Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 90 The Gray Donkey Saves Its Master
The bushes around the cave were rustling softly, and they knew that the wolf pack was closing in. This slight sound was almost maddening, slowly eroding your will and making you want to scream in despair.

Finally, nine wolves emerged from the bushes one after another. One of them stood at the front, pure white without a single stray hair. It was a full size larger than the other wolves, and its pair of eerie green eyes stared straight at the group. This must be the wolf king!

It was breathing heavily, exhaling air from its nostrils, arching its back, preparing to attack.

He took a few steps forward, leaped, and pounced straight at Rong Wanyin. Rong Wanyin drew her soft sword with all her might, but missed, only managing to shave off a few white hairs from the wolf king's body. It turned out that the wolf king had feigned attacking Rong Wanyin, but its target was actually the three people behind her. It leaped, using a feint, but actually veered to the left, bypassing Rong Wanyin.

"What a cunning wolf!" Rong Wanyin thought to herself, "This is bad!"

Yan Mingzhang flashed out from behind Rong Wanyin, swiftly and cleanly swinging the arm-length wooden stick in his hand. The stick grazed the wolf king's foreleg, drawing blood instantly. It turned out that the dagger was too short, making close combat with the wolf extremely disadvantageous. So Yan Mingzhang had tied the dagger to the wooden stick. That dagger was a treasure, incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through iron like mud. With this stick with the dagger attached, even someone without martial arts skills could hold their own for a while simply by wielding the stick.

The wolf king had not expected that the person behind him also had a weapon. He was slashed and enraged, howling at the sky. The other wolves responded, and then they all launched an attack.

Yan Mingzhang brandished a wooden stick with a dagger strapped to it, while Rong Wanyin brandished her soft sword. Abao, who had been throwing stones at the wolf but was inaccurate, imitated Yan Mingzhang, securing stones firmly to the wood and swinging them like a spiked club. Su Zhan, this young master, had never lit a fire before, and his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't get the pile of hay to light. Abao, unable to bear it any longer, shoved the stone-stuck stick at him: "If you swing it fast enough, the wolf won't be able to get close!"

Su Zhan steeled his resolve, closed his eyes, and wildly swung the wooden stick. Suddenly, he felt the stick strike something heavy, and a loud crash echoed as something collapsed to the ground. Only then did Su Zhan dare to open his eyes. It turned out that he had stumbled upon a perfect opportunity; with one swing of the stick, the stone had struck the wolf that Rong Wanyin had injured on the head. Blood gushed out immediately, and the wolf collapsed dead! Perhaps Rong Wanyin had injured it earlier, leaving it unable to move easily, or perhaps it was a stroke of luck. Su Zhan never expected that he would actually kill a wolf!

Su Zhan's eyes were red, his hands trembled uncontrollably, and he was filled with a mixture of lingering fear and ecstatic joy: "Did you see that! Did you see that! I killed him!"

Suddenly, a raging fire erupted behind Su Zhan; it turned out that A Bao had successfully set the haystack ablaze. The wolves, terrified by the flames, took several steps back. Coupled with the fact that Su Zhan had just killed one wolf, the wolves glared fiercely at the four of them, growling softly.

Su Zhan suddenly felt weak and collapsed to the ground: "When will this ever end!"

Yan Mingzhang encouraged everyone, though he wasn't entirely confident: "Just hold on until tomorrow morning. I told the two drivers that if we haven't made it down the mountain by nightfall, one of them should stay behind while the other rushes to the county government to get reinforcements! Changfeng and Moyun will be back soon."

Su Zhan said with a wry smile, "Cheng Xuan, you really love to joke. We don't even know if we can hold out for another incense stick's time, and you want us to wait until tomorrow morning? These villagers are all fierce, and we don't even know if Changfeng and Moyun can escape safely. This hay is about to burn out... Sigh, I shouldn't have come with you! Otherwise, Rong girl, give me a sword, slit my throat, and let me die a quick death!"

Rong Wanyin, unusually serious, said, "Lord Su, don't shake the morale of the army. If the lord says it's okay, then we can do it!" Su Zhan pursed his lips, picked up a wooden stick, stood up, and tried to cheer himself up.

The group stared at the wolves, none daring to make a move. The fire in the campfire grew smaller and smaller, and the wolves became increasingly restless. They were waiting for an opportunity; they were waiting for the fire to go out.

The last flame in the fire eventually went out, and everything turned into ashes. In an instant, the wolf pack launched an attack. The wolf pack, now back in high spirits, was even more ferocious than before.

A wolf bit down hard on Rong Wanyin's soft sword, blood streaming from its mouth, yet it wouldn't let go. Just then, another wolf pounced from Rong Wanyin's right, about to knock her down, when a dagger swiftly and accurately plunged into the wolf's throat, piercing it completely. The wolf collapsed. Rong Wanyin glanced at Yan Mingzhang, not even having time to thank him, before turning back and kicking the wolf that was biting her sword away. She withdrew the sword, almost severing half of the wolf's head. The wolf was dead.

The wolf pack lost three of its top fighters at once. They took a few steps back, exchanged glances, and then three wolves held back Yan Mingzhang and his two companions while the other three took turns attacking Rong Wanyin. It seemed they intended to break through one by one.

Rong Wanyin was somewhat exhausted. The three wolves attacked in turn, making it difficult for her to keep up. Yan Mingzhang and the other two watched with growing anxiety, but they were blocked by the other three wolves and could not advance, so they could not help.

Suddenly, two wolves attacked from both sides. Rong Wanyin managed to deflect the attack, dislocating the left paw of the wolf in front, but she was still knocked to the ground by the wolf behind. The wolf opened its mouth wide to bite Rong Wanyin's neck, its hot, foul-smelling breath hitting the back of her neck. Despair filled Rong Wanyin's heart.

"Miss Rong!" Yan Mingzhang's voice came hoarsely, he almost shouted himself hoarse.

Suddenly, an old gray donkey sprang from the bushes, ramming its head into the wolf that was trampling Rong Wanyin. The wolf stumbled, enraged, and turned to bite the donkey. The old gray donkey spun around, raised its hind leg, and kicked the wolf hard. The wolf, enduring the pain, bit down hard on the donkey's belly. The old gray donkey brayed in agony, its sharp teeth tearing open its belly, its intestines spilling out. Undeterred, the old gray donkey used its last strength to deliver a final kick to the wolf before dying.

"Old man!" Rong Wanyin cried out hoarsely, but it was too late.

Rong Wanyin channeled her inner strength, flipped over, and lay on the ground. She thrust her sword upwards, piercing the wolf through. As she pulled the soft sword out, blood gushed out, covering Rong Wanyin in crimson.

The wolf lay on the ground whimpering, but another wolf took the opportunity to pounce. Rong Wanyin lost her grip on the soft sword and dropped it!
The wolf opened its mouth wide, about to bite the neck.

Rong Wanyin closed her eyes, with only one thought in her mind: Is this fate?