Li Zhuo, Wang Suo, and Zheng Shude instinctively closed in around their eldest brother, forming a protective formation with Li Qiu in the center, Li Zhuo in the front, Wang Suo on the left, and Zheng Shude on the right, silently confronting the White Wolf Leader, who was flanked by Cyan Wolves.
Li Qiu was truly at his wits' end. He had never practiced martial arts; he had never even bothered to look closely at the *Light Cloud Step* manual his father had given him, and the *Azure Wood Formula* was strictly forbidden from being displayed to outsiders—his master had explicitly forbidden it.
Of all people, a scholar is the most useless, Li Qiu thought. He felt that for all the books of sages and wise men he had crammed into his head, they weren't as practical as throwing a few punches and kicks. Yet, being hemmed in the center by the three of them, he had no other choice.
Watching the pack of wolves encircling his brothers, Li Qiu knew they were waiting for the final order to attack. The riverbank, already narrow, was packed with wolves, and the air was thick with the scent of gunpowder. A battle seemed on the verge of erupting.
The greater the danger, the calmer Li Qiu's mind became. At that moment, he felt his heartbeat slow down. The entire scene seemed disconnected from him, as if he were an outsider standing quietly by, watching. Everything around him vanished, leaving only the steady *thump-thump* of his heartbeat and the sound of his resolute breathing.
The sensation was bizarre and lasted only a fraction of a second, appearing to happen in an instant.
Then Li Qiu snapped back to reality, still facing over a hundred Gray Wolves, but his mind was already spinning with rapid calculations.
Lowering his voice, Li Qiu said, "Second brother, Third brother, Fourth brother, do not panic. Listen to me."
Seeing the three of them nod in unison, he continued, "Around the perimeter of our camp, there are about thirty animal traps. They can kill or injure at least a dozen wolves. Once they charge, we'll do our best to kill a few dozen more. With their momentum checked and unable to press their advantage in one go, their morale will plummet, and that's when we'll have our chance."
Having a countermeasure meant the men wouldn't lose their heads. At a time like this, they didn't need to know if they could pull it off; what they needed most was to know *how* to do it.
The four of them let out a collective breath, feeling a heavy weight lift from their chests. To everyone's astonishment, Li Zhuo pulled out the folding fan from his hand, snapped it open with a crisp *shua*, and gave it a few gentle waves as he chuckled, "Who would have thought we'd have such fortune today? First, to have the rare privilege of laying eyes on the White Wolf Leader, and second, to witness so many Gray Wolves all at once. What extreme good fortune! What a joyous occasion!"
With that, he snapped the folding fan shut with another sharp *shua*. His face twisted into a wild, manic grin as he roared, "Hah! You white-furred wolf pup! Your grandfather is right here! If you aren't coming now, what are you waiting for?"
Hearing Li Zhuo's rambling nonsense, Wang Suo thought to himself, *Silly Second Brother, what time is it, and you're still in the mood to joke around? Aren't you afraid of angering the wolves into tearing us to pieces and eating us?*
As if provoked by Li Zhuo's arrogance, the White Wolf Leader, whose eyes had been half-closed and drowsy, finally bared its fangs. Its eyes snapped fully open, wide and gleaming with pure malice. At the sight of that gaze, the surrounding wolves trembled uncontrollably.
The White Wolf Leader raised its head to the sky and let out a long howl at the moon: "Awooooooooo—!"
The horn of attack had been blown.
The pack of Gray Wolves surged forward as one.
The wolves in the very front kept stepping into animal traps, collapsing to the ground with yelps of pain, yet the rest of the Gray Wolves charged on heedlessly, their eyes glowing red with fanatical fury.
Movement was precisely what Li Zhuo wanted. Remaining still while the two sides stared each other down had felt utterly suffocating. Gripping his wooden staff tightly in both hands, holding it horizontally across his chest, and feeling the powerful strength of his own youth, a surge of heroic pride welled up in Li Zhuo's heart.
Before you could blink, the foremost Gray Wolf reached Li Zhuo, leaped into the air, and lunged straight at him.
Taking a deep breath, Li Zhuo let out a roar and swept his staff horizontally. Instead of the dull thud of flesh being struck, a sharp *crack* rang out as the Gray Wolf's entire skeleton was shattered by the blow.
The pack behind kept rushing forward blindly, howling as they came. Li Zhuo stood his ground, parrying left and right. Within moments, eight Gray Wolves lay dead by his hands. Covered head-to-toe in blood, Li Zhuo stood unflinching, resembling a heavenly deity.
Watching from the side, Wang Suo curled his lip and thought, *Silly Second Brother, what time is it, and you're still putting on the airs of a young lord? Truly hopeless.*
Unlike Li Zhuo, who preferred close-quarters combat, Wang Suo threw his flying daggers the moment a wolf came within ten paces, pinning the frontmost Gray Wolves right where they stood.
Zheng Shude cradled his broadsword, his eyes fixed steadily on the oncoming pack. Not until a Gray Wolf lunged directly at him, closing within a hair's breadth, did he flash his blade from its sheath. With a single gleam of light, the wolf was decapitated.
Caught up in the slaughter, Li Zhuo felt that this was how a real man should live. A thought struck him, and he looked straight ahead at the White Wolf Leader, the corners of his mouth twitching as he remembered the lesson his father, Li Ershui, had taught him: "To capture the bandits, capture their chieftain first; to shoot a soldier, shoot his horse."
