Chapter 297: A Shrew Makes Trouble in the Street
Chapter 297: Chapter 297: A Shrew Makes Trouble in the Street
They rushed south, entering a dense, overlapping forest.
There, under a crooked tree, they finally found a figure lying on the ground.
Several wolves were circling Xu Jingxi’s grandfather, sniffing at him.
A few of the bolder ones even pawed at the old man.
Xu Jingxi leaped off Wolf Three’s back in an instant, scrambling over to the man.
"Grandfather!" Xu Jingxi cried, kneeling beside the old man and cradling his head.
The old man’s complexion was a stiff, ashen gray from the cold.
Shen Ningning noticed the purple mark of a rope around his neck.
She glanced up at the treetops and saw a length of severed rope.
The Black Wolf King, having gotten the story from the pack, walked over to Shen Ningning and let out a low growl.
He told the little girl that when the pack found the old man, he was already hanging there.
So the pack had chewed through the rope, and the old man had fallen.
Shen Ningning placed her small hand on the old man’s neck.
She said at once, "He’s not dead! We have to get him to a physician’s clinic, quickly!"
But before that, she pulled a stalk of Spirit Grass from the pouch at her waist, doused it with Spiritual Spring Water, and fed both to the old man.
Without a word, Xu Jingxi wiped the tears from his bloodshot eyes and, with a grim expression, hoisted his grandfather onto his back.
Shen Ningning exclaimed, "Carrying him on your back is too slow! Put him on Wolf Three’s back. He’s much faster!"
Wolf Three let out a sharp howl, seeming quite proud.
With the pack’s help, Xu Jingxi lifted his grandfather onto Wolf Three’s back.
Then, another powerful male wolf stepped forward, offering its back for him to ride.
Gazing at the pack of powerful beasts, Xu Jingxi’s eyes welled up. He turned to Shen Ningning and whispered, "Thank you."
Shen Ningning had no time to reply. She ordered the pack to head straight for the Capital City.
The guards at the Capital City’s gates were no longer surprised to see a large wolf pack trying to enter.
Especially when they saw the charming and vibrant Princess Funing—whom everyone recognized—riding on the back of the lead Black Wolf King.
They immediately opened the gates and let them pass.
That saved Shen Ningning the trouble of having to say anything.
The pack raced straight for the physician’s clinic.
Just then, Lifen emerged from a jewelry shop, supporting her mother, Aunt Ma.
"Mother, if there’s anything else you want to buy, just tell me. I’ll make Ah Niu get more silver from Grandma Qin."
Aunt Ma was dressed in coarse clothes, but she wore two gold hairpins in her hair and looked incredibly smug.
She patted her hair. "Lifen, you’re the clever one. You’ve got that Ah Niu wrapped around your little finger."
"We’re asking for hairpins now, but once you’re carrying Ah Niu’s child, we’ll demand fields, land, and fabric from that Mrs. Qin Sr.! I refuse to believe she’d dare to say no then."
Lifen agreed with a grin. "Forget fields and land. Even if we demand their house in the village, Grandma Qin won’t be able to refuse."
"Hmph. She tried to break up Ah Niu and me, so she can’t blame me for not being a dutiful daughter-in-law later."
As she said this, Lifen noticed all the pedestrians were scattering to the sides of the road.
She turned and saw a little girl on a wolf, galloping toward them.
Her brow furrowed. "Mother, that child looks awfully familiar. I think it’s that damned brat who had us beaten the other day!"
Aunt Ma stared hard, and her expression immediately turned hostile.
"It is her! I’ve finally caught that little wench."
She started forward to make trouble, but the sight of the wolf pack made her shrink back in fear.
But Aunt Ma wasn’t about to let her go so easily.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a wok of oil, bubbling as it fried dough sticks.
A vicious idea instantly came to her.
Seeing Shen Ningning getting close, Aunt Ma kicked a wooden pail. The wok of oil instantly tipped over, splashing toward the approaching girl!
The Black Wolf King reacted with incredible speed, twisting to dodge.
