"This is a gift from the heavens. As for your wolf tribe's distress signal, I know Ye Bai, the white wolf of your tribe," Qi Zhenzhen said slowly. "It told me that if you encounter difficulties in places with wolves, you can summon nearby wolf packs for help like this."
The black wolf and the gray wolf growled and lowered their forelegs, prostrating themselves on the snow.
"Awooo, we will take you to see the Holy Wolf. When winter arrived, the Holy Wolf came from elsewhere and is still in the sacred land." Qi Zhenzhen could hear the reverence in the gray wolf's tone.
"They came with me. May they accompany us?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
"Awooo, the Holy Wolf resides in our sacred land. Not only strangers, but even our own kind, cannot enter without being summoned and permitted. Our wolf tribe has many resting places; we can settle them in one of them," the gray wolf replied.
Qi Zhenzhen took out her grappling hook, wrapped it around a tree trunk, and slid down.
The other three were still stunned, their mouths agape. They had heard everything. Qi Zhenzhen spoke, and the two wolves responded with "awooo" sounds. Then Qi Zhenzhen was about to descend the tree. Had they reached an agreement? They had heard wolves were cunning; could this be a trick?
Before the three could voice their objections, Qi Zhenzhen had already landed.
The two wolves raised their forelegs, instantly making the three tense.
Qi Zhenzhen turned and called to them, "What are you standing there for? Hurry down."
The three no longer hesitated. They gathered their energy, lightened their bodies, and floated down from the tree.
The two wolves didn't delay. With a low growl, they turned and walked back in the direction they came. As if to accommodate their pace, their speed was not very fast.
"Miss, where are we going?" Er Xi asked in a low voice. She still felt as if she were dreaming. Her young lady could talk to wolves, and that bone flute was so magical, just two blows could make her converse with wolves.
"To the wolf tribe's territory. There will be wolves to settle you. I need to meet the white wolf and ask for its help in finding someone," Qi Zhenzhen explained.
"Wolves have white ones?" Er Xi asked in surprise.
"It's said to be the Holy Wolf of the wolf tribe," Qi Zhenzhen replied.
"We know, it's an auspicious sign," the Qian family members said. "We heard that white wolves appear on the mountains near the royal hunting grounds. This place is so far from the royal hunting grounds..."
"Perhaps it's suitable for wintering here, coming to spend the winter?" Qi Zhenzhen said casually.
The two from the Qian family exchanged glances, finding the explanation strange. However, they didn't know why the white wolf was here, so they could only accept this explanation.
After walking for a full half-hour, the wolves leading the way finally stopped.
"Awooo, tell them three to follow me," the black wolf growled.
Qi Zhenzhen relayed the black wolf's words. The Qian family duo and Er Xi were somewhat resistant.
"Miss, won't this wolf trick us into a wolf den to be fed to other wolves? Wolves are so cunning!"
"No, as long as you don't do anything to anger the wolf pack, they won't harm you. Wait here with peace of mind, and I will find you later," Qi Zhenzhen said.
Seeing that the three were not moving, the black wolf growled again, "Awooo, if they don't go, they can stay here. However, besides wolves, there are other fierce beasts in this place. We've been spotted along the way; if they get hunted, I won't be responsible."
Qi Zhenzhen chuckled and relayed the black wolf's meaning. The three looked crestfallen, feeling as if the wolf was mocking them.
Qi Zhenzhen continued forward with the gray wolf. The snow became thinner and thinner, until finally, there was none at all. Not only did the temperature become warmer, but she could even see green plants. It was as warm as spring. She had only said it casually that Ye Bai was here to winter, and it seemed she had guessed correctly.