Chapter 122 "I'll Give You All the Reserve Food" and "You Can't Escape"
After Qi Tang finished cleaning and bandaging his wounds, she herself was soaked with sweat.
Perhaps because she used enough force, he knew that his wound needed to be cleaned. After his initial violent struggle, he quickly calmed down, his face devoid of emotion. He just stared at her hand warily with his beastly eyes, his gaze never leaving her.
The lake water, carrying fragments of leaves embedded in his red flesh, spilled onto the ground. He remained silent, his back hunched, his muscles taut.
Clearly, unexpected acts of kindness cannot convince a wolf that lives in the wilderness.
The wolf's wildness cannot be suppressed; she came to save him, and cannot keep him bound forever.
But given how ruthless this wolf cub is, if he were to bite her a few more times after being untied, she really wouldn't be able to live.
We can only take it one step at a time... Let's try solving one problem first.
Qi Tang sat down cross-legged, her gaze falling on his wrists and ankles, which were covered in marks. He was, after all, human, and his wrists were the most difficult to clean.
Although this kid is young, his speed is comparable to that of a wolf. If he takes the opportunity to run away, it might be difficult to catch him.
And then all that was left was... her gaze fell on his stretched-out cheeks.
Everything went black.
—Is her destiny to be abandoned and bitten by Leng Ling?
She lightly covered her neck and shook her head frantically.
After struggling for a while, she suddenly leaned forward and pleaded with him, word by word, "I'll let you go, but please don't bite me, okay?"
As she spoke, she covered her mouth and then pointed at his canine teeth from a distance.
He stared intently at her without saying a word, it was unclear whether he understood.
It's so easy to understand, how could anyone not understand it?
Qi Tang gestured in the air again, getting closer and closer to him, as if she wanted to feed him this meaning.
The fragrance of flowers and fruits wafted freely at his nose, and he suddenly roared forward, as if to scare her away.
Qi Tang shrank back, dejectedly lowered her head, but still unwilling to give up, she looked around and her eyes lit up again when she saw something.
On the other side of the lake, amidst the lush greenery, scattered patches of crimson hues appeared. She picked up a soft leaf, got up, ran to the opposite bank, and plucked all the fruit clustered on the branches.
The white downy feathers brushed against her fingertips. Qi Tang dipped the vermilion fruit in the lake water to wash it clean, then presented it to him like a treasure. "Dangdang, here's a sweet fruit for you. Don't bite me, okay?"
She picked up a plump, ripe red fruit, took a bite, and with a sweet sigh, said, "It's so sweet, do you want some?"
As she spoke, she picked up another fruit and lightly touched his lips. The water droplets on the peel moistened his chapped lips, causing a slight tingling sensation.
The wolf cub, who hadn't eaten in a long time, bobbed his Adam's apple for a moment, his gaze shifted upwards to the corners of her eyes, and then he quickly lowered his head again.
Qi Tang bent down to the side, not giving him a chance to dodge, and leaned in close to his face, blinking as she said, "I'll give you all of it."
She held the soft leaf filled with fruit to his lips, and with her other hand she pinched one end of the cloth swaddled at the corner of his mouth and gently pulled it out.
Having been bitten so many times, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. She subconsciously held her breath, but then she thought, "I've already made such a good gesture. If this kid still dares to bite me, it would be an outrage against heaven and earth. Let's see how I bite him back!"
The sweet and slightly sour aroma approached his nose, and he subconsciously wrinkled his nose.
Wolves are carnivorous and only occasionally eat berries when food is scarce. When he was younger and not yet able to hunt, he would stagger to pick berries to eat, unable to taste them, just to fill his stomach.
He didn't mind eating the wild fruits, but there was better food available.
The blood and flesh of the deer made the starving wolf swallow its saliva uncontrollably, and the soaked strips of cloth dangled to the ground.
A deer of this size is enough to feed a pack of wolves.
Once freed from her shackles, any hungry wolf would not hesitate to bite her neck off.
But......
He involuntarily raised his eyes again, meeting those amber eyes so close to his own. Involuntarily, the image of the fawn's eyes, brimming with tears, before it died, lay in the mud, soaked in flesh and blood, appeared before his eyes.
Hunting is in a wolf's nature; wolves have no mercy.
His eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he lowered his head to bite down, swallowing the berry from his lips in a whirlwind. He gulped it down, not even having time to chew, his mouth was stuffed full, and juice spilled from the corners of his mouth, smearing it everywhere.
As if afraid someone would steal his food, in just a couple of breaths, only bits of meat and fruit juice remained on the ground.
Qi Tang stared at him blankly.
At least it didn't bite itself, it was just very hungry.
—It seems that the first step in taming a wolf cub is to feed him.
She slowly raised her hand to wipe his mouth, leaving red stains all over her sleeve, and then rubbed his head, saying, "Good boy."
Qi Tang received no response, because the mournful, long howls of wolves echoed again from the distant mountains and forests.
Hearing the wolves' calls, he became visibly agitated, his lips twitching, he was breathing heavily, and the wolf howls were muffled in his chest, as if he was about to scream out loud.
Without hesitation, Qi Tang decisively untied the restraints on his wrists. While he was tearing at the strips of cloth on his legs, she took two steps back and quickly climbed up the tree.
She felt she had treated him well enough, letting him bite and yell at her, but he was too fierce and always had to wait for her wounds to heal.
The tightly bound strips of cloth were quickly torn to shreds by his fingernails. He hunched over and got up, looking up at her for a moment with a cold gaze, yet hiding an indescribable rage.
Qi Tang hugged the tree trunk tightly, her heart leaping into her throat. She covered her mouth with her other hand, begging him not to howl.
