Chapter Thirty-Four: A Full Moon

Aow! The Newfoundland Wolf raised its head to the sky and let out a long, piercing howl. The sound tore through the air as it launched its attack on Hao Po.

“The Newfoundland Wolf is quite large, but it’s known for its speed! Hao Po is in trouble now,” Hao Yun sighed.

“In martial arts, speed is everything. Even if you possess tremendous strength, if you can’t use it or reach your enemy, it’s utterly useless!” Hao Tian mused.

“What about Hao Po?” Xiao Shan asked.

“If he weren’t fast, would he have lasted this long?” Ruoxi replied knowingly.

Xiao Shan paused, realizing the truth: if one side is fast and the other slow, the battle will only go one way. But here, they faced each other in mutual vigilance, ready to strike at any moment. Only an evenly matched fight would create such tension.

Hao Po remained still, but the wolf moved. It didn’t lunge directly at him, knowing it couldn’t knock him down. Instead, its claw lashed out at Hao Po’s shoulder—targeting the hand that held his sword.

Hao Po quickly sidestepped and instinctively stretched out his left arm. Unexpectedly, the wolf swiped its claw across his left shoulder, scoring a hit before retreating.

Hao Po gritted his teeth, reaching with his right hand to press his left shoulder to stem the bleeding, and immediately stepped back.

Their positions had swapped.

What had been a tense standoff now shifted to disadvantage. Hao Po had been wounded, his breath ragged, blood streaming from his shoulder.

Was it because he’d moved his left arm forward? Originally, he’d held his sword with both hands, but now, forced to use one, he was less adept.

Seeing this, Hao Tian was about to rush forward to help, but Hao Yun held him back with a glance. Hao Tian stopped.

Suddenly, a change erupted—a wolf howl resounded through the sky.

It was the wolf before them, the Newfoundland Wolf!

As soon as the surrounding wolves heard it, they wasted no time and charged in from the distance.

The pack attacked again, seizing the moment when Hao Po was wounded.

The wolf lacked the dignity of a master; it only sought the greatest victory at the lowest cost. Wolves are pack animals, not solitary fighters.

So they attacked while Hao Po was at a disadvantage.

With the Newfoundland Wolf’s howl, the surrounding wolves joined in, each taking their role. They cooperated.

The howls rattled their enemies, throwing them into panic, while the strong wolves pressed the attack.

There was no denying the effect—the howls unsettled Xiao Shan and his companions more than a little.

Hearing the howls, Xiao Shan’s eyes changed; panic overtook him. With such a massive wolf before him, fear was only natural.

Hao Tian and the others sprang into action, rushing toward Hao Po to help.

“There are too many wolves! Let’s head to our destination first!” Hao Yun urged cautiously.

“No! With so many wolves, unless we deal with their leader, they won’t retreat. If they keep chasing us, we’ll only exhaust ourselves!” Hao Po voiced his opinion.

“Indeed! Wolves will pursue until either their enemy or themselves are exhausted!” Hao Tian agreed.

“We can only attack! Wolves never give up,” Ruoxi said worriedly. She had heard of wolves’ tenacity from her father.

“This is tricky,” Hao Yun muttered.

“Kill!” Hao Po glanced at his sword and whispered.

With agreement reached, Hao Tian and the others charged at the Newfoundland Wolf.

The Newfoundland Wolf, seeing the scene before it, shook its head and turned around.

To their astonishment, it turned and fled…!

The white wolf shadow darted into the forest and vanished.

“What…!” Xiao Shan was so surprised he was lost for words.

“The pack has retreated!” Hao Yun observed, looking around.

Seeing their leader withdraw, the surrounding wolves hesitated not at all; they dispersed in all directions.

“It left because we outnumbered it?” Ruoxi asked.

“How cunning!” Hao Po managed to utter after a long pause.

“Well, since they’ve gone, we should leave too!” Hao Yun said, seeing no more wolves nearby.

“Be careful along the way! The pack might ambush us!” Hao Po warned, worried that the wolves had left of their own accord.

Hao Tian and the others were filled with doubt. After fighting the wolves for so long, the pack simply retreated—were the dead wolves lost in vain?

They continued in silence. Ruoxi, usually lively, now watched her surroundings warily. Xiao Shan fiddled with his sword, curiosity evident in his gaze.

Hao Po gripped his sword, lost in thought, occasionally glancing at Xiao Shan.

Hao Tian and the others led the way, the glowing orb above their heads spinning and following, keeping the surroundings brightly lit.

“Look—the moonlight above us has turned white!” Ruoxi exclaimed, as if she’d discovered a new world.