Chapter 1485: Skiing

"Third Brother, hold on tight."

At the Number Forty-Nine Mountain Third Peak high-altitude valley ski grounds, Zhang San sat in the snow tube Xia Qing had made. Xia Qing gave him a gentle push from the top of the slope, and Zhang San slid down from the top, gliding to the bottom and then, carried by inertia, shot up the opposite slope before falling back down.

The wolves all watched with wide eyes. Zhang Hongda marveled at Xia Qing's cleverness and skill. Di Ming, Wang Man, and Wu Lianmin, who had served as guards of Territory Seven, had their hearts rise and fall along with the snow tube.

During the time they protected the boss in Territory Seven, let alone such dangerous behavior, even when the boss took a stroll in the buffer forest within the territory, they were on pins and needles, terrified he might fall.

Huo Zhun?

After carrying the boss on a roller-coaster ride all the way, the boss sitting in the vehicle was in high spirits, but his vehicle was nearly wrecked. God knew how scared he was every time he jumped up and came back down, afraid the boss's bony frame would shatter and scatter all over the ground.

Seeing Zhang San having so much fun, Little Wolf Brother was itching to join in and wanted to go over and play, but Little Wolf Sister swatted him with a paw and sternly stopped him.

Xia Qing, who had been keeping her eyes fixed on her idol, didn't notice this scene. Huo Zhun, lying down, watched it with great curiosity.

After Zhang San had slid down twice to his heart's content, he stood up, brushed off the snowflakes splashed on his body, and went into the already set-up warming tent to rest, giving the people protecting him a chance to catch their breath as well.

Watching them all so tense, even Zhang San felt tired.

After the idol entered the tent, the snow tube was left empty. Xia Qing saw the little wolves could hardly contain themselves, so she discussed with Broken-Waist Wolf, "Broken-Waist, let the little wolves play for a while? This snow tube was made by me, it's very sturdy. As long as they don't tear it with their teeth or scratch it with their claws, it won't break. No matter how they crash, it'll be fine."

Broken-Waist Wolf had just let out a single howl when Little Wolf Sister, who had been sitting solemnly beside it, was the first to rush over and claim the snow tube, then turned her head to look at Xia Qing.

It was Xia Qing who had just pulled Zhang San up the snow slope and then pushed him down.

Xia Qing glanced at her idol sitting in the tent with Brother Luo, confirmed the idol didn't need her protection, and eagerly grabbed the rope on the snow tube, pulling Little Wolf Sister up to the snow slope. She instructed, "Little Wolf Sister, lie down in the tube, hook these two rope loops with your claws. Don't be afraid, it's lots of fun."

"Aow!" Little Wolf Sister hooked the rope loops and answered eagerly.

After Xia Qing confirmed Little Wolf Sister was seated properly, she gave a gentle push downward, and the snow tube slid down under gravity, going faster and faster.

Little Wolf Sister rode the snow tube up one slope, then slid down that slope and shot up the other slope, finally stopping at the bottom of the valley.

She shook her head to fling off the layer of snow dust on her fur, and for the first time flashed a brilliant smile at Xia Qing.

Zhang San picked up his phone and quickly recorded this precious shot. Turning his head, he saw the new human standing on the slope had actually taken off her protective mask, grinning with a wolfish smile.

The temperature here is minus twenty-two degrees, with a northwest wind at Force Five. She really isn't afraid of the cold!

Luo Pei recorded a video of Xia Qing laughing happily and forwarded it to Yang Jin, then poked at a few chestnuts on the small stove and chatted casually with Zhang San. "It's rare to see Xia Qing this happy. Third Brother, try these roasted chestnuts. The stove and charcoal were all carried up here by Xia Qing in advance."

To make sure Zhang San ate well and played well, Xia Qing had prepared very thoroughly.

Zhang San snorted. "It's rare for you to see it, but when she's with her sheep friends and wolf buddies, she laughs this carefree all the time."

Luo Pei responded gently, "She genuinely treats these animals as companions, which is why the animals have gradually accepted her."

