Exploring the Illusory Tomb Part 1 [Ancient Times Version] - Chapter 35: Drawing the Bow to Shoot the Moon

Chapter 35: Drawing the Bow to Shoot the Moon

The three of us were all greatly shocked. We hurriedly lifted the curtain and went out to take a look. Outside the felt tent was total chaos. It was mixed with women’s screams, babies’ crying, and the terrified neighs of horses, cattle, and sheep. In the distant fog, faint green lights flickered—it was the approaching eyes of the wolf pack. Looking closely, they were densely packed. They were like patches of green lanterns floating in the sea of mist.

We saw A’erzhen busy commanding and shouting, 

“Women and children, hide inside! The rest of you, get weapons ready for battle!”

Luo Shen, on the other hand, didn’t say a word. Like lightning, she grabbed the bow and arrows hanging nearby. She then stopped a horse and jumped on it. A’erzhen saw this and turned pale in fright. He stomped his foot anxiously and said, 

“Guest! Guest, come back quickly!” 

But Luo Shen couldn’t hear it at all. Soon, her white figure disappeared into the thick fog, never to be seen again.

A’erzhen still looked frightened and said, 

“Nonsense! How can she be so reckless? Isn’t this delivering herself into the wolf’s mouth?”

I thought to myself, Luo Shen had always been steady. She wouldn’t do something she wasn’t sure about. Besides, she had extraordinary skills, far beyond normal people. So the worry in my heart lessened a bit. After all, the urgent matter now was to deal with the danger of the wolf pack at Qisha.

I said, 

“Chief, she’s safe for now. But please quickly prepare firewood, pile it up ten meters outside the tribe’s felt tents. Wolves fear fire the most. It can keep the area temporarily safe.”

At this moment, Yu Linxing led Ah Que and the other disciples of Mo Yin Valley over. She frowned and asked, 

“Chief, where did these beasts come from?” 

While speaking, she flipped onto her horse. Ah Que handed her the crimson sword. Her sword was soft like a swimming snake. It was thin like cicada wings. She tied it at her waist, grabbed the reins, and was ready to go.

A’erzhen sighed. His face was gloomy. He replied helplessly, 

“They all came from Dragon Gorge.”

Yu Linxing and I exchanged a glance. We understood in our hearts, and said no more. We began preparing to repel the wolf pack.

The strong men of the tribe all went to get firewood. Jar after jar of liquor was poured onto the firewood. Once the torches were lit, flames danced wildly. It was lighting up the sky. The wolves probably saw the fire from afar and were intimidated. The howls of wolves rose and fell all around, like waves—tragic and chilling.

After lighting the fire, everyone split into four teams. Kasha led one team east, Suo’erhan led one team west, Yu Linxing took the Mo Yin Valley disciples north, and I took a group south to search for Luo Shen.

I stepped on the stirrup, and mounted the horse. I hung Jin Se on the horse’s side. A’erzhen followed my instructions. He handed me a quiver of arrows and a curved bow, along with a jug of wine. After getting ready, I clamped my legs and the horse let out a long neigh. It galloped away like lightning.

At first, seeing the dense green eyes of the wolf pack, I thought they were already very close. But after galloping for a while, there were still no wolves. A Qisha youth nearby explained that Qisha’s terrain was strange. Things that looked near were actually far. And the area was round, resembling the Bagua pattern of the Central Plains.

After galloping a while longer, a strong smell of bl00d filled the air. I thought something was wrong and quickly said, 

“Prepare arrows!”

The Qisha youths around me all spread out. I notched an arrow on the bow. My heart was extremely tense.

At that moment, it was dead silent all around. In the heavy mist, I could only see a small area. After circling around for a while, I saw what looked like a white corpse lying on the grass not far away. When I went closer, I found it was a huge dead wolf. Its fur was snow-white and smooth. Its green eyes were still open. It was unwilling to die. And bl00d was all around it.

“A white wolf?” 

I was surprised—first at its size, second at its color. Wolves on the grassland were always gray-black and small. Why were there so many big white wolves this time?

After closely checking the wound, I saw it was killed by a single sword strike. No doubt—it was Luo Shen’s doing.

“Luo Shen!” 

I shouted as I rode. On the way, more and more wolf corpses appeared. They were scattered in twos and threes on the ground. My heart thumped harder.

Suddenly, a *whoosh* sounded beside my ear—a white shadow pounced from the front. It brought a foul wind. I instinctively leaned back, and it brushed past under me. I dodged the attack.

Jin Se was already drawn in the urgency. I steadied my startled horse and looked back. A white wolf was clawing the ground. It was breathing white mist. It was glaring at me like a tiger.

“Damn…” 

If I had been careless, this beast might have torn me in two.

