Just as Xu Taiping was about to approach the trap, he suddenly heard a sheep bleat.
"Could it really be that I've caught a yellow sheep?"
Xu Taiping's heart instantly filled with joy.
Roasted yellow sheep meat was much better than wild boar, especially when paired with the perilla leaves from his family's medicinal garden.
"Looks like I'll have a treat tonight."
As he thought this, he quickly ran to the trap.
When he reached the trap,
Xu Taiping saw that the branches covering the trap were gone, confirming that he had indeed caught something.
Just as Xu Taiping was about to lean in to see what he had caught, a low growl came from behind him.
Almost instinctively, Xu Taiping leaped from his spot, using his leg strength to jump to the other side of the trap.
The moment Xu Taiping landed on the other side, a gray wolf, as large as a regular tiger, pounced at the spot where he had been standing, breaking a nearby tree trunk as thick as a bowl.
Looking at the massive gray wolf, Xu Taiping's hair stood on end.
He had seen wolves before while hunting with his grandfather, but compared to this one, they were mere minnows, not worth mentioning.
Just as Xu Taiping was filled with shock, the gray wolf leaped again, pouncing towards him on the other side of the trap.
Xu Taiping rolled to the side, successfully dodging the wolf's pounce, then pulled out his hunting knife and ran east into the forest.
Although his running speed was already much faster than that of an average adult, it still couldn't compare to the demon wolf, which caught up to him in just a few moments.
However, Xu Taiping had calmed down and didn't panic because the demon wolf was right behind him. Instead, he ran skillfully, zigzagging through the forest.
This was something his grandfather had taught him: when encountering wild animals in the mountains, never run in a straight line; instead, zigzag and circle around.
At this moment, the demon wolf, turning too sharply, accidentally crashed into a tree as thick as a person's embrace, breaking it off.
Seeing this out of the corner of his eye, Xu Taiping immediately stopped, drew an arrow, and nocked it on his bow.
He didn't aim for the demon wolf's head but for its lungs.
As the demon wolf stood up again, Xu Taiping pulled the bowstring to its fullest and released the arrow with determination.
Perhaps it was good luck, or perhaps his eyesight and strength had improved significantly after cultivation, but Xu Taiping's arrow hit the demon wolf precisely!
However, what Xu Taiping didn't expect was that the demon wolf's fur was incredibly tough. The arrow only pierced the surface, failing to deliver a fatal blow and instead making the demon wolf even more enraged.
Seeing this, Xu Taiping didn't hesitate and immediately ran east into the forest again with his bow and arrow.
This time, the enraged demon wolf didn't care about any obstacles, crashing through any trees in its path.
As a result, the distance between Xu Taiping and the demon wolf quickly closed.
When Xu Taiping was less than three zhang away from the demon wolf and reached a large tree with a strip of cloth hanging from it, he suddenly stopped, pulled out his hunting knife, and turned to face the demon wolf, shouting defiantly and assuming a stance ready for a fight to the death.
The demon wolf, already enraged by Xu Taiping, let out a roar and leaped, baring its fangs, viciously pouncing towards Xu Taiping.
Just as the demon wolf was about to swallow Xu Taiping, Xu Taiping suddenly turned his knife and slashed at a vine on the nearby tree.
The moment the vine was cut, a wooden spike, as thick as a water bucket, attached to a thick vine, flew out from beside Xu Taiping, perfectly intercepting the pouncing demon wolf.
With a惨叫, the large wooden spike, propelled by its momentum, plunged heavily into the demon wolf's chest.
This wooden spike was originally intended by Xu Taiping to deal with wild boars, but it proved useful in this situation.
However, Xu Taiping soon realized that the demon wolf's hide was incredibly thick, and even the wooden spike couldn't fully penetrate it.
In a critical moment, Xu Taiping gripped his hunting knife with both hands, leaped, and without considering the risk of disrupting his true qi, he channeled all the true qi from his dantian to his arms and delivered a powerful slash to the demon wolf's lung wound.
Another loud noise echoed through the forest.
Xu Taiping's slash, powered by his true qi, sliced through the demon wolf's lungs, and blood spurted out like rain.
Before Xu Taiping could react, his hunting knife broke into several pieces, and his arms began to swell rapidly, becoming as thick as elephant legs in an instant.
The intense pain jolted him awake.
"Bad, the true qi is starting to run wild!"
Xu Taiping's heart tightened, and he immediately sat cross-legged, beginning to circulate the "Residual Afterglow Technique" to guide the chaotic true qi in his arms back to his dantian.
After a moment, Xu Taiping finally managed to stabilize his true qi and let out a long sigh of relief.
At this moment, he was filled with fear.
His impulsive use of true qi had almost caused his true qi to run out of control, with dire consequences.
"I remember that according to the description of Yanglusi Mountain, there have never been any wolves here, let alone a demon wolf. How did one suddenly appear?"
Xu Taiping stood up and cautiously approached the demon wolf.
The demon wolf was now on its last breath, with a hole in its abdomen from Xu Taiping's hunting knife. Even with its strong vitality, it wouldn't last much longer.
"It's getting dark. I should go back to the courtyard first. I'll ask Copper Mirror about this demon wolf later. I won't come here to hunt for a while. Also, I need to buy a martial technique this time."
Looking at the sky, Xu Taiping decided to head back.
Although his residence, Qingzhu Cottage, was old, according to the jade slip, there were array formations and barriers around the courtyard, making it safe from ordinary wild beasts and demons.
"Wait, the corpse of this demon wolf should be worth some merit coins, right? Forget it, I'll drag it back first, regardless of its value."
Just as Xu Taiping was about to leave, he thought of something and turned back to drag the demon wolf's corpse, then dragged it out of the forest.
Although he still looked like a young boy and was somewhat thin, he now had great strength and could easily drag the demon wolf.
Not long after Xu Taiping left, a figure covered in rot emerged from the forest.
"This stupid wolf, can't even handle such a simple task!"
Seeing the blood on the ground and the large wooden spike, the figure suddenly burst into curses.
"Now that the snake has been alerted, it seems I have to take matters into my own hands to lure him out of the courtyard. I need to think of a way quickly. The king is already urging me, and if I don't bring back this boy's heart, I'll be the king's appetizer!"
The figure stomped its foot and cursed.
If Lingyue Fairy were not in a deep sleep, she would recognize this person.
Yes, this was the ghost that had been spying outside the courtyard that night.