Looking at the snarling grey wolf in front of her, Xiao Yan's body shivered, and her pale face spoke, "This is bad, there's no way we can run away now."
The grey wolf in front of them looked somewhat thin and slightly smaller than the ones depicted on television, roughly the size of the village chief's large wolfhound.
However, a wolf is a wolf, no matter how emaciated it seems, it must definitely be much more ferocious than a dog.
Therefore, at this moment, Wang Chen's forehead was also streaming with sweat beads the size of soybeans.
He slowly moved his hand behind his back, trying to pull out the firewood knife he had brought from Li Qian's house, but when he reached behind his back, it was empty.
"It's over, the firewood knife and the herbs were all left on the other side of the ravine."
What little hope he had initially sank to the bottom in an instant.
"Woo~!"
Just as he was bending down to feel for his lower back, the distant grey wolf suddenly launched itself at him with a low growl.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Yan, frightened, immediately covered her eyes, but in her panic, she still reminded Wang Chen, "Be careful!"
Everything happened so fast that Wang Chen had almost no time to react.
But instinctively, as the wolf lunged at him, he hurriedly dodged.
As he dodged in a frenzy, the wolf's gaping maw grazed past his neck but its sharp fangs bit into his shoulder.
Rip!
In the moment his clothes tore, blood spurted out from his shoulder.
The piercing pain tightened Wang Chen's brows, and he almost instinctively threw a heavy punch.
Thud!
Wang Chen put all his strength into the punch, and although he didn't see clearly where it landed, the weight in front of him suddenly vanished.
When he fully opened his eyes, the grey wolf had already been thrown two meters to his rear.
The reason it was flung so far wasn't solely due to Wang Chen's punch, but also because the wolf's dive was too forceful.
Seeing it hit the ground, Wang Chen quickly turned and picked up a sharp stone from the ground with great speed.
However, the grey wolf that he had expected to continue its attack and bite lay down on the ground the moment he picked up the stone.
Its tongue hung out of its mouth, and its body began to twitch slightly.
Wang Chen frowned; he did not believe that his punch could knock a wolf down.
After staring intently at the grey wolf for a while, confirming it was indeed down, Wang Chen took a few steps.
When he got a clear view of the wolf's condition from the side, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The grey wolf's tail was now drooping on the ground and, through the gap between its tail and legs, a lot of fresh blood was flowing out.
Wang Chen knew the blood wasn't from his punch, but he could now be sure that the grey wolf no longer posed a great threat.
Phew!
After exhaling a breath of turbid air, he looked towards Xiao Yan, "Auntie, it's over now."
The scared Xiao Yan slowly moved her hands away from her eyes, and the first thing she saw was the injured grey wolf.
Relieved, she struggled to stand up, "Chenzi, you're so incredible, you even managed to injure the wolf."
"I…"
"Ah, you're injured!"
As Wang Chen was about to explain, Xiao Yan happened to see the wound on his shoulder.
With a worried cry, she also hurried towards Wang Chen.
In her haste, she forgot that she had twisted her ankle. As she lunged forward, she suddenly stumbled and fell face forward.
Seeing this, Wang Chen hurried to her aid.
Normally, with his strength, catching the slender Xiao Yan would have been no issue, but as Xiao Yan fell into his arms, her hand slapped against his wound.
The tearing pain seemed to pull at his nerves, causing Wang Chen to flinch, and the two of them fell to the ground together.
Ugh!
Their faces and mouths were pressed tightly against each other.
The unique masculine scent emanating from him made Xiao Yan's body tremble slightly.
Her man had been working away for two or three years without a single visit home, leaving her exceptionally lonely. Just minutes before, Liu Dagen's teasing had undoubtedly ignited the flames she had suppressed for so long.
Now, lying in a man's arms, how could she not feel something stir within her!
"He was just a scrawny kid a few years ago, who would've thought that after a few years away, his chest would become so firm?"
That long-lost sense of security inexplicably comforted Xiao Yan.
However, upon suddenly recalling their respective statuses, she hurriedly scrambled to her feet.
"I was too hasty just now, is your wound okay?"
While she was concerned about Wang Chen, she also cursed herself internally, "Chenzi is my junior, how could I have such thoughts about him, it's dreadful!"
The warmth of their lips hadn't yet faded, and Wang Chen somewhat reluctantly curved the corners of his mouth.
He then quickly chuckled, "It's fine, I dodged quickly just now, and that beast must have been injured already, so the wound isn't deep."
Xiao Yan nodded and glanced at the grey wolf collapsed on the ground, "Then let's hurry and leave, in case it has companions nearby."
Scratching his head, Wang Chen said, "Xiao Yan, why don't you go down the mountain first?"
"What about you?" Xiao Yan asked.
Wang Chen pointed to the grey wolf, "I want to save it."
Xiao Yan's eyes widened in disbelief, "What? Are you crazy? That's a wolf!"
Wang Chen replied with a naïve smile, "I know it's a wolf, but it's also a living creature. My medicine teacher used to say 'a medical practitioner's heart should be benevolent.' It's not easy for any living thing to survive in this world. If there's a chance to save one, we should lend a hand. If it lives, that's a good deed; if it dies, then it's its fate."
"You're too kind-hearted, kid. Wolves are cold-blooded. If you save it, and it suddenly bites you, what then?" Xiao Yan sighed.
Wang Chen grinned, "Wolves aren't cold-blooded. The old saying goes, if a wolf turns back, it's either out of gratitude or for revenge."
As they talked, Wang Chen took off his jacket, which had already suffered several cuts, tore it into pieces, and approached the grey wolf.
"You're hurt, I'll help you. You can't bite me," he said as he carefully bound the wolf's mouth with one of the cloth strips.
Watching him talk to the wolf, Xiao Yan shook her head in resignation and picked up a stone. She wanted to watch over the situation—if anything went awry, she would immediately use the stone to kill the beast.
"Its belly seems bloated; it might be injured and also pregnant with pups," Wang Chen chuckled as he dressed and bandaged the grey wolf's wounds.
Xiao Yan smiled back, and noticing that the grey wolf wasn't resisting, she let down her guard and turned her attention to Wang Chen.
As he looked up with a laugh, Wang Chen resembled a child.
But when he was focused and bent over his task, in Xiao Yan's eyes, he seemed like a mature and stable man.
It reminded her of the early days with her own man, when she had been attracted by his concentrated effort.
In a trance, she seemed to be under an illusion.
It was as if Wang Chen had transformed into the man she yearned for day and night. Moved by the sentimental moment, she reached out unconsciously toward Wang Chen...