Inside the shelter, the flames danced merrily in the warm fireplace of the main house, crackling and illuminating the entire cabin.
Six women sat around a huge wooden table, busying themselves by the light of the fire and the oil lamp.
Qin Lan lowered her head and focused intently on mending the animal skin vest with a sharpened bone needle. Her movements as she threaded the needle were nimble and skillful. The soft light outlined her beautiful profile, and her long eyelashes cast light shadows, adding a touch of gentle domesticity to her usually aloof demeanor.
"I wonder how Lin Feng is doing today."
While skillfully spinning the spindle, Tang Bao couldn't help but speak, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible worry: "He went out this morning and hasn't come back yet."
"Don't worry,"
Su Wanqing rolled her eyes at her, but her hands didn't stop working as she spoke: "When have you ever seen Lin Feng fail? He's the kind of man who dares to charge head-on into a herd of giant black sheep. I bet he's already on his way back, maybe dragging a 'mountain of flesh' right now!"
"Pfft."
Ruan Mengtian was amused by her exaggerated description, and two cute dimples appeared on her cheeks: "Sister Wanqing is just bragging. There's no such thing as meat as big as a mountain."
"Why not?"
Su Wanqing puffed out her chest defiantly: "You all know Lin Feng's abilities. Besides, he also has Chasing Wind and Chasing Moon. In the sky and on the ground, who can be his match?"
Her words were filled with an almost blind worship and trust in Lin Feng.
This feeling existed to some extent in the hearts of every woman present.
It was Lin Feng who rescued them from the abyss of despair, gave them a home where they could shelter from the wind and rain, and allowed them to feel safe and warm again.
In this cold and cruel world, Lin Feng is their only support.
Qin Lan stopped her needlework, looked up, and gazed into the deep night outside the window with her clear eyes. She said softly, "Yes, he is very strong. But the stronger the prey, the more dangerous the hunt. I hope... everything goes well for him."
Her voice was soft, yet it caused a slight pause in the atmosphere of the room.
Just then, a deep, penetrating roar, like rolling thunder, faintly came from afar.
"That's the cry of a white jadeite!"
Shen Jiaqi, with her sharpest ears, jumped up from her seat and exclaimed in surprise.
Immediately afterwards, two clear and stirring cries pierced the night sky, like the most beautiful triumphant sounds, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"And there's Wind Chaser and Moon Chaser! They're back! They're really back!"
The women could no longer sit still; their worried expressions were instantly replaced by immense joy and excitement.
They all put down their work, put on thick animal skin coats, and cheered as they rushed out of the main house.
As they ran to the gate of the shelter, by the light of the torches burning brightly on the watchtower, they witnessed a scene that would remain unforgettable and deeply moving for them.
At the edge of the snow-covered field not far away, a tall figure rode a divine steed that looked like it was carved from white jade, slowly walking towards the shelter.
The steed's steps were steady and powerful, leaving deep hoofprints on the snow with each step.
Beside him, another white steed, slightly smaller but more agile, followed closely.
At the very front and on both sides of the procession, a dozen or so agile and fierce-looking horned wolves, like the most loyal guards, silently protected their lord.
Above the sky, two magnificent ice falcons with wingspans that blot out the heavens hovered gracefully like two silver gods under the bright moonlight. Their enormous figures cast two moving shadows on the ground, exuding an awe-inspiring majesty.
What shocked the women the most were the "trophies" following behind White Jade.
It was the carcass of a gigantic beast they had never seen before, a beast so large it was terrifying!
Even when lying on a sled and being dragged along, its imposing, mountain-like form is enough to leave anyone speechless.
Its entire body was covered in long, snow-white fur, which gleamed with a holy luster in the firelight. But what was most striking were the two enormous horns on its head, which, even after its owner's death, still reflected a dreamlike brilliance in the moonlight, as if they were carved from natural crystal!
"Oh my god..." Ruan Mengtian covered her mouth tightly with her small hands, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief, "This is simply... simply a mountain!"
"It's...it's unbelievable!" Su Wanqing stammered. She had only used it as an exaggerated metaphor before, but she didn't expect reality to be even more magical than she imagined.
The women erupted in a thunderous cheer.
They were proud of Lin Feng's strength and ecstatic about this epic harvest that would allow them to completely escape food shortages.
