Although Li Ling and the other two had a thousand words they wanted to say to Wang Lun, given the current situation, remaining silent was perhaps the wisest course of action.
Liu Ruoling stood quietly at the entrance, her hand gripping her bow and arrow tightly. The bowstring was taut, and the arrowhead pointed towards the camp gate. She was fully focused on the movements around her, not daring to relax for a moment. Although the sky was still pitch black, Liu Ruoling could still barely see her surroundings by the faint moonlight.
Before long, Wang Lun gradually approached the camp entrance. Seeing this, Liu Ruoling immediately drew her bowstring taut and walked lightly toward the restroom. She planned to use the pool to climb the wall and gain a better position to deal with any potential dangers.
Just then, Wang Lun arrived near the gate. At the same time, the wild beasts outside, with their keen sense of smell, seemed to sense someone approaching. They became increasingly agitated and began frantically scratching at the gate. Fortunately, Wang Lun and his group had forged the camp gate to be exceptionally sturdy beforehand. While the seemingly bulky gate made entry and exit slightly inconvenient, the solid and reliable protection it provided instilled a sense of security.
Wang Lun cautiously approached the gate. Through the crack, he was surprised to find a pack of wolves before him. He was familiar with wolves; although their meat wasn't very tasty, having something to eat in the dead of winter was already a blessing. The wolves bared their teeth, exuding a ferocious aura that sent chills down his spine.
Wang Lun gripped the knife tightly in his hand, slammed it against the door, and roared at the top of his lungs. He hoped the loud noise would frighten the wolves, either scattering them or at least buying him some precious time.
At that moment, Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi, standing at the door of the earthen house, heard Wang Lun's roar. They exchanged a tacit glance and, without hesitation, followed Li Ling as they ran towards the wall. Li Ling carried a large bundle of short wooden spears, while Liu Ruoxi held two torches, one already burning brightly and the other yet to be lit.
In less than two minutes, Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi successfully climbed the wall. To be precise, Liu Ruoling climbed the wall first, then Li Ling, and finally Liu Ruoxi, since Liu Ruoxi was carrying a torch, and the light from the torch could easily scare away the wolves—which they had already done.
Using the torchlight, Liu Ruoling could clearly see her surroundings. Then, with swift and agile movements, she completed a series of actions—drawing the bow, aiming, and firing the arrow—within just two seconds.
The arrow streaked across the sky like lightning, like a wild horse unleashed, a sudden storm, or a dazzling rainbow streaking across the heavens. In short, its speed was astonishing! The arrow struck a wolf squarely in the eye, the arrowhead deeply embedded. From the outside, the blow appeared fatal; the arrowhead pierced the wolf's eye socket and penetrated its brain, killing the wolf instantly.
Just seconds later, Li Ling swiftly threw out her first short spear after landing, and at the same time, Liu Ruoling fired her second arrow. Liu Ruoxi then inserted her torch into a pre-drilled hole in the wall, picked up a short spear, aimed precisely at a wolf, and hurled it without hesitation.
Liu Ruoling's archery skills were quite superb; she almost always hit the wolves accurately with every shot, but in reality, she rarely managed to kill them. After all, wolves were exceptionally agile, and the dim lighting in the surrounding environment made the whole scene extremely chaotic.
Although Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi threw numerous short spears, only a few were truly fatal, though some did hit their targets. Those wolves struck by the spears were all severely wounded. Their high vantage point and advantageous position, combined with the immense force they exerted and the weight of the spears themselves, created a powerful impact. Furthermore, Wang Lun and the others had specially carbonized the spearheads to ensure sufficient lethality.
As Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi launched their attack on the wolves, Wang Lun, after observing and confirming that the wolves were temporarily unable to break through the gate, acted swiftly without hesitation, taking two steps at a time and quickly scaling the wall.
Immediately afterward, Wang Lun picked up a short spear, aimed at the wolves, and threw it with all his might. Unlike Li Ling and the others, Wang Lun's spear was incredibly powerful; even if it didn't hit the wolves directly, it would embed itself deep in the ground, becoming an obstacle for the wolves to dodge. In contrast, while the short spears thrown by Li Ling and the others could also stand upright on the ground, they would easily fall over with the slightest impact from the wolves.
Moreover, the sharp short spear that Wang Lun threw with all his might traveled as fast as lightning. Once it hit a wolf, the fatal blow would almost certainly kill it on the spot! Even if some wolves were lucky enough to survive, they would only be seriously injured and fall to the ground, but they would still die tragically soon afterward.
While it seemed like a lot was said, all of this actually happened in a very short time. In less than ten minutes, the once arrogant and numerous wolf pack of over ten was reduced to only five or six unharmed wolves, who slunk away with their tails between their legs. The two wounded wolves were entirely thanks to Liu Ruoling—her precise wooden arrows had dealt a severe blow to the vicious dogs. It's important to understand that the more potent alloy arrows she had prepared earlier had long been exhausted, and since then, Liu Ruoling had only been able to rely on the relatively rudimentary wooden arrows to continue her struggle against the wolves.
Seeing the wolf flee, Wang Lun quickly stopped the three men from giving chase. He gestured for them to rest against the wall for a moment, while he himself, holding a long spear, kept his eyes fixed on the camp gate, wary of any further attacks from wolves or other wild beasts.
Li Ling and the others caught their breath, calming their rapidly rising adrenaline. Within minutes, Li Ling suggested, "How about the three of us go down and deal with those wolves, bringing them back to camp?" Wang Lun waved his hand in refusal, saying, "Don't move. I'll go alone. You stay on the wall and keep a close watch on the surroundings to prevent any further attacks from wolves or other wild animals."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ruoxi expressed her concern, saying, "No, it's not safe for you to go alone. How about I go with you? I can even provide light." At this moment, Li Ling displayed her elder sisterly demeanor, resolutely saying, "No need to say more, I'll go with him. You two stay on the wall and keep an eye on things outside." Seeing that Li Ling had spoken, Liu Ruoxi and Liu Ruoling didn't dare to argue with her. As for Wang Lun, after a moment's thought, he decided to let her go; they would always worry if she went alone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com