His ears twitched slightly, and his sharp nails scratched at the tree trunk. Without saying a word, he turned around with his muscles tense, pushed aside the bushes, and walked out, cautiously looking back every few steps, as if he couldn't believe that she would let him go back so easily without any ulterior motives.
But his sensitive ears couldn't hear a single rustling sound.
He certainly wouldn't be soft-hearted, but the wolf pack had already caught enough prey to share, and he had already memorized the deer's scent.
She can't escape.
Let's hunt again tomorrow.
He suppressed the roar that was about to burst from his throat and ran quickly toward the wolf pack.
Seeing the small figure disappear into the shadows of the trees, Qi Tang finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had only exchanged a few glances and hadn't expected him to stay willingly.
However, she had already attached a small strand of spiritual energy to him.
He can't escape.
She's determined to break free from this damned nightmare.
—I refuse to believe that we can't tame them.
Despite harboring lofty ambitions, Qitang could only struggle to climb down from the tree first.
As darkness fell, it became increasingly gloomy, and once it was completely dark, it would be difficult to find a habitable cave. This nightmare realm was built based on Leng Ling's memories of the past, and judging from his wounds, the mountains were probably teeming with man-eating wolves and tigers.
She was still covered in blood; there was no time to lose.
Fortunately, after a day of bad luck, I finally had a stroke of good fortune. Not long after, I found a cave on a gentle slope not far from the lake. Although it was small, the entrance was covered by bushes and vines, making it much safer than the others.
Qi Tang had no choice but to pick some soft leaves to cushion herself before sitting down with her legs drawn up, thinking about how to "please" that fierce wolf cub tomorrow. She couldn't fall asleep no matter how much she thought about it.
She wanted to be good to him, but only if the wolves weren't around; she couldn't just go and throw her life away for nothing.
But wolves are social animals, so how do you lure the pack away?
She covered her face with her hands and sobbed in pain, as if she didn't want to live anymore.
Why is it so hard to save someone these days?
If I had used the time I spent reading storybooks back then to properly practice magic, how could I be where I am today?
**
To do something well, you must first have the right tools.
A rough, withered branch suddenly pierced the fish's belly, and two crucian carp were strung together, overlapping. Qi Tang, holding her tattered skirt in one hand and clutching the fish string in the other, ran to the shore.
Deep in the mountains and forests, with only a little spiritual power left, she had to run away from anything she encountered, and could only bully the fish and shrimp in the lake.
Who told her to have a wolf cub that loves to eat meat that she needs to offer sacrifices to?
I bring him food every day; I don't believe he won't eat it.
Covered in bite wounds, she had no intention of going into the water. But when she woke up in the morning, she found that the wounds, which were still bloody and mangled yesterday, had all scabbed over.
Every moment of supporting the Nightmare Mirror consumes a large amount of spiritual energy. She can barely protect herself, so naturally she won't waste spiritual energy to treat these superficial injuries.
After much thought, it can only be related to the Nightmare Realm, but the specifics are still unknown, so we can only suppress our doubts for now.
Fortunately, she was not just all show and no substance; she not only caught fish, but also grilled them with ease.
She pressed her delicate, pink nose against it, sniffed it twice, and nodded in satisfaction.
Wrap the two carefully roasted crucian carp in soft leaves, humming a song as she walked toward the cave, thinking of the wolf pack.
However, after taking only three steps, the grilled fish wrapped in soft leaves fell to the ground.
She never imagined that the wolf cub she had been longing for day and night, searching for it from who-knows-where, would come to her doorstep on its own.
When that familiar force pounced on her from behind again, before she could even think, her hands had already firmly gripped his chin and pushed him outwards. With a twist of her waist, she pinned the wolf cub, who had attacked her a second time, down beneath her, and skillfully tore off strips of cloth to tie him up tightly.
All of this is based on experience.
The ambush failed again, and his face flushed red instantly. Before he could even howl, his mouth was shoved shut...
The canine tooth pierced through forcefully, and with a crisp snap, the charred fish skin and snow-white fish flesh broke in two. An indescribable taste spread in the mouth. The wolf cub, raised in the wilderness, did not know the taste, but could not help but drool.
It's not a strip of cloth.
His pupils trembled slightly. He didn't swallow, but just left his mouth half-open, letting the piece of fish get stuck in his mouth, neither going up nor down.
The fish, with most of its body exposed outside its cavity, fell down without a sound or warning.
Without blinking, his eyes shimmering with tears as he watched her lean in, cupping her hands to his lips and gently taking the piece of fish into her palms.
He thought he heard a 'click' sound.
"Isn't it delicious?"
The remaining half of the grilled fish rudely pressed into his half-open jaws. Unable to speak, he swallowed the piece without chewing.
It made my throat feel sore and swollen.
have eaten!
She smiled, her eyes crinkling, "So sweet!"
Qi Tang patted his head contentedly, then did nothing more. After feeding him both grilled fish, she decisively untied the cloth binding her hands, retreated as usual, hid behind a tree and watched him, but gripped the tree trunk tightly.
The strips of cloth binding his feet were torn to shreds again without mercy. He stood there, staring up at her, his fingertips scratching at the air. Two breaths later, he turned and left without a word, without looking back.
In the endless wilderness, it becomes a tiny shadow, panicked and resistant, because of the absurdity it cannot understand.
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Author's Note: I haven't been feeling well lately, and my herniated disc flared up again, so updates will be slower TT. I'll try to update more frequently once I feel better.
Please, everyone, don't sit for long periods of time TT. Moving around and exercising more is really too painful.
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