Chapter 37: The Wolf Mountain God
After taking a moment to recover, Wen Zhongshan tried to straighten up.
As Wen Zhongshan’s presence moved away, it dispersed swiftly like mist.
Ying Kongtu looked at him, and a very faint trace of melancholy welled up in his heart.
Wen Zhongshan was truly a gentleman. He had no intention of deliberately taking advantage of Ying Kongtu.
Ying Kongtu looked at him and reached out to support him. “Put some of your weight on me. It’s fine if you lean on me.”
Wen Zhongshan shook his head. “I’ll sit down and rest for a bit.”
Ying Kongtu cleared a space on the grass at the mountaintop and pulled Wen Zhongshan down to sit.
At this moment, withered grass stretched all around them, and the sea of forest seemed endless.
They sat at the summit. Before them, there was only sky, forest, and wind. Beside them, there was only each other.
Wen Zhongshan had just poured pure power of faith into the shrine. Now even the wind blowing over seemed gentler than usual, brushing against their faces without chill.
Ying Kongtu looked toward the mountains, and at the shrines standing among them. Then he turned to look at Wen Zhongshan. “How do you have such vast, such pure power of faith?”
“I’m not too sure.” Wen Zhongshan looked at his own hand and said softly, “Maybe during all those years I fought outside, the trust of my comrades, the trust of the people, and the trust of the country all gathered into power of faith?”
His voice was a little drifting. “Before today, I didn’t know either that I had gathered so much power of faith.”
Ying Kongtu gently patted his back.
“What a pity. I never knew, not even by the time I retired.”
He had always felt that in an era of peace, a non-human like him was no longer needed on the front lines.
There were now more advanced weapons and more digitized modes of combat.
Unable to find his place, he had ultimately chosen to retire and leave.
After Wen Zhongshan said this softly, he looked into the distance and fell silent for a long while. Then he said, “Then let this power of faith guard this forest, this land.”
Ying Kongtu said, “I will use it well. I swear.”
Wen Zhongshan smiled. “Mm.”
After a pause, Wen Zhongshan asked, “Can this power of faith awaken the wolf mountain god?”
“More than that. If I force it, I could even awaken a few more little mountain gods.” Ying Kongtu said seriously, “The power of faith you have accumulated is very pure, very powerful, and very useful.”
After resting for a while, Ying Kongtu stood up and walked to the shrine. He crooked his finger and gently knocked on it.
Wen Zhongshan sat at the summit and turned his head to look at him.
The moment Ying Kongtu knocked on the stone tablet, it lit up, and a ball of light flew out from within.
The light landed on the ground and turned into a majestic giant wolf.
This giant wolf was far larger than any wolf Wen Zhongshan had ever seen.
When it stood, its head almost reached Ying Kongtu’s waist.
So enormous, so imposing—yet the wolf king’s eyes were gentle.
What stood out as much as its figure was its appearance.
It was extremely handsome, enough to make one’s heart yield.
It saw Ying Kongtu at once, walked over, and gently rubbed against him.
“Xian Niao!” Ying Kongtu happily cupped the wolf king’s head with both hands. “Long time no see!”
“Awoo.” The wolf king gave a soft cry and licked Ying Kongtu’s hand.
“Looks like you slept well?” Ying Kongtu said with a smile. “I slept very well too. Come, let me introduce you to my good friend, Wen Zhongshan.”
Ying Kongtu lightly touched the wolf king’s neck and led it toward Wen Zhongshan.
Wen Zhongshan crouched down and looked the wolf king in the eye. “Xian Niao, hello. My name is Wen Zhongshan.”
The wolf king said, “Awoo.”
The two men and one wolf looked at the mountains from the summit for a while.
Ying Kongtu said, “Let’s go back. Xian Niao, I’ll take you to my new home. Let me tell you, the world is different now. It’s hugely different from before.”
“Awoo.”
“Really. There are many new things in the world now. Humans have mastered many miraculous powers. Human scientists are like gods.”
The wolf king tilted its head. “Awoo?”
