northernbook Chapter 187 The Wolf Pack Searches for People
Chapter 187 The Wolf Pack Searches for People
This old wolf was a size larger than an ordinary wolf, and its grayish-white fur shimmered silver in the firelight.
Time has left its mark on it, but it has not diminished its majesty in the slightest.
Today, however, the king of the mountains walked with a slight limp, leaving a trail of blood, both deep and shallow, on the snow with his left hind leg.
"Don't move," Li Xiangyang said in a low voice. "This guy is extremely intelligent."
Actually, even without Li Xiangyang's reminder, both He Mancang and Wang Ergou felt a strange feeling deep in their bones when facing this old wolf that wasn't even afraid of fire.
It was as if he wasn't facing a wolf at all, but a person.
Just as everyone was tense, when the old wolf king's gaze fell on Li Xiangyang, he paused for a moment, and a familiar look flashed in his amber eyes.
That was a kind of wisdom that was almost humane.
Black Cat and Little Tiger paced anxiously around the fire, but strangely, they didn't show the tension they usually displayed when facing danger.
"This wolf seems to know you?" He Mancang asked with some surprise.
Li Xiangyang did not answer; his attention was entirely on the old wolf king.
The memory of our encounter last year is still vivid; the feeling of being completely overwhelmed remains fresh in my mind.
The old wolf king suddenly let out a low howl.
The voice wasn't loud, but it was full of authority.
The wolves outside responded immediately, but their voices were clearly agitated.
“It’s commanding them to retreat,” Li Xiangyang explained softly.
Sure enough, the howling of the wolves gradually faded into the distance.
But the old wolf king did not leave; instead, he limped into the cave.
With each step it took, its amber eyes would involuntarily narrow, clearly indicating that it was enduring immense pain.
Finally, it lay down heavily not far from the fire, letting out a low groan that sounded like a sigh.
Only then did Li Xiangyang see clearly that the old wolf king had a deep wound on its left hind leg, with bone visible through the blood and flesh, and a few barbs could be vaguely seen.
The shape of the wound looked exactly like the bite mark of an animal trap.
This scene left He Mancang and Wang Ergou speechless with shock.
They had seen many wild beasts, but never such a special situation.
"Looks like it got caught in an animal trap and came for help. Er Gou, give me the water bottle."
Seeing this, Li Xiangyang said softly.
Wang Ergou quickly handed over the water bottle.
Li Xiangyang took it and slowly approached the old wolf king.
The old wolf king's gaze followed his every move, but he neither showed any defiance nor avoided him.
Li Xiangyang squatted down beside it and gently wet a clean cloth with warm water.
"This might hurt a little," Li Xiangyang said in a low voice.
As the cloth was gently wiped away the blood around the wound, the old wolf king's body visibly tensed up.
But it only let out a low whimper and made no move to resist.
"Bear with it, I need to get these barbs out."
After Li Xiangyang finished speaking, he carefully began to pull out the barbs with his hands.
The old wolf king's breathing became noticeably more rapid, but it remained motionless.
It only let out a long breath after all the barbs had been pulled out.
"Alright, some medicine will do the trick."
After Li Xiangyang finished speaking, he took out a small bottle, poured out some brownish-red powder, and gently sprinkled it on the wound.
He used red medicine powder.
Red medicine has a long history and wide application in Northeast China.
The climate in Northeast China is cold and the winters are long, making it easy for people to suffer injuries and other accidents while engaging in hunting, farming and other productive activities.
The red medicine formula has the effects of promoting blood circulation, relieving pain, reducing swelling and removing blood stasis, which is just right for treating these external injuries caused by cold and labor.
The old wolf king felt the effects of the medicine powder, and his whole body relaxed.
Finally, Li Xiangyang carefully bandaged the wound with a clean strip of cloth.
After he finished tidying up, the old wolf king's eyes had regained some of their luster.
It slowly stood up and tentatively moved its injured hind leg.
Although he still has a slight limp, he is clearly much better than before.
Old Wolf Dynasty nodded to Li Xiangyang, slowly walked towards the cave entrance, turned around and glanced at Li Xiangyang, then disappeared into the night.
"This..." He Mancang opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.
He had seen many strange things, but this was the first time he had ever seen a wolf actively seeking help from humans.
"Brother Xiangyang, you've done it a favor, so could we ask it to help us find that person?"
After a long while, Wang Ergou, who had come to his senses, asked excitedly.
"You know, maybe it could work. It's a pity, though; who knows when we'll run into each other again."
Hearing Wang Ergou's words, Li Xiangyang said regretfully.
The firewood in the fire crackled softly, and Xuanmao and Xiaohu gradually relaxed and lay back down beside the fire.
Silence returned to the cave, except for the continued howling of the wind outside.
After an unknown amount of time, the black cat suddenly pricked up its ears and turned its gaze toward the cave entrance.
Li Xiangyang immediately became alert and gripped the gun in his hand tightly.
But soon, he saw that familiar figure.
The old wolf king is back.
Under the moonlight, the old wolf king had something dangling from its mouth.
As it entered the firelight's reach, Li Xiangyang could see that it was a rather large roe deer with glossy fur, presumably recently hunted.
"This is..." Wang Ergou was so surprised that he couldn't speak.
He Mancang was also shocked: "Is it repaying a debt of gratitude?"
Li Xiangyang remained silent, intently watching the old wolf king's every move.
It gently placed the roe deer beside the fire, then stepped back a few paces, its eyes fixed intently on Li Xiangyang.
There seemed to be a certain expectation in his eyes, as if he was waiting for Li Xiangyang's response.
"Thank you," Li Xiangyang said softly, slowly getting up and walking towards the roe deer.
At this moment, Wang Ergou's suggestion resurfaced in Li Xiangyang's mind.
Since the old wolf king is so intelligent, he might actually be able to help them find those missing educated youth.
"and many more."
Seeing that the old wolf king was about to leave, Li Xiangyang quickly called her back and took out the backpack of the educated youth that he had found in the tree earlier.
"We're looking for a few people, can you help us find them?"
Li Xiangyang held the backpack up to the old wolf king's nose and asked expectantly.
The old wolf king sniffed the backpack carefully, looked up at Li Xiangyang, and a knowing look flashed in his eyes.
Then it let out a low howl towards the outside of the cave.
This sound was completely different from the howl used to drive away the wolves; it was more like a summons.
Sure enough, a short while later, rustling footsteps could be heard outside the cave, and the wolf pack cautiously gathered around.
Under the watchful eye of the old wolf king, the wolves approached one by one, carefully sniffing the backpacks of the educated youth.
This process lasted for several minutes.
After the last wolf had finished sniffing, the old wolf king suddenly stood up and howled at Li Xiangyang.
The voice wasn't loud, but it was filled with a sense of reassurance.
Then, it led its pack into the night, leaving only a trail of footprints that gradually faded into the distance.
"Does this mean it agrees?"
Wang Ergou asked in disbelief.
"Probably. Wolves have a much more sensitive sense of smell than humans, and they can search separately, making them much more efficient than us."
"Yes, darkness has no effect on wolves. With their help, we might actually be able to find those educated youths."