Three noble young ladies eagerly approached Lu Xueyan, engaging her in warm conversation.
Having practiced martial arts since childhood, Lu Xueyan possessed an exceptionally slender figure and remarkably delicate facial features. Her beauty was only slightly diminished by her somewhat dark complexion. Her personality was rather straightforward and unrestrained—unlike most women who spoke softly and gently, her voice was loud and clear, radiating a carefree boldness that had long excluded her from noble social circles.
Yet now, this “coarse woman” they usually looked down upon had saved several lives during the crisis.
The debt of saving a life is greater than heaven itself. From this day forward, Lu Xueyan would become a welcomed guest in many noble households, securing a prominent place in high society.
Many young nobles, both male and female, bore various bite and scratch wounds from the wild wolves.
Lin Pianran handed a large bottle of medicinal ointment to The Eldest Princess. “Your Highness, this is high-quality wound medicine.”
“Excellent! I was worried we might run short. With this, we can treat many injured promptly,” The Eldest Princess replied cheerfully, her demeanor appearing pure and lovely.
Lin Pianran continued aiming her bow at the wolf pack below, seizing every opportunity to shoot. Nearly every arrow found its mark, each strike felling a wild wolf.
As her arrows were nearly depleted, Xue Yunci brought over a dozen arrows and placed them beside her. “Miss Lin, your archery is truly divine—every shot hits its target! When I went down to rescue people earlier, your protection was crucial. Had it not been for you, the consequences would have been unimaginable. I will forever remember your great kindness.”
After speaking, he raised his bow and joined in shooting at the wolves.
Feng Pan and Lu Xueyan also approached and joined the wolf-hunting effort. Soon, the four of them developed a subtle competitive dynamic, each striving to shoot more accurately and take down more wolves.
Unexpectedly, Lu Xueyan’s archery skills were also quite impressive, fully living up to her reputation as the “beauty of a general’s family.”
Freed from the burden of protecting the young nobles, the guards below fought with unrestrained ferocity, swiftly and skillfully cutting down the wolves. With the additional support from the four archers, the wolf pack rapidly dwindled.
Just as only a dozen or so wolves remained and began to retreat, a squad of Yulin Jun (Imperial Guards) belatedly arrived—a small team of about ten men, among whom was Lin Chuxuan.
Unfortunately for him, his opportunity was gone. His ambitions of rapid promotion and soaring through official ranks would never materialize—all thwarted by Lin Pianran.
Though she couldn’t openly shoot Lin Chuxuan to settle past grievances in front of everyone, Lin Pianran found covert ways to act. Focusing intently, she deliberately fired three feigned shots, driving two wolves toward Lin Chuxuan. She then watched coldly as he struggled against both creatures.
Both wolves had sustained minor injuries in earlier battles and were significantly fatigued, their ferocity and sharpness considerably diminished. Yet wolves are inherently cunning and cooperate seamlessly. They attacked Lin Chuxuan from both front and rear, left and right, while he swung his broadsword, dodging and counterattacking continuously.
It was evident that Lin Chuxuan’s martial skills were indeed solid and proficient. Though strained while fending off two wolves simultaneously, he remained composed and didn’t clearly fall into a disadvantage.
Lin Pianran’s eyes darted around several times as she hatched a malicious scheme.
She decided to secretly shoot a black arrow.
Moments later, she fired another arrow that grazed Lin Chuxuan’s cheek and embedded itself in a nearby tree.
That single arrow was enough to startle Lin Chuxuan into distraction.
In that moment of his stunned hesitation, a wolf seized the opportunity, leaping through the air to pounce on Lin Chuxuan, sinking its teeth into his calf. Another wolf swiftly followed, attacking from behind and biting down hard on his shoulder…
“Ah… ah…”
Immediately, Lin Chuxuan’s piercing, agonized screams rang out.
They were practically deafening.
Hearing the commotion, everyone turned to look, their faces filled with concern and sympathy.
But when Lin Pianran heard the screams, her mood became exceptionally delightful.
She had secretly taken revenge while simultaneously dealing Lin Chuxuan a severe blow.
Nothing could be more satisfying!
Not only had Lin Chuxuan lost his chance to earn merit by rescuing The Eldest Princess, but he was also seriously injured.
She was extremely pleased with her meticulously crafted scheme.
Upon hearing Lin Chuxuan’s cries, Feng Pan quickly shot an arrow, hoping to rescue him from the wolves’ clutches.
A soldier from the Yulin Jun, seeing Lin Chuxuan’s pitiful state, rushed over to join the fight.
After a fierce struggle involving multiple parties, the two wild wolves were finally killed, and Lin Chuxuan was rescued.
However, he had sustained multiple bite wounds and was severely injured.
His body was stained crimson with blood, completely drained of strength as he lay motionless on the ground.
Only the steady rise and fall of his chest indicated he was still alive.
Two Yulin Jun soldiers rushed over to stop the bleeding and bandage his wounds.
As they tended to him, they asked with concern, “Lin Chuxuan, how are you? The two wolves have been killed. We’ll get you medical treatment right away.”
Another Yulin Jun soldier asked in confusion, “Your martial skills have always been excellent. How did you end up so badly injured today? This isn’t your usual standard.”
“Everyone in our Yulin Jun squad emerged unscathed. You were among our best fighters, yet you suffered such severe injuries. What a pity!”
At this point, a soldier who had always been resentful of Lin Chuxuan explained, “He probably became overconfident because of his high skills and got careless in the moment…”
Meanwhile, Lin Chuxuan himself was bewildered.
He knew he should have been able to handle those two wolves. How had he suddenly ended up bitten and wounded all over?
What exactly had happened?
It felt like a nightmare.
Aside from the relief of having narrowly escaped death, he felt deep anxiety about his injuries.
He knew his wounds were serious and could only hope they wouldn’t affect his future life and career.
What worried him most was his bloody right leg, which had been in the wolf’s jaws for several breaths. He seemed to faintly recall hearing the “crack, crack” sound of breaking bones.
At this thought, he felt tremendous panic.
Fearful that his leg injury might not heal properly, leaving him disabled.
He pleaded with the Yulin Jun soldiers beside him, “Quick, take me to find the imperial physician! Hurry! My leg is badly injured. It needs immediate treatment to prevent lasting damage…”
The two Yulin Jun soldiers had to lift him up, attempting to support him as they sought medical help.
“Ah… ah… it hurts… so much…”
To everyone’s surprise, the moment Lin Chuxuan’s injured foot touched the ground—even before putting any weight on it—he let out a piercing cry of pain like a slaughtered pig.
His body tilted dangerously, nearly causing him to collapse onto the ground.
In the end, they had no choice but to have the Yulin Jun soldiers take turns carrying him back to the camp.
Meanwhile, the other Yulin Jun members began calculating the losses from the wolf-hunting operation. Several guards had sustained serious injuries, and four had lost their lives.
One young nobleman and one noblewoman were also quite severely wounded.
All casualties were transported back to the camp for medical treatment.
Hearing these outcomes, Lin Pianran felt profoundly relieved.
Compared to the previous lifetime, the number of deaths and injuries had been reduced by more than half.
Her meticulous planning had ultimately proven worthwhile.