Chapter 121
Autumn is deep and the dew is heavy.
The forest was covered with fallen leaves. A giant gray wolf flicked its tail and nimbly leaped up a dry old tree, dozing off with its eyes half-closed.
Ilya sat at the foot of the hillside, where clusters of bindweed flowers bloomed. These small, autumn-blooming vines were sturdy and could be used to weave hanging baskets for children. Ilya finished one in a few minutes and patted the tree trunk.
The giant wolf whimpered twice in response, indicating that it understood. Ilya then took off his coat, grabbed the hanging vine, and nimbly climbed up a tree.
At the waterfall over there, Jiang Wenxing, wearing shorts, sat in the pool, shivering as he vigorously scooped water to wash himself.
The water splashed on my body felt like a handful of ice, bringing a bone-chilling cold. But after the cold passed, it actually felt warm. On the contrary, when I got out of the water, I was unbearably cold.
His body was so dirty, covered in mud, grime, and sweat. The more Jiang Wenxing washed, the redder he became. Did he even smell bad? In a fit of anger, he simply plunged his head into the pool and scrubbed himself vigorously.
The giant wolf's howling was reassuring and not frightening, even in the jungle.
Jiang Wenxing floated on the pool, looking up at the crescent moon in the sky, with scattered stars in the clouds. The swaying shadows of the trees brought a breeze, and in the breeze, there was a faint singing voice.
He listened quietly for a long time, but the beautiful Tanas songs were muffled by the waterfall, faint and indistinct.
Jiang Wenxing swam to the shore, dressed as quickly as possible, wiped the water droplets from his hair, and went down the hillside he had just come from. The giant wolf was lying on a dead tree, swishing its tail contentedly, and wildflowers were blooming beside the tree.
"Wolf."
Jiang Wenxing called out.
The giant wolf jumped down from the tree and circled around Jiang Wenxing, seemingly looking for something. Jiang Wenxing didn't see Ilya, and with a smile on his face, he whispered to the giant wolf, "When I'm better, I'll bring it to play with you. Right now, it won't listen to me."
The giant wolf let out two whimpers, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Jiang Wenxing asked him, "Where did the captain go?"
The giant wolf shook its head, gave Jiang Wenxing a very human-like "follow me" expression, took a few steps, and then circled around a tree.
By this time it was almost completely dark.
Jiang Wenxing looked up. Ilya stood quietly on the treetop. Behind the tall treetop was a dark blue sky, where one could see the shadows of trees, clouds, and the majestic snow-capped mountains in the distance.
A figure landed, carrying a bag of wild persimmons in a hanging basket woven from bindweed vines. Ilya handed him the persimmons, whistled, and walked ahead of him with the giant wolf. He didn't say a word, but it made Jiang Wenxing's face slowly turn red.
Back in the dormitory, he slept soundly and refreshed all night. The next day, he had a slight fever, but no runny nose or sneezing. Jiang Wenxing thought he should be fine. Guides and sentries were physically stronger than ordinary people because of their spiritual power.
Although his rebirth had expended a lot of mental energy, he was definitely in better physical condition than the average person, and he still got up early to run exercises with the cooks.
After finishing the activity and making breakfast, Jiang Wenxing suddenly heard a loud bang outside the mess hall, followed by a series of animal screams. He frowned and was about to rush out when Old Xiong, the squad leader, grabbed him and told the rest of the mess hall to rush out first: "What are you doing? What are you doing? You stay put!"
Jiang Wenxing had already sensed that the situation was very serious: "It's a spiritual entity!"
Sergeant Xiong frowned, put his arm around Jiang Wenxing, and strode out. Outside the mess hall, a chaotic battleground had broken out, with a bunch of spirit animals howling and fighting with an old wolf.
The powerful destructive force of the spirit had ruined the dried meat and green beans that the cooks had prepared, leaving them scattered all over the ground. It was a sight that would make the cooks' hearts bleed.
Sergeant Xiong, with his fiery temper, yelled, "Damn it! What's going on? You bunch of brats! Where are they? Where did everyone go?"
