Chapter 93: Comrade Lin, Your Uncle Has Arrived

In the blink of an eye, it was upon her. This time, Lin Jingyue’s heart tightened, and she immediately retreated into her space. Forgive her cowardice—she simply couldn't face a wolf head-on.

Seeing her vanish once again, the gray wolf grew frantic, bounding back and forth as it searched for any sign of Lin Jingyue.

She remained silent, hidden within her space.

More than ten minutes passed before the gray wolf finally calmed down, but it didn't leave; instead, it kept watch right at the spot where Lin Jingyue had disappeared.

Time ticked by, and still there was no sign of the wolf departing.

What made matters worse was that, though the wolf pack hadn't shown up, two wild boars had arrived.

At the sight of each other, the gray wolf and the boars immediately began to fight. The boars weren’t afraid, circling the wolf and biting at it as they darted around. The wolf, unwilling to back down, lunged with gaping jaws and clamped onto the boars whenever it could.

In no time, the ground was slick with blood and flesh.

Lin Jingyue couldn't help but press a hand to her forehead. The stench of blood would surely draw a host of beasts before long.

It seemed she would have to stay in her space for a few days.

Jiang Xun would go insane!

But there was nothing else for it. After some thought, she decided she might as well reap the spoils—she’d wait until the wolf and the boars had worn each other out before emerging.

So she watched with keen interest.

The boars were no match for the wolf, but even the wolf struggled against two at once, suffering its own share of wounds.

After both boars collapsed, the gray wolf was left covered in gashes, panting as it lay on the ground.

It was then that the wolf suddenly tensed, its fur bristling.

It whipped its head around, but Lin Jingyue’s blade was already descending. A flash of steel glinted in the wolf’s eyes as it instinctively rolled aside.

Her blade sliced a deep, bone-baring gash across its neck.

Had it not dodged, its head would have been severed.

A plaintive howl escaped the wolf’s throat, its eerie green eyes meeting Lin Jingyue’s, causing her hand to falter.

For some reason, it seemed as if she saw…aggrievement in the wolf’s gaze?

Aggrievement? What nonsense was that?

Shaking her head to dispel the thought, Lin Jingyue raised her blade, intent on finishing the job quickly. In the next instant, the gray wolf lowered its head, utterly subdued, and lay flat on the ground.

It was as if it was offering itself up to whatever she wished to do.

Lin Jingyue’s mouth twitched hard.

She stood there, blade in hand, at a loss—neither advancing nor retreating felt right. The whole situation was awful, like brawling with someone who suddenly lay down and let you kill them.

Utterly exasperating.

Annoyance flashed in Lin Jingyue’s eyes. She shot the wolf a fierce glare, then with a wave of her hand, collected the two boar carcasses. Since it was begging for mercy, she’d spare it this once—but not without taking a little interest.

The gray wolf leapt to its feet as it watched the boar carcasses vanish into thin air.

At this, Lin Jingyue nearly swung her blade again, but the wolf quickly dropped back down.

She gave it a warning look, then chose an angle from which she could face the wolf directly, and continued digging up the ginseng—much faster than before.

The gray wolf didn’t understand what she was doing but dared not move. It simply gazed at her with pitiful eyes, as if she were some heartless villain.

The feeling was indescribably absurd.

Within minutes, Lin Jingyue had unearthed the ginseng and tossed it into her space, just about to leave when she saw the gray wolf trailing after her.

Her brows drew together. “What do you want? Come any closer and I’ll kill you!”

She even waved her machete as she spoke.

Yet after a few more steps, the wolf still followed. Lin Jingyue grew irritable. “What on earth do you want? I’m not keeping a dog!”

The gray wolf whimpered ingratiatingly.

“I don’t speak wolf. Go find a translator.”

Another whine.

“I told you, I can’t understand a word!”

Still another whine—the wolf inched closer, suppressing its dangerous aura. But when Lin Jingyue stepped back, it stopped at once.

It ran over to where she’d been digging ginseng and started circling that spot.

Suddenly, a thought struck Lin Jingyue. “You mean—you know where more of these are?”

She retrieved the ginseng from her space.

The gray wolf nodded.

Lin Jingyue’s eyes widened. She could communicate with a wolf now?

“Are you willing to take me there?” She pointed to herself.

The wolf nodded again.

Excitement surged, but Lin Jingyue quickly grew wary. “What do you want in exchange?”

This time, the wolf said nothing. Perhaps it didn’t understand.

But Lin Jingyue had a hunch about what had attracted it—most likely the spiritual spring water.

She checked the time. “Take me there, and I’ll give you water.”

She patted her canteen.

The gray wolf immediately understood, and despite its bleeding wounds, led the way. Seeing its injuries, Lin Jingyue felt a strange pang.

She quickly looked away, refusing to dwell on it.

After a short walk, they arrived at another spot with ginseng. Seeing three plants on the ground, Lin Jingyue’s eyes widened.

There really were more!

She immediately crouched down and dug up the ginseng faster than ever before—three plants, one about fifty years old, two about eighty.

Impressive.

She tossed the ginseng into her space and turned to the gray wolf, her expression now warm and friendly. She pulled out a large bowl she normally kept in her space and filled it to the brim with spiritual spring water.

The moment she produced it, the gray wolf perked up, as if she were holding a miraculous elixir.

She set the bowl on the ground. “Drink up—I have to go.”

The smell might attract other beasts.

The wolf seemed to understand, drinking quickly without pausing to savor the taste.

When it finished, Lin Jingyue retrieved the bowl and hurried away.

The gray wolf gave a single howl after her, but didn’t follow this time.

She ran all the way to the outskirts before stopping, breathless.

Dusk was fast approaching.

She gulped down some spiritual spring water to catch her breath, wiped the sweat from her brow, and set down her basket to gather firewood. She’d need an excuse for venturing into the mountains.

“Big Sister Lin, you can have the firewood I collected.” As Lin Jingyue returned with some wood, she saw Zhaodi by her basket.

The little girl smiled brightly, her cheeks gaunt but her eyes shining.

“Will your family let you off if you come home empty-handed?” Lin Jingyue patted her head. “I can collect my own wood, don’t worry.”

“Big Sister, here.” Zhaodi handed her all the firewood. “We have plenty at home.”

She’d gathered quite a bit that day.

“Big Sister, go home soon—there are wild animals in the mountains at night.” Afraid Lin Jingyue would refuse, Zhaodi called out as she ran off.

She’d seen Big Sister Lin enter the mountains in the morning and wanted to collect extra firewood for her.

Faced with the pile of wood, Lin Jingyue could only sigh and tie it up before strapping her basket on and heading down the mountain.

“Could you move aside?” Upon returning, Lin Jingyue saw another crowd had gathered at the educated youth camp, making her frown.

That place was like a stage.

“Educated Youth Lin, your uncle is here!”

[Author’s Note] Honestly, I’m about to reveal a secret.