With a booming roar, Li Zhuo burst forward, channeling the explosive momentum of his family's *Taming Tiger Fist* as he charged straight at the White Wolf Leader.
"Second brother, don't be reckless!" Li Qiu cried out, his face draining of color.
By then, Li Zhuo had already closed to within five paces of the Cyan Wolf guarding the leader. Seeing success within reach, Li Zhuo gripped his staff even tighter.
A look of sheer mockery crossed the Cyan Wolf's face.
Li Zhuo swung his staff down, aiming straight for the Cyan Wolf's head. If the blow landed solidly, it would surely crush the beast to powder; Li Zhuo could already envision the wretched sight of the Cyan Wolf twitching on the ground.
Suddenly, a figure flashed past from the side. Another Gray Wolf lunged into the path. With a sharp *crack*, the Gray Wolf's bones were shattered all over, and its body was sent flying several yards away, taking the full force of the devastating blow meant for the Cyan Wolf.
With his first strike failing, Li Zhuo's momentum was spent. Before he could wind up for another blow, the Cyan Wolf seized the opening and launched a vicious counterattack.
With a single leap, the Cyan Wolf cleared the distance to Li Zhuo, gaping its jaws wide and snapping fiercely at his throat.
Li Zhuo could already smell the rank, bloody stench reeking from the beast's maw. But because his previous strike had exhausted his strength, a follow-up blow was impossible. Desperately, he yanked his staff back, holding it horizontally across his neck to block.
The Cyan Wolf's front paws immediately slammed down onto the staff, though it didn't bite him.
Though far away, Li Qiu had already seen through the Cyan Wolf's scheme thanks to the *Azure Wood Formula*, and he screamed at the top of his lungs, "Li Zhuo, watch out—!"
Before the warning could leave his lips, the Cyan Wolf's hind legs kicked out, slamming squarely into Li Zhuo's chest.
Li Zhuo felt a massive surge of force hit him. An overwhelming, earth-shattering shockwave rippled through his chest, and he found himself sent airborne.
He flew several yards through the air before crashing down right in front of Li Qiu with a heavy *thud*, landing in a dizzying heap.
Struggling to his feet, Li Zhuo felt a sharp pain beneath his ribs and drew in a sharp breath of cold air.
Li Qiu hurried over to help him up. Finding that Li Zhuo couldn't straighten his back, Li Qiu slid a hand down to his right flank; one touch told him a rib was broken.
A pang of sharp agony pierced Li Qiu's heart. "Second brother..." he choked out, unable to squeeze out another word as an intense blaze of fury ignited in his eyes, glaring hatefully at the Cyan Wolf before them.
Ahead of them, the pack of Gray Wolves stood frozen in unison, as if moved by a shared hive-mind, halting their assault. The Cyan Wolf wore an air of arrogant disdain, fixing Li Zhuo with a mocking stare.
Laughing out of sheer rage, Li Zhuo spat, "Splendid! Absolutely splendid! A fine kick! Your grandfather has never suffered such a humiliating blow since the day he was born, and if I don't exact vengeance today, I am no man!" With a ferocious burst of speed, he charged at the Cyan Wolf once more.
Li Qiu grabbed out for him, but missed. "Second brother, come back!" he yelled.
It was already too late. Li Zhuo had already reached the Cyan Wolf and brought his staff down with all his might.
Another Gray Wolf darted in from the flank, only to be smashed to a pulp by Li Zhuo's staff. This time, Li Zhuo held back a fraction of his strength to avoid overextending his posture and failing to recover in time.
As he pulled the staff back to swing at the Cyan Wolf again, yet another Gray Wolf leaped out from the side. With no other choice, Li Zhuo redirected his strike to smash the interloper, killing it instantly.
By now, Li Zhuo's strength was completely spent, and his stance was fully committed.
The Cyan Wolf's mocking expression returned. It bounded forward, leaping right up to Li Zhuo. Seeing him raise his staff to block his neck once more, the beast rested its front paws on the staff, threw its weight into its hind legs, and kicked off hard. At the same time, using that leverage, it threw its head back, preparing to kick Li Zhuo away and flip backward to safety.
In the blink of an eye.
Li Zhuo dropped his staff, whipped out his folding fan, grabbed both corners with his hands, tore it apart with all his might, and whipped the wire looping around behind the Cyan Wolf.
The movement flowed like drifting clouds and flowing water.
The Cyan Wolf's hind legs had just planted their kick squarely on Li Zhuo's chest, and its head was tilted back when it felt a cool, razor-thin sensation brush across the back of its neck. Before it could process what happened, a soft *squelch* of flesh being severed echoed out, and the wolf's head parted ways with its body. With a heavy thud, the headless carcass hit the ground and rolled all the way to the feet of the White Wolf Leader.
Having taken the kick, Li Zhuo didn't go flying this time; instead, he staggered back a dozen steps before finally neutralizing the overwhelming force.
In his hands, he held a length of iron wire stained with wolf's blood, gleaming coldly as it hummed in the air. Covered in blood as it was, it had been completely invisible before.
Li Zhuo knew a rib on his left side was broken as well, and a turbulent churning rolled through his stomach. Glancing at the rolling head of the Cyan Wolf, he spat a mouthful of dark blood onto the ground, and shouted directly at the White Wolf Leader, "A mere beast, yet you dare to act so arrogant! Did you really think the men of Xujiawa were pushovers?!"