Chapter 465: “Waiting”

Stepping into the tent area, the clamor of voices followed, mingled with the cries of cattle, sheep, and horses.

“The Wolf King circled around. I suspect he’ll return to retaliate against Narisu,” Meng Qi struggled to express his deduction using his poor grasslands dialect.

Temur was first startled, then burst into laughter: “Impossible! The Wolf King never retaliates on the spot. Once he detects danger or a trap, he’ll flee far away. Only after several months or even one or two years will he suddenly strike back, catching his target completely off guard, just like the most cunning and ferocious wolf.”

Temur’s description perfectly matched the Wolf King’s consistent image as an assassin. If his initial strike failed or he encountered a trap, he would immediately flee far away without lingering, never acting impulsively due to emotions or anger. He was cautious, careful, always erring on the side of safety.

The only exception had been his second attack on Meng Qi at Xingyun Manor, but that had been with assistance from “Mythos,” making the situation clearer and consistent with his principles for taking action.

This was also Meng Qi’s previous impression of the Wolf King. If he hadn’t discovered that he’d been led on a partial circle, he likely would have thought the same.

“But if the Wolf King isn’t going to retaliate, shouldn’t he have fled far away?” After returning to Dari Achi’s tent, Meng Qi expressed his confusion again.

Temur laughed: “Perhaps he’s heading south? Didn’t he previously go to the Central Plains?”

Agula wasn’t present—he had returned to handle southern goods matters. Dari Achi nodded: “Tiesheng, this wolf cub, is a bloodthirsty assassin, but also absolutely calm and ruthless. He can carry out revenge, but never at the cost of unnecessary risk.”

“Brother Zhebie, you pursued him for a while. Even if he couldn’t identify your exact identity, he should have been able to gauge your general strength through qi resonance. Combined with our forces, would Tiesheng, this wolf cub, dare to come?”

Recognize my identity… Meng Qi found Dari Achi’s words somewhat strange. Could it be they suspected who I really am?

However, Meng Qi wasn’t particularly concerned. If they knew his true identity, they could confirm their goals aligned. The reason he had concealed his identity was to avoid being targeted by “Mythos.” Having a few people know wasn’t a major issue.

As if sensing Meng Qi’s thoughts, Dari Achi laughed: “Our Wolf-Slaying Society has only two principles: first, hatred for Tiesheng the wolf cub, and second, not harming other members. Since Brother Zhebie has taken an oath, we won’t investigate your origins. Alright, you two rest. Wolf-slaying is a long-term and arduous task. We’ll need your help in the future.”

As Meng Qi left the tent, Temur glanced at him and chuckled: “Brother Zhebie, although I still don’t know exactly who you are, anyone who survives an encounter with the Wolf King must have a considerable reputation.”

After speaking, he turned and headed toward his own tent, leaving Meng Qi watching his back.

Sigh, in recent years, those who encountered the Wolf King and survived were indeed few… Meng Qi didn’t know whether to feel proud or exasperated.

He suppressed his emotions and turned serious. Even though the Wolf King’s usual modus operandi contradicted his judgment, and even though both Dari Achi and Temur disagreed, his initial instinct at the time wasn’t without merit. When facing danger, if one only focuses on escaping with their life, they would naturally choose the safest course of action—unless they harbored other intentions, subconsciously unwilling to leave.

Meng Qi took a deep breath and decided to trust himself. After all, it was only a matter of expending a little extra effort.

He quietly circled around to near Narisu’s tent, then returned to his original hiding spot, remaining motionless as snow covered him.

From afternoon to evening, from evening to midnight, everything remained peaceful and uneventful.

Was my judgment wrong, or does the Wolf King possess extraordinary patience? Meng Qi gazed at the tent, his mind inevitably wavering.

He exhaled, letting the frustration and doubt dissipate like ripples on water, and focused once more on surveillance.

Deep into the night, a black shadow approached rapidly. At first, Meng Qi felt excited, but soon frowned—he wasn’t the Wolf King. This was Dari Achi!

From the figure’s posture and the subtle manipulation of heavenly forces in his movements, Meng Qi recognized him as Dari Achi, the liaison of the Wolf-Slaying Society.

Why would he come to see Narisu in the dead of night?

