Savage Wolf, Lotus Heart [Never Let You Go, Again: Book 4]

28: Let Me Help You

They arrived after two minutes at a vast clearing. Lan Wangji was strumming Wangji in a hurried frenzy, Wen Ning swinging his chains at the thicket to grab the figure that was dashing through the circle of trees.

"Where's Qiang-Er?" Wei Wuxian ran in.

"A-Ying, there," Lan Zhan pointed.

"Mama, you go to A-Zhan," Wei Ying let go of her hand and whistled. "JIN LING! Where are you?"

"Woof!" The black Sawtooth Blood Wolf appeared again, right beside him, head pointing towards the ring of trees around the clearing. He raised his head to the moon and bayed loud and clear, echo of a howl chiming and shaking the woods. "Ouwoooooo!"

The creature screeched to a standstill at the howl, all rustling of leaves stopped, and it halted in shock at the sound.

"Ha, it's scared of wolves!" Wei Wuxian sighed. "You're also scared of me, I hear! Show your face, COWARD!" Wei Ying reached out and rubbed behind Jin Ling's ears, his fear of dogs having somehow evaporated into the air. The wolf pointed with its snout to a spot in the thicket. Wei Wuxian looked at the place and saw the blonde tuft of the tail again. He held up his sword to signal to the other three to be silent.

"Mmm! Mhmhmhmmh!"

Muffled screams and kicking feet were faintly audible from the spot Jin Ling showed. Growing low, he trotted to the place, and when he was at the edge of the clearing, he pounced.

Shrieking, the creature rolled out of the thicket, away from him, into the clearing. The thing was chased by the wolf right into the centre, surrounded by the three Immortals and fierce corpse.

"Oooh, hello, hello, didn't expect to meet all you amazing people here," the creature grinned widely, tip of the mouth tilting up in a sneer, eyes twinkling, eyelashes long and batting at them all.

"Hm..." Wei Wuxian crossed his arms. "Coquettish, slender, long green-yellow hair, green tail golden at the end, flashing green eyes... is that a charm you're trying to use, Young Mistress Nine-Tailed Fox?" Wei Wuxian laughed.

"Oh man, you found out!" She whined with a plea of laughter and let all remaining eight tails sprout out behind her. "Eek, get this thing out of here!" She shrieked, pointing to the wolf.

"Little Rulan is my son, for your information," Wei Wuxian leered back. "And you better let go of my sister-in-law first, or this'll be the last time you see moonlight."

Hand clasped over Lan Qiang's mouth, holding her pressingly close to her own body, the Nine-Tailed Fox woman grinned. She had her other hand wrapped around Lan Qiang's waist, gripping her so strongly that Lan Qiang didn't even feel the strength to flail her legs and arms. The pain cutting into her ribs under the fox woman's grip was just too much to endure...

"Let her go," Lan Wangji and Wen Ning growled at the same time.

"Grr," Jin Ling paced closer.

"I'm here to negotiate with Xingguang Xian. You," the fox pointed to the wolf, momentarily letting go of the cover on her victim's mouth. "Stay away from me if you don't want your aunt killed," she leered again, showing off her sharp fanged canine teeth.

Jin Ling immediately took two steps back.

"Oh you've got fangs too, like Rulan's sawtooth fangs," Wei Wuxian nodded. "So? What is it that this elegant and deadly young lady wishes to speak with me?"

"Thank you for the compliments," she winked.

Wei Wuxian's silver eyes abruptly took on a brilliant red, making her purse her lips and look away.