At that point, it would mean double the enemies and double the misery.
With a furious shout of "How dare you!" Ke Jihai hurled his spear, impaling the foremost assailant straight through the heart.
Just then, the sound of flapping wings came from above, as though a massive bird were swooping in. A sudden pang of danger struck Ke Jihai, and without a second thought, he rolled aside.
An instant later, a colossal fireball plunged from the sky, crashing precisely where he had been standing.
A slab of black stone shattered, while the vegetation beneath the snow was reduced to ash in an instant.
Ke Jihai looked up to see a monstrous bird circling overhead. It had a grotesque appearance—the head of a crow, the wings of a bat, and a serpent-like neck, but no tail at all.
Perched upon its back was a rider wearing a bronze mask with only two eyeholes cut into it.
Ke Jihai clenched his fists in fury. If he only had his longbow in hand, would this wretched thing ever dare caw and squawk above his head?
Indeed, its cry sounded like a crow's.
"Father!" He Yue cried in shock, lunging forward to shield He Chunhua while raising his hand to loose an icicle.
The icicle split into three mid-flight, fanning out in a triangle and striking one of the assailants squarely.
Yet the remaining enemies still charged into close range, having only one target in mind: He Chunhua.
Unable to rush back in time and about to whip out his broken saber, He Lingchuan watched as several shadows darted from the forest like arrows, knocking three assailants to the ground.
When everyone looked closer, they were startled once again.
These were several giant, gray-furred wolves.
Sized like small calves, their limbs were far sturdier than those of ordinary wolves. After pinning the enemies down, they tore into them with vicious bites, ending their lives in moments.
The lead gray wolf seized one attacker's head and shook it twice, snapping it cleanly from the neck and sending blood splashing everywhere.
Out of the eight assailants, five had fallen in a flash. The remaining three froze in place, then suddenly spun around and fled.
The giant wolves did not pursue them.
Within just a few breaths, He Lingchuan finally reached his family's side. Levelling his blade at the pack, he shouted, "Halt! Take another step, and you'll be shown no mercy!"
Though the wolves had temporarily relieved them of the ambush, the creature trapped in the Entangling Silk Heaven's Net was also a wolf demon.
Were they in league together?
Six or seven more giant wolves emerged from the dense forest, surrounding the heaven's net and the wolf-man.
He Lingchuan's palms grew slick with sweat, and He Chunhua's gaze flickered warily.
"We harbor no ill will," the lead gray wolf suddenly spoke in human tongue. "Our target is that madman in the sky!"
He Lingchuan looked up at the giant bird circling above and the rider on its back.
At first glance, he felt certain this fellow was connected to the giant ape and the wolf-man, for the monstrous bird looked just as bizarre and uncanny, as though stitched together from disparate parts.
Right then, the bird spewed fireballs one after another, pummeling the walnut boat below. Lacking ranged weapons, Ke Jihai snapped off several tree branches and hurled them upward, but the beast dodged them all.
"My boat!" He Lingchuan's heart ached so sharply at the sight of the walnut boat that he could barely breathe.
The exquisitely crafted wooden vessel now bore several scorched craters from the fireballs, flames licking across the timber and flaring wildly.
From the start, it had been designed merely as a conveyance. Though treated against fire, moisture, and rot, it was certainly not as durable as a true combat artifact.
Whatever breed the strange bird was, its fireballs burned with a red so deep it bordered on violet, hot enough to ignite even the snow-covered stone ground.
Standing atop the deck, the boatman wielded his punt pole to extinguish the flames, quenching a patch with each tap. Unfortunately, the fire spread faster than he could fight it, creeping below the gunwale in no time.
That boat had just consumed one of his profound crystals! Enraged and completely forgetting that the boat actually belonged to He Chunhua, He Lingchuan pulled a bow and arrows from his storage ring, sprinted a few steps forward, and lobbed them high toward Ke Jihai.
His own archery was still lacking, and an injured left shoulder kept him from drawing a bow, but his right arm remained full of strength. The bow and arrows soared twenty-odd yards through the air.
The monstrous bird swooped down, aiming to intercept them.
*Heh, come and get it then.* With a cold sneer, He Lingchuan drew his broken saber and hurled it.
This throw was also remarkably accurate. Yet the creature proved nimbler than a vulture, twisting midair to evade the strike.
The saber missed, plunging into the darkness.
*Eh? So it doesn't hit every single time?*
Even so, that brief distraction allowed Ke Jihai to catch the bow. His spirits lifted. Grabbing an arrow at random, he drew and loosed without even taking deliberate aim; a glint of cold light streaked from the string, swift and unerring.
The rider atop the bird brandished a small bell, which chimed with crisp clarity, conjuring a violent gale in midair.
His reaction could hardly have been quicker. Unfortunately, this arrow was also infused with origin power—an energy specifically forged to pierce supernatural arts.
No matter how fiercely the wind blew, the arrow was deflected only a hair. Ke Jihai had originally aimed for the bird's belly, but the shaft ended up piercing clean through the base of its wing.
Wailing in agony, the creature flapped frantically in an attempt to glide toward the facing ridge.
Just then, the clatter of hooves echoed as more than a dozen riders charged up the mountain road—Ke Jihai's retinue had finally arrived.
Ke Jihai rejoiced. "Don't let it get away!" he shouted, drawing his bow once more.
Yet right at that moment, the walnut boat could no longer withstand the scouring blaze. With a loud snap, it shrank back into its original small sphere.
The mountain-crushing weight vanished, and the giant ape instantly broke free, leaping high into the air like a rocket!