The white wolf didn’t give me time to breathe. It attacked again like lightning, jaws open, sharp teeth exposed. It was aiming at my horse’s neck. I quickly pulled the reins, swung Jin Se in the air and slashed it. The wolf was too focused to dodge. It fell to the ground. I then seized the chance. I quickly notched another arrow and shot—it pierced its throat in an instant. It didn’t even make a sound. It just died on the grass.

I wiped my cold sweat. Then I heard the sharp sound of arrows splitting the air. I thought it was a Qisha warrior coming. But looking closely, I saw a white figure sitting on a horse in the distance. It was beautiful and bright. It was fighting several white wolves. It was Luo Shen.

Four white wolves darted at her from four directions. Luo Shen drew three arrows at once, released them, and brought down three in a flash. She then grabbed the saddle, and leaned her body sideways. And the last wolf missed its attack. Before it landed, it was cut in half by the incoming Giant Que Sword.

Seeing the white-clothed woman in the distance, I was overjoyed and rushed toward her. On the way, another white wolf sprang out like a ghost. I quickly shot it down. I looked around—at some point, more and more green eyes had gathered nearby. They were getting closer and closer. The wolf pack was going mad. It surged toward me like a tide.

At that moment, Luo Shen looked at me. Her originally calm face suddenly showed panic. I saw her mouth move. The wind was loud, but it still carried her words to my ears: 

“Watch out, shoot that leader silver wolf!”

Leader silver wolf? Where?

I pulled my horse to a stop. Suddenly, my horse cried out in pain and fell with broken legs. I was thrown down. And in the pain, I saw another white wolf had rushed by and bitten into my horse’s belly. Its stomach was torn open. Intestines and bl00d were spilling everywhere.

Wolves are sinister animals. They were good at ambush. They were always aiming for soft spots—like the throat of a human or the belly of a horse.

“Qingyi, run!” 

Luo Shen drew her bow in the distance. She shouted while shooting down the wolf that attacked me. I lay on the ground. And in that moment, I saw the most terrifying scene in the world.

Not far away stood a huge creature—it was a silver giant wolf, about one and a half times the height of a person. Its appearance seemed to tear through the mist. Under the glorious silver fur, strong muscles and bones showed. I looked at it, and the words in my mind were not only terrifying—but noble and beautiful.

My throat moved, my hands and feet were weak. Trembling, I reached for my quiver—only one arrow left. I bit the wine cork, sprayed wine on the arrowhead, and lit it with fire—it ignited with a *whoosh*.

I nocked the arrow. I was aiming at the silver wolf glowing under the moonlight. I then pulled the bow.

Behind the giant wolf, the full silver moon was big and round. It was as if it had risen from the ground. It was filling my eyes.

The arrow flew through the air, drawing a pale arc. But in the next moment, the arrow seemed to lose force—it was caught midair by a giant mouth full of fangs, bitten in half.

“Awoo—” 

The silver wolf howled at the moon. It then turned and charged at me. Before I could react, darkness fell over me. That mountain-like beast put a paw on my chest. It was staring down at me with its bloody eyes.

Its eyes showed a strange emotion—confused, hesitant. The paw stayed on my vital point but didn’t press down. I stared at its silver fur. And on its forehead was a burning flame pattern—very familiar. My heart suddenly skipped.

—Mom, where did Aoyue go?

—Your father took it to see Master Sihan.

—No! I want Aoyue to play with me. Mom, ask Dad to come back! I promised Aoyue I’d draw a flame pattern for its coming-of-age gift.

—Be good. Don’t make trouble.

—Aoyue! Aoyue is mine! I want it to play with me!

“Aoyue… Aoyue…” 

That name repeated in my head. The pain was terrible. It was like many blurry figures going back and forth in a pale world—then all fell. And the world turned bl00d-red.

When I came to, I found people standing in a circle not far away. Luo Shen, Yu Linxing, and others stood a few meters from me. Their faces were full of shock. I heard the sounds of bows being drawn, arrows being notched.

Luo Shen’s cold eyes swept toward me. She was aiming, and was about to pull the bow.

The silver wolf didn’t move. It was still pressing its paw on me. I gasped. I weakly raised my hand and said, 

“No… Luo Shen, don’t shoot it…”

Yu Linxing exclaimed, 

“Shishi, are you crazy?! That beast is going to eat you!”

“Qingyi…” 

Luo Shen hesitated for a moment. She finally lowered her bow.

“It… it won’t…” 

I shook my head painfully. 

“It won’t hurt me… It’s mine… How could it hurt me?”

As I spoke, I trembled and reached out. I touched the pure silver fur of the giant wolf. It snorted lightly. Its red eyes were like bl00d-red gems. Even the reflection of myself in its eyes was bl00d-red.