Chapter 24: Skinning the Wolf
"To kill a wolf, you must find the leader."
Qin Xiangnuan lowered her voice, lowered her body as much as possible, and hid behind the hill.
"As long as we can kill the leader of the pack, the others will be thrown into disarray and there will be no need to worry." The principle of capturing the leader first applies to both wild animals and humans.
"There are many wild beasts in Savage Valley. I guess these wolves can't usually gain any advantage."
Second Uncle was experienced. He looked at the approaching wolves and analyzed their size. "Those on the left are emaciated and stagger slightly as they walk. They must have not eaten for many days. They are easy to deal with."
"The officer and I will go to the right to see if we can find the leader of the wolves."
The chief officer nodded, holding his sword, bent his waist, and quietly went around to the rear, preparing for a surprise attack.
Awooo—accompanied by the sudden howl of wolves, the valley was suddenly filled with countless howls. Wang Qiang looked worried, but he did not dare to stop as he supported Liu and other female relatives as they crawled towards the cave. He held a crossbow in his hand and looked around vigilantly at all times.
“Whoosh—”
He pulled the trigger on his crossbow, and the arrow accurately pierced a wild wolf lurking in the dark.
It fell on its back on the ground, its limbs twitched twice, and then there was no movement.
"I didn't expect these beasts to be so smart that they even knew to split up and act separately."
Wang Qiang was still frightened, and the women in his family couldn't help but tremble. When they were climbing, they couldn't even hold on to the rocks on the cliff.
"Nuannuan, will she be okay?"
Liu looked back frequently, her eyes red.
Her palms had been rubbed by the sharp stones, but she said nothing, only concerned about Qin Xiangnuan's safety.
Wang Qiang wanted to comfort her, but the words on the tip of his tongue could not come out. He could only stiffen his neck and say, "Madam, hurry up. I can go back to help the young lady only after we reach the cave safely." Hearing him say this, Liu ignored the pain and moved more swiftly.
On the other side, the wild wolves have launched an attack.
Even when hungry, wild wolves are much larger than humans.
Soon, the second uncle and the official were pinned to the ground, the wolf's fangs pressed against their necks, ready to pierce through. Bang! Qin Xiangnuan grabbed a nearby stone and threw it through the air. The wolf howled twice and jumped up, giving them a chance to catch their breath.
"Nuannuan, be careful!"
Second Uncle took out the blunt dagger from his arms and stabbed it hard into the throat of the wild wolf next to him, killing it.
This move frightened the surrounding wolves. They stopped attacking rashly and began to circle around the few people, looking for a suitable opportunity.
Qin Xiangnuan was always observing her surroundings, looking for the hiding place of the wolf leader.
It should be nearby, with a commanding vantage point where it can see all the wolves. A light bulb suddenly lit up in Qin Xiangnuan's mind, and she looked up. Sure enough, under the crescent moon that was faintly emitting soft light, a pair of green eyes were hidden behind the stone opposite the hill. It seemed to sense Qin Xiangnuan's gaze, revealing its sharp fangs. Its fur was shiny, and saliva was dripping from its teeth to the ground, looking ferocious and fierce.
"If I peel off your skin, I can make a cloak for Daddy to wear in the winter."
Qin Xiangnuan raised her eyebrows, bit the dagger in her mouth, and ran towards the wolf leader as fast as she could.
Under the moonlight, the leader wolf raised its neck and howled, then jumped into the air and pounced on Qin Xiangnuan with its sharp claws.
Qin Xiangnuan leaned back, her knees sliding along the ground, her back almost rubbing against the gravel. She grasped the dagger in her palm, got under the body of the wolf leader, and used the sharp dagger to cut the softest part of the wolf leader's belly, from the throat to the abdomen.
Howl—the leader wolf whimpered, his eyes wide open in disbelief, and fell to the ground with a bang.
The wolves fled in all directions because of the tragic death of their leader. My second uncle and the chief of the officials took advantage of the chaos to hunt down two more wolves. They piled the dead wolves together, and they were all injured to varying degrees.
Qin Xiangnuan wiped the dagger clean with the hem of her skirt, put it back in her arms, stared at the wild wolf and said, "Their fur is the most useful. We can make several sets of clothes from it, and the remaining scraps can be made into a few pairs of shoes and socks."
"When the time comes, walking will be even lighter than today's straw sandals."
"Pull out their fangs; they'll be useful. As for the meat, we must take it away. When else in this Savage Valley can we find such delicious red meat? My Lord, take the meat from the leader."
Qin Xiangnuan quickly gave the order, and Qin Feng took the dagger and started skinning without saying a word.
The chief officer was naturally happy to accept it. He just asked others to move the wolf's body away, and everyone looked happy.
The wild beasts around must have seen the fierce battle, and even though it was already dark, they didn't dare to get close.
Soon, several people carried the processed wolf meat and wolf skins back to the cave on wooden sticks.
Wang Qiang waited anxiously in the cave. When he heard footsteps, he stood up vigilantly and made an attacking gesture. After seeing who was coming, he breathed a sigh of relief and went to meet them. "Are you okay?"
"It's okay." Qin Xiangnuan turned her wrist. It seemed that she twisted it a little just now, but it was not worth mentioning.
Wang Qiang had been in and out of the Savage Valley for many years, but had never seen such rich spoils.
Qin Yi and Qin Feng vividly recounted their near-death experiences, nearly frightening Old Madam Qin to the point of fainting. She hurriedly called out to Qin Xiangnuan, "Nuannuan! Come quickly and let Grandma see you. How could you, with your frail frame, go hunting the alpha wolf?"
"Nuan girl is very capable, she has the demeanor of big brother back then."
Uncle San said in a self-deprecating tone, "When we were little, Big Brother often took us out, and we always managed to catch a lot of prey. Even on the battlefield, he would always make his way through the enemy soldiers and bring back the heads of the opposing generals."
"Yeah! I was surprised too."
After this incident, Qin Xiangnuan knew that she could not hide the fact that she knew martial arts. Now she could only shift the blame to someone she did not believe. She rolled her eyes slightly and thought of a perfect candidate.
When the official looked at her with suspicion, Qin Xiangnuan smiled lightly and returned to her quiet and weak appearance. "Second uncle and third uncle, you are too kind. I just went to the martial arts school with the Seventh Prince for a few days when I was chasing him around. I was young at that time and just wanted to get his attention, so I learned a few skills."
“I didn’t expect it would come in handy now.”
When the Seventh Prince was mentioned, everyone in the General's Mansion lowered their heads in silence.
Everyone knows that Qin Xiangnuan is in love with the Seventh Prince, but the Seventh Prince came to confiscate her house. I think the girl must feel wronged and upset.
"Well, that's all in the past. Tonight we can feast on delicious food! Second uncle, show us your skills!"
Qin Yi tried to smooth things over and called Qin Feng to help, light the bonfire and put the wild wolf meat on the grill.
Qin Xiangnuan sat in the corner, leaning against a stone, and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Seventh Prince was still quite useful...
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