"Aow~ aow~ aow~"

Seeing Little Wolf Sister having so much fun, Little Wolf Brother also wanted to play, but Little Wolf Sister refused to get out of the snow tube. Little Wolf Brother couldn't beat Little Wolf Sister, so he could only howl at Xia Qing.

Seeing that Broken-Waist Wolf had no intention of intervening, Xia Qing simply stuffed both little wolves into the snow tube together, pulled them up, and pushed them down so they could play together.

When the wolves learned to carry the snow tube back up themselves and jump in to slide down, Xia Qing stepped onto a snowboard and, with cool, crisp skill, glided to the edge of the tent and went inside to rest.

Wu Lianmin and Wang Man exchanged a look after seeing Xia Qing enter the tent. They both wanted to go play with the wolves, but they had their duties and couldn't leave their posts.

Xia Qing entered the tent, took off her protective mask, and asked, "Brother Luo, do you want to go play a few rounds?"

Luo Pei asked with interest, "Play with the wolves?"

That won't do. "If Brother Luo wants to play, I'll take the snow tube back."

Luo Pei grew even more interested. "Will the wolf pack give it to you?"

"Yes." It was something she made, so of course it belonged to her. Besides, she was the Number Four combatant of the Northern Wolf Pack. Broken-Waist Wolf and Handsome Giant Wolf hadn't gone to play, so if she wanted to play, the other wolves had to yield it to her. Not give it? Then they'd have a fight!

Luo Pei didn't actually want to play on the snow tube; he was just interested in Xia Qing's interactions with the wolf pack. Last July, when the lead wolf of the Northern Wolf Pack brought two injured wolves into Territory Three to seek Xia Qing's help, she was still very afraid of wolves, cautious at every turn. A year and a half later, she stood among that pack of wolves without any sense of awkwardness at all.

The goals Xia Qing had envisioned when she first decided to save the wolves had all been realized.

Zhang San pointed at Little Four-Eyes and asked, "That little black wolf is also a brain-domain evolver, right? What's its name?"

Xia Qing introduced, "It's the pup of Black Wolf and Broken-Leg Sister, called Little Four-Eyes. Early July this year, when the giant eagle that escaped from Guisang Base grabbed it and took it to its nest in a tree, the sharp eagle talons pierced four holes in its abdomen. Thanks to you asking Song Ge to step in and save it, otherwise the Northern Wolf Pack would have lost a powerful combatant."

……

Little Four-Eyes sounds much better than Er-Hei and San-Hei. Zhang San slowly peeled a roasted chestnut and corrected Xia Qing, "It's a male wolf, not necessarily a combatant of the Northern Wolf Pack."

When male wolves grow up, they very likely leave the pack their parents belong to, seeking unoccupied territory, or try to join other wolf packs to gain the opportunity to reproduce; female wolves, when grown, are more inclined to stay in their natal pack and pair with male wolves that newly join the pack.

Of course, if there isn't enough prey within the pack's territory, female wolves will also leave the pack to seek new territory upon growing up. Clearly, the Northern Wolf Pack, which occupies a vast mountain area, doesn't have a shortage of prey, so the likelihood of Little Wolf Sister and the three pups leaving the Northern Wolf Pack is small.

Thinking that Little Wolf Brother and Little Four-Eyes might leave the Northern Wolf Pack next year, Xia Qing felt a bit reluctant to part. Before she could open her mouth to tell Third Brother that Little Four-Eyes was a female wolf, she heard her idol speak again, "Little Duan's front leg was injured last time trying to save this little black wolf, right?"

Xia Qing answered, "Yes, Broken-Waist Wolf and Handsome Giant Wolf were both very brave that time." It was also during that incident that she established her position as the Number Four combatant of the wolf pack.

Zhang San rolled his eyes at Xia Qing. Luo Pei proudly praised his disciple, "Those two speed-evolved eagles were very cunning. Fortunately you killed them both. If you'd let them stay in the Northern Evolution Forest to hatch brood after brood of offspring, sooner or later they'd threaten the safety of our territory."