Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

A white shadow, swift as lightning, suddenly darted out from the shadows and pounced on the crowd.

"what!"

"What is that?!"

Exclamations and screams suddenly erupted, and the crowd descended into chaos.

The once orderly campsite was suddenly thrown into complete chaos.

The uninvited guest that rushed in was none other than an adult snow leopard.

It has a lithe build, slightly protruding fangs, and fur with a silvery-gray sheen and distinct markings.

It seemed startled by the sudden noise, crouching low and letting out a menacing growl.

Its thick, sharp claws gripped the ground, its body slightly arched, ready to pounce and injure at any moment.

Someone shouted, "Protect the old lady! Quickly, protect the old lady!"

Upon hearing the commotion, the patrolling soldiers in the distance immediately drew their swords and rushed over.

But no matter how fast they are, they can't outrun a four-legged snow leopard.

In the blink of an eye, the snow leopard had already approached the old lady's wheelchair, and was only a few steps away from Liu Wenying and the others.

The soldiers rushed over with all their might, but it was too late.

A foul stench filled the air, and the beast's eyes burned fiercely.

Liu Wenying gripped the back of the wheelchair tightly. Like everyone else, she was afraid, but she forced herself to calm down and found a clue in the blink of an eye.

These are not the kinds of animals that should be found in Xishan!

Although there are wild animals in Xishan Weichang, they are mostly black bears, wild boars, and common leopards, with their fur mainly being yellowish-brown, which makes them easy to hide in the mountains and forests.

The one before me was entirely silver-gray, with markings like ink plum blossoms in the snow, elegant and aloof.

It's more like a snow leopard—no, not just like, it *is* a snow leopard.

Snow leopards live near the snow line in harsh, cold mountains. They are solitary animals and difficult to find.

It is absolutely impossible for it to have traveled from the snow-capped mountains thousands of miles away to the autumn hunting grounds on the outskirts of Beijing on its own.

There's only one possibility: they're being raised by someone.

There was no time to think further; the snow leopard was already close in.

Liu Wenying caught sight of the burning wood in the campfire beside her and quickly bent down to pick it up.

Wild animals, whether domesticated or wild, are always afraid of fire.

She held the burning log in front of her, blocking the old woman, and shouted, "Get out of the way!"

The snow leopard stopped abruptly, its golden eyes narrowing as it stared warily at the ball of flame.

Taking the opportunity, Liu Wenying gestured to Granny Wu and the others, telling them to hurry up and push the old lady back.

Hearing the sound of wheels rolling over, Liu Wenying retreated towards the camp while holding a piece of burning wood to drive away the wheels.

Seeing that Liu Wenying had not made any further move, the snow leopard seemed to see through her outward strength but inner weakness, and suddenly bared its teeth and pawed at the ground.

With her heart in her throat, Liu Wenying pushed the firewood forward without thinking, and sparks flew onto the leopard's nose!

"Awooo—!"

The snow leopard retreated in a rage, but did not flee.

It shook its head, its whiskers singed and curled.

That one move completely enraged the proud beast.

The initial slight apprehension stemming from the flames was replaced by violence.

It crouched low, its muscles taut as iron, ready to pounce.

Just then, a blue stone, carrying astonishing force, struck its left eye with perfect accuracy.

The stone is about the size of a fist, with sharp edges.

The snow leopard let out a painful howl and scratched at its injured eye with its front paws.

The arriving soldiers surrounded him, their iron shields forming a wall, their axes and spears standing like a forest, preventing any further harm.

At the same time, a crimson figure swept up to Liu Wenying like a whirlwind.

"How are you? Are you hurt?"

Pei Yaojun grabbed Liu Wenying's arm with such force that it hurt her a little.

His eyes, which always held a cynical smile, were wide open at this moment, scanning her up and down rapidly, his tone urgent and sharp.

"Are you crazy? With your measly flesh, you wouldn't even be enough for that beast to swallow whole. Who told you to charge forward like that?"

Liu Wenying was a little dizzy from his shaking, and the firewood in her hand had long since fallen to the ground.

Just as she was about to speak, Pei Zeyu stepped forward and pushed Pei Yaojun's hand away.