They chattered and surged forward, ready to welcome their hero.
However, as Lin Feng's group drew closer and closer, and with the increasingly bright firelight, the smiles on their faces gradually froze.
The first to notice something was wrong was Qin Lan, who is the most perceptive.
Her gaze was not immediately drawn to the enormous yak king's corpse, but instead remained fixed on Lin Feng.
Lin Feng today is unlike any other time he has returned from a hunt.
He was wearing a combat suit made of tough animal hide, but at this moment, the suit was covered with large patches of congealed, dark brown blood.
These bloodstains, unlike the bright red blood of the Crystal Horned Snow Yak, appeared filthy and viscous.
A mixture of thick blood and an indescribable stench from the depths of decay drifted into their nostrils on the night breeze.
The smell made their stomachs churn, and they instinctively felt a strong, physical discomfort.
Lin Feng's face did not show the joy and relaxation that should be present after a triumphant return.
His face, however, was as cold and stern as an iceberg that had never melted.
There was no smile in his deep eyes, only a cold, chilling murderous intent, and a deep, unyielding weariness and solemnity.
Looking at the pack of horned wolves beside him, although they still looked majestic, several wolves had obvious wounds on their bodies, and the fur around these wounds was matted together, presenting an ominous gray color.
These are definitely not traces left by hunting those herbivorous snow yaks.
"Lin Feng..." Qin Lan's heart clenched suddenly. She rushed forward, her voice trembling uncontrollably, "You...you're injured? What...did something happen to you?"
Her question jolted the other women out of their shock at the enormous harvest.
They also noticed Lin Feng and the wolf pack's unusual behavior, and the smiles on their faces disappeared, replaced by deep worry and fear.
"Lin Feng, are you alright?"
"My God, how come you have so much blood on you? And the smell..."
"Those wolves are injured too!"
The women crowded around, their chatter filled with concern and alarm.
Lin Feng rolled off Bai Yueguang's back. His tall figure in the firelight brought the women a sense of security, but also a great sense of oppression.
He took a deep breath and said indifferently, "I'm fine, I don't have a scratch. This blood isn't mine."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over each woman present, and said, word by word, "It's not from Crystal Horn Snow Yak either. On the way back, we encountered some...uninvited guests."
"An uninvited guest?" Qin Lan keenly grasped the heaviness in his words. "What is it?"
Lin Feng didn't answer immediately. He glanced at the mountain of spoils around him and the faint, foul odor emanating from them, and frowned. "This isn't the place to talk. Let's go inside and settle our things. I need to tell you something very, very important."
His tone was more serious than ever before, making the women's hearts leap into their throats.
They dared not ask any more questions and immediately began to frantically help process the spoils of war, following Lin Feng's instructions.
Lin Feng directed Wangcai and Bai Feicui to drag the huge yak king's corpse and other spoils of war to a clearing specially set up by the shelter.
He didn't let the women get close; instead, he carefully chopped off a pair of enormous crystal bull horns, which contained immense energy, with his battle axe and stored them separately.
Then, he took the already cut, fresh yak meat out of the basket and piled it in the storage room.
Throughout the entire process, he remained silent, and the atmosphere was terrifyingly oppressive.
The women simply watched him work silently, noticing the bloodstains on his body and smelling the ominous odor in the air, their hearts filled with all sorts of uneasy speculations.
Finally, after everything was settled, Lin Feng told Bai Yueguang and Bai Feicui to rest, and ordered Wangcai to lead the wolf pack to strengthen the guard around the shelter.
Then he went to the hot springs for a bath and a sauna.
When he finally tidied himself up, changed into a clean linen outfit, and entered the warm main house, six women were already sitting upright around the table like prisoners awaiting trial.
Even the boldest of them, Su Wanqing and Shen Jiaqi, were as quiet as startled rabbits at this moment.
Lin Feng sat down in the main seat, poured himself a large glass of warm water, and drank it all in one gulp.
He looked into six pairs of eyes filled with fear, worry, and curiosity, and remained silent for a moment.
"Today, as we hunted down the Crystal Horned Snow Yak herd and prepared to return..."
His voice was deep and calm, but in the quiet cabin, it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer: "I encountered a group of... monsters I had never seen before."
"A monster?" Ruan Mengtian exclaimed softly, instinctively grabbing Qin Lan's arm beside her.
