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Heiyun, crouching beside Wei Yunlan, suddenly stood up, leaning forward with its fur bristling, letting out a warning growl from its throat.
The pale-skinned man glanced over with interest, flipping his palm to reveal a slender leaf between his fingers.
Seeing the man bring the leaf close to his mouth, a phrase suddenly popped into Wei Yunlan’s mind—
“In the southern regions, there are shamans with very pale skin, skilled in manipulating sounds and able to command all spirits.”
In her previous life, there had been unrest across Dayong: the northern lands were troubled by the Northern Barbarians, the western front was threatened by the Xiliang, the southeastern coast faced pirate infestations, and the southwestern region had shamans who performed witchcraft and bewitched the hearts of people. It was said that some commoners were incited by shamans to conduct human sacrifices, with reports of hundreds being burned alive during rituals!
Was this man before her one of those shamans from the southern regions?
At this time, shamanism was likely not widespread yet, and few people knew about it.
Wei Yunlan knew little about witchcraft, but her instincts told her, “Don’t let him continue to blow that leaf!”
At that moment, Pei Hu launched a concealed weapon from his sleeve toward the man holding the leaf.
A few of the Tianshu Pavilion guards also joined in, attacking the three individuals.
Except for the pale-skinned man and Overseer Liu, the third person had decent skills. He drew a whip from his waist and positioned himself in front of the other two.
However, he couldn’t block Pei Hu’s two projectiles. The leaf that had just been blown was knocked down.
The pale-skinned man’s expression darkened for a moment, but then he returned to normal, a strange smile forming on his lips. “Too late.”
Soon, Wei Yunlan and the others understood what he meant by “too late.”
Agile figures emerged from the forest, encircling Wei Yunlan and her group, their eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty light.
The refugees who had not yet made it down the mountain cried out in alarm, “It’s the wolf pack! The wolf pack is coming!”
They scrambled down the slope, but surprisingly, the wolves did not chase them; instead, they remained at the top of the slope.
At the foot of the mountain, the Wei family, who had been keeping an eye on the situation above, noticed people running down and immediately tensed.
Madam Gao and Cheng Yue’e stayed inside the cave with the two children, while Wei Maolin quietly led Dong Da, Liu Quan, and a few others halfway up the mountain.
From a distance, they spotted the wolf pack gathering at the slope’s peak, and they couldn’t help but gasp in horror.
So many wolves were hidden on the mountain!
Even with the Tianshu Pavilion people and Heiyun present, confronting them would likely not be easy!
The preparations they had made might not be of much use, but they could only hope to relieve some pressure from Wei Yunlan and her team.
“Stay back and be ready to move at any moment!”
“If the situation changes, run down the mountain immediately. Don’t burden those above any further; let them come to rescue us instead.”
“Yes, sir.”
“……”
The wolf pack surrounded Wei Yunlan, her brother, and the guards under Seventh Lady Yu from Tianshu Pavilion.
Meanwhile, they had also encircled the three men who had escaped from the mine, including Overseer Liu.
The situation was at a standstill. The Tianshu Pavilion guards could sense that once they took action, the wolves would immediately pounce. Even though they were skilled fighters, facing hundreds of wolves was an impossible feat.
Unless they could find a way to break the man’s control over the wolf pack, they could only delay time and wait for reinforcements.
The man could see through their intentions as well; he cast a disdainful glance at them and sneered, “You think you can keep me here?”
His cold gaze swept around, finally landing on Heiyun, who was standing beside Wei Yunlan. “Let’s see you learn a lesson.”
As he spoke, he let slip a golden bell from his sleeve. The sound of the bell was clear and crisp, sending a shiver down their spines.
Compared to the earlier leaf, this bell seemed to be the man’s real trump card.
He gently shook the bell twice, his eyes glinting with confidence. However, moments later, that confident smile froze on his face.
Heiyun’s bright eyes showed no signs of change; it remained alert and ready, undeterred by the ringing bell.
The only difference was, at the first sound of the bell, Heiyun let out a loud sneeze.
“How is that possible?”
His witchcraft could control even the wolf pack, yet he couldn’t control a single dog?
“Captain Yu,” Wei Yunlan softly reminded.
Seventh Lady Yu nodded.
Taking advantage of the man’s moment of distraction, several guards from Tianshu Pavilion at the top of the slope simultaneously moved. Two of them engaged with Overseer Liu and his companion, while the others charged toward the pale-skinned man wielding the bell.
Their target wasn’t his life but the bell in his hand!
At that moment, the outer wolf pack began to move.
Wei Yunlan, Wei Mingxuan, and Wang Gui quickly picked up their weapons, bracing themselves in front of one another, exerting all their strength. Heiyun stood protectively beside them, and with its occasional support, the three of them momentarily avoided immediate danger.
However, the sheer number of wolves was overwhelming.
The wolves that were about to pounce on Wei Yunlan and her companions were only a small portion of the pack, but they were becoming increasingly difficult to withstand.
At that moment, round balls the size of chicken eggs flew in from the bottom of the slope, landing on the outer circle of wolves.
These balls seemed to lack any force, and when they hit the wolves, they hardly felt a thing. The wolves continued their charge without missing a beat.
However, after just a couple of steps, the wolves struck by the balls suddenly halted, squatting down and scratching their bodies furiously.
The pressure on Wei Yunlan and her companions eased significantly as she looked up in confusion.
More white balls flew in, hitting the wolves, and the tightly grouped balls scattered, releasing powdered medicine that drifted into the air.
It turned out these balls were made of cloth!
Wei Yunlan followed the direction from which the balls were thrown and spotted familiar figures in the trees in the distance—Dong Da and Liu Quan!
Not far from them, Wei Yunlan could vaguely see her father awkwardly using a slingshot, continuously launching more of the powder-filled balls toward the wolves.
Though the powder was harmless, it effectively discouraged the wolf pack from fighting.
The man skilled in witchcraft quickly realized the situation and gritted his teeth, saying, “We can’t delay any longer; they have reinforcements. Let’s break through!”
Footsteps echoed through the forest and along the stone walls.
He shook the bell in his hand more vigorously, and the wolf pack regained their spirits, surrounding him as they engaged with Seventh Lady Yu and the others.
Seventh Lady Yu was bitten on the arm by the lead wolf, and in the chaos, the man slipped out of the encirclement.
In the confusion, Wei Yunlan felt a sharp pain as a whip struck her right leg. The whip had barbs on it, leaving a deep gash that bled profusely.
The footsteps in the forest finally drew closer, and a team of black-clad figures blocked the path of the three individuals.
The chaotic scene was coming under control, but Wei Yunlan felt her vision blurring.
As she collapsed, she could only catch a glimpse of a dark figure’s flowing robe before everything went dark.