Hearing the young beastman call out, Long Mo instinctively glanced back and thought that the male looked a little familiar. But before he could figure it out, Hu Jiao Jiao suddenly whistled from above, shouting:

“Now! Attack!”

With her command, four bird beastmen swooped down, each carrying a string of red objects with brown fuses sparking brightly, burning rapidly.

In the next instant, the red objects were placed on the wolves’ backs, and a sudden burst of crackling explosions filled the air, accompanied by thick, eye-stinging smoke.

Only the wolf leader had intelligence among the wolves; the rest, being ordinary wild animals, were terrified and scattered in all directions, crashing into one another as they tried in vain to shake off the strange things clinging to their backs.

The orderly wolf pack was instantly thrown into disarray.

The wolf leader growled furiously, glaring up at the sky to find the source of the chaos. Its eyes locked with Hu Jiao Jiao’s as she stared back. Those feral eyes burned with a savage intensity, as if it could tear her apart with a single leap.

But Hu Jiao Jiao remained unfazed, even tossing it a mocking middle finger.

She’d known that to defeat the wolves, she first had to break the leader’s control over the pack. Wolves, after all, acted in coordinated packs, following the orders of their leader. In her dream, she had seen this exact wolf leading the others, and had realized their actions were deliberate.

Fire and loud noises were usually effective against wolves, but a pack this large required a stronger approach. Fortunately, she’d found firecrackers in her supplies. She’d stuck some three-thousand-strand firecrackers onto the wolves with strong adhesive. That gave them at least ten minutes to disrupt the wolves.

And seeing the chaos unfold, her theory was proving accurate.

The wolf leader was enraged at the pack’s destruction, knowing its revenge was slipping through its claws. Its hatred-filled gaze fixed on her, but after a moment of indecision, it retreated.

Hu Jiao Jiao immediately cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, “Long Mo! Catch that wolf! Don’t let it escape!”

Hearing her call, Long Mo’s expression darkened, and he shot forward like a bullet.

“Awooo!”

The leader howled for backup, but its packmates, still frenzied by the firecrackers, didn’t respond. In an instant, Long Mo struck with his bloodstained tail, knocking the leader flying ten meters into the air, where it crashed against a tree before slumping to the ground.

Dragon Mo moved in fast, pinning the wolf with his claw before it could recover.

The wolf leader had been captured.

Long Mo’s eyes glinted with menace as he prepared to crush the leader’s skull, but another voice rang out.

“Long Mo, don’t kill it!”

Hu Jiao Jiao gently tapped the bird beastman carrying her and urged, “Quick, get me down there.”

The bird beastman flew lower, and she leapt off as soon as she could, running up to Long Mo, breathless. “Don’t kill it; it might still be useful.”

The enormous black dragon turned to her, exhaling heavily from his nostrils as if questioning her reasons.

Understanding his unspoken question, Hu Jiao Jiao quickly explained, “Ying Yuan and the others are still fighting the wandering beastmen. If we get the wolves to help, that could turn the tide!”

She then shifted her gaze to the wolf leader.

“Hey, whatever deal you made with those wandering beastmen, I can make it worth your while too. If you turn your wolves against the wandering beastmen, I promise to spare you and your pack.”

The wolf leader’s hate-filled stare bore into her, and it made no move to respond.

Long Mo snorted impatiently, as if to say he’d just finish it off.

Seeing the wolf’s defiance, Hu Jiao Jiao leaned closer and tapped one of its fangs with a stick. Speaking just loudly enough for only the wolf to hear, she said:

“I know you understand me. You’re smart enough to manipulate those wandering beastmen to do your dirty work, but have you considered that they’ll turn on your pack the moment we’re gone? Those beastmen won’t hesitate to eat wolves when they get hungry.”

She let that sink in and continued, “Help us now, and I’ll make sure no one harms your pack. But if you don’t…”

Hu Jiao Jiao’s eyes narrowed, a threatening glint in her gaze. “We’ll wipe you all out. We’ll skin every last wolf, make your pelts into coats, and leave none of you to rest in peace.”

The wolf leader’s eyes widened in shock and rage. It thrashed beneath Long Mo’s claws, letting out a heart-wrenching howl.

But after a moment, it shut its eyes in defeat and nodded slightly.

A low howl followed, and the surrounding wolves stopped their attacks, holding their positions and ceasing all aggression toward the beastmen.

Hu Jiao Jiao’s heart leaped with relief. She’d been almost certain her gamble would work, but it was a long shot.

“Long Mo, it agreed to help us against the wandering beastmen!” she said, beaming up at the dragon beside her.

His golden eyes reflected her face, her beautiful phoenix-shaped eyes sparkling like stars as they gazed back at him. For a moment, he couldn’t look away.

“Little sister! Little sister!”

A voice called from behind, snapping Long Mo back to reality. He released the wolf leader, watching it carefully as it rose.

Hu Jiao Jiao looked back, confused by the voice. Who could it be?

The next moment, a young beastman hurried over, gripping her shoulders with a worried expression.

“Little sister, how did you end up here? Are you hurt anywhere? I was so worried!”

The young man’s voice was warm and clear, like polished jade.

A flash of recognition dawned on Hu Jiao Jiao, and she realized who he was—her third brother, Hu Qinglu.

Her third and fourth brothers had spent much of their time training in the forest, so she had rarely seen them and hadn’t met Hu Qinglu since arriving here.

However, she immediately recognized his voice. In the book, her third brother was known for his magnetic, captivating voice. The moment she heard it, she knew it had to be him.

“Third Brother, you’re here too? What about Big Brother and Father?”

Hu Qinglu’s face was tense, but Hu Jiao Jiao also looked him over closely.

After the fierce fighting, his entire body was covered in blood, without a single clean spot on him.

A wave of anxiety washed over her. She noticed the battlefield littered with flesh and blood, and since Hu Qinglu was here, she couldn’t help but worry about her other brothers.