If Narisu had already betrayed the Wolf King, why did he previously arrange for Meng Qi and Temur to monitor him?

Could it be they were staging a performance to deceive the Wolf King?

Both were Half-Step Beyond Scenery cultivators. Meng Qi dared not approach to eavesdrop, only observing their conversation through faint, indistinct shadows in the darkness.

After a while, Dari Achi stealthily exited and quickly disappeared into the night.

Meng Qi once again settled his mind, patiently continuing his surveillance.

Inside the tent, Narisu paced restlessly, only lying down as dawn approached. Everything seemed normal.

Suddenly, Meng Qi heard a scream, piercingly clear in the pre-dawn darkness.

“Is that Dari Achi?” After activating his Nine Orifices, Meng Qi’s auditory discrimination had improved significantly.

A realization struck him. Ignoring the need for concealment, he leapt from his hiding place and rushed toward Dari Achi’s tent.

He moved fastest, while Temur was closest. The two arrived nearly simultaneously, finding the tent flap torn open with a slit facing them, allowing the cold wind to blow straight through.

Dari Achi lay at the tent’s edge, face up, his expression filled with terror and panic. From his forehead to his chest and abdomen, there was a shallow sword mark, seemingly only breaking the skin, yet his entire body had already lost all signs of life.

“The Wolf King…” Meng Qi uttered the two words that sent chills down Temur’s spine.

This killing style differed from the Wolf King’s usual methods, so at first, Temur failed to recognize it. Only after “Zhebie” confirmed did he recall an incident—many years ago, the Wolf King had encountered an ambush far beyond his capabilities, yet he turned the tables and killed them all. The leader had died from a wound exactly like this!

Seeing this sword mark, Meng Qi immediately associated it with the Wolf King’s self-manifested killing sword.

His target wasn’t Narisu, but Dari Achi?

However, even as the Number One on the Human List, with expertise in stealth and assassination techniques, killing an ordinary Half-Step Beyond Scenery cultivator without making a sound was nothing for someone of the Wolf King’s strength… Meng Qi sighed inwardly. The Wolf King’s power was indeed nearing a breakthrough.

Generally, assassins strike when their target is weakest or most unguarded, enabling the weak to overcome the strong. With the Wolf King’s strength, Dari Achi’s death was not unjust.

Temur was stunned: “He actually came back for revenge!”

He seemed still caught in a nightmare.

Soon after, Agula arrived. The Beyond Scenery cultivator from the Hailasu tribe soared into the sky, sealing off Gegengao’er while searching for the Wolf King.

But this time, Meng Qi was certain the Wolf King had already fled far away.

Meng Qi exhaled, pushing aside his frustration and discouragement, then strode directly toward Narisu’s tent.

“What are you doing…” Before the guard could finish his question, Meng Qi shoved him aside, sending him spinning in place.

“Da Ri Achi is dead,” Meng Qi announced upon entering the tent.

Narisu, known for his well-connected information network, had already heard rumors, but upon confirmation from Meng Qi, his face paled as he instinctively stepped back twice, collapsing onto a soft cushion.

“He knew… He returned not for revenge, but for confirmation…” Narisu murmured to himself.

“What happened to him?” Temur followed in.

Meng Qi stepped forward, lowering his head to lock eyes with Narisu, speaking slowly and clearly: “Whatever secrets you have, I don’t care. Tell me where I can find the Wolf King.”

“He will definitely return there! Bayan Valley beside Duolunsuhai!” Narisu’s voice became excited.

“Duolunsuhai is the lake you previously saw. Bayan Valley is…” Knowing Meng Qi’s unfamiliarity with the area, Temur quickly explained.

Without a word, Meng Qi turned and left.

“He will only return once. He will destroy that place and never come back!” Stimulated by Dari Achi’s death, Narisu raised his voice to add.

Meng Qi didn’t pause, lifting the tent flap and stepping into the night.

With Agula’s help, he and Temur left Gegengao’er that night, heading toward Bayan Valley beside Duolunsuhai.

Bayan meant “prosperous.” This valley, nestled against a low mountain, was covered with lush wild grasses. Even in winter, even amidst snowstorms, one could faintly discern its future vibrancy in spring.

