The big fish stared motionless at Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King.
Qin Feiyang dared not move either.
He was scared to startle the big fish.
Thus, the man and the fish held their stare, creating an exceptionally heavy atmosphere.
About a hundred breaths' time passed.
Seeing the big fish still motionless, Qin Feiyang, supporting the Wolf King, slowly began to swim towards the shore.
However, the moment he moved, the big fish moved as well.
SWOOSH...
The big fish opened its enormous mouth, and the river water rushed into it like an inverted waterfall.
"Why is my luck so rotten today?!"
With a roar, Qin Feiyang disappeared into the gaping jaws of the big fish along with the Wolf King.
THUMP!
The big fish stirred up a huge splash and dove into the river depths, vanishing from sight.
The water raged, rushing Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King towards the fish's stomach.
Qin Feiyang was frantic.
If I really end up in the fish's stomach, not even my bones will be left.
Moreover, the insides of this fish are stinky and briny, utterly nauseating!
He held his breath, his hand becoming a hawk's claw as he harshly pushed down.
SQUELCH!
His five fingers, like steel pins, plunged into the flesh.
Qin Feiyang firmly grabbed that bit of flesh, stabilizing his body.
His other hand clenched tightly around the Wolf King's tail, preventing it from being swept away by the water flow.
Meanwhile, the big fish, hunting at the bottom of the river, was in excruciating pain and thrashed about wildly.
Inside its belly, Qin Feiyang felt the world spin as his body violently shook.
If only I still had that dagger.
Qin Feiyang was furious.
When he fell into the river, the dagger slipped from his hand, sinking to the riverbed.
At the time, he disregarded it.
Who would have thought that soon after surfacing, I'd encounter a giant fish? Today was truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly.
I've been gone for so long; I wonder if Uncle Yuan has started looking for me.
"AWOO!"
The wolf's howl interrupted his train of thought.
"White-Eyed Wolf, you're finally awake! We're inside a fish's stomach. Quick, think of a way to get us out of here!"
Seeing the wolf awake, Qin Feiyang was overjoyed, as if seeing a dear friend.
In the past, he would have never imagined that he would be risking life and limb alongside a wolf one day.
It truly proved the saying: life is unpredictable.
The Wolf King looked around, its pupils constricting tightly.
Suddenly, its eyes flashed with a terrifyingly fierce light!
It opened its mouth, revealing its fearsome fangs, and bit down hard, tearing off a large chunk of fish flesh and chewing it with relish!
"Are you really in the mood to eat right now?"
Qin Feiyang's face darkened, his veins bulging.
This creature is so unreliable!
The Wolf King ignored him, continuing to tear at the fish wildly.
The intense pain was like a deluge, assaulting every nerve of the fish.
It thrashed even more violently, occasionally leaping out of the water, sometimes diving to the riverbed, and now and then crashing into the riverbank. In no time, its body was covered in wounds, bleeding profusely!
An unknown amount of time passed.
As far as Qin Feiyang was concerned, it felt like centuries had passed.
The big fish finally calmed down, appearing listless as it floated on the surface, the river turning red with its blood.
What happened? Qin Feiyang wondered, bewildered.
The big fish not only stopped moving, but the flow of water coming down its esophagus also greatly reduced.
Could the big fish have fallen asleep?
"AWOO..."
The Wolf King howled at Qin Feiyang, signaling him to climb up the esophagus.
Qin Feiyang looked confused but loosened his hold on the wolf's tail and laboriously crawled upwards.
The Wolf King followed by his side.
It didn't take long for them to crawl out of the esophagus and into the big fish's mouth.
The fish's mouth was slightly open, allowing them to clearly see the sunlight outside and the blood-red river.
Qin Feiyang was overjoyed and hurriedly limped over, bending down to crawl out and drop into the river.
The pungent smell of blood assaulted his senses.
But he didn't care and quickly swam towards the riverbank.
The Wolf King was just as fast, beating him to the shore and gasping for breath heavily on a rock.
After climbing ashore, Qin Feiyang collapsed next to the Wolf King, looking at the big fish in the middle of the river with lingering fear.
"HUH?!"
Suddenly, his eyes bulged, filled with surprise.
Why was the fish's head bleeding? Its massive body was also covered in wounds, battered beyond recognition!
"AWOO!"
The Wolf King howled, a triumphant gleam in its eyes.
As Qin Feiyang carefully thought it over, he had an epiphany.
Turns out, the Wolf King wasn't just tearing at the fish flesh for food.
Its primary goal was to make the big fish feel pain.
Once the pain became unbearable, the fish would go wild, charging and crashing around in the river.
The result was all these wounds.
Qin Feiyang gave a thumbs up and laughed, "White-Eyed Wolf, I didn't think you'd be this clever. How about we become friends?"
A trace of disdain flickered in the Wolf King's eyes. It got up from the rock, turned around, and left without looking back.
Qin Feiyang chuckled and waved, "White-Eyed Wolf, we'll meet again."
"HISS!"
The words had barely left his mouth when he grimaced, sucking in a sharp breath from the pain.
Earlier, in the dire situation, he hadn't felt the pain.
But now that he had relaxed, his right shoulder and left leg were sending severe bouts of pain, causing him to break out in a cold sweat!
On his right shoulder, there was a bloody hole the size of a finger, piercing straight through, with fresh blood pouring out.
On his left leg, three arrows were still stuck between the bones.
And when he fell into the river, his thigh had unfortunately fractured, the skin torn and flesh mangled.
