The little fox’s wonderful mood instantly plummeted.
His fur bristled with fright, and he subconsciously backed away. To his dismay, the wolf pack advanced in lockstep with him.
His back hit a large tree. They were finally out of room to retreat.
If Chu Liangyu weren’t feverish, they could have hidden in the tree.
Beastmen hunt wild beasts, treating them as food.
And just as naturally, wild beasts also ate Beastmen. Each was food to the other.
Herbivorous beasts generally didn’t prey on Beastmen, but carnivores most certainly did.
And all Beastmen were carnivores; there was no such thing as a vegetarian among them.
Two wolves from the pack crept slightly forward, intending to test the little fox’s strength.
Keeping his eyes fixed on the wolves, the little fox opened his jaws and set her down.
He propped Chu Liangyu against the trunk of the large tree and stood protectively in front of her.
AWOOO...
The wolf let out a howl to pump itself up for the fight. Its paws scrambled, and in a flash, it was upon the little fox, sinking its teeth into his foreleg.
The little fox, now several times his normal size, was a full head taller than the wolf. But he lacked combat experience, and his reactions were a beat too slow.
By the time he turned to counterattack, the wolf had already backed away.
It circled him, looking for another opening.
The little fox’s eyes darted left and right, tracking the wolf’s every move.
But he had forgotten about the second wolf sent to probe his strength. As his gaze followed the first one, the second crept up from the side.
Its furtive movements might have looked comical, but its surprise attack was a success.
This time, the little fox’s hind leg was bitten, and his movements became clumsy and labored.
Being toyed with by the two wolves like this, he felt a surge of humiliation.
In a sudden burst of fury, the little fox erupted.
He stopped dodging. Seizing an opportunity, he lunged and clamped his jaws around the first wolf’s neck.
He ignored its frantic struggles and the second wolf tearing at his hind leg, trying to force him to release his grip.
He held fast, refusing to let go until the first wolf went limp, its breathing ceasing entirely.
The little fox spun around, crazed, and went for the second wolf.
The second wolf was fast, but the little fox managed to sink his teeth into one of its ears.
The wolf was dragged along by its ear as the fox thrashed his head. With a vicious jerk, the fox ripped the ear clean off.
The wolf’s pained whimpers sounded utterly pathetic.
After finally wrenching itself free from the fox’s maw, the second wolf scrambled back in fear.
It was now wary of him. Seeing this, the Wolf King let out a low growl.
The second wolf glanced back at the Wolf King, a whimper escaping its throat as it considered retreating.
But the Wolf King fixed it with a cold, merciless gaze.
AWOO! Pumping itself up, the second wolf screwed up its courage and charged.
The little fox, however, seemed to be on a high. All fear was gone, replaced by a restless eagerness for battle.
This time, the little fox didn’t attack first. He dodged the wolf’s lunge with lightning speed and, as it sailed past, seized the opportunity to sink his teeth into the back of its neck.
CRACK! The second wolf’s neck bone shattered. A moment later, it too was dead.
Having dispatched the two wolves, the little fox was in high spirits and couldn’t resist letting out a triumphant yelp.
But he was a fox, after all. Even his cry of joy had a cunning edge to it.
The entire wolf pack flinched back a step, startled by the sound.
After they settled, the Wolf King emerged from the pack to face the little fox.
The Wolf King was far more composed than his two minions. He simply stood in a quiet standoff with the little fox, showing no intention of striking first.
The stalemate dragged on for a long time. In the end, the little fox’s patience wore thin, and he was the first to attack.
The Wolf King didn’t dodge. Instead, he met the charge head-on.
They collided with a crash, their strength evenly matched. Each was forced back a step.
The Wolf King’s steps began to inch closer to the large tree. The little fox noticed immediately.
A knot of anxiety tightened in his chest, and his attacks became wild and reckless.
He had meant to force the Wolf King away from Chu Liangyu, but now his frenzy was only allowing the wolf to get closer.
The massive wolf’s jaws gaped open. One bite, and Chu Liangyu’s head would be gone.
Blood rushed to the little fox’s head. He threw every last ounce of his strength into a desperate charge at the Wolf King.
But the Wolf King’s target had been him all along. The previous movements had just been a feint to cloud his judgment.
The wolf’s jaws didn’t snap at Chu Liangyu. Instead, they clamped down on the little fox’s neck.
Instantly, the little fox felt as if his blood was being drained from his body, his strength slowly ebbing away.
From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Chu Liangyu leaning against the tree. A tearful glint flickered in his vulpine eyes.
Perhaps it was a memory brought on by the brink of death. He remembered the day he’d asked the Beast Mother for a Red Heart Fruit.
He remembered the Beast Mother’s expression had been playful and amusing. She had said, "There’s only a little bit of Red Heart Fruit, and Beast Mother wants some too..."
Even though she’d refused him, he truly adored the Beast Mother. Just being able to talk to her had been enough to make him happy.
Beast Father was good to him too, but it wasn’t the same as with the Beast Mother.
’The Beast Mother has a fever. If she isn’t soaked in water, will she die?’
’No, I can’t let the Beast Mother die.’
’If the Beast Mother dies, Beast Father will be heartbroken, and my brothers and sisters won’t have a Beast Mother anymore.’
’I have to live! I have to protect the Beast Mother!’
A fierce will to survive erupted in the little fox’s dimming eyes. His limp body began to struggle violently once more.
Perhaps because his will to live was so strong, his focus so absolute, he didn’t even notice that his pupils were slowly turning purple.
The Wolf King’s gaze met his, and its eyes suddenly went vacant. All of its movements ceased.
The little fox seized the opportunity to strike back!
That momentary loss of control was a fatal mistake the Wolf King would never have a chance to correct.
The Wolf King was dead. The pack showed no desire for revenge; they scattered in an instant.
With the crisis averted, the little fox collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
The sky was beginning to lighten. He had been fighting all night!
Ignoring his exhaustion, he picked up Chu Liangyu in his jaws and set off in search of water.
He remembered that when they first arrived, they had been in a river.
’It can’t be far from here.’ With that thought, the little fox walked for a short while before the river appeared before him.
The little fox was ecstatic. He hurriedly dropped the feverish Chu Liangyu into the water.
In his elation, he forgot one crucial detail: the river had a current.
The moment she hit the water, the unconscious Chu Liangyu was swept downstream by the current.
The little fox leaped to his feet in shock and scrambled clumsily into the water after her.
"Beast Mother, wait for me!"
The river was swift, and Chu Liangyu was periodically dragged beneath the surface, her nose and mouth filling with water.
If she didn’t wake up soon, she was going to be accidentally killed by her "child."
The little fox paddled furiously, finally managing to catch up to Chu Liangyu.
But then a broken branch blocked his view, and in that brief instant, Chu Liangyu vanished.
’Oh no, oh no! The Beast Mother didn’t drown, did she?!’
"Beast Mother! Beast Mother, where are you?"
"Beast Mother!!"
The little fox’s cries were filled with anxiety. Worried she had sunk to the bottom, he repeatedly held his breath and dove underwater to search.
He didn’t know how much time had passed, but his limbs were growing stiff.
Then, up ahead, a floating object suddenly appeared.
The little fox’s listless expression instantly brightened. He paddled with all his might, swimming toward it.
This time, his search was not in vain.