Lin Feng nodded, his eyes becoming deep and cold.
He decided to tell them everything he had seen, without embellishment, in the most direct and brutal language. Because only true fear can give rise to the strongest, most transformative resolve.
“They… I’ll call them ‘Laughing Corpse Hyenas’ for now.”
"They are slightly larger than wolves, covered in dirty, blood-stained dark brown fur, and their skin is covered with pustules and scars."
Their heads were enormous, their eyes like pinpoints, blood-red, and filled only with greed and madness.
Lin Feng's description was unhurried, but every word was like a cold carving knife, deeply etching terrifying scenes into the women's minds.
Their faces began to turn pale, and their breathing became rapid.
"The most terrifying thing is their mouths. Their mouths can stretch all the way to their ears, revealing jagged, dagger-like yellow teeth. When they run, foul-smelling, sticky saliva drips from the corners of their mouths, and a strange, gurgling laugh comes from their throats, like a mocking laugh or a howling."
"Hehehe..." Lin Feng imitated that sound, though he only captured a trace of its essence.
But that eerie and unsettling feeling instantly gave all the women present goosebumps.
Shen Jiaqi and Ruan Mengtian couldn't help but hug each other, their bodies trembling.
Qin Lan's face also turned pale, but she forced herself to remain calm, biting her lower lip tightly, and continued listening.
“They came in packs; the group I encountered had more than fifty of them. They were fearless and charged at us relentlessly. Their target was us, the direction of the shelter.”
At this point, Lin Feng paused, picked up his water glass, and took another big gulp.
The entire cabin was deathly silent. The only sounds were the women's heavy, suppressed breathing, and the crackling of the fire in the fireplace.
The images described by Lin Feng kept flashing through their minds.
Skin covered in pustules, a gigantic mouth drooling, blood-red eyes, a sinister laugh, a tentacle-like tail...
These elements combined to form a terrifying image that far exceeded their imagination, as if crawling out of the deepest nightmare.
This is no longer the "beast" they knew. A beast, no matter how ferocious, is still a life.
The thing Lin Feng described was more like... the embodiment of death and plague.
With a "whoosh," Ruan Mengtian, who had the worst mental fortitude, could no longer withstand the enormous mental shock and collapsed onto the table, bursting into tears.
Her cries acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the pent-up fear in the hearts of the other women.
Tang Bao and Qian Xiaoxiao's eyes also reddened, and tears rolled down their cheeks like beads from a broken string.
Although Su Wanqing and Shen Jiaqi did not cry, their faces were as pale as paper, and their bodies trembled like fallen leaves in the autumn wind.
"Those...those things...will they...will they come here?" Su Wanqing's voice trembled, choked with sobs, as she asked the question that everyone cared about most and feared most.
Lin Feng's gaze fell on Qin Lan, the only one who hadn't lost her composure.
Qin Lan didn't cry, nor did she tremble. But her face, paler than paper, and her tightly clenched hands with knuckles white, betrayed her inner fear, which was no less than anyone else's.
She simply used her strong willpower to suppress the fear.
Meeting Lin Feng's gaze, she asked in a trembling but clear voice, "You killed them? You killed them all?"
Lin Feng nodded heavily: "Yes, kill them all. Leave no one alive."
Upon hearing this answer, the crying and trembling in the room subsided slightly. The women, as if grasping at a lifeline, looked at Lin Feng with eyes filled with relief at surviving a disaster and boundless gratitude.
"Thank you... Lin Feng... thank you..." Ruan Mengtian said, her face streaked with tears.
"Yes, Lin Feng... If it weren't for you... if those monsters had been allowed... if those monsters had been allowed to get close to this place..."
Su Wanqing dared not continue speaking. She could not imagine what a hellish scene it would be if they were facing such a thing.
They finally understood where the bloodstains on Lin Feng's body came from, what the stench was, and why the cold killing intent in his eyes came from.
He not only brought them enough food to last through the winter, but also, without their knowledge, saved them from a calamity from hell that could have dragged them all into the abyss!
At this moment, Lin Feng's image in their minds was no longer just that of a powerful hunter or a reliable leader. He was more like a guardian deity, an unbreakable wall that kept all danger, terror, and filth outside.
For them, within the walls, a peaceful and tranquil haven was created.
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