"Lin Guo, Lin Gu," Qin Feiyang muttered, his eyes sparkling with a cold light as he gritted his teeth, "we will settle our new and old debts slowly in the future..." He pulled out the three arrows.
The pain was excruciating.
It distorted his face to a point where he almost fainted!
RIP!
He tore off his ragged clothing, and the ten Body-refining Elixirs and ten Gold Coins he had been carrying in his bosom scattered onto the ground.
After hastily bandaging his wounds, he picked up the Body-refining Elixirs and Gold Coins, murmuring, Luckily they didn't fall into the river, otherwise all this would have been for nothing.
Every elixir had undergone special treatment.
As long as they weren't soaked in water for too long, they wouldn't dissolve.
There are countless beasts in the jungle. In my current state, I would suffer greatly if I encountered an adult one. I must find a hidden place and let my injuries heal first.
Qin Feiyang surveyed his surroundings, tore a piece of fabric from his pants to wrap the Body-refining Elixirs and Gold Coins, then grabbed the three arrows lying beside him to use as a crutch and limped towards the dense forest.
...
「Iron Bull Town, Lin family.」
The Meeting Hall.
"He dared to kill members of my Lin family! This Qin Feiyang truly has incredible gall!"
The Lin Family Head was fuming, their hair practically standing on end, their killing intent palpable.
Lin Gu and Lin Guo stood respectfully.
On the floor lay two corpses: Lin Feng and Lin Shi.
"Father, there must be some misunderstanding."
Lin Yiyi anxiously ran into the hall.
"You shameless brat! Still speaking up for Qin Feiyang! Steward, take her away! Place her under strict watch. Without my permission, no one is to let her leave!"
The Lin Family Head was furious.
The steward, who stood at the door, quickly came over to persuade Lin Yiyi.
Two household servants also moved to block Lin Yiyi's path.
"Father…" Lin Yiyi cried out urgently.
The Lin Family Head shouted, "Take her away, now!"
"Yes!"
The steward replied, looking at Lin Yiyi, "Miss, I dare not disobey the Family Head's order. Please forgive me."
He gestured.
The two servants immediately moved forward, took Lin Yiyi away under the steward's direction, and quickly left the hall.
"Ungrateful wretch!"
The Lin Family Head cursed in anger. Looking at Lin Guo and Lin Gu, their voice stern, they asked, "Where is Qin Feiyang?"
Lin Guo said, "He has fallen off the cliff."
"Letting that little bastard off so easily! But Qin Yuan must not be spared either."
A cold glint shone in the Lin Family Head's eyes.
Lin Guo said, "To be honest, Family Head, Lin Gu and I had the same thought."
Lin Gu added, "Family Head, just give the word, and I'll go kill that Old Bastard right now!"
The Lin Family Head waved their hand. "No, for such a trivial matter, we don't need to do it ourselves. Someone else will take care of it."
"Who?" the two asked, surprised.
"Ma Hongmei."
The Lin Family Head sneered, "You two, go find Ma Hongmei. Tell her that Qin Feiyang and Qin Yuan are still alive."
The two glanced at each other and smiled. "The Family Head is wise!"
The Lin Family Head added, "Also, pass down the order: Yiyi is not to be told about Qin Feiyang's death for now."
"Understood."
The two nodded, picked up the bodies of Lin Shi and Lin Feng, then turned and left.
Qin Feiyang, you're finally dead. As long as you're dead, the deaths of Lin Shi and Lin Feng will have been worthwhile.
The Lin Family Head returned to their chair, a brilliant smile spreading across their face.
...
Near the riverbank, Qin Feiyang found a cave. Hiding inside, he neatly bandaged his wounds and prepared to sleep.
He was extremely exhausted now.
"AWOO..."
But at this moment, a wolf's howl sounded from outside the cave.
White-Eyed Wolf?
Qin Feiyang was taken aback. Leaning on the three arrows, he got up and walked to the entrance of the cave, his expression changing dramatically.
Indeed, it was the Wolf King.
But behind the Wolf King, there were over a dozen white wolves!
They stood ten meters away, staring at Qin Feiyang ferociously.
Qin Feiyang asked angrily, "White-Eyed Wolf, what do you mean by this?"
He was filled with regret.
How could I trust a creature like a wolf?
I should have dealt with it long ago.
The Wolf King looked at him coldly, then suddenly spat out an iron box from its mouth.
"HUH?"
Qin Feiyang was slightly taken aback.
The iron box was the size of a palm, covered with rust, and looked old.
The Wolf King growled at Qin Feiyang a few times, then led the group of white wolves away.
What does this mean?
Qin Feiyang was confused. After the Wolf King and its pack had left, he walked over and picked up the iron box.
The moment he opened the iron box, a rich scent of medicine wafted into his nose.
Inside the iron box, there were actually five elixirs!
Two Bone-renewing Pills.
Three Healing Pills.
Qin Feiyang was stunned for a moment. He looked up in the direction the Wolf King had departed, a wave of guilt washing over him. He murmured, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you. But you... you could have just given me the elixirs. Why make such a big scene? Anyone would have misunderstood!"
He smiled helplessly, turned around, and went back into the cave.
He felt immensely grateful.
Who says wolves are heartless?
Who says wolves are ferocious?
In fact, no matter what kind of beast it is, as long as you are sincere, you can earn their trust.
White-Eyed Wolf, thank you, he murmured.
After taking the Healing Pills and Bone-renewing Pills, Qin Feiyang leaned back against the stone wall and quickly fell asleep.
However, he didn't know that the Wolf King hadn't actually left. It and the dozen or so adult white wolves were hiding in the dense forest outside the cave, protecting Qin Feiyang.