as soon as she put down the makeshift torch she had brought with her, the wolves would all rush up and devour her.
The sky was already faintly lit; dawn would break soon.
Keep going! Once we wear down the wolves, we'll be safe!
But she couldn't manage it. Spending a night in the freezing cold of winter, covered in ice and snow, is no easy feat for anyone. Besides, her body was already malnourished and very thin, making it even harder for her to withstand the harsh environment.
She was shivering from the cold, her lips were pale, and she even showed signs of losing consciousness.
Am I just going to be eaten by wolves like this? Am I just going to die here like this? It seems like there's no better way, but I'm so unwilling to accept this!
She kept calling for help from the system in her mind, but this broken system ignored her completely. It was probably a defective product, lacking any advanced functions and being far from intelligent.
"Snap!"
The makeshift torch slipped from his hand; it turned out that his hand had become completely frozen and numb without him noticing.
The wolf, which had been lying in wait nearby, perked up when it saw a gap in her defense and stood up to slowly approach.
Yu Wan knew she was at her limit and about to give up, so she continued to throw charcoal onto the cart to keep the fire burning.
Just then, she noticed a tall figure appearing in the distance on the white snow, walking towards her.
Perhaps it was a hunter from the neighborhood getting ready to go hunting in the mountains early in the morning?
If the wolf discovers her, that person will die even before she does.
Her mouth was so frozen she could barely open it, and she couldn't shout too loudly; she could only try her best to shout.
"Don't come any closer! Get out of here! There are wolves!"
Her voice wasn't loud, but she was sure the other person heard her because they paused for a moment, then resolutely walked towards her.
Yu Wan shouted, "Hurry up and go!"
Is this person trying to save her?
His intentions were good, but it's unlikely he could accomplish it alone.
The figure drew closer, and she felt a strange sense of familiarity, though perhaps it was just her imagination.
But it was too far away, and the sky wasn't fully bright yet, so we couldn't see anything clearly.
At this moment, the wolf pack finally noticed that a human was approaching from behind, and immediately turned around, watching the person warily.
Yu Wan sighed, "Fine, at least I'll have company on the road to the underworld. I won't be lonely this time."
"Sigh, I told everyone not to come." She felt a pang of regret; this person had just lost his life for nothing.
It was a tall man dressed in a blue robe, his face completely obscured by messy hair, his hands empty, with nothing to defend himself.
The wolf pack confronted Yu Wan for several hours, and probably harbored some resentment, so they pounced on the man without hesitation.
Yu Wan closed her eyes, unable to bear watching any longer. But she could hear the whimpering of animals, yet there were no human screams.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw that the wolves were fleeing in panic, while the man was unharmed.
"How is this possible?" Yu Wan looked at the scene in disbelief.
Could this person also be from another world, and possess an even more powerful cheat ability?
How did you do that?
The man's voice was deep: "Don't just stand there, come with me."
Yu Wan recognized the voice; it belonged to the young man she had taken in before.
"It's you?" She was overjoyed and completely relieved.
He Jing didn't explain further, "There are many wild animals here, it's not advisable to stay long."
Yu Wan stood there, somewhat embarrassed.
"No elbow bite."
She wanted to say she couldn't leave, but her lips were frozen stiff, her tongue was frozen straight, and she couldn't speak clearly.
The man miraculously understood, and sighed helplessly.
"Excuse me." He then picked the person up and carried them on his back.
The man's back was broad, warm, strong, and powerful.
Yu Wan didn't care about gender differences; surviving was the most important thing.
She said politely, "In the community, they thought I was definitely going to wash up."
Having received no response and feeling rebuffed, he simply stopped talking.
Yu Wan felt very safe lying on the man's strong back and fell asleep in no time.
She was finally woken up by the man, and when she opened her eyes, she was already near the restaurant.
"We're here." The man put her down at the corner.
Yu Wan had recovered and her speech was clear. She looked up at the rising sun in the east.
"It's already broad daylight, how long have you been carrying me?"
He Jing's tone was icy: "Less than two hours."
He always had disheveled hair, with only half of his face below his nose showing, making it impossible to see the emotions in his eyes.
Yu Wan's pupils dilated, and she said apologetically, "I'm so sorry to have troubled you. Are you feeling better now? What are your plans next? Are you leaving?"
To her surprise, the next moment she watched as blood trickled from the man's mouth.
"You...you're going to vomit blood again?"
The man swayed, as if he was about to faint again. Seeing this familiar scene, Yu Wan quickly stepped forward to help him up.
"Let me help you inside to rest."
He Jing was about to follow her when he suddenly stopped.
"Didn't you say I couldn't let anyone find me?"
Yu Wan sighed, "Never mind all that. If the people chasing you find you like this, you're dead."
Yu's mother stood at the door, looking around, trying to find her daughter. Suddenly she saw her daughter and excitedly went to greet her, but her legs were not good. She could walk slowly, but she was prone to falling when she was in a hurry.
Yu Wan supported the man with one hand and quickly helped her mother with the other.
"Mother, don't rush, take it slow."
Yu's mother looked worried. "A-Wan, did you run into some trouble? Why did you only get home at dawn? Did the magistrate's family give you any trouble?"
Yu Wan smiled and comforted him, "The magistrate's family is very kind. I encountered a small problem on my way back, but it's been resolved. This young master helped me, but he's injured. I'd like him to stay at my home to recuperate for a while, is that alright?"
When Yu's mother heard that her daughter was in trouble, her face immediately turned pale. She then carefully observed the man's appearance and saw that he seemed to be seriously injured, which was definitely not a minor problem.
"Thank you for saving my daughter's life. Awan, take him to your brother's room to rest, and then find a doctor to examine him."
Yu Wan responded and helped the man back to her brother's room, where she helped him to the bed.
How are you?
He Jing's face was pale. He covered his mouth and nose and pointed to the copper basin where he was washing his face.
Yu Wan understood immediately and brought a copper basin to place in front of him.
The man suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Yu Wan couldn't help but feel guilty. This person was already seriously injured and had carried her for so long.
"I'll go get a doctor right away!"
He Jing looked dejected and spoke weakly, "No need. Just get some medicine according to my prescription, but remember not to buy everything from the same pharmacy."
Yu Wan already knew this person was no ordinary person, so she didn't ask any further questions. "Okay, I understand. Give me the prescription."
He Jing took out the prescription from his pocket and handed it over tremblingly.
"Remember, buy them separately, and don't go out to buy them on the same day."
Mother Yu carried a plate of dumplings upstairs. "My benefactor probably hasn't eaten yet, right? We're having dumplings today, the first day of the Lunar New Year. These were made by my daughter Wan yesterday; they're delicious."
Yu Wan carefully put the prescription in her sleeve, then took the plate and bowl.
"Mom, could you please keep an eye on things downstairs for me? I came back late, and I'm afraid some things might not be ready."
Mrs. Yu smiled and agreed, but didn't leave immediately. "What is your surname, benefactor? How old are you? Where are you from? Where do you live?"
He Jing weakly clasped his hands together, "My name is He..." He paused for a moment, "My surname is He, my given name is Su Zhi, and I am twenty years old this year. Auntie, please rest assured, I have no ill intentions towards your family."
Yu's mother smiled gently, "This name sounds rather serious, so how about we call you Asu? It sounds more affectionate."
He Jing nodded. "Whatever."
After her mother left, Yu Wan finally asked the question she had been asking.
"Thank you for saving me. But how did you know I was there, and how did you drive the wolves away?"
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