Chapter 5: Silver Fang Wolves

The pine forest was silent under the moon's pale glow.

Jian Tian knelt beside the dying embers of their small campfire, carefully feeding dry twigs to keep the flame alive. Ren Moxi sat nearby upon his stone seat, eyes closed in silent cultivation. His long black hair cascaded around him like a dark waterfall, and the moonlight illuminated the sharp, cold angles of his face.

For a time, the only sounds were the sighing winds through pine needles and the crackling of burning wood. Then Jian Tian spoke hesitantly,

"Master… may I prepare dinner?"

Ren Moxi opened one eye slightly, regarding his disciple with indifferent calm.

"We have no food."

Jian Tian smiled awkwardly before bowing low.

"That Flood Dragon… the one you killed to save me, Master. When I checked its corpse after you left the riverbank, I harvested some of its flesh and stored it within my spatial pouch."

He rummaged through his tattered robe, retrieving a small black pouch with trembling fingers. Infusing it with a wisp of qi, he withdrew a large slab of scaled dragon meat, its dark-red flesh glistening with spiritual oils under the moonlight.

Ren Moxi's gaze flickered slightly, faint memories surfacing within his ancient mind. The Flood Dragon's final scream, its qi dissipating beneath his black flame claw, the sight of its severed head sinking beneath the rushing river's surface… It was a minor battle in his long existence, yet every confrontation still imprinted itself upon his eternal memory.

He closed his eyes again.

"Do as you wish," he murmured softly, leaning back against the pine trunk behind him.

Jian Tian grinned in relief. Using his crude sword to cut thin slices from the dragon meat, he fashioned makeshift skewers from pine branches. Soon, the fragrant scent of roasting meat drifted through the cold night air, mingling with the earthy perfume of moss and pine resin.

Fat dripped into the fire, causing red sparks to dance upwards into the darkness. Jian Tian swallowed his saliva as the rich aroma enveloped him. This was Flood Dragon flesh – a Tier 5 beast's meat imbued with dense spiritual energy. Even a single bite would fortify his body and enhance his qi flow. For a poor outer disciple who usually survived on steamed rice and bland porridge, this was a feast beyond imagining.

"Master… would you like to eat first?" he asked respectfully, holding out a steaming skewer with both hands.

Ren Moxi did not move. His breathing remained silent and shallow, his cold gaze fixed upon the moonlit clearing beyond their campfire.

"Eat," he said flatly.

Jian Tian hesitated only a moment before bowing his head and biting into the roasted dragon meat. A burst of powerful, rich qi surged through his mouth, filling his veins with searing heat. He gasped softly, sweat beading across his forehead as he focused his mind to absorb the sudden influx of energy.

Each bite was like swallowing pure vitality. His wounded side pulsed painfully, then began to itch slightly as the flesh started to knit together beneath his torn robes. By the third skewer, his trembling hands finally stilled, and he felt a newfound clarity in his dantian.

But just as he reached for the fourth skewer, Ren Moxi's cold voice cut through the quiet night like a blade.

"Still your heart. Do not eat further."

Jian Tian froze, quickly setting down the meat before kneeling upright.

"Yes, Master."

Ren Moxi remained still, his eyes closed. But his divine sense swept silently through the forest in all directions. Beneath the rustling pine needles, he felt faint vibrations approaching – many small steps, swift and silent. The qi signatures were low but numerous, coiling like threads of silver in the moonlit darkness.

"We are surrounded," he said softly, his tone calm as though merely commenting on the weather.

Jian Tian stiffened, his hand moving instinctively to grip his sword hilt.

"What… what are they, Master?"

In answer, a low, guttural growl echoed through the forest, followed by a chorus of answering snarls.

From the darkness between the trees emerged glowing silver eyes – dozens of them. The beasts stepped into the moonlight one by one, their sleek grey pelts bristling, fangs bared beneath snarling lips. Each was the size of a grown ox, with thick muscles rippling beneath their fur and claws that sank silently into the pine-needle strewn earth.

Jian Tian felt his heart seize in terror.

