While waiting, Lin Pianran didn’t remain idle. She retrieved a bow and arrows from her Space and hunted some small animals nearby.
Soon, she had bagged three gray rabbits and a pheasant, storing them all in her Space.
She also captured a snow-white, adorable little rabbit alive.
Once living creatures entered the Space, they would fall into an unconscious state. If not released within a day, they would perish.
Naturally, Lin Pianran wouldn’t store the little rabbit in her Space. Instead, she cradled it in her arms, playing with it affectionately.
The little creature was utterly charming, with a milky, endearing appearance, likely having been born not long ago.
When she fed it spiritual spring water, its greedy yet delightfully clumsy demeanor made it incredibly lovable.
Lin Pianran had initially hoped to find some external help to deal with the wolf pack, but after searching for a while, she found no patrolling Yulin Jun (Imperial Guards).
She couldn’t help but feel puzzled: if there were no Imperial Guards around, where had Lin Chuxuan suddenly appeared from? How had he managed to seize the opportunity to rescue the princess?
What exactly was going on?
It seemed this matter was far more complicated than it appeared on the surface.
The location Lin Pianran had chosen was on relatively high ground, elevated about twenty to thirty meters above the area below, making it convenient to observe the movements of the crowd beneath.
Just as she was happily playing with the little white rabbit, she suddenly heard panicked commotion from below.
“Ah… Run! The wolves are coming…”
“What should we do? Someone save me! Ah… Ah…”
“Waa… I’ll never go hunting again! This is terrifying…”
“Mother… How I wish I could see you one more time…”
……
The desperate cries of the young men and women echoed like thunder, shaking the heavens and earth.
She leaned over to look down and saw the crowd in a state of panic and chaos.
Some young women clung to each other, weeping and screaming, while others wanted to flee but, faced with so many ferocious wolves, dared not make a move, helplessly crouching and trembling in fear.
Surrounding the crowd were over twenty wild wolves, their eyes gleaming with a sinister green light, staring intently at the people as they slowly closed in, tightening the encirclement step by step.
Wolves are united, fierce, and incredibly swift.
Faced with such a large pack, fear was everyone’s instinctual response.
Especially the sheltered young women, who had never encountered such a frightening scene.
Each of them trembled like leaves in the wind, their faces pale with terror.
The guards from various households bravely confronted the wolf pack, but the situation was critical, teetering on the brink of eruption.
Lin Pianran took out her bow and arrows from her Space, ready to engage the wolves at any moment.
She did not descend from the high slope but stood firm at the elevated position, like a goddess of war guarding all living beings, her expression solemn as she aimed at the wolves below, prepared to rescue people at any time.
The number of guards was considerable; Lin Pianran estimated there were at least several dozen.
For now, if the guards united and stood together, they still had a fighting chance against the wolf pack.
Additionally, with a few skilled young nobles among them, although the battle was extremely perilous, the casualties might not be too severe.
Lin Pianran remained vigilant, watching the wolf pack closely, while paying special attention to the princess and Lin Chuyan among the crowd.
The leader of the wolf pack was a black wolf with dark brown fur, its black eyes gleaming with an eerie cold light.
“Awooo… awooo…”
Suddenly, after howling several times, the wolf king charged forward with lightning speed, initiating the attack first. The other wild wolves responded to the call, ferociously rushing into the crowd.
Instantly, the wolves and guards were locked in fierce combat.
The wolves were cunning, weaving through the crowd—their intelligent and agile movements were awe-inspiring.
The sounds of fighting, wolf howls, and cries of distress echoed thunderously.
Whenever someone was in crisis, about to fall prey to the wolves, Lin Pianran would precisely shoot the wolf dead.
“First one hit.”
“Second one hit.”
“Third one hit again.”
…
Lin Pianran shot four arrows consecutively, killing four wild wolves without a single miss, each strike hitting a vital spot.
She saved the Eldest Princess Huo Yaoshi once and rescued several other noble ladies as well.
Despite the protection from the guards and Lin Pianran, two noble ladies were still bitten by the vicious wolves—one injured on the shoulder, the other on the right arm.
Both had large chunks of flesh torn away, blood gushing from their wounds in a gruesome sight.
Fortunately, both ultimately escaped the wolves’ jaws.
When the wolves successfully attacked people, they grew even more excited and their assaults became fiercer.
Naturally, even more guards were injured, and two were even cornered by the wolves and bitten to death on the spot.
However, what Lin Pianran hadn’t anticipated was that the number of wild wolves continued to increase steadily, with more wolves constantly emerging from the rear of the pack.
The situation quickly spiraled out of control.
The cries of the young ladies were deafening.
Chaotic fighting was everywhere, and the scent of blood permeated the air.
The guards formed the first line of defense against the wolves, bearing the brunt of the attacks and injuries while also having to split their attention to protect their masters.
This left the guards constrained, unable to cover all fronts, and the number of injured rose sharply.
Their combat effectiveness plummeted.
In front of Eldest Princess Huo Yaoshi, two black-clad figures always shielded her thoroughly.
Lin Pianran noticed that these two were exceptionally skilled, far surpassing ordinary individuals, and guessed they must be Royal Secret Guards.
But with only two of them, it was impossible to safely escort the Eldest Princess out of the predicament.
Left with no choice, Lin Pianran shouted downward, “Everyone, come up here quickly for shelter, hurry up…”
“There are no wild wolves here; it’s very safe.”
Many people below heard her call and looked up, but the height was too great for most to climb.
The two secret guards beside the Eldest Princess exchanged glances upon hearing Lin Pianran’s shout. One of them cupped his hands and said to the princess, “Your Highness, I beg your pardon!”
Then, holding the princess, he leaped into the air, using tree branches as support to make another jump. After two or three leaps, he landed steadily beside Lin Pianran.
The other secret guard picked up the princess’s personal maid, Chunxi, and followed, flying up as well.
Lin Pianran’s eyes sparkled with admiration. She hadn’t expected the Royal Secret Guards’ lightness skill to be so superb—they ascended so effortlessly, even while carrying people.
It was truly enviable!
They were indeed masters!
If she could possess such skills, she could roam the world unmatched!
Just the thought was exhilarating.
Lin Pianran gave a slight bow to Huo Yaoshi. “Your humble servant Lin Pianran pays respects to Your Highness the Eldest Princess!”
“Many thanks for your chivalrous rescue earlier, young lady. There’s no need for such formalities!”
Huo Yaoshi smiled as she helped Lin Pianran rise.
While they were speaking, two more Royal Secret Guards swiftly approached, each carrying a young maiden.
Lin Pianran looked closely and recognized Huo Yaoyu, Princess Huai’an born of Consort De, along with her maid.
Princess Huai’an appeared thoroughly shaken, taking quite some time to recover from her fright after arriving.