Chapter Fourteen: Graceful Melody

“Bah!” An unfamiliar sound burst forth from Hao Po’s mouth.

Ripples, visible to the naked eye, spread outward from his lips. The surrounding trees immediately ceased their swaying; even the wolves nearby abruptly stopped their attack, shaking their heads with bared teeth as if suffering intense pain.

“Ah!...”

Just moments before, Xiaoshan had been lost in a scene of perpetual darkness, sinking ever deeper, his face drained of color by the overwhelming aura emanating from the two figures. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed before that strange sound shook his soul, causing his mind to spin, and his vision to blur.

In that instant, Ruoxi had already thrown herself onto him.

Xiaoshan scratched his head. Although he had just been caught in—how should he describe it—a hallucination, perhaps? Yet his ears had been jolted by that odd note, and his gaze involuntarily fell upon Hao Po. Was it he who roused him...?

When Ruoxi heard the sound, her mind went blank in a flash. It lasted only a moment; she quickly shook her head and blinked, bewildered by the sudden appearance of the sound.

Opposite Ruoxi, Haotian and Haoyun showed little surprise, as if they were accustomed to such occurrences.

“Quick, sheath your sword!” Hao Po noticed Xiaoshan staring at him and couldn’t help but grow irritated.

Seeing that Xiaoshan seemed affected by the Edge-less Sword, Hao Po had used this trick—a family secret, the Six Armor Incantation. It drained his spirit immensely; even a single note left his face pale, his breath short. Summoning his last strength, he shouted at Xiaoshan.

“Oh!” Xiaoshan replied quickly.

He didn’t wish to use that move again.

Xiaoshan was momentarily stunned, but instinctively reached to return the sword to its place.

As he did so, he heard something stirring behind him—a rustling, as if some animal was moving rapidly.

He instinctively turned around, only to find a wolf, baring its fangs, springing from its spot and leaping for his neck.

Xiaoshan’s eyes widened in shock, unable to comprehend the situation.

He watched as the wolf drew closer and closer, his blood surging with tension.

Unbeknownst to him, murderous intent from the sword rushed up his right arm and straight to his head—visions of blood and anger, the urge to kill, flooded his mind.

But more than that, the sight of the wolf before him transformed the scene into a battlefield. As the wolf approached, his eyes reddened. He must not be bitten—he must... kill it!

He silently resolved.

At that moment, Xiaoshan’s hand slowly lifted the sword, moving from right to left, slashing at the leaping wolf.

The sword was heavy and moved slowly, but it moved all the same.

His mind raced with thoughts, but reality unfolded in the blink of an eye.

No matter who jumps, their speed slows in midair, and wolves are no exception.

The wolf’s leap from the ground to the sword’s strike happens in an instant—too fast to react.

Even the slowest sword can land its blow, unless the wolf bites first—then there is nothing more.

The blade sliced through the wolf’s body, stabbed into it, and with a sharp crack, blood gushed from the wound, spraying straight into Xiaoshan’s eyes.

He instinctively shut his eyes; blood splattered onto his eyelids.

His hand began to tremble again. Looking down, he saw the sword quivering. The blood, which should have trailed down the blade, vanished instantly—absorbed by the sword.

He wondered at this, a strange emotion swelling within him, just as before. His body trembled uncontrollably.

He could no longer control himself; that was his only sensation.

“Bah!” The same sound reappeared—a force that shook the soul.

Blood faded from his vision, replaced by green, as he returned to reality.

His mind cleared instantly. He gripped the sword tightly and looked down at the Edge-less Sword; the blade bore no trace of blood.

Only the wolf lay before him, bleeding and trembling, proof that the scene had truly occurred.

“Sheath the sword!” Hao Po shouted at Xiaoshan, his voice rough and heavy, perhaps near collapse from the effort.

“It doesn’t seem so difficult after all! I can master this sword!” Xiaoshan gritted his teeth. Once bitten, twice shy—having experienced a mental invasion earlier, he concentrated fully. The Edge-less Sword trembled only slightly, emitting none of its soul-shattering aura.

He breathed a sigh of relief and scanned his surroundings—nothing seemed amiss.

Still, he thought the sword too dangerous; a moment’s inattention could lead him into hallucinations. He lowered his head and slipped it into the scabbard.

He looked to his hands. Now, he had some strength—he could protect himself!

“Awooooo!”

A sudden wolf howl pierced the silence, shrill and grating.

“Is that a wolf?” Xiaoshan looked ahead, listening to the sound and muttering, deeply puzzled.

The howl rang loudly in his ears.

“No!” Hao Po, seeing Xiaoshan finally sheath the sword, relaxed at last. Had Xiaoshan fallen into another trance, Hao Po could not have used the Six Armor Incantation again; he would have let Xiaoshan fend for himself.

His expression grew grave as he raised his head to the sky.

A crimson moon hung in the pitch-black heavens.

Night had fallen without their notice; the sun was long gone.

Visibility in the night was now so poor that even trees two hundred meters away were utterly indistinct.

The wolf lying before Xiaoshan, its eyes had quietly turned red.

“Awooooo!...”

The sudden sound startled Xiaoshan, who quickly looked down. The grass around him seemed to sway—something was about to emerge?

He wondered silently.

“Is that the signal for an attack?” Haotian asked.

“That’s the pack leader howling!” Haoyun replied. “If Xiaoshan had killed that wolf the first time, none of this would be happening now.”

The pack leader is the alpha—the only male wolf in a pack. When a wolf pack is threatened, the leader will howl fiercely. If a strange wolf approaches or howls near the territory, the leader issues a deep, coarse howl—sinister and frightening. This howl signals anger and may drive intruders away without direct confrontation.

They must have trespassed on its territory.

The howling was meant to warn them off, lest an attack begin.

The wolves hadn’t howled when attacking before, but now they did—Hao Po was puzzled.

“The sword you gave him—he doesn’t seem to know how to use it,” Haotian said.

“In this world, few can wield that sword. He is not among them,” Hao Po replied.

“It’s not about skill, but the killer’s aura,” Hao Po continued.

“But he managed to swing it just now!” Haotian protested.

“Let’s hope it was luck. Otherwise, I’ll be in trouble,” Hao Po shrugged helplessly.

“Are we surrounded by wolves?” Xiaoshan asked nervously, scanning the area.

“Impossible! A pack usually has five or six wolves. They can’t surround us,” Haoyun quickly sensed the environment and replied.

“But all around are glowing red eyes!” Xiaoshan said, exasperated.

“What?!” Hao Po heard and urgently looked around.

“Awooooo!...”

From the east came another round of howls; before it stopped, the west erupted with more.

“This... can’t be!” Hao Po’s voice faltered, betraying his tension.

“Awoooo...!”