A level four Blood Wolf gradually appeared in Lu Heng's sight. The Blood Wolf was currently carrying a rabbit in its mouth, and the rabbit appeared to be dead. The rabbit's limbs swung loosely as the Blood Wolf walked.
The Blood Wolf soon reached the fruit and dropped the rabbit in its mouth onto the ground.
"Awooo! Awooo!"
Then, the Blood Wolf raised its head and let out two roars towards the sky. The sound was not very loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silent night.
Before long, Lu Heng heard a rustling sound from nearby, and then a cute little Blood Wolf emerged from beneath a pile of dead leaves.
The little Blood Wolf's fur was blood-red, the same color as the adult Blood Wolf's fur. However, as a cub, its fur was fluffier.
The adult Blood Wolf's fur looked somewhat stiff, and this adult Blood Wolf was the one Lu Heng had seen last night.
The little Blood Wolf stumbled towards the adult Blood Wolf, occasionally letting out soft whimpers, like a child playfully pestering its parent.
The adult Blood Wolf licked the little Blood Wolf's back and then picked up the rabbit, tossing it in front of the cub.
The rabbit's neck had been bitten off by the adult Blood Wolf, and there were wounds there. The fur on the rabbit's body was matted with dried blood.
The little Blood Wolf sniffed the rabbit and then tore at its leg with its mouth. The adult Blood Wolf did not help it, merely watching the cub clumsily tear at its prey.
After watching the cub for a while, the Blood Wolf raised its eyes and looked at the fruit nearby. It sniffed the fruit and then, as if sensing something, began to sniff intently at the spot where Lu Heng had disappeared.
Lu Heng... I was only there for a moment. It can smell that?
Blood Wolf, of course. Do you think I'm like you, with a nose that's just for show?
...
The clouds that had been blocking the moonlight gradually drifted away. A beam of moonlight shone upon the red fruit. At this moment, the fruit emitted a rich fragrance, and its color turned a deep red.
Just then, the Blood Wolf's ears twitched. It suddenly turned, lowered its forelimbs towards the giant rock, and assumed an aggressive stance.
A figure flashed rapidly across the giant rock, and in a few moves, it arrived in front of the Blood Wolf. The old man glanced at the Blood Wolf and said, "I do not wish to harm you. Quickly move aside from the Sacred Spirit Fruit and do not make me miss the optimal harvesting time."
The Blood Wolf remained unmoved. It let out two low growls at the old man. At this moment, the little wolf, which had been eating rabbit meat, had disappeared and hidden back into the dead leaves.
"Hmph!" Seeing that the Blood Wolf did not retreat, the old man snorted disdainfully. He did not take this level four magical beast seriously. If he had not seen the little wolf just now, he would have directly annihilated the Blood Wolf with a single strike, instead of wasting his breath here.
This Sacred Spirit Fruit was a necessary ingredient for refining his pills. It had to be harvested within a quarter of an hour of its ripening to preserve its medicinal properties completely.
Without further ado, the old man condensed a ball of flame in his hand and struck at the Blood Wolf's head. With one blow, the Blood Wolf was hit by the old man's flame, let out a brief cry of pain, and fell to the ground.
"Hmph!"
The old man glanced at the fallen Blood Wolf, turned around, and prepared to pick the Sacred Spirit Fruit. However, when he looked again at the spot where the red fruit should have been, it was bare. Even the plant bearing the fruit had disappeared.
"Who? Who stole my Sacred Spirit Fruit?"
His only answer was silence. Even the sound of the little Blood Wolf trembling beneath the dead leaves had vanished.
"Bang!" A loud noise echoed. The old man struck the ground with his palm, sending dead leaves and debris scattering. However, apart from the corpse of the Blood Wolf and the half-eaten rabbit, the old man saw no other living creature.
...
At this moment, within Lu Heng's space, a little Blood Wolf with bright red fur was staring at Lu Heng. He had been frightened by the old man's aura and had quickly hidden in a small hole beneath the dead leaves. This was why Lu Heng had not discovered it at first.
Its size was too small, and it had been sleeping in the small hole the entire time. Its aura was already weak, and it was partially blocked by the rocks in the hole, so Lu Heng had naturally overlooked it, assuming it was the aura of some weak insect or rodent.
At this moment, Lu Heng had prepared a cup of ancient well water and placed his finger, which had been bitten by the little Blood Wolf, into it.
In his haste, fearing that the strange old man might vent his anger on the little wolf, Lu Heng had instinctively reached into the hole and grabbed the little wolf after pulling out the plant.
The little wolf, thinking it was the strange old man, had bitten him.
Thus, the little Blood Wolf had also been contracted by Lu Heng.
But what could such a small Blood Wolf do?
As if sensing Lu Heng's thoughts, a wall of earth was instantly erected between the little Blood Wolf and Lu Heng.
Lu Heng, "Earth element?"
This works too?
At this moment, the Director, who had been observing the outside world with Lu Heng in the space, walked around the earthen wall and approached the little wolf.
"Master, this little wolf says it's hungry?"
Lu Heng, "Why didn't it tell me?"
"Perhaps it's not used to it, and doesn't know it can communicate with you."
"Is there a difference?" Lu Heng stood up and walked around the earthen wall, looking at the two behind him.
Both nodded simultaneously.
"You have already contracted with me. I know you can sense it. In the future, you can communicate with me directly about anything. Of course, communicating with them is also fine."
The little Blood Wolf looked at Lu Heng and nodded. It then got up and rubbed against Lu Heng's leg, emitting soft whimpers, just as it had done to the adult Blood Wolf earlier.
Lu Heng found some fresh meat, soaked it in ancient well water, and fed it to the little wolf.
The little Blood Wolf first stepped forward to sniff it, then began to eat happily.
Lu Heng looked at the plant he had just uprooted. The plant's root system was quite developed. After Lu Heng had pulled it out with considerable force, only a few fine root hairs at the tip had broken off. The overall root system was relatively intact, with a lot of soil still clinging to it.
The plant did not have many branches, appearing somewhat lacking in fertilizer, and its leaves were sparse. The leaves were thick and leathery, oval in shape.
The entire plant had only grown one fruit.
The old man had said earlier that it was best to harvest the fruit as soon as it ripened. Since everything in the space was preserved, Lu Heng did not hesitate and plucked the fruit.
However, he couldn't just neglect the plant. Finding a large flowerpot, Lu Heng planted it next to the ancient well at the entrance of the apartment building in the space city. That location had twenty-four-hour sunlight and a suitable temperature.
Lu Heng also poured some ancient well water to irrigate it. The plant looked very deficient in nutrients, and with the ancient well water, it would likely recover quickly.