Amidst the jeers of the crowd, Lu Ye turned, his gaze fixed on his home consumed by flames and thick smoke. Though a flicker of reluctance crossed his eyes, it was overshadowed by the hope of a fresh start.
"Bai Sheng, we're leaving everything here behind. Let's go to Red Tree Slope now!" Lu Ye turned to Bai Sheng, his eyes burning with determination.
"Mm! I don't want to stay in this wretched village another moment. Let's go!" Bai Sheng's body was as dark as ink, only her eyes shone like stars in the night sky.
"We don't want to stay either!" the three little ones chimed in unison.
Bai Sheng looked at them and smiled, "Then when we reach Red Tree Slope, we'll build a new home!"
"Sister-in-law, from now on, I'll work hard to help you and elder brother!" Lu Yun tugged at Bai Sheng's dark, sooty clothes, his expression exceptionally resolute.
"I'll be diligent too," Lu Hua said shyly.
"I... the more I eat, the better I work," Lu Yu said, tilting his small head.
The group burst into laughter, and everyone couldn't help but ruffle Lu Yu's hair.
The onlookers gradually dispersed. As the fire subsided, the moon shone brightly once more.
Not far away, Granny Chen and Madam Xu were lurking in the shadows. Seeing the third son and his wife approach, Granny Chen cursed irritably, "Useless bunch! Can't even handle such a small matter!"
Lu Dahe's expression was dejected, "No one expected that lowly slave to be so alert. She realized what was happening as soon as we lit the fire. And I clearly saw the roof collapse, burying her. How could she..." Lu Dahe scratched the back of his head, bewildered.
Granny Chen sighed and shot Lu Dahe a glare, "Fine, we'll find another opportunity later. But you must make sure Li Qiang and Lu Fengshou keep their mouths shut. Otherwise, this old woman won't let them off!"
Lu Dahe pursed his lips and chuckled softly, "Mother, don't worry. Those two who set the fire and committed murder are on the same boat as us. They wouldn't dare speak a word. Even though Lu Ye and that lowly slave escaped this time, their house is completely burned down. Perhaps the deed of sale for Lu Hua is also gone."
Madam Xu chimed in, "That's not certain. What if Lu Ye kept the deed on him all along?"
Granny Chen nodded, "Eldest son's wife is right. We can't let our guard down. We'll find another chance later. While it's still dark, let's hurry back. We can't let that wolf cub Lu Ye suspect us."
After Granny Chen spoke, she and Madam Xu hurried back home, with Lu Dahe and Yao Shi following behind.
The flames had not yet completely died down, and the moonlight remained bright.
Lu Ye carried the mother wolf, while Bai Sheng led the three little ones, and together they walked towards the north of the village.
As they reached the village outskirts, Lu Ye asked Lu Hua to watch her brothers while he waited, then carried the mother wolf and Bai Sheng behind a tall sandstone rock.
Confused, Bai Sheng watched as Lu Ye set down the wolf carcass and retrieved a soft mass of flesh from a small rock cave.
"Raise it!" Lu Ye offered the small ball of flesh to Bai Sheng.
"A puppy!" Bai Sheng's eyes lit up.
Lu Ye smiled at her, "It's a wolf cub, the offspring of this mother wolf."
"A wolf cub?!" Bai Sheng was even more delighted.
In her previous life, she had always longed to raise a majestic and loyal large dog. She imagined taking it with her everywhere she went, letting it bite anyone who bullied her. How cool would that be!
And now, she could raise a desert wolf!
The wolf cub's eyes were not yet open. Its fur was silver-white, sparsely clinging to its red skin, suggesting it was newborn.
Seeing Bai Sheng's joy, Lu Ye couldn't help but curve his lips, "Raise it well, this was the mother wolf's wish."
"The mother wolf's wish? Not yours—" to kill the mother wolf and take its cub?
Lu Ye seemed to guess Bai Sheng's thoughts and smiled, "Actually, it wasn't entirely me who killed its mother."
It turned out that Lu Ye had been searching for prey in the desert and had finally tracked down a mother wolf. He was extremely excited and, just as he was about to draw his knife to kill the mother wolf, he suddenly noticed a newborn wolf cub beside it.
Lu Ye hesitated for a long time and ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Consider yourself lucky," Lu Ye said to the mother wolf before preparing to leave.
Unexpectedly, the mother wolf let out a howl behind him and, carrying the wolf cub in its mouth, caught up to Lu Ye, placing the cub before him.
Lu Ye didn't understand the mother wolf's intentions and could only stare at it blankly.
Under the moonlight, the mother wolf actually knelt before Lu Ye. Yes, it knelt, with its front legs bent to the ground like a human, its head bowed towards the ground, as if kowtowing.
Lu Ye seemed to understand, "You want me to help you raise the wolf cub?"
The mother wolf nodded, emitting a mournful whimper.
"I'm sorry, I can't. You're so intelligent; you should know that even humans struggle to survive in this world. I'm simply unable to help you raise your child!" Lu Ye spread his hands in helplessness.
The mother wolf showed no intention of leaving, continuing to kneel and whimper.
Lu Ye sighed in resignation and turned to leave.
However, the mother wolf caught up again with the wolf cub in its mouth, placing the cub before Lu Ye once more.
This time, the mother wolf did not kneel again. Instead, it retreated a few steps, lowering its front half to the ground, its eyes revealing a greedy ferocity. Its wolf mouth opened wide, fangs bared, adopting an aggressive posture.
A truly cunning beast!
Lu Ye cursed inwardly and immediately drew the dagger from his waist, on guard.
The mother wolf howled and lunged forward recklessly. Before Lu Ye could find the right angle to strike, the mother wolf inexplicably threw itself onto the dagger, piercing the carotid artery with precision.
Blood sprayed onto Lu Ye's face from the dagger. Lu Ye stared blankly for a moment before understanding dawned.
The mother wolf... this was suicide!
The mother wolf was willing to become Lu Ye's prey, offering itself as a condition for Lu Ye to adopt the wolf cub!
Lu Ye was profoundly moved. He stood stunned for a long time before his trembling hands picked up the wolf cub, which was whimpering softly on the ground.
After hearing the mother wolf's story, Bai Sheng couldn't help but feel her eyes welling up. A wolf could go so far as to let itself be eaten, in exchange for its child's new life. And humans?
Bai Sheng had been abandoned by her biological parents by the trash can since birth. Later, Grandma Bai found her and raised her. When her biological parents heard she had been admitted to graduate school, they immediately came to claim her. Then, after Grandma Bai passed away and she contracted a terminal illness, those parents disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Ha, how ironic!
"Put it in your space. The spiritual spring water will help it survive," Lu Ye said softly.
"Mm!" Bai Sheng gritted her teeth, forcing back her tears. With a thought, the wolf cub entered her space.
Bai Sheng mentally instructed Heng Heng to take good care of the wolf cub and ensure it survived.
Heng Heng looked at the small, fluffy ball of the wolf cub and was instantly filled with maternal love. Despite being a male pig, he wished he had a row of pig teats so he could nurse it until it was plump and white.