Moreover, there was that delicate fool who had never planned to give anything in the first place, truly believing she knew nothing just because she dressed like a savage. This time, it would serve as a lesson for them, lest they default on their debt. It shouldn't be difficult to persuade their parents to obediently hand over the money.
Even if their families disagreed, based on her observations, these people were not simple characters; they would have their own ways to handle things. She wouldn't really run away just because she was angry; of course, she had her own plans.
Having played the unsung hero once, gaining nothing from it, she had learned her lesson this time. Doing good deeds anonymously was enough for just once.
"Howl, whine..." Cui Guangyu and the others, exhausted and in the midst of deep sleep, were startled awake by a spine-chilling sound.
Zhao Qing, who was on night watch and dared not sleep soundly, was the first to jolt awake. He had no time to adjust as the sight before him caused him to swallow his saliva unconsciously.
The others, now awakened, stared at the densely packed, ghastly green dots before their eyes, feeling goosebumps spreading over them.
Fang Xiaoyang, terrified, stuttered continuously, "How, how could there be so many wolves? There weren't any during the day."
The others were too preoccupied to pay attention to her, warily eyeing the situation. Wolves were the most dreaded encounter in the forest. Unlike other animals, the wolf pack was extremely united; kill one, and the others would swarm in retaliation.
They were truly out of luck now, surrounded by wolves so dense that not even a fly could get through, probably more than forty of them.
Cui Guangyu was the first to react, issuing a tense and serious command, "Watch the fire in front of you carefully; it must not go out. From now on, no one sleeps; add wood immediately if the flames diminish. In three hours, it will be daylight, and everything will be alright if we can last until then."
Without needing to be told, no one dared to sleep anymore. They all hurriedly added wood to their fires, and with the increasing light, the scene before them became clearer.
Previously, it had been too dark, and they could only see the wolves' eyes glowing green. But now, seeing more clearly, they broke into cold sweats from the sheer fright.
The densely packed dark grey wolf pack, with their mouths opened revealing sharp teeth, breathed heavily towards them, looking both ugly and terrifying.
This made them think of the elegant and noble Snow Wolves they had seen during the day, and of that strange girl who seemed like a savage and yet not quite like one.
The others clearly thought of this too; the stark contrast was impossible to ignore.
In an atmosphere of trembling fear, the day finally dawned, and the wolf pack slowly dispersed before their eyes.
The group finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling completely soaked through. As autumn was approaching, the nights were still chilly, and the amount of sweat they had produced was indicative of the difficulty of the past night.
After the events of the previous night, they discussed their situation; finding their own way out was now impossible, so their current strategy was to find the strange girl from yesterday. She was their only hope now.
Although Fang Xiaoyang was dissatisfied, she dared not say anything else. As long as she could leave this godforsaken place, she was willing to do anything. Now she was full of regret for coming here over a man.
Moreover, that vixen only wanted money, right? Once she got out and was on her own turf, she wouldn't let the girl get a cent. Even if she paid her, she would make sure the girl had money but no life to spend it.
Qinghe woke up and lazily went to the river to tidy herself up, checking to see how her efforts had paid off and whether it had scared the pants off these young masters and ladies.
Cui Guangyu and his group wandered around trying to find the spot where they first encountered Qinghe, but the area was filled with trees that all looked alike. They had been searching since dawn and still hadn't found the place by midmorning.
Fang Xiaoyang couldn't help but interject, "What's the use of looking for her? She might have already left. There's nothing to eat around here, and it's crawling with wild beasts. How could she possibly live here?"
Wen Wanwan retorted sharply, "Miss Fang, can you please use your brain? The fact that we encountered so many wolves last night shows that after a whole day of searching, we're still deep in the forest. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many wolves on the periphery of the forest."
"We obviously can't find our way out by ourselves. Our only hope is to find Qinghe. She treated my leg yesterday, and I saw she's very familiar with medicinal herbs. Maybe she came here to collect herbs. People who come up the mountain for herbs usually stay overnight. So pray to Buddha that she hasn't left yet; otherwise, we're all going to die here."
Fang Xiaoyang, being taken aback, glared at Wen Wanwan and huffed before following Cui Guangyu. Although spoiled by her parents, she wasn't ignorant and knew Wen Wanwan was right. She was just too scared and trying to make conversation.
The three boys, including Cui Guangyu, were looking increasingly distressed. The morning had passed and they still hadn't found anyone. The leaves on the trees, though dense, had been sun-dried and there was significantly less moisture. If they didn't find a way out soon, they wouldn't even have water.
Without water, they wouldn't last much longer.
Qinghe, basking in the sun, felt it was about time to leave too. She wanted to get out as soon as possible. Brushing the grass from her fur skirt, she hopped onto the back of the Snow Wolves and sauntered off with ease.
Meanwhile, Cui Guangyu and the others ran into trouble again, but this time it was beyond Qinghe's influence.
The cheetah that had previously escaped them had been watching and waiting. Seeing no sign of their formidable young master, it concluded they were abandoned, heh. These humans were truly courting death. This time, without any animals to compete with, the feast was all its own.
The cheetah was ecstatically savoring the fear in its prey, ready to dine, when it suddenly sniffed the air. It seemed to deflate like a punctured ball, its eyes dimming with a profound sense of grievance, and it turned and walked away.
Cui Guangyu and his group, who were bracing themselves for a desperate struggle, watched the cheetah simply walk away as if it had been wronged. At first, they were stunned and confused.
Then it dawned on them, and already having prepared for the worst, their eyes lit up as they frantically looked around.
Qinghe, who witnessed this scene, was quite pleased. That's the way to do it, much simpler. And the little cheetah timed its arrival very well—good job. She owed it a favor for the timely appearance.
When they saw the familiar scene of the proud and beautiful Snow Wolves and the strangely beautiful girl who looked like a fairy, they were nearly moved to tears.
With a smile in her eyes, Qinghe said, "Not bad at all, you're still alive. I thought I'd find your corpses when I didn't see you overnight."
The group felt awkward, unable to retort to the obvious sarcasm, as she was now their only hope. Who would dare to speak out of line and risk driving her away again? They had no idea if they would be lucky enough to encounter her once more.
Fang Xiaoyang was calculating inwardly, letting Qinghe enjoy her moment of triumph a bit longer. Once they were out of this damned place, it would still be her call.
Noticing those who still hadn't learned their lesson, Qinghe shrugged indifferently and breezily stated, "Two billion."