Chapter Thirty-Five Little Wolf Ash

After brooding alone for quite some time, the little wolf began to lick Xiaoding’s hand again.

Xiaoding drew his thoughts back, wiped the tears from his face, steadied his emotions, and looked at the little wolf’s adorable appearance. His spirits lifted considerably.

Life still had to go on; he couldn’t just sink into despair forever. He took stock of his current situation.

His name was still Tian Xiaoding—unchanged. The codename “Chick” he had used in the army had become his nickname here; and since arriving, he had also acquired the moniker “Simpleton.”

Xiaoding found it strange. Why such coincidences? Was there, perhaps, some unseen force manipulating the fates of all living things?

He finally understood now: the corpse devoured by wolves that day had truly belonged to the real Tian Simpleton. Perhaps Xiaoding merely bore a striking resemblance to the actual Simpleton, and since he had been suffering from amnesia and appeared dim-witted, it was no wonder he had been mistaken for him.

So be it, he thought to himself.

Over the past two days, Xiaoding had come to accept this kind-hearted family in his heart. They were merely poor, ordinary people. He was a stranger in this world with no kin or ties; to be taken in by such a family was not a bad turn of fate.

If, in the future, there was a chance to find a way back to his original world...

At this thought, Xiaoding’s eyes suddenly brightened. All his former despair and hopelessness seemed to dissipate in an instant.

Indeed, if he could cross into this world, why couldn’t he find a way to cross back?

As a soldier, he only believed that nothing was impossible—there were only things unimagined.

He had arrived here after being sucked into that bottomless pit...

Yes, that deep, unfathomable chasm—it could very well be a time-space tunnel of some sort. If he could find it again, perhaps he truly could return to his original world!

At this realization, Xiaoding’s mood improved at once, and he was filled with hope for the future.

Indeed, once a person has a clear goal in life, they are filled with drive, and all obstacles cease to be obstacles.

With his mind finally clear, Xiaoding sat cross-legged and circulated his internal energy for a cycle, restoring his strength and tending to his wounds. Other than the large bump on his forehead, his other injuries were mere scrapes—nothing serious.

He then stood up and looked at the brown bear, which had been dead for some time. It was a female, weighing about five hundred jin. Bending down, Xiaoding tried lifting it, and with some effort and the help of his spiritual energy, managed to hoist it onto his shoulders—though it was clearly more taxing than carrying the giant wolf had been.

He glanced at the sky. The sun had not yet set; there was still about an hour left before dark. He decided to take a look around for herbs that could treat bone injuries.

Looking in all directions, he realized he was lost and could not tell which way he had come. The surrounding forest looked much the same, but based on the angle of sunlight and the thickness of the canopy, he could make out the general directions—though he still couldn’t be certain which path was his.

Hoisting the brown bear, Xiaoding thought, “I’ll just keep walking and see what I find. If I can find some herbs, great. If not, I’ll head down the mountain and sell this bear at Fragrant Pavilion for some silver, and then buy some good medicine with the money.”

As soon as he had slung the bear over his shoulder and picked up his iron staff, the little wolf began to bounce happily, running ahead for a few paces before turning back and gazing at him, as if waiting.

Xiaoding was delighted. Though he had lost his way, the little wolf surely hadn’t. If he followed it, perhaps he would find the way back.

He quickly caught up. As expected, it wasn’t long before the little wolf led him back to the small clearing in the woods. Overjoyed, Xiaoding set the brown bear down and patted the little wolf’s head in praise.

Yet after a brief pause, the little wolf bounded off in another direction, running ahead and then turning back to wait, calling out when Xiaoding didn’t follow, urging him onward.

Curious, Xiaoding wondered where the little creature wanted to lead him.

This time, he didn’t bother carrying the bear—it was simply too heavy. He followed behind the little wolf, iron staff in hand. The path grew longer and wilder, the forest denser, and soon there was no sign of a trail—only animal tracks on the ground.

The little wolf pressed on, and Xiaoding became increasingly alert, marking his way as he walked.

At last, the little wolf stopped beneath a low cliff, where tangled shrubs grew in wild profusion. As Xiaoding drew near, he saw that one patch of shrubs had been disturbed, revealing the mouth of a cave. There were traces of blood on the branches, and he even spotted a small wolf’s tail—no body, just the tail and a few bloodied bones.

Crouching down at the cave’s entrance, Xiaoding saw the little wolf inside, sniffing around the corpses of two wolf pups.

Judging from the size of the cave, this must have been the den of those two giant wolves—and these pups, their offspring. Now, only one survived; the others had likely been killed or eaten by the brown bear.

As he arrived, the little wolf came over, rubbing against Xiaoding and whimpering softly, grief in its eyes.

Xiaoding stroked its neck and back, thinking to himself, “If I hadn’t killed its parents, its siblings might not have met such a tragic end.”

The pup looked no more than a month or two old. Surviving by chance, it must be fate that brought them together. He might as well take it home and raise it as a dog. As long as it caused no trouble, all would be well. But if it ever harmed anyone—well, then he’d show no mercy; eating, slaughtering, or selling it would all be his decision.

“All right, from now on, you stick with me. Behave yourself, and you’ll want for nothing,” Xiaoding said as he patted the little wolf, not caring if it understood.

“Given your gray fur, I’ll call you Ash from now on!” He decided it was time to give it a name.

The little wolf seemed to sense his goodwill, circling him affectionately.

“Okay, let’s go home. It’s getting late.” Xiaoding stood and turned to leave.

But Ash didn’t understand why he wanted to leave. They had already returned home—why go? It stared blankly at Xiaoding, unwilling to leave the den.

Xiaoding thought, “If you stay here, sooner or later some other beast will eat you. Today you were lucky enough to meet me; otherwise, you’d already be bear food.”

He walked a few steps, saw that the little wolf still hadn’t left but was just staring from the mouth of the cave, and so returned to pick it up, determined to bring it with him by force.

He had barely taken a few steps when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of green—tinged with a hint of red...

What was that? Xiaoding stopped in his tracks.