Chapter 67: Toying with the Wolf Pack

Stealthily returning to the Ji family, Hu Zhaodi climbed into bed to practice her martial arts.

Two hours later, she finally lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, the sky was already dimly lit.

Aunt Ji and Ji Chunhua had already prepared breakfast.

After getting up and freshening up, Hu Zhaodi had a quick meal before strapping on her basket, taking her axe and hoe, and heading into the mountains.

She no longer had many concerns about going into the mountains alone. Though her internal energy was still scarce, she was confident that she could escape danger if faced with large wild animals.

However, her luck today wasn’t great. Less than an hour into the mountains, she encountered the wolf pack again.

It was the same eight wolves she had encountered before.

She could handle one or two wolves in a fight, but facing eight meant it would be like a lamb walking into the wolf’s den—no chance of survival.

She didn’t want to kill these eight wolves. Instead, she hoped to keep them around to guard the mountains. After spring, she planned to plant some valuable medicinal herbs here.

With the wolves guarding the area, the villagers wouldn’t dare to wander into the deep mountains.

And those rare and valuable herbs, she wanted to grow them in the heart of the mountains.

Wild herbs were getting scarcer the more they were harvested. By planting them herself, when the herbs matured, they would be as good as wild ones.

Sensing the dangerous aura around her, Hu Zhaodi immediately climbed up a large tree.

By the time the wolves surrounded her, she was sitting casually on a branch, swinging her legs.

“Hey, pups, long time no see!” she called out.

Wolves have excellent memories. When they saw Hu Zhaodi, the fierce pack, who had been baring their teeth just moments ago, stepped back warily and stared up at her, alert.

This human was too terrifying. She could make them sleep for half the day without them even noticing.

“Little wolves, I need you to guard this treasure mountain for me. I won’t hurt you. Just go on and leave!”

But the wolves weren’t going to give up on a meal that was practically delivered to them.

Fearing she might use poison again, the pack retreated and surrounded her from a distance, making sure she couldn’t drug them.

Hu Zhaodi mischievously smiled. “You think retreating means I can’t do anything to you? You really underestimate me!”

With that, Hu Zhaodi took out a silver needle from her space and aimed at the wolf directly ahead. With a whoosh, the needle flew out at a speed invisible to the naked eye.

The silver needle accurately pierced the triangular area between the wolf’s eyes and nose.

The skull of the wolf was very tough, but this area was similar to a human’s temple.

Once struck in this spot, the wolf could suffer from dizziness, pass out, or even die.

This flying needle technique was something Hu Zhaodi had worked hard to perfect in her past life.

In her previous life, she often drew a small dot on a steamed bun, then stood three steps away and practiced throwing needles to hit the dot on the bun.

She practiced from three steps, five steps, twelve, and even twenty steps, for an entire year before she could accurately land a silver needle on the dot.

This technique tested not only the precision of her hands but also her eyesight.

Hu Zhaodi’s control over the strength of her throw was perfect. The wolf she targeted collapsed to the ground, soft and limp.

Although it wasn’t unconscious, it was clearly dizzy and couldn’t stand steady.

Seeing their companion fall, the other wolves took several steps back, their eyes even more alert as they watched Hu Zhaodi.

Hu Zhaodi smiled slightly and raised her hand as if to throw another needle.

The wolf in front of her jumped in fear, ready to flee at any moment.

“Hahaha… little wolf pups, today I’m in a good mood, so I’ll play with you all.”

With that, Hu Zhaodi took out another silver needle, waved it in front of one of the wolves, and once again pretended to throw it.

The wolf, scared, turned and ran, but after a few steps, it checked its body and felt no ill effects. It turned back and walked toward Hu Zhaodi.

However, as it came back, Hu Zhaodi threw the silver needle with lightning speed, accurately striking the triangular area between the wolf’s eyes and nose.

“Ugh~” the wolf whimpered, slumping to the ground.

The other wolves were now completely panicked. They retreated several steps, and Hu Zhaodi knew that she couldn’t guarantee that the next silver needle would strike their vulnerable spots.

She reluctantly climbed down from the tree, leaned against the trunk, her left hand holding five silver needles, her right hand holding one, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the wolf pack.

The wolves, too, were wary. Seeing her come down from the tree and lean against it, they knew they couldn’t attack from behind the tree. So, they huddled together in a fan shape, surrounding her.

Hu Zhaodi raised her hand, and the six wolves instinctively jumped back, their eyes full of caution.

She raised her hand again, and the wolves jumped once more.

This went on for several rounds, but Hu Zhaodi didn’t throw a single needle.

She was enjoying the game, while the wolves were on the verge of losing their composure.

Though she couldn’t harm them, she was careful not to leave the tree’s shelter.

She needed a solution—she couldn’t keep stalling like this.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind. She put the silver needles back into her space and pulled out a slingshot she had used when she was a child in her past life.

It was a gift from her grandfather when she was five.

She had stopped using it after growing up, but she couldn’t bear to throw it away, so she kept it.

Picking up a small stone from the ground, she aimed for one of the wolf’s noses.

But the wolves were quick to react. As soon as she raised her hand, they braced themselves to dodge.

With a “whoosh,” the small stone flew through the air.

Though it didn’t hit the wolf’s nose, it struck one of the wolves in the stomach.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…” The small stones flew toward the wolves one after another.

Although the wolves weren’t injured, they felt the sting and began jumping and dodging in a frenzy.

As the small stones ran out, Hu Zhaodi smiled mischievously. The wolves were growing increasingly agitated.

She put away the slingshot and, with a thought, six silver needles appeared in her hand once more.

Seeing the slingshot being put away, the wolves relaxed their guard slightly.

Suddenly, Hu Zhaodi sprinted a few steps forward, then leapt into the air, throwing a silver needle that landed precisely between one wolf’s eyes and nose.

At the same time, she quickly retreated and was back against the tree in an instant.

The struck wolf staggered a few times before collapsing to the ground. The remaining wolves immediately became extremely vigilant.

With three wolves down, Hu Zhaodi’s smile widened.

After feigning a few more movements, she ran forward again, leapt up, and threw another silver needle.

The fourth wolf fell.

The remaining four wolves were thoroughly panicked, backing away while keeping their eyes fixed on her.

Hu Zhaodi held up another silver needle, gave it a shake, and was about to throw it when the four wolves turned and ran.

“Hahahaha… You little pups, it looks like I have to play tricks to deal with you. I didn’t intend to hurt you, or else you’d already be turned into silver in my pocket.”

With that, she walked over to one of the fallen wolves and crouched beside it, reaching out to stroke its fur.

After petting it for a while, she lifted her rear, swiftly pulled the silver needle from the wolf’s body, and quickly retreated.