"Look out!" Xu Jingxi, following close behind, saw that Shen Ningning was about to be hit and immediately launched himself off his wolf.
He used the right side of his body to block most of the hot oil.
With a SIZZLE, the oil burned straight through his clothes.
Xu Jingxi’s face went deathly pale from the pain. He collapsed into the snow, his body trembling uncontrollably.
The wolf pack stopped abruptly.
Shen Ningning’s face drained of color. "Xu Jingxi!"
The little girl scrambled off the Black Wolf King’s back and rushed to check on his injuries.
The clothes on his right arm were completely burned away. The exposed skin was already covered in a terrifying, red rash of blisters, large and small.
Without a second thought, Shen Ningning ripped away the remaining fabric on his right arm.
She took out her water flask and poured all the remaining Spiritual Spring Water over the burn.
Then she scooped up handfuls of white snow and packed it over his arm.
Xu Jingxi struggled to sit up. His lips quivered with pain, but he said, "Don’t worry about me. Get my grandfather to the clinic."
Just as Shen Ningning was about to speak, a woman’s shriek came from nearby.
Furious, three or four of the wolves had surrounded Aunt Ma. Both she and Lifen had fallen to the ground and were screaming in terror.
Shen Ningning recognized them.
"It’s you again!" The little girl’s soft face was contorted with fury. "You saw me coming and deliberately knocked over that wok of oil! You’re despicable!"
Aunt Ma was rolling on the ground, flailing her arms and legs to fend off the wolves’ low snarls.
"We’ve been framed! We’re innocent! Someone, help! Come and see! Someone’s letting their wolves attack people in the street!"
Lifen was so scared she couldn’t say a word.
But it was slowly dawning on her that in the entire Capital City, only one child could command a pack of wolves.
Her eyes widened in terror as she stared at Shen Ningning.
’Could she be...?’
Aunt Ma was still wailing, trying to draw a crowd to witness Shen Ningning’s "vile act" of setting wolves on people.
The surrounding commoners didn’t dare to get close.
Annoyed by the racket, Shen Ningning stood up abruptly. "You just wait! I’ll be back to deal with you!"
Saving the man was more important.
If they didn’t get Xu Jingxi’s grandfather to the clinic soon, he would truly die.
She called over the Black Wolf King, ready to take the old man and leave.
However, a cold, stern voice cut through the crowd.
"You cannot leave."
Shen Ningning turned and saw Xie Ming’an, dressed in an official robe and mounted on a large, reddish-brown horse. He was approaching with a column of guards from the Ministry of Justice.
The crowd parted, clearing a path for them.
Aunt Ma looked as if she had seen her savior.
She scrambled to the horse’s side and threw herself down, wailing, "Official, you must save me!"
"This... this girl! She set her wolves on me, trying to kill me! And I, a poor woman, was just passing by! I don’t even know how I could have offended her!"
Xu Jingxi clutched his arm and staggered to his feet.
His eyes were rimmed with red and shot with blood. His face was ghastly pale, but his expression was cold and grim.
"She’s lying," Xu Jingxi said hoarsely, positioning himself to shield Shen Ningning. "We didn’t set our wolves on anyone. We need to get to the clinic."
Though he had no power or status, he could sense Xie Ming’an’s hostility and instinctively moved to protect Shen Ningning.
From his horse, Xie Ming’an’s gaze swept past Xu Jingxi and settled on Shen Ningning.
"This is a crowded street. You brought a pack of wolves into the city; if someone gets hurt, you cannot escape the blame."
"Come with me to the government office and we will get this matter straightened out."
Shen Ningning’s little face tensed.
She took a deep breath. "I’ll go with you to the government office, but my wolves must take this old man to the clinic. His life is in danger. You have to let them go first!"
Aunt Ma shrieked, "No, Official! You absolutely can’t agree to that!"
"If you let this pack of wolves go free, they’ll run wild all over the city! They’ll be eating people everywhere!"
Wolf Three let out a furious roar, and the color drained from Aunt Ma’s face.
She fell on her backside and sat there. "Official, look! Just look! This wolf... it’s completely lawless!"