"Silver Fang Wolves…" he whispered. "Tier 2 demonic beasts… so many of them…"

Indeed, there were nearly thirty wolves encircling their campfire. While a single Silver Fang Wolf was only equivalent to a Meridian Opening or low Qi Condensation cultivator, a coordinated pack hunt had slain many Core Formation experts caught unprepared in the wilds.

Their cold silver eyes fixed upon the roasted Flood Dragon meat beside Jian Tian's knee. Strings of saliva dripped from their fangs as they snarled hungrily.

Jian Tian trembled, his sword rattling against its sheath. He glanced at his master, who still sat calmly with closed eyes, as though none of this concerned him.

"Master… what should I do…?"

Ren Moxi spoke softly, his voice drifting through the clearing like a cold breeze.

"Draw your sword."

Jian Tian obeyed, unsheathing his blade with a trembling hand. Moonlight gleamed along the crude steel edge.

"Your first lesson in true cultivation," Ren Moxi continued, his eyes remaining closed. "Calm your heart. Empty your mind. Listen to my words and move exactly as I dictate."

Jian Tian clenched his teeth, feeling sweat drip down his neck as he shifted into his basic sword stance.

The first wolf lunged forward with a guttural roar, its massive jaws snapping towards his throat.

"Step right."

Without thinking, Jian Tian obeyed instantly. His body shifted half a pace to the right, the wolf's fangs grazing past his left shoulder by a hair's breadth.

"Turn your wrist and slice upwards."

His wrist moved before fear could freeze him, and his sword sliced cleanly through the wolf's exposed underbelly. Hot blood sprayed across his face as the beast fell to the forest floor, whimpering in agony.

The pack snarled in rage, and three more wolves leapt forward.

"Drop to one knee. Thrust forward."

His knee slammed onto the pine needles, and his sword lunged forward into the throat of the leading wolf. Its dying howl rose into the cold night.

"Pivot left. Horizontal slash."

The blade swept sideways, cleaving the second wolf's foreleg clean off. It collapsed with a pained yelp.

"Roll backward."

Jian Tian threw himself back just as the third wolf's claws raked through the space where his chest had been.

His heart thundered like a war drum. His arms ached with each swing, but he felt a strange calm settle within his mind. He no longer thought – he simply moved as Master commanded.

The wolves circled warily, their silver eyes glowing with savage hunger. Blood stained the pine needles around Jian Tian, and his breathing came in ragged gasps.

Ren Moxi finally opened his eyes, his gaze cold and indifferent.

"Stand."

Jian Tian obeyed instantly, sword raised before him in trembling hands.

Ren Moxi gestured lazily with one finger, black qi flickering at the tip.

"Finish them. Slay all that remain."

Jian Tian swallowed his fear, feeling a surge of determination blaze within his chest. He charged forward, slashing, thrusting, pivoting as Master dictated each precise killing movement.

Under the moonlit pines, silver blood splattered across tree trunks and fallen branches. The howls of dying wolves echoed through the silent forest until only one sound remained – the harsh, ragged breathing of a boy who had survived death's jaws.

Finally, Jian Tian stood among the corpses, his sword dripping with blood, his robes torn and stained red. His entire body trembled from exhaustion, but his eyes burned with a fierce, awakened light.

Ren Moxi regarded him silently before speaking in a soft, cold voice.

"You learn quickly. That will keep you alive… for now."

Jian Tian fell to his knees before him, pressing his forehead into the blood-soaked earth.

"Thank you, Master… for this lesson."

Ren Moxi closed his eyes again, leaning back against the pine trunk.

"Clean the meat from these beasts. Their blood contains useful qi for your meridian tempering. At dawn, we depart."

Jian Tian bowed low, ignoring his pain as he rose to begin the grisly task. The moonlight bathed the clearing in cold silver glow, illuminating the corpses of the wolves and the calm, deathly still figure of Ren Moxi seated amidst the carnage.

And in that silent forest, beneath ancient pine trees that had witnessed countless mortal deaths, the bond between master and disciple deepened – forged in blood, sharpened by fear, and tempered by the cold teachings of a forgotten sovereign.