"Stop fooling around. Have someone take her downstairs to find a doctor and check if she's injured."

Immediately, an old woman stepped forward to take Liu Wenying away.

Liu Wenying took half a step back and curtsied to the two of them.

"Thank you for your concern, gentlemen. I am unharmed and not injured."

She composed herself and explained, "I was just in a hurry. I thought wild animals were afraid of fire, so I took some firewood to try and drive it away."

Now that she's calmed down, she realizes that what she did was really risky.

But if she didn't take the risk, she would become prey for wild beasts; waiting to die was not in her nature.

Pei Yaojun was about to say something more when he was interrupted by the commotion coming from not far away.

On the opposite side of the camp, the crowd parted to both sides like a tide.

Several torches were held high, illuminating a group of people.

The leader was nine feet tall, extremely robust and imposing.

He wore a brocade robe with a turned-down collar and narrow sleeves, common among the nobles of the Northern Di, with a thick layer of silver fox fur around the collar.

His skin was a deep tan from years of exposure to the elements on horseback, and he had a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes.

His eyes were a rare light gray, like a frozen lake in the northern frontier in winter.

Her hair wasn't completely tied up; the front half was braided into several thin braids and tied at the back of her head with gold rings, while the rest was loose over her shoulders, exuding a wild and unrestrained charm.

The snow leopard obediently retracted its fangs and moved closer to him.

"I'm so sorry to have disturbed everyone!"

The newcomer spoke loudly in slightly broken Mandarin of the Great Wei Dynasty.

He clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, his posture quite upright.

"Snowball is my pet. It's usually mischievous and wild. It ran around here causing trouble and startled you all. I apologize."

The snow leopard at his feet transformed from a ferocious beast into a docile big cat, letting out a soft growl and burying its injured face in his palm.

"Yelü Yuanjia, the Crown Prince of the Northern Barbarians." Pei Zeyu gently closed his folding fan, clearly cutting through the twilight.

Yelü Yuanjia raised his eyes, his light gray gaze sweeping over the crowd.

Most of Liu Wenying's body was blocked by Pei Yaojun and Pei Zeyu.

He could only see the piece of firewood left on the edge of her embroidered shoes, and her straight shadow, like a bamboo after the rain.

Before the commotion in the camp had completely subsided, several figures hurriedly arrived at the old lady's side.

It was none other than the Duke of Yu and his wife, the second wife Lin Zhiyao, and the fourth wife Pei Rongyue.

The First Madam, Wen Jingshu, was unable to come along because she had to take care of the young Ye'er and was ordered by the Duke of Yu not to approach him to avoid danger.

Duke Yu walked the fastest and saw the old lady in the wheelchair, becoming extremely anxious.

"Mother, are you alright?"

He patted the old woman's shoulder and carefully examined his mother's expression, afraid of missing the slightest sign of anything amiss.

Madam Pei followed closely behind, asking, "Was Mother frightened?"

Several people surrounded the old lady, asking her questions incessantly.

Seeing that they had arrived, Liu Wenying stepped back a little, silently distancing herself from Third Master and Second Master.

The old lady waved her hand and said calmly, "Don't worry, I'm fine. It was just a false alarm."

"Is everything really alright?" Duke Yu still didn't believe it and looked at Granny Wu standing to the side.

Granny Wu, still shaken, nodded repeatedly: "In reply to the Duke, the old lady was indeed unharmed."

"Should we have the imperial physician take a look? You're old, don't push yourself too hard."

Seeing his father's concern, Pei Zeyu stepped forward and said, "Father, don't worry. The snow leopard came suddenly, but it didn't really get close. Grandmother was indeed unharmed."

The second son is reliable in his actions, and the Duke of Yu trusts him when he speaks.

The instigator, Yelü Yuanjia, was about to leave with his pet, but the matter was not truly over.

Pei Yaojun stepped forward and angrily demanded an explanation.

"The Northern Barbarian Crown Prince caused chaos in the camp, and all he did was offer a perfunctory apology of 'disturbed.' What does he take the Duke of Yu's mansion for? Does he think our Great Wei has no one to rely on?!"

…………