Chapter 15: Repaying a Debt of Gratitude

A wild boar.
A badger!
Enough to cover his annual food expenses.
Next, he needed to divide his attention and take care of other matters.
Repair the house.
Then deal with Zhou Tong.
If he truly wanted to eliminate Zhou Tong, it had to be done without anyone noticing—vanishing without a trace.
Moreover, it couldn’t be linked back to him.
From his conversation with Sun Zhi, Lu Chuan sensed that Zhou Zheng was a very clever man.
If Zhou Tong ran into trouble, Zhou Zheng might suspect him.
In this era, evidence was unnecessary; mere suspicion was enough!
Suspicion alone could drive Zhou Zheng to take many actions,
and drag a person into an endless abyss.
Therefore, killing Zhou Tong was a last resort, and even then, if it came to that, Zhou Zheng would have to be dealt with simultaneously.
After the pig’s blood congealed,
Lu Chuan scraped off all the fat from the pork,
then began rendering lard!
These days, getting any decent fat was truly difficult.
Besides, in Bingzhou, once winter arrived, aside from staple grains, all that was left were radishes and cabbages. Finding other vegetables was truly hard.
Naturally, there wasn’t much fat to spare.
While rendering the lard,
Lu Chuan carefully obtained a wooden basin,
thoroughly cleaned inside and out.
It was originally used for washing his face, but since the house was bare, he decided to repurpose it.
It seemed there was still much to add to the household!
“Mindless, Unhappy! Come here…”
At that moment, two blue wolf pups came running over with quick, light steps.
Lu Chuan tossed two deboned bones at their feet.
...
Late at night.
Lu Chuan, Bai Siyu, and Su Ruan had just finished dinner and were about to sit and chat,
when a sharp, resonant wolf howl echoed outside. It was clear and haunting, sending chills down one’s spine.
But it sounded somewhat distant!

“Wolves coming down the mountain?”
Su Ruan instantly became alert.
It was known that wolves rarely ventured out alone, unless they were old wolves driven out of their pack, and such wolves rarely dared to descend the mountain, let alone provoke humans.
If you heard wolves howling at your doorstep,
the likely explanation was a wolf pack hunting.
Lu Chuan’s brow furrowed deeply.
He looked to Su Ruan and then quietly picked up his bow.
“Don’t move, I’ll go check it out…”
Speaking cautiously, he opened the door gently.
There, neatly arranged at the doorstep, were three wild chickens, already killed by bites.
Lu Chuan froze, surprised, then stepped outside.
Looking into the distance,
even in the dead of night, he could clearly see flickering candlelight and stars at the foot of the mountain.
On a protruding rock facing the cold wind stood a majestic wolf, though it appeared somewhat weak, with a wooden stick tied to its leg!
Around it gathered several robust-looking wolves.
Seeing this scene,
Lu Chuan was surprised.
This blue wolf seemed to be plotting something.
Damn!
This blue wolf was rather intelligent, wasn’t it?
Why hadn’t it acted before? Perhaps because it was worried about its pups? Or its own frail condition?
Now, it seemed to have no more reservations.
Lu Chuan pondered silently.
The wolf noticed the door opening, then turned and darted into the woods with remarkable grace.
The other wolves vanished instantly!
“How is it, master?”
At that moment, Su Ruan stepped out worriedly and asked.
Lu Chuan smiled and glanced at the three bitten wild chickens on the ground. “Looks like Mindless and Unhappy’s father knows gratitude after all—he actually brought us three wild chickens!”
“We can eat meat often these days!”
Lu Chuan said.
“Mhmm!”
Su Ruan nodded, glanced curiously at the chickens, and asked, “People say wolves repay kindness. Seems it’s true!”
Lu Chuan smiled helplessly.
“Maybe it’s afraid I’d starve its pups!”
He said, picking up the three wild chickens.

He grabbed Mindless casually, holding the pup on his lap and stroking it repeatedly.
Mindless seemed somewhat troubled and tried to resist, but lacked the strength and finally fell asleep in Lu Chuan’s arms.
There was still plenty of time.
The three of them were not sleepy.
Su Ruan briefly explained her and Bai Siyu’s backgrounds.
They had known each other since childhood.
Bai Siyu’s father had been the former governor of Xihe Commandery in Bingzhou,
placing him among the highest ranks in the region.
Originally, Bai Siyu could have lived a life of honor alongside his father. Unfortunately, after the death of the King of Bingzhou, the crown prince supported by Bai Siyu’s family failed to succeed him.
Instead, the second prince, who had previously kept a low profile, suddenly seized power at the critical moment!
What followed was a blood-soaked purge!
Su Ruan’s family suffered a similar fate to Bai Siyu’s.
Both had sided with the crown prince.
This was normal, after all, the crown prince was the legitimate eldest son, and the second prince had shown no talent. Any discerning person would place their bets on the crown prince.
But the second prince had quietly built his own faction,
enduring for over a decade, and when everyone let down their guard, he swiftly took the throne of Bingzhou,
and quickly seized control of the army.
His ruthlessness was astonishing.
“I see now!”
Lu Chuan finally came to terms with it and felt a deep sense of melancholy.
Even for nobles and generals, sometimes your death isn’t caused by your mistakes or heinous actions, but simply by your position!
Still, the second prince was undeniably a ruthless man.
“Tonight!”
Su Ruan spoke up, “Let Xiao Bai accompany you. Since we’re already under your wing, it ought to be both in name and in fact!”
Bai Siyu’s cheeks flushed deeply upon hearing this, and he bowed his head shyly.
Lu Chuan was momentarily taken aback, looking up in surprise. After a moment of contemplation, he looked at Bai Siyu and asked, “Are you ready?”
He disliked going solo in such matters.
He couldn’t have Bai Siyu lying there motionless—that would be too uncomfortable!
True pleasure came from deep passion and involuntary emotion.
The clumsy, animalistic grunt and struggle was something Lu Chuan strongly resisted.