“You’ll know once you follow me closely. Don’t run around later.”
Ying Kongtu was a little excited today. While holding Wen Zhongshan’s arm, he kept turning his head to speak to the wolf king.
Holding an arm was more like an act of care. It was not as intimate as directly holding hands.
But it was a protective posture.
To hold someone’s arm meant drawing that person into one’s circle of protection.
Wen Zhongshan’s gaze fell on Ying Kongtu’s hand, and he smiled silently.
Ying Kongtu held Wen Zhongshan and led the wolf king down the mountain.
Their motorcycle was parked at the foot of the mountain, leaning against the mountain wall.
This place was especially remote. There were no vehicles passing through at all.
Once they drove the vehicle outside, there would be more cars and people on the road.
Ying Kongtu looked at the incredibly cool and handsome wolf king beside him, then looked at Wen Zhongshan.
“Xian Niao, jump up first.” Ying Kongtu patted the back seat of the motorcycle.
It was the first time the wolf king had seen this kind of metal vehicle, and curiosity appeared in its eyes.
Since Ying Kongtu told it to get on, it still leaped up lightly.
Although it was especially large and its paws were especially thick and strong, when it jumped onto the seat, the motorcycle did not even wobble.
It was completely different from Jingwei, the half-grown wolf cub who made the ground thud whenever it jumped onto even a step.
Ying Kongtu rummaged through the motorcycle’s rear storage box and took out a huge raincoat. “Xian Niao, you’re a little big. Ordinary people might be somewhat afraid of you. Should I put a raincoat on you?”
“Awoo.” That was agreement.
Ying Kongtu gently draped the raincoat over the wolf king, only leaving its eyes and half its head exposed.
The wolf king was very cooperative.
After Ying Kongtu helped it put the raincoat on properly, it lowered its head and gently sniffed the scent of the raincoat.
“This is also something new invented by humans. It’s very convenient for keeping off the rain, much lighter than a straw rain cape.”
Ying Kongtu smiled as he patted the wolf king’s back, smoothing down its fur.
“Later, stretch out your paws and hold my waist. The motorcycle goes a little fast, so be careful not to fall off.”
The wolf king looked at Ying Kongtu with gentle eyes. “Awoo.”
Ying Kongtu looked at Wen Zhongshan and asked with concern, “Are you feeling better now?”
Wen Zhongshan nodded.
Ying Kongtu patted his back. “If you still feel uncomfortable, you can sit behind Xian Niao. I’ll carry you both back, and I’ll come get the motorcycle later.”
“I’m all right. Riding a motorcycle doesn’t take much effort.”
“Then let’s go back. I want to introduce Jingwei to Xian Niao.”
Behind Ying Kongtu, the wolf king made a soft sound. “Awoo.”
The two of them got on their motorcycles and drove out of the mountain.
There were more and more vehicles on the road. Quite a few people saw the wolf king behind Ying Kongtu and could not help turning their heads to take several more looks.
They drove into the county town. While waiting at a red light, the car owner beside them rolled down his window. “Bro, what kind of dog is that?”
Ying Kongtu turned back to glance at the wolf king.
The car owner said enviously, “Its muzzle is so thick, and its paws are so thick. It’s too handsome, right? A show-grade Alaskan Malamute?”
Ying Kongtu said, “Something like that?”
The car owner asked, “Where did you buy it? It’s so well-behaved.”
Ying Kongtu smiled. “There should be none for sale. It’s a priceless treasure.”
The car owner said, “Then has it been neutered? Can it have puppies? How about breeding it? I have a friend whose family has a female Alaskan…”
This time, Ying Kongtu and the wolf king both turned their heads in unison to look at the car owner. Their movements were perfectly synchronized.
The car owner was still chattering on. “Aiyo, look at those eyes, that appearance—bro, why don’t we add each other on WeChat?”
Ying Kongtu said, “No need.”
As soon as the traffic light changed, Ying Kongtu twisted the throttle and sped away.
