Chapter 220: The Chief

Compared to any other day, this day was quite ordinary. At least, that was what Ulunzhurige thought before it happened. As usual, she had let the sheep out to graze and intended to drive them back to the pen at dusk. However, she accidentally fell asleep on the grassland, and by the time she woke up, the sun had already dipped below the horizon.

She brushed the grass and dust off her clothes and stood up quickly, working with her sheepdog to herd the grazing sheep back. But then, disaster struck.

A sturdy sheep in the flock was spooked by something unknown and suddenly bolted through the gap beneath Ulunzhurige’s arm. The sheep ran incredibly fast. She tried to block it with her hands, but failed to catch it. She immediately let out a sharp whistle, commanding Galu on the other side to give chase.

Galu was a Mongolian sheepdog. At his master’s command, he shot forward like an arrow from a bow, chasing the stray sheep over a high ridge.

Seeing Galu in pursuit, Ulunzhurige wasn’t worried at first. Galu was the most experienced old dog on the grassland; he knew exactly how to bring a frightened sheep back to the fold. Ulunzhurige settled her mind and quickly drove the rest of the flock back.

After securing the gate of the sheep pen, she leaned against it and waited quietly, looking toward the distant ridge. Suddenly, she heard a muffled bark, sharp and urgent. This was highly unusual. Something must have happened on the other side of the hill!

Ulunzhurige didn’t have time to think. She grabbed a wooden staff and ran toward the ridge.

She ran until she was out of breath. Crossing the hill, she looked up to see a crescent moon hanging in the pitch-black night sky. Beneath the moonlight, several pairs of emerald-green wolf eyes were staring at her with utter ferocity.

Wolves were common, especially in this season. Once food became scarce, they would hunt the herders’ livestock in packs. Usually, in such a situation, a herder would sacrifice one or two sheep, and the wolves would leave once they were full.

But tonight was different. Looking at those pairs of glowing green eyes, Zhurige realized she had walked straight into a wolf den.

Galu was cornered by the pack at the foot of the hill. With his back against the slope, he snarled at the starving wolves as they closed in. Zhurige let out a shout to bolster her own courage and rushed to Galu’s side, swinging her long wooden staff to drive the pack away.

But wild grassland wolves were not so easily deterred. A smaller one lunged and clamped its teeth onto the staff in Zhurige’s hands. Terrified, she instinctively tried to shake the young wolf off the pole, but a wild wolf never lets go easily once it bites. Its teeth were sunk deep into the wood, making it impossible to shake loose.

At that moment, the alpha wolf took advantage of her distraction. With a sudden leap, it pinned Galu to the ground, lunging for his throat. Galu refused to give in, twisting his body to dodge the fatal blow. Dog and wolf became a tangled blur of fur and teeth on the grass.

Zhurige finally managed to shake off the small wolf, but the staff flew out of her hands in the process. The wolf shook its head upon landing and immediately prepared to pounce again. At that critical moment, Zhurige saw a flash of cold light. A blade as sharp as a razor appeared out of nowhere, slicing off one of the wolf’s ears in an instant.

The wolf convulsed in mid-air and tumbled to the ground with a whimper, half-dead from the pain. Zhurige watched as the blade, as if guided by a mind of its own, traced a wide arc and flew back into the sleeve of a figure in the distance.

To her astonishment, Zhurige saw that the opposite ridge was now crowded with people. A dark mass of figures sat mounted on horseback. Someone released a bundle of leashes, and five Mongolian Mastiffs, each half the height of a man, pounced toward the wolf pack in unison.

Mongolian Mastiffs always fight to draw blood. Galu had been losing, but the mastiffs forced the alpha wolf to release its grip on his neck. Realizing they were outmatched, the wolf pack quickly scattered and fled in all directions.

Zhurige immediately threw herself down to cradle her dying old dog, sobbing uncontrollably. Someone blew a whistle, and the five Mongolian Mastiffs retreated obediently. As the sound of hoofbeats drew closer, Zhurige finally wiped away her tears and looked up at the swaying lanterns at the front of the group.

The man leading the way with a lantern wore coarse hemp clothes. He had thick eyebrows and large eyes, with a sharp, spirited look about him. Behind him was the man who had just saved her. Draped in a heavy cloak over a green robe, he looked like a refined gentleman untainted by dust, with an approachable air.

