PCJ – Chapter 676 Live and Die Together

“We’re doomed, we’re doomed! Didn’t they say there were no predators in the Yingpan Mountains? How come there’s a wolf pack?” Guo Cheng’s face turned pale.

Xiong Zizhao said, “I checked the records. Most of the predators in Yingpan Mountain were wiped out back in the 50s and 60s. There were campaigns to eliminate wolves. After the 1980s, no wolf sightings have been reported.”

“That kind of info doesn’t help us now. Wolves aren’t extinct, you know—they could’ve migrated here from elsewhere,” Liu Jiahui replied.

Though the fire kept the wolves at bay for now, the pack had completely surrounded Liu Jiahui and the others. Afraid the wolves might charge if the fire dimmed, they kept feeding wood into it, but they’d already run low on kindling. The area was desolate, and dry wood was scarce. Soon, they had thrown all the available firewood into the flames.

“This is bad! We’re out of firewood! We’re finished! Once the fire dies, those wolves will rush in. What do we do now?” Guo Cheng was panicking.

“Don’t panic. Let’s look around for more firewood. The wolves are keeping their distance for now. If we panic, they’ll sense it and attack sooner,” Liu Jiahui said.

Xiong Zizhao nodded. “I’ll go that way toward Jujian Peak and look for some wood.”

He headed for the steep woods near Jujian Peak—there were fewer wolves there.

Jiang He quickly followed. “Mr. Xiong, I’ll go with you.”

There wasn’t much dry wood on the ground, but there were plenty of dead branches in the trees.

“I’ll climb up and snap some branches. You gather them below,” Jiang He offered.

“Be careful,” Xiong Zizhao said.

“No worries. I grew up in the countryside, climbing trees all the time. This is nothing.” Jiang He climbed up skillfully and began breaking off branches, tossing them down.

“Mr. Xiong, honestly, if we all knew how to climb trees, we could just climb up now while the fire is still burning. Wolves wouldn’t be able to get us. Then we just wait for them to leave and climb down. Problem solved. No need to risk everyone’s lives trying to keep the fire going.”

But after tossing down a few branches, Jiang He didn’t come down. He sat on the branch and refused to move.

Xiong Zizhao realized Jiang He was trying to avoid sharing in the danger.

When he returned, Liu Jiahui asked, “Where’s Jiang He? Didn’t he come back with you?”

“Guo Cheng had an idea. He said we should all climb trees now while the fire’s still burning. What do you all think?” Xiong Zizhao didn’t reveal that Jiang He was unwilling to come down.

Liu Jiahui caught on and shook his head. “Look at Old Xiao—how’s he supposed to climb a tree? And if we all leave, the wolves might charge early.”

Old Xiao was heavyset and not agile.

“You’re going to leave Old Xiao behind? Guo Cheng’s just scared to come down!” someone shouted angrily.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Guo Cheng just climbed trees to get us firewood. He stayed up to conserve energy. What if we all climb and use a rope to pull Old Xiao up?” Xiong suggested.

“Forget it. You guys go climb. I’ll stay and keep watch. As long as the fire’s burning, they won’t come close,” Old Xiao insisted.

“Old Xiao, what are you saying? I’m not the kind of guy to abandon my friends,” Guo Cheng shouted from the tree.

Old Xiao waved him off. “No need to risk everyone’s life. I’ll stay and guard the fire. You guys go up.”

“No way! We came together, we leave together,” Liu Jiahui said. “Let’s try to gather more branches. Guo Cheng, you’re good at climbing. Come help me find more wood to keep the fire going.”

“Got it,” Guo Cheng replied.

They managed to get a bit more wood, but it burned quickly. After another couple of hours, they were almost out again.

Jiang He stayed in his tree, watching from afar. He couldn’t understand why the others insisted on staying together instead of saving themselves.

The wolves grew more restless as the fire dimmed. Finally, one brave wolf charged forward. Liu Jiahui swung a wet branch, but the wolf dodged skillfully and ran off.

“The wolves are about to attack,” Guo Cheng warned. The wet sticks couldn’t burn, so they used them as weapons.

“We have to keep the fire going. Otherwise, it won’t scare them off anymore,” Xiong Zizhao said anxiously.

“There are lots of fallen leaves. We can add those. Also, wet branches might dry out over the fire and become usable,” he suggested.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get those leaves!” Guo Cheng barked.

