The Seven Wolves of Hedong

A wise man does not court trouble before his eyes. The two River Wolves exchanged glances, both covering their mouths in feigned misery. The fourth River Wolf wanted to say something more, but was pulled away, and the three of them fled in disgrace. The people in the inn could not quite understand why the trio had run off, but sensed that something odd had occurred. Qu Buping, however, understood well enough that these two women were certainly no ordinary folk; whoever dared provoke them would surely suffer for it.

Indeed, with Miss Nine's abilities, ending the lives of those three would have been as easy as turning her hand. Yet she did not wish to cause a scene or draw unnecessary trouble, so she merely frightened them away. Xiao Jing, seeing her mistress had dealt with them, returned to her seat as well. Then Miss Nine stood, and with Xiao Jing and Xiao Yun, was led to their room by an attendant. The night passed without further incident.

The next day, Miss Nine set out again with her companions in the carriage. As the carriage rolled out of Tongguan, the frozen Yellow River stretched before them. Where the river, flowing south, abruptly turned eastward, there lay an ancient and famous crossing—Fengling Ferry. Now, with the river frozen, the ferry was no longer bustling as in days past, and Miss Nine's carriage followed the Yellow River eastward.

Inside the carriage, Xiao Yun could not help but recall the scene from yesterday—the three River Wolves fleeing the inn in disgrace. He found it quite amusing; he had thought the River Wolves were fearsome, but to his surprise, they had been frightened off by nothing more than Miss Nine's deft handling of a pair of chopsticks. He turned to her and said, "Sister Long, you are truly remarkable! With a mere pair of chopsticks, you routed those so-called fierce River Wolves." Admiration shone in his eyes, for Xiao Yun revered those with true skill—especially beautiful and accomplished women like Miss Nine.

Miss Nine was pleased to see the admiration and praise in Xiao Yun's eyes; after all, there is little in life more gratifying than the approval of one’s beloved. Xiao Yun thought to himself that it would be wonderful to have skills like Miss Nine's. If he had such ability, he could have stood up to the River Wolves when they mocked him, challenged them to a duel, and defeated them, winning honor and respect. Yet no one had ever taught him martial arts; he knew nothing about fighting. In critical moments, all he could do was hide and rely on others to protect him—worse still, to be protected by a woman. He felt utterly useless.

Unable to hold back, he asked, "Good sister, your martial arts are so powerful—could you teach me?"

Miss Nine smiled and replied, "Of course. As long as you wish to learn, I will teach you." Xiao Yun was overjoyed at her answer. He grinned and said, "That's wonderful! Once I master martial arts, I'll be able to deal with evildoers myself. If any villains dare try to bully us again, I'll be the first to step forward and send them fleeing in defeat." The thought filled him with pride.

Having never trained in martial arts, Xiao Yun imagined it would be an easy thing to learn. Xiao Jing, seeing his self-satisfaction and pretending to be a seasoned martial artist, laughed and said, "You think learning martial arts is so simple? Without hard work, you’ll never achieve real skill." Xiao Yun replied cheerfully, "I know that much. I’ve endured hardships since childhood—mere martial training won’t daunt me." Xiao Jing was unconvinced and was about to speak further, but Miss Nine interjected, "Enough. Xiao Yun, you’re still young—study well, and one day you might even surpass us all." Xiao Yun, delighted, asked, "Really?" Miss Nine smiled, "I wouldn’t deceive you."

Of course, Miss Nine knew mastering martial arts was no easy feat, but she did not wish to dampen Xiao Yun’s spirits, so she encouraged him kindly. As they conversed and laughed, the sound of pounding hooves suddenly came from outside.

Xiao Jing lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and peered out. Behind them, a fast horse was chasing after the carriage. Seeing it, Miss Nine’s expression turned grave, as if recalling something. Xiao Jing noticed this and asked, "What is it, Miss?"

Miss Nine replied, "I just remembered—Snowflake Mountain, the headquarters of the Seven River Wolves, is not far from here. This entire area is under their control. Yesterday, the River Wolves suffered a setback right on their own doorstep. They’re not likely to let it go so easily. They must have sent someone to follow us. We must be careful and guard against any ambushes."

Xiao Jing asked, "Why didn't the Seven River Wolves attack us last night at the inn? Isn’t it easier to commit evil deeds under the cover of darkness?"

Miss Nine smiled, "That’s because their reinforcements had not arrived last night. The city gates of Tongguan were tightly shut, making it hard for them to get out, and just as hard for their men to get in. With only a few of them, any attempt at an ambush would have been suicide."

Xiao Jing nodded, "I understand. Men like the Seven River Wolves always repay a grudge. They’re just waiting for a chance at revenge."

Miss Nine smiled, "To be frank, the Seven River Wolves are not especially skilled. Their main threat lies in their use of hidden weapons; otherwise, they are little to be feared." Yet in her heart, Miss Nine knew that if the Seven River Wolves did return, it would be with full preparation, and given their ruthless nature, the coming encounter would be truly perilous.

Still, this was not her greatest concern. She was confident that with her and Xiao Jing’s abilities, they could easily escape from the Seven River Wolves’ grasp. What truly worried her was how to protect Xiao Yun, who knew nothing of martial arts, and ensure he escaped unharmed. That, above all, was the most difficult challenge.

As they spoke, more riders closed in from behind, galloping swiftly until they drew alongside the carriage. Sharp-eyed Xiao Jing recognized one of them as the fourth River Wolf, who had fled the inn in terror the day before. Though he wore a hood, hiding most of his face, Xiao Jing recognized him by his sinister gaze.

It seemed Miss Nine’s suspicions were correct. Having suffered humiliation at home, the River Wolves would not rest until they had their revenge. Nevertheless, Xiao Jing also knew that once the carriage reached Shan County, they would be safe. Shan County was the domain of the Long family of Luoyang, and Miss Nine, as the foster daughter of Old Master Long, held significant standing there. Once within Shan County, they could summon the Long family’s support.

Indeed, Shan County lay well beyond the reach of the Seven River Wolves’ influence. There, they would not dare to pursue their vendetta any further.