Chapter 179: Nina’s Favor

The battle continued, and though the number of raiders greatly outnumbered Wu Qingsong and his team, the outcome was no longer in doubt.

Wu Qingsong and the others swiftly moved closer to Liuli in case she suddenly lost her combat transformation, while Ling served as a steady point of attack, reaping the lives of their enemies with horrifying efficiency.

Overwhelmed by their supernatural abilities, the raiding brigade collapsed and began to flee. 

At this moment, the wolfman Ram had sent to mobilize the villagers finally returned with the village’s able-bodied men.

They stood no chance in a direct battle against the raiders, but chasing down fleeing enemies was well within the capabilities of these seasoned hunters.

“Have all nearby villages to join the pursuit and eliminate these raiders. Leave no survivors!” Ram ordered the young wolfmen to spread the orders, crucial to keeping the secrets of Liuli and Ling contained.

This directive momentarily distracted the youths from their grief over lost comrades, but Bernar forbade Daryl from joining further actions. Instead, he was tasked with recovering the bodies of the fallen youths and helping those who were injured.

For them, death was not always the worst fate. 

One young wolfman’s right arm had been chopped at the wrist. The torment of blood loss and impending permanent disability caused him to sob quietly. Daryl, assigned to bandage his wounds, was forced to share in his pain.

If they had succeeded in their mission as planned, rescuing the villagers from danger as they had envisioned, perhaps their pain wouldn’t be so sharp. However, the reality was that Wu Qingsong and the others, whom they had once looked down upon, had easily defeated nearly all the enemies. If not for their premature attack, Wu Qingsong’s team might have been able to launch a closer ambush and achieve even greater success.

Their efforts not only proved meaningless but could be said to have the opposite effect. It was a blow they found almost unbearable.

“Isn’t this too harsh?” Wu Qingsong quietly asked Ram after learning what had happened.

In his view, without knowledge of their own capabilities, what these youths had accomplished was already commendable for their age. Even Wu Qingsong himself, if he hadn’t received certain advantages in this world, might not have done any better.

Under such rushed conditions, they might not have done any better than these young men.

“He is the heir of the Silver Moon Wolf Clan,” Ram said, gritting her teeth. “Such challenges are inevitable. Nina also faced similar situations. She even failed far more severely at times. This is a lesson he must learn.”

Wu Qingsong shook his head.

In his previous world, Daryl and his peers would have been just middle school students, their only stress perhaps exams. Compared to these young wolfmen, they were far more fortunate.

This matter wasn’t directly related to him, so he returned to Ling and Liuli, lifting the soundly sleeping Liuli in his arms.

“This one’s gotten heavier,” he quipped.

“Wu, she’s not a child anymore,” Ling whispered softly.

Wu Qingsong paused for a moment. 

Indeed, it had been over two years since they met, and although Liuli was a child at that time, by beastman standards, she had grown up by now.

However, he had always thought of her as a child, and since she hadn’t grown much taller, he had continued to do so out of habit. He hadn’t realized this before, but Ling’s words made him aware that Liuli had indeed grown up, and the parts of her that should have developed had not been left behind. This made Wu Qingsong suddenly feel awkward holding her.

Fortunately, it was Ling standing before him.

“Haha…”

He forced a laugh, attempting to put Liuli down, but she tightened her hold around his neck in her sleep, adjusted her position, and buried her head in Wu Qingsong’s shoulder to continue sleeping soundly.

The pursuit of the raiders was handed over to the wolfmen who arrived upon receiving the news, and the group took a different path back to the previous valley.

Bernar instructed Daryl to inform each of the deceased’s families about their loss. A method Wu Qingsong found somewhat harsh, but perhaps it was their tradition. He had nothing to say about it.

The only change he noticed was that the surviving youths now regarded him with a newfound reverence. Daryl still maintained his pride, but Wu Qingsong could clearly feel a complete shift in his attitude toward them.

Indeed, this world always revered the strong, and these youths were no exception.

The houndmen also joined the pursuit, extending their stay in the area for a few days. Meanwhile, Nina had received the news in the north and hurried back.

“Duke Sentalus has raised our bounty again,” she said with a light sigh.

The bounty on Nina herself had been increased to 350,000 renals, and her frequently seen subordinates now had bounties ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 renals. Even more troubling, the Duchy of Noguti to the north had also placed bounties on them. Though the amounts were far less than what Duke Sentalus offered, they were still enough to tempt the raiders.

She had traveled north to deal with the issue of the raiding corps infiltrating, but she was alone and could not manage invasions by bounty-hunting raiding corps from both north and south.

“Once we return from receiving our titles, you could consider moving some of the elderly, women, and children to Esola,” Wu Qingsong suggested.

After he became a knight, his territory would surely expand, his authority would change, and most importantly, Esola would no longer have jurisdiction over him. In that case, allocating a secluded valley in his territory for the Silver Moon Wolf Clan to recuperate and breed shouldn’t be a problem.

Nina nodded.

Her relationship with Wu Qingsong was a bit unusual. They were allies, but their alliance went beyond the usual sense.

She shook her head and said to Wu Qingsong, “I have a favor to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“I hope you can take Daryl to the imperial capital,” Nina said. “His mood is very low right now, and I think it would be good for him to get away from here. Also, I want him to broaden his horizons, and see how vast the Elven Empire is, so he doesn’t become a frog in a well. If possible, I hope you can teach him something different.”

Wu Qingsong felt a headache coming on, but Nina must have already persuaded Ram. Faced with the gazes of two people he valued, he could only nod.

“But I can’t guarantee…”

“I’ll ask Uncle Bernar to go with you, and with Ram there, he’ll be more compliant,” Nina assured.

“Alright then,” Wu Qingsong sighed softly.