A jumble of footsteps rushed in from outside the courtyard. Swift sentries had already scaled the wall and entered the yard. Even though it pained me, I had no choice but to slap my own spirit body aside: "What's all the commotion? Lie down!"
By the time Jiang Wenxing managed to squeeze out, the situation was basically under control. Seven or eight sentries surrounded an old wolf with red eyes, their faces as grim as if they had died. Their spirit bodies were all in an attack stance, but their emotions were extremely agitated, completely lacking the composure one should have when facing an enemy.
Jiang Wenxing's pupils contracted!
"It's an out-of-body experience!"
A voice came from behind the human wall.
Arno ran in, panting. His face was pale, and for the first time, panic and fear appeared on his delicate features.
The sentries present turned pale, their expressions becoming somber and grave. Sensing their master's emotions, they whimpered and tried to approach the old wolf, only to be coldly stopped by their master.
Astral projection means that the sentinel's mental pollution has become so severe that it is unbearable. He may be a human or a beast. Both the sentinel and the astral companion animal will go mad with fear and fight to the death.
Such a sentinel is beyond saving; even if he were to be revived, he would most likely be an ordinary person.
The guide had lost the ability to help him; its greatest role was to soothe the mad spirit and euthanize it.
The old wolf bared its teeth, panting heavily. It had only one eye, which was as red as if dripping blood. Its remaining reason told it not to harm its companions, but the once clear daytime had turned into night. All around it were distorted blocks of color. It couldn't distinguish them, nor could it hear its comrades' calls. It couldn't find its way home. Blood and lava were everywhere, along with howling monsters.
It roared and charged toward the monsters at incredible speed!
"Get him under control!"
A dark shadow flashed before Arno's eyes, with a gaping maw, sharp claws, and steel teeth. The oppressive feeling of almost dying left him stunned on the spot. A white light flashed before his eyes, and his mind went blank.
"Arno!"
He was suddenly struck hard on the face. He snapped back to reality to find himself facing that familiar yet repulsive face, along with the smell of scallions. Arno, filled with shock and anger, cried out, "Jiang Wenxing, what are you doing?!"
Jiang Wenxing had no time to waste words with him. The wolf suddenly attacked Arno and was kicked by the Sentinel's spirit, which made it even more frenzied. He gripped Arno's shoulder and said coldly, "Release the spirit and calm it down quickly!"
Arno: "Are you crazy? I won't kill anyone!"
His mind was completely in turmoil, filled with fear, panic, and an unspeakable guilt. If the old guide had been here, he would have noticed the anomaly earlier, controlled the sentry, and prevented him from having to be euthanized.
The sentry was acting strangely this morning. He noticed it but didn't pay much attention. As a result, he got into a fight with the ant tribe while patrolling the mountain, was wounded, and then got into trouble on his way back.
What should we do? What should we do?
Why isn't the old guide here?
Arno's eyes were glazed over, his face was deathly pale, and he was trembling slightly, his breathing extremely irregular—he was exhibiting signs of battlefield stress. Jiang Wenxing, however, was unable to calm the wolf alone; he couldn't summon his own spiritual form.
The out-of-control spirit was extremely violent. The sentinels, already wounded from trying to avoid harming it, were all on high alert, constantly shouting "Faster, faster!" The immense pressure weighed on the guide.
Jiang Wenxing gritted his teeth and looked at Yano, who was having a panic attack. He hugged him tightly, then let go, rubbed his face, and imitated the words Ilya used to comfort him in his previous life: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, look at me, look into my eyes, it's okay, don't panic, count with me one, two, three, and speak, don't be afraid."
Arno was trembling uncontrollably. The sudden voice became his support. He subconsciously followed Jiang Wenxing's words and repeated them three times. His heart, which was about to jump out of its shell, finally slowed down a little.
Jiang Wenxing gripped his hand tightly: "Good, Arno, you did very well. Now release your spiritual body."
Arno's lips trembled as a lithe snow leopard appeared beside him. Transparent mental ripples covered the entire courtyard, and the mental beings all turned around to make way for the white snow leopard.