Walking along the valley for a while, Meng Qi spotted a cave. Rather than a natural cave, it resembled a dug-out earthen house, barely large enough for three people.

Around the earthen dwelling, countless withered branches and fallen leaves lay strewn about, all in a peculiar state of lifeless decay.

Carefully searching the surroundings, Meng Qi found many hand-crafted stone tables and stools, some cleaved in half by immense force.

“Something looks familiar…” As memories related to the Wolf King surfaced, a sudden realization struck Meng Qi. He recalled the high-nosed, phoenix-eyed Daoist nun from Jiesha, raising her axe and striking down forcefully, splitting the wood in two. “Could it be that the Wolf King went to Tianming Monastery to seek her out?”

Surveying the surroundings, observing traces of previous habitation by two or three people, Meng Qi closed his eyes briefly, instinctively sensing the Wolf King’s inevitable return.

“I’ll wait here,” he said in a low voice.

Temur frowned: “The Wolf King won’t return. This place has been exposed. Why would he come back?”

This was the natural choice of a cunning wolf.

“I’ll wait for him,” Meng Qi said nothing more. He found a concealed spot with a clear view of the earthen house, embedded himself into a rock crevice, sat cross-legged, and patiently waited.

Temur glanced at him, then left without further dissuasion.

Meng Qi settled his mind, treating it as a period of secluded cultivation. When thirsty, he drank water from his mustard seed ring. When hungry, he consumed dried rations stored within it. Every seven or eight days, he would briefly step out to expel bodily waste through his front and rear yin orifices.

He sat there for a full month.

“The Wolf King killed someone in the east. He won’t return,” Temur came to inform Meng Qi.

Meng Qi remained silent, continuing to wait.

“Half a month later, the Wolf King killed someone from a northern tribe. He’s far away now…” Temur returned again, seemingly trying to persuade Meng Qi to leave.

Meng Qi’s vitality, energy, spirit, and intent were all internally focused, seemingly blending with the surroundings, yet like a withered tree, motionless.

“He will return,” Meng Qi’s tone showed no impatience, doubt, or fluctuation.

Temur sighed: “Although patience is a good quality, a necessary trait for hunters, if your judgment is wrong, even the greatest patience is just wasting the life granted by Eternal Blue Heaven.”

Meng Qi shook his head, saying nothing more. Two months hadn’t passed yet. How could he know he was wrong?

Winter passed, and early spring arrived. Temur came with a serious expression: “Narisu is dead. Killed by the Wolf King.”

“He certainly has patience,” Meng Qi succinctly commented.

Thus, this was a battle testing patience and willpower.

“But he didn’t come here,” Temur still wanted Meng Qi to leave. The Wolf-Slaying Society was now in turmoil, urgently needing powerful experts to stabilize the situation.

By the end of February, Temur didn’t come. Instead, Agula arrived, his voice slightly trembling:

“Temur was killed by the Wolf King. He was too cunning, suddenly turning back…”

“Where is he now?” Meng Qi half-closed his eyes, asking.

Agula gritted his teeth: “He went west to kill someone from another tribe, but he definitely won’t return here. He only retaliates. Brother Zhebie, why don’t you come protect me personally? We’ll surely get him!”

He was somewhat terrified.

In this moment, Meng Qi wavered. From November to the end of February, the Wolf King hadn’t appeared. It seemed he had completely abandoned this place!

When all current signs indicated your judgment was wrong, when everyone told you it was impossible, who wouldn’t waver?

Meng Qi closed his eyes, recalling various events, especially the Wolf King’s attack within Tianming Monastery and the conditions around the earthen dwelling.

“I’ll wait for him here,” Meng Qi said, reopening his eyes, his will now unshakable, his mind calm and resolute like a rock.

Disappointed, Agula said: “I won’t come to you again. I’ll hide within the tribe. With an expert at Beyond Scenery, he won’t dare come!”

With that, he hurried away.

Early March, deep into the night, Agula was suddenly awakened by a nightmare, cursing the damned Wolf King.

In Bayan Valley, Meng Qi suddenly reached out to grasp his saber’s hilt.

A figure stood before the earthen dwelling—tall, thin, and cold.

Finally, I’ve waited for you.

Your patience isn’t as good as mine.

The saber light blazed, breaking through long-sealed dust!