Shen Wan refused to admit she was afraid.
Summoning her courage, she exaggeratedly raised the torch in her hand: "With this, why would I fear them?"
Though her demeanor was bold, Xie Mubai clearly detected a flicker of panic in her clear eyes.
So even this ugly woman had moments of fear.
At this thought, an extremely faint smile touched Xie Mubai's lips.
Suddenly, wheel tracks by the roadside caught his attention.
His dark pupils contracted slightly, but he said nothing.
"Don't be afraid, I was just scaring them earlier!" Scarface laughed heartily upon seeing this. "I've traveled this road for many years and know it well."
"What wilderness doesn't have wolves? One or two wouldn't be strange, but there definitely aren't any packs."
"Wolves aren't stupid either. Would they dare attack such a large group recklessly?"
Hearing this, Shen Wan's anxious heart finally settled somewhat.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew, carrying strange sounds from the mountains.
Shen Wan instinctively shivered.
Whipping her head around, she saw a pack of wild wolves with glowing green eyes charging down the hillside like the wind.
"Wolves!"
Someone screamed.
Instantly, chaos erupted, with cries shaking the heavens.
Seeing the swiftly approaching wolves, Big Beard's expression abruptly changed.
He swiftly drew his long blade, slashing forcefully at a wolf lunging toward him.
The wolf leaped nimbly, evading the blade, and charged straight for the cart.
"Go quickly, don't mind me!" Xie Mubai's dark pupils tightened sharply as he shouted sternly.
Ignoring him, Shen Wan yelled to Scarface: "Take my man away first, I'll cover you!"
Before the words faded, she brandished her torch and advanced.
Her fear was real, but as a military doctor, she had no reason to retreat before danger!
The wolf retreated several steps at the sight of the torch.
Seizing the opportunity, Scarface pushed the cart forward.
Amid the chaos, Shen Wan discreetly retrieved the silenced pistol from her Space.
Pulling the trigger firmly, the wild wolf collapsed with a heavy thud.
"Help!"
Suddenly, a woman's piercing scream came from behind.
Shen Wan spun around to see a vicious wolf madly charging toward Sun Shi and Xie Murong.
The two turned to flee, but Xie Murong slipped and fell heavily to the ground.
"Third sister-in-law, save me!" she cried desperately, her face deathly pale.
Sun Shi had no mind for her now, enduring the pain in her back as she fled like the wind.
Watching the retreating figure, Xie Murong gritted her teeth in hatred.
So this woman could walk on her own all along, yet deceived her into supporting her for so long!
She had treated this woman with sincerity, yet in crisis, the woman didn't care whether she lived or died!
In utter despair, Xie Murong shed tears of regret.
Closer, ever closer!
Now she could clearly smell the nauseating stench emanating from the wild wolf.
Just as Shen Wan prepared to fire, a Yamen runner came rushing over in panic.
With someone present, she couldn't act freely.
So Shen Wan snatched the long blade from the Yamen runner's hands, and as the vicious wolf lunged, she struck hard at its waist.
Shocking blood sprayed all over her, and the ferocious wild wolf finally collapsed weakly to the ground.
The expected pain never came, which surprised Xie Murong.
She cautiously turned her head and saw the ugly woman standing behind her like a deity, holding a blood-stained long knife.
"Fifth sister-in-law…" She felt a sting in her nose, and tears streamed down her face.
But Shen Wan didn't even glance at her, immediately setting a fire by the roadside.
The weather was dry, and there was plenty of roadside brush.
Soon, a raging fire spread through the darkness.
The wolves grew fearful at the sight of the flames, and their attacks became less fierce.
Hu Dahai was injured, a chunk of flesh torn from his right arm by a vicious wolf!
Even so, the beast didn't spare him, lunging at him madly.
Seeing this, Shen Wan rushed forward and killed the wolf with one strike: "We can't stay here long, let's go quickly!"
A few vicious wolves were one thing, but if more were drawn by the commotion, even another fire might not save them.
Understanding her meaning, Hu Dahai immediately whistled.
Hearing the signal, the Yamen runners quickly escorted the exiled prisoners away.
Looking at the freshly killed wolf, Shen Wan's eyes flickered with thought.
After a moment's consideration, she hoisted it onto her shoulder…
Hu Dahai didn't dare continue the journey, leading the exiled prisoners to take shelter in a dilapidated temple.
By torchlight, Hu Dahai counted heads and found three missing.
"My husband hasn't returned yet," a woman knelt on the ground, wailing and begging, "Officers, please go save him!"
"Go save him yourself!" Scarface said with a dark expression, "Can't you see our boss is injured because of you?"
It wasn't just Hu Dahai—several Yamen runners bore injuries of varying severity.
Hearing this, the woman cried even harder.
But she said nothing more and made no move to rescue her husband.
Though her man was important, when weighed against her own life, she decisively chose the latter.
"Where is Shen Wan?" Xie Mubai's cool gaze skimmed over the faces in the crowd but failed to find the familiar one.
Hu Dahai looked around, surprised: "She was right beside me when we retreated."
Hearing this, Xie Mubai's face changed abruptly.
Without a word, he strained to crawl outward using his hands.
"Are you insane?" Scarface hurriedly grabbed him, frightened, "With your legs in this state, aren't you just offering yourself as a midnight snack to the wolves?"
"But I can't abandon her!" Xie Mubai's eyes were bloodshot as he shouted hoarsely, "If not for me, with her skills, she could have easily escaped!"
Hearing this, Xie Murong also stood up crying.
Through her tears, she said: "Fifth sister-in-law saved my life—I'm going to look for her too!"
Hu Dahai felt his mind thrown into chaos.
"I'll go!" he said after a moment's thought, turning to Scarface, "I leave this place to you."
Seeing everyone so eager to search for Shen Wan, the woman from earlier nearly choked on her sobs.
"What are you all standing around for?"
Suddenly, a clear female voice came from outside the door.
Looking up, they saw Shen Wan standing at the entrance, a blood-soaked wild wolf slung over her shoulder.
Seeing the bloodstains on her, Xie Mubai's pupils contracted slightly.
"Are you hurt?" He pulled the ugly woman to his side, his eyes filled with tension.
Seeing the worry in his gaze, Shen Wan felt a warmth spread through her heart.
She set the wolf down and crouched before him with a smile, "It's not my blood—it's this beast's."
Hearing this, Xie Mubai's anxious heart finally settled somewhat.
Thank goodness she was unharmed.
"Shen Wan, what are you scheming?" Seeing the dead wolf, Sun Shi shrank back into the corner in terror. "Don't you know wolves are drawn to the scent of blood?"
"By bringing this carcass here, you're clearly trying to lure a pack of wolves!"
At these words, everyone's faces turned pale.
"If I dared bring it, I'm naturally unafraid." Shen Wan gave a cold laugh. "I've scattered Medicinal Powder along the way to erase our scent."
"Otherwise, even without this dead wolf, the others would still track us by smell."
Though Xie Murong didn't understand these matters, she unconditionally supported her: "I believe Fifth Sister-in-Law."
"She just saved everyone—why would she deliberately harm us with a dead wolf?"