Yet she had never seen these people before. Judging by their attire, they were not locals from the grasslands. Clinging tightly to her dog, Zhurige could not help but feel afraid.

“Chief Chief^[1], we had those wolves on the run. Why did you stop us? Why not take this chance to wipe them out and end the trouble for good?”

Ye Yuzhu gathered his robe and dismounted smoothly. With his hands behind his back, he took a few steps forward. “Never corner a desperate foe^[2]. Herders live all around here, and those wolves were likely driven to this edge by extreme hunger. They were merely searching for food, so why push them to the brink? Slicing off an ear serves as warning enough. If pushed too far, a cornered wolf will fight to the death. Why court unnecessary trouble and lose sight of the bigger picture for a minor gain?”

“Brilliant! Truly brilliant. As expected of the Chief Chief, your wisdom is profound.”

Ye Yuzhu patted Nanshan Qiao on the back, gesturing for him to go forward and check on her, but someone behind him moved a step faster.

Old Monster Xiong, a man of burly and rugged posture, swaggered up to Zhurige. Rolling up his sleeves, he scanned her with a lecherous glint in his eyes. “Well, well! Whose girl are you? What are you doing out here all alone? You look so pitiful. Don’t worry, your Big Brother Xiong is here! Whether it’s wolves or tigers, I’ll kill them all and bring them back to go with my wine!”

“Thank you for saving me… thank you,” Zhurige said. His words only frightened her further, but she sobbed as she thanked Ye Yuzhu in the distance using her broken Mandarin.

“No need for such formalities! You’re being far too polite, girl!” Old Monster Xiong let out a greasy chuckle.

Ye Yuzhu’s face darkened, and he cleared his throat. Old Monster Xiong glanced at his leader, shut his mouth, and promptly retreated behind Ye Yuzhu.

Then the man named Nanshan Qiao approached and asked Zhurige, “Miss, can you understand Mandarin?”

Zhurige often sold wool to outsiders. Although her Mandarin wasn’t very good, she had picked up enough to understand. She nodded.

Nanshan Qiao set down the lantern in his hand and said, “May I examine the dog? If the bite isn’t too deep, the old fellow might still be saved.”

Hearing this, Zhurige hurriedly placed the dog on the ground for Nanshan Qiao to inspect. Galu’s tongue hung out, and steam was still rising from the wound. Nanshan Qiao felt the injury on the dog’s neck with his hand, then pulled a packet of medicinal powder from his waist and sprinkled it all over the gash.

“Nanshan Qiao is one of my brothers, and his medical skills are superb. If you feel unwell in any way, young lady, you may tell him,” Ye Yuzhu said, standing tall as he spoke from a distance. “Nanshan Qiao, it’s dark tonight. Use the lantern and look closely.”

“Understood!” Nanshan Qiao applied the herbs to the dog and then tore a piece of cloth to cover the wound.

Old Monster Xiong scanned their surroundings carefully before lowering his voice to ask Ye Yuzhu, “Brother Ye, that strike of yours just now… surely you didn’t actually have a change of heart and show mercy?”

Ye Yuzhu turned around, using the moonlight to observe the surrounding mountain terrain. He felt increasingly confident in his plan. Finally, he glanced at the waiting Old Monster Xiong. He didn’t speak, but the look in his eyes remained noncommittal.

“Ah! Heh heh, then it’s settled. With Brother Ye personally at the helm, this trip is bound to be smooth sailing and a guaranteed success!”

Seeing Nanshan Qiao pick up Galu, Zhurige gathered the lamb into her arms and said to Nanshan Qiao, “Honored guests from afar, the night is late. Come back to my home to take shelter from the wind and have some milk tea.”

Nanshan Qiao looked back at Ye Yuzhu. Ye Yuzhu immediately donned an approachable expression, nodding slightly to Zhurige before cupping his fists. “Then on behalf of my brothers, I thank you, young lady.”

Zhurige began walking up the mountain, with Nanshan Qiao following behind her.

Ye Yuzhu lifted his chin slightly and signaled to the men behind him. “Light the lanterns. Set up camp here and rotate guard shifts to prevent a night attack by the wolf pack. Without my command, no one is to act recklessly!”

“Yes, Chief!”

Ye Yuzhu’s gaze turned cold as he spoke to Old Monster Xiong beside him. “Go wake Chuanzi. Tell him to scout the area first. We’re preparing to establish our base.”