Wen Zhongshan had listened to the whole exchange from the side and was laughing hard.
The two motorcycles drove side by side.
Ying Kongtu and the wolf king once again turned their heads in perfect sync and looked at Wen Zhongshan. “Funny?”
“Not funny,” Wen Zhongshan answered smoothly. “I’m very happy to have met Xian Niao today.”
Ying Kongtu huffed and let him off.
Xian Niao also turned its head back.
These two were far too amusing.
The smile on Wen Zhongshan’s face deepened.
Ying Kongtu and the others rode their motorcycles home.
Hearing the sound of the motorcycle, Dart and Jingwei came out to greet them.
It was inconvenient for Ying Kongtu to bring Jingwei when he went somewhere far away, and it was also inconvenient to let it out to play.
After all, it was a wolf. It could not be raised loose.
Jingwei was lonely at home by itself, so Dart would come accompany it whenever it had nothing to do. Even Tiaozhu would return home early after patrolling the mountain to keep it company.
The lonely Jingwei was far more enthusiastic than ordinary wolves—even more enthusiastic than ordinary dogs.
As soon as it came out and smelled Ying Kongtu and Wen Zhongshan’s scents, it immediately came up to rub against them.
“Awoo—”
Jingwei looked curiously at the wolf king in the raincoat. Its round eyes were very clear.
Ying Kongtu helped the wolf king take off the raincoat.
This huge, majestic wolf king, who looked extremely powerful in battle, leaped lightly and landed on the ground without a sound.
“Wu.” The wolf king’s low, dignified voice sounded.
Jingwei was so startled that it jumped to the side, eyes widening.
The wolf king was too big. It was almost three times Jingwei’s size.
Jingwei was also a wolf that had been raised until its fur was glossy and thick.
But compared to the wolf king, the difference between the two was truly too great.
At this moment, Jingwei even looked a little dusty and pitiful by comparison.
Ying Kongtu reached out, grabbed the back of Jingwei’s neck, and gently pulled it over. “Don’t run.”
“Xian Niao, this is the little wolf I wanted to introduce to you.” Ying Kongtu held Jingwei by the scruff and said to the wolf king, “This fellow has learned a little crookedly. From now on, I’ll leave it to you to guide.”
The wolf king looked at Jingwei with dignity. “Awoo.”
Jingwei was being held by the scruff of fate and could not leave at all. It could only lower its body, slowly curl in on itself, and give a submissive whine to the wolf king. “Wu.”
Ying Kongtu looked at the two wolves and gently released Jingwei.
Jingwei slowly walked forward and licked the wolf king’s muzzle.
This was the action of a lower-ranking wolf expressing submission within a wolf pack.
Ying Kongtu had not expected Jingwei to learn so quickly and was slightly surprised.
They had only just met, and Jingwei had already awakened its wolf instincts.
As expected, a wolf cub still had to be guided by a wolf king.
“Come on, let’s go inside first.” Ying Kongtu pushed the motorcycle into the courtyard and parked it, then looked back at Wen Zhongshan.
Wen Zhongshan had also parked his motorcycle. Ying Kongtu smiled at him and pulled him over to sit down.
“Wait a moment. I’ll order two chickens. Tonight we’ll make chicken soup to celebrate, and also nourish you all.”
Ying Kongtu quickly called to order native chickens.
During summer and autumn, he had gathered many wild mushrooms.
He had kept aside a portion of the finest mushrooms and dried them on bamboo trays.
Now they were just right for stewing with native chicken.
Later, he would divide them into two pots. The chicken for him and Wen Zhongshan would have mushrooms, while the chicken for Xian Niao and the others could simply be clear stewed.
Ying Kongtu finished preparing for dinner.
Tiaozhu also came back.
After several hundred years, the two furry mountain gods met again.
They looked at each other for a while.
The wolf king’s eyes remained very tolerant.
Tiaozhu walked over, raised its tail high, and rubbed against the wolf king’s furry chest.
“Meow.” Tiaozhu called softly.
This was how it expressed its welcome.