“Wait! We move together. These wolves are watching us closely,” Liu Jiahui reminded.

Everyone grabbed sticks and went to gather leaves. Soon, the fire burned bright again.

Another two hours passed. The wolves hadn’t left, but most nearby leaves were already burned up.

Guo Cheng slumped to the ground, exhausted. “We’re done… I didn’t think I’d die like this, eaten by wolves.”

Liu Jiahui smiled bitterly. “At least I’m dying with brothers like you.”

“Mr. Xiong, I was rude to you earlier. I’m sorry. You’re a real man—not like someone else,” Guo Cheng said.

“Maybe he had his reasons. Let’s not judge,” Xiong replied, not wanting to talk about Jiang He.

“I respect you, man,” Guo Cheng said. “Hope you don’t mind someone like me.”

“Not at all. I like straightforward people,” Xiong smiled.

“Brothers, looks like it’s time for a final battle,” Liu Jiahui said, watching the fire fade and the wolves inch closer.

Jiang He muttered from his perch, “Idiots. After all this, you still don’t climb trees.”

Old Xiao wept. “Brothers, I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I’ll go first—maybe if I satisfy them, they won’t go after the rest of you.”

“Fatso, you’re still joking at a time like this?” Guo Cheng laughed.

Liu Jiahui looked at the sky. “If we could just hold on another hour or two, maybe it’d be daylight and they’d leave…”

“Let’s go! Take at least one of them down with us!” Guo Cheng raised a charred stick and charged toward the wolves.

“Yeah! Let’s go together!” Old Xiao followed.

Everyone picked up whatever they could as a weapon and walked forward with unwavering determination.

As they neared the wolves, a tragic battle seemed inevitable.

Then—

A howl!

The wolves suddenly stopped and howled mournfully—then scattered like a receding tide, disappearing into the night.

“Hahaha! They’re afraid of us! I guess I am that impressive!” Guo Cheng sat down heavily—his legs had gone weak.

“That’s strange. They looked terrified… like they saw something worse than us,” Xiong said.

“Yeah, their nemesis—me!” Guo Cheng laughed. “Next time you see a wolf, just tell ’em my name.”

“Come on, don’t joke. This really is weird. Why would they run after all that waiting?” Liu Jiahui scanned the area.

“Maybe something scarier showed up?” Xiong guessed.

Just then, footsteps approached. “Hey! Are you all okay?” someone called.

It was the team sent by Zhang Jiaohua.

“We’re fine. Are you guys cultivators too?” Guo Cheng asked.

“Probably not. We were sent by Deputy County Head Zhang to rescue you. We saw the wolves surrounding someone and came to check.”

“You guys really saved us! What did you do to scare the wolves off?” Guo Cheng asked.

“We have our methods,” the man smiled.

“Thank you so much!” Old Xiao said gratefully, still guilt-ridden for putting everyone in danger.

“You should leave the mountain now. Clearly there are dangerous beasts here. Deputy County Head Zhang was very worried about you all… Wait, aren’t you missing someone?”

“Nope, that guy’s still up there in the tree. Coward wouldn’t come down,” Guo Cheng said, glaring at Jiang He.

Jiang He wanted to come down—he was just too numb and weak from sitting so long. What had seemed like a smart move now left him filled with regret.

With the cultivators’ help, Jiang He finally got down and sat on the ground, drained.

Guo Cheng kept sneering at him, but Jiang He, guilty and embarrassed, didn’t argue back.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiaohua and Wei Chenguang followed behind.

“Master, aren’t you worried those hikers might have gotten into trouble?” Wei asked.

“Of course I’m worried. But worrying doesn’t help. I’m sure Leopard and the others found them already,” Zhang said calmly.

“I just hope they didn’t mess up our plans,” Wei said.

“No chance. We’re not building the Spirit Gathering Array just yet. Even if they come back later, once it’s activated, this whole area’s landscape will change. They won’t even find Jujian Peak again,” Zhang said with confidence.

Just as he spoke, Leopard came running up.

Zhang smiled. “Told you they’d be fine. Leopard’s back with news.”

Wei finally relaxed. “Good. These young folks… always chasing thrills. Thank goodness everything turned out okay.”

Now, Zhang Jiaohua and Wei Chenguang could focus fully on heading to Jujian Peak.