The village chief of Lao Hu Town, Li Zhong, opened the courtyard gate and stared warily at the group of people in front of him. “Who are you?”

Fang Ya, accustomed to greeting people with a smile, stepped forward and introduced themself, “You must be Chief Li. This is Granny Qiao’s family—they just bought the big house by the bridge and will be settling down here. They wanted to come and meet the neighbors first.”

Li Zhong glanced at Qiao Xin, noticing the bow and arrows on her back and the dagger at her waist.

He hesitated, then couldn’t hold back anymore.

His thick eyebrows furrowed as he snapped, “Nonsense! Do you know what kind of place this is? If you have money, why not buy a house somewhere safer? Why would you willingly come to this den of tigers and wolves? If we had a choice, we wouldn’t be here either… You’re just a woman—what do you know? Tell your husband to return the house immediately! This is pure recklessness! Women with long hair and short insight, causing trouble…”

Despite his harsh words, his concern was clear—he didn’t want Qiao Xin’s family to get into danger.

Qiao Xin found her first impression of the village chief quite good.

His words were unpleasant, but his heart was in the right place.

She wasn’t someone who failed to recognize good intentions.

Just as she was about to explain, an elderly man leaning on a cane walked out of the house.

Seeing him, Li Zhong immediately stepped forward to help, though he still scolded, “Father, why did you come out?”

The old man patted his son’s arm and turned to Qiao Xin and her group. “Young friends, please don’t take offense. My son’s words may be blunt, but he means well. You may not know, but…”

Before he could finish, a loud bang bang bang of a gong interrupted him.

“Not good! Something’s happened!”

Li Zhong and his father’s expressions changed dramatically.

In an instant, they grabbed their weapons and rushed outside.

“Hurry! Get inside! Do not show yourselves unless called for! Those beasts have sharp noses,” the elderly man shouted as he frantically pulled Qiao Xin and her group indoors.

He also looked around for a wooden stick to barricade the doors and windows.

As they were being dragged inside, Qiao Xin couldn’t suppress her curiosity. “Elder, what was that noise just now?”

The old man gritted his teeth. “It’s those beasts from the mountains again. Yesterday, they dragged away a child. Once a wild animal tastes human flesh, it only gets bolder! Most of us here are hunters, and every year, we fight these creatures for territory.

“We’ve thought about moving away, but with the cold weather and no other options, we have no choice but to fight them. These beasts are getting smarter, and regular traps no longer work. So, we take turns standing guard and set up layers of defenses. When a sighting happens, we sound the alarm with metal pots.”

Hearing this, Qiao Xin stopped in her tracks.

She turned to Fang Ya and the others, “You all stay here with the elder. I’m going to check it out—maybe I can help.”

The old man quickly tried to pull her back. “Young lady, you mustn’t! You’re just a woman—how can you fight those beasts? We hunters can handle it!”

Qiao Xin gave a confident smile. “Elder, you may not know, but I’m a hunter too. I’ve even hunted bears!”

With that, she turned and dashed toward the danger.

Fang Ya hesitated for a second, then abandoned the idea of hiding. He quickly called to the others, “Follow her! I have to make sure she stays safe—if anything happens, I won’t be able to explain this to the steward back in Weizhou!”

When Qiao Xin arrived, Li Zhong was leading a group of villagers in a desperate battle against a pack of wolves.

The scene was horrifying—severed human limbs and animal corpses lay scattered on the ground.

Neither side had the time to care about them; the battle had reached a deadly climax.

The wolves fought with an eerie precision—three wolves would attack a single person at once, each targeting a weak spot.

Many of the villagers were already wounded, barely holding on.

The situation was dire.

On top of the wall, a massive wolf stood proudly, surveying the battlefield.

It was the wolf king.

Whenever a wolf fell, it would signal reinforcements to fill the gap.

Qiao Xin immediately recognized its intelligence. This wasn’t just an animal attack—it was a battle for survival. Both sides were fighting for their species’ future.

Sensing Qiao Xin’s arrival, the wolf king immediately grew wary. With a loud howl, it called forth its hidden trump card from the forest.

The threat level skyrocketed.

Li Zhong and his men turned pale but had no choice but to keep fighting.

To fight meant they had a slim chance of survival. To run meant certain death. Behind them were their elderly and children.

Li Zhong regretted everything. He had underestimated the dangers of Lao Hu Town. Even being a beggar in Weizhou would be better than this!

“Dammit! These beasts are smarter than we thought! They’re conserving their forces and wearing us down!”

More than a dozen strong, well-fed wolves emerged from the forest.

Fang Ya gasped and instinctively stepped backward, hiding behind Qiao Xin.

He was filled with regret—why did he follow her?

Maybe it wasn’t too late to run back and hide?

Living in Weizhou as a failure was better than dying here!

Qiao Xin knew she couldn’t be careless.

These people had come with her just to look at a house; she couldn’t let them die here.

She instinctively shielded the men behind her, especially the weak-looking Fang Ya.

“You’ve got skinny arms and legs. Stop watching the show and go find a place to hide!” she said.

Then, her aura changed. Her eyes narrowed as she swiftly drew her bow, nocking an arrow in one fluid motion.

The wolf king, sensing danger, reacted instantly, leaping away. But the wolf beside it wasn’t so lucky—Qiao Xin’s arrow pierced its throat, killing it instantly!

From that moment, the battle shifted.

Qiao Xin’s arrows never missed.

Each shot was a lethal blow—heads and throats were pierced with deadly accuracy.

The wolves had no chance to struggle.

Fang Ya was dumbfounded, completely shocked.

What a ruthless fighter!

No wonder she wasn’t afraid of living here.

These wolves had just walked into their doom.

“Quick! Get your bows and give them to the lady! Can’t you see she’s running out of arrows?!”

Fang Ya scrambled to gather arrows from the others, filling a quiver and tossing it to Qiao Xin.

Then, he excitedly watched the battle unfold.

By the time Qiao Xin ran out of arrows, most of the wolves were dead.

The tide had turned completely.

She threw down her bow, drew her dagger, and charged straight for the wolf king.

The enormous beast had already sensed her strength.

It had been preparing to rally its forces and retreat, but Qiao Xin didn’t give it the chance.

The wolf king’s gaze locked onto her, its body tensed low to the ground, baring its teeth in a final stance.

Qiao Xin knew—if this creature escaped, it would return with an even deadlier vengeance.

Wolves never forgot their grudges. If she wanted to live here in peace, this fight had to end here.

With her dagger in hand, she lunged at the beast.

Tonight, only one would survive.