It vaulted forty to fifty feet, soaring over everyone's heads to catch both the rider and the bird midair before plunging like an iron weight into the valley below.
Ke Jihai's arrow loosed as well, striking the ape squarely in the rump. The beast bellowed in pain, yet refused to let go.
The crowd rushed to the cliff edge and peered down. The valley floor was pitch-black, but several pine trees had been smashed down, and the canopy around them swayed continuously.
Evidently, the giant ape had survived and was fleeing into the distance.
Ke Jihai singled out two of his men. "Go after them and take a look."
Accepting the order, the two spurred their horses down the mountain.
Meanwhile, the wolf pack remained locked in a standoff with He Chunhua and the others. Seeing Ke Jihai's men arrive and their own strength bolstered, the He party felt their tension ease. The whistling arrow earlier had also alerted the guards at Luming Garden, and hoofbeats could now be heard approaching along the upper mountain road, not far away.
As the wounds across his body grew increasingly painful, He Lingchuan's smile twisted into a wince.
He felt at his waist; the saber had already returned.
The injured coachman had passed out from pain, while the commoner youth pushed himself up. Madam Ying offered profuse thanks, to which the youth waved his hand weakly. "It's... it's nothing. So long as Madam is unharmed."
He Yue looked at the youth's back and said, "The blood is black. The arrow is poisoned."
Among Ke Jihai's retinue was a military physician, who stepped forward and offered an elixir. "Take an antivenom pill first."
His antivenom was effective against most poisons, yet after swallowing it, the youth's brow turned darker still. His limbs began to twitch, and he groaned in distress.
At this rate, he would lose consciousness before long.
Madam Ying gasped, "What should we do!" Had this youth not thrown himself in harm's way, she would be the one suffering from the venom right now.
After a brief pause, Ke Jihai said, "Take my token and rush him to Jinghe Hall down the mountain. Prominent physicians from the Fu family preside there, and I recall one of them specializes in counteracting poisons!"
His men acknowledged the order and hurried down the mountain with both the youth and the unconscious coachman.
By this time, a dozen-odd guards from Luming Garden had also arrived. Seeing the pack of wolves, they were thoroughly alarmed, weapons clearing their scabbards with sharp clangs.
To have monsters roaming loose near an imperial estate would brand them negligent if word got out.
Surrounded by aggressive humans, the wolves grew uneasy as well, several baring their fangs.
"Hold your hands for a moment, everyone," Ke Jihai called out in a timely manner. "The mastermind behind the ambush on Master He and me has already fled." With that, he stepped over to confer with the captain of the guards.
The lead gray wolf emphasized once more, "We harbor no ill will. We only came here pursuing Dong Rui, hoping to rescue our young master."
"Young master?" He Chunhua's gaze fell upon the wolf-man on the ground. Now that the masked eccentric had departed, it had ceased its frenzy, emitting only low growls.
"This is our young master, Lu Ze. He was gravely injured, and Dong Rui took advantage of that to modify him into this monstrous state," the gray wolf said, its voice tinged with sorrow. "My name is Lu Xin. We belong to the Rock Wolf clan of the North Star Tundra. Please return our young master to us!"
They had not moved to snatch him earlier out of concern that Dong Rui was still present, knowing the wolf-man would remain under Dong Rui's thrall even if freed from the net. Understanding this clearly, He Chunhua said, "This creature is already my spoil of war. Just moments ago, it nearly took my life."
While stripping off his tunic to let the physician treat his wounds, He Lingchuan remarked to the pack, "If we tried to take your spoils of war, would you be pleased?"
"We can offer compensation," the gray wolf Lu Xin said. "The North Star Tundra yields several rare medicinal herbs. Using our clan's secret formula, we can compound a spirit medicine that lightens the body and boosts stamina. It is useful not only for martial artists like you, but will grant horses far greater endurance as well."
Even Ke Jihai was somewhat tempted by this offer.
If horses could run faster and farther, equipping even a single scout squad would yield an immediate, noticeable boost in mobility.
He Chunhua shook his head. "How can mere herbs compare to the status of your young master?"
He turned to ask the wolf demon, "Is your entire clan present here?"
"Most of our clansmen remain in the North Star Tundra guarding our territory."
He Chunhua pointed at the wolf-man on the ground. "If I return him to you, can you restore his sanity?"
Lu Xin replied immediately, "We may attempt it. There is no need for your Excellency to worry."
He Chunhua looked toward Ke Jihai to seek his opinion, but the latter promptly replied, "He is Master He's captive. Deal with him as you see fit."
"I am heading north to Xiazhou to recruit soldiers and horses, and I am sorely lacking manpower," He Chunhua said, having already made up his mind. "Have the Rock Wolf clan dispatch a squad to serve under my banner—at least fifteen healthy, adult wolf demons. That should hardly be asking too much, should it?"
These wolf demons had displayed formidable combat prowess the moment they appeared, and wolf packs were renowned worldwide for their endurance, discipline, and obedience. He Chunhua knew well that many armies, both within the borders and beyond, incorporated demon soldiers into their ranks to make up for human shortcomings.
Lu Xin was taken aback, completely unprepared for such a brazen demand.
The wolves huddled together, murmuring among themselves. To the humans, their mode of communication was entirely unintelligible, but their tails lashed vigorously, suggesting an intense debate.
Only after a long while did Lu Xin turn back to He Chunhua and say, "The North Star Tundra faces many threats. Our prime warriors must guard our territory and cannot remain away from our people for long."
He Chunhua frowned.
Fortunately, Lu Xin immediately offered a compromise: "How about this: Lu Jin and I shall enter into a covenant with you right now to fight at your side."
Chapter 178