Jiang Wenxing breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Arno's face lit up with joy and he breathed a sigh of relief. Realizing the encouragement Jiang Wenxing had given him earlier, his expression became unnatural again, but his attention was immediately drawn to the old wolf in the middle of the yard.
The snow leopard walked slowly to the old wolf with light steps. The old wolf's vision changed, and the terrifying and bizarre scene became blurry and dizzying. Its head bobbed up and down, and its limbs fell uncontrollably.
As one soldier silently shed tears, he raised the gun to disinfect the spiritual entity. He wanted to save his comrade, even if it meant he could live as an ordinary person.
The atmosphere became quiet and solemn, and the spiritual creatures that had been born with the sentinels all lowered their heads and whimpered softly.
Sergeant Xiong silently watched the familiar scene before him, his cold and stern face like a rock eroded by the wind, only his hawk-like eyes revealing a trace of sorrow.
But the gun was held down. The sentry lowered his eyes, and the guide, wearing white sleeves and an apron, smelling strongly of scallions, said with unusual composure, "Wait a minute."
Jiang Wenxing turned to Arno and asked, "How long can you soothe it?"
Arno found it strange that Jiang Wenxing suddenly exuded an aura similar to that of a seasoned veteran guide, making it impossible for Arno to refute him. He suddenly thought of something: "You want to guide it?"
That's something only a seasoned combat guide would attempt, requiring extremely extensive experience.
Arno's expression was complex, a mixture of bewilderment at Jiang Wenxing's abilities and astonishment at the extent of his sacrifice. He wasn't a bad person, nor did he want to see his comrades die; unconsciously, he placed his hopes on Jiang Wenxing. After a moment's thought, he gave a definite answer: "At most 15 minutes."
Jiang Wenxing pondered for a moment and then said to him, "I want to give it a try."
Without explaining how to try it or the probability of success or failure, Arno was remarkably straightforward this time: "Leave it to me."
The surrounding sentries were silent, not daring to make a sound. Their eyes were filled with hope and expectation as they looked at the two guides, their fists clenched in silence.
Arno suddenly felt a sense of mission.
He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and thought, "Damn it, I can hold on for another twenty minutes!"
Jiang Wenxing's approach was much more brutal. He walked to the drowsy old wolf, pried open its huge mouth, and shoved his head inside.
The entire audience gasped.
Arno was dumbfounded.
The sentry captain, who rushed to the scene, almost fell onto the door frame.
Only Jiang Wenxing waited silently for a moment, and when he heard the familiar squeaking sound, he grabbed a little mouse that always avoided him from his shoulder.
There's no other way; if I don't toughen myself up, this little thing will be in big trouble if it refuses to come out.
The little mouse squeaked, even making gestures, expressing its strong anger and dissatisfaction with Jiang Wenxing's act of shoving its head into the mouth of the mentally unstable being on the verge of madness.
Jiang Wenxing smiled, rubbed the little mouse's belly in his palm, placed the little mouse, which seemed to be swearing, on the old wolf's head, and closed his eyes.
At the same time, the little mouse sitting on the old wolf's head also closed its eyes.
A gentle ripple of mental energy emanated from the old wolf. The wolf's expression changed from savage to pain, and it hissed as it inhaled. Its muscles bulged, and the copious amount of sweat that poured out fell to the ground and vanished into nothingness.
A large, greyish-white wolf walked up to the old wolf, squatted down, its deep eyes silently guarding its companion.
The old wolf ran with all its might, the world around it was bizarre and terrifying, filled with blood and howls. It was in great pain, exhausted, and on the verge of death, as it was consumed by the flames.
Just when it was about to give up, a gust of wind suddenly rushed towards it. The wind was weak but lingered for a long time, blowing away its fatigue, soothing its pain, and giving it strength again.
It cried out, telling the wind that it wanted to go home, to return. The wind circled around it once and then blew forward.
The wolf chased after it, initially stumbling along, but gradually running faster and faster.
It followed that gust of wind, the route the guide had found for its return journey.
Author's Note:
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