Chapter 52: Daddy, sorry, my shot was a bit off

"Th... Thank you!"

Li Mumu offered a faint smile. A wooden bow and arrow lacked lethal force; unless it hit a vital spot, a starving wolf was still quite capable of putting up a fight.

To prevent any counterattacks, Li Mumu had smeared a potent poison on the tips of her arrows. As long as the arrow hit its mark, the poison would course through the bloodstream, and even the smallest amount was enough to paralyze a wolf's heart, causing instantaneous death.

The members of the Li family stared in utter disbelief. Little Li Mumu had transformed into a miniature war god, taking down one wolf with every single arrow, significantly easing the pressure on the Gu family members standing at the front lines.

Old Master Gu finally had a spare moment to speak. "Yuru, I recall your archery wasn't particularly impressive, but you certainly taught Mumu well."

"Father, Mumu is practically a master archer," Gu Mingyu said with excitement. "And this is just a wooden bow! If she were given a finely crafted one, the lethality would be even greater."

Gu Yuru smiled, though facing the several ferocious wolves before them, she did not dare relax in the slightest. Seizing a brief lull, she replied, "Father, I merely taught her the basics. I never imagined she would be this formidable."

When she taught her daughter back then, it was simply so the child wouldn't be bullied behind her back. Though such incidents were commonplace, what if one day her daughter actually fought back?

At least her efforts wouldn't have been in vain.

She had never realized her daughter possessed such pinpoint accuracy, nor had there ever been an opportunity to showcase it. Just a few days after she began teaching, old Mrs. Li had complained that setting up an archery target at home was dangerous, worrying that the silly girl might injure someone without a steady aim. Consequently, she forbade the family from ever setting up such things again.

While the Gu family chatted and laughed lightheartedly, the thinning number of wolves meant they no longer felt any pressure.

The situation over on Li Yuan's side, however, was entirely different. The alpha wolf was not stupid; realizing how difficult it was to attack the members of the Gu family, it shifted its strategy and ordered its subordinates to target Li Yuan instead.

While the number of wolves in front of everyone else was decreasing, the number facing Li Yuan had increased from three to five. Since his previous injuries had not fully healed, he found himself struggling to fend them off.

Li Yuan was already aware of his younger daughter's remarkable archery precision, but seeing no sign of her stepping in to rescue him, he began to panic.

Finally, watching as an aggressive wolf was about to pin him to the ground, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Mumu, come help your father!"

Li Mumu did not ignore him; she responded with a smile, "Coming!"

Yet the arrow she loosed flew right past Li Yuan's ear, missing the wolf entirely.

Li Mumu said with a look of surprise, "Oh dear, Father, don't rush. Mumu is coming to save you right now."

Her second arrow sailed right beneath his crotch. For a split second, Li Yuan's heart stopped beating in sheer terror. Fortunately, it missed him.

Unfortunately, it missed the wolf as well.

Uncontrollable panic laced Li Yuan's voice as he yelled, "Li Mumu, where are you aiming?!"

Li Mumu feigned astonishment. "Coming, coming! Father, don't be impatient."

Her third arrow found its mark, striking Li Yuan directly in the calf, though Li Mumu had refrained from coating this one in poison.

"Aah!" Li Yuan shrieked in agony.

Stimulated by the scent of blood, the pack of wolves perceived this prey as a guaranteed conquest and launched an even fiercer assault.

"Li Mumu!" Li Yuan roared through gritted teeth.

Old Mrs. Li was nearly heartbroken with worry. "Wretched girl, where are you shooting? Do you even know how to use a bow?"

Lin Siyan was equally frantic. "Could you be doing this on purpose? Why is your aim so terrible now compared to when you were helping the Gu family?"

Without offering any explanation, Li Mumu simply handed her the bow and arrow. "Here, if I don't know how, why don't you do it?"

Old Mrs. Li glared at Lin Siyan. "Shut your mouth! This is no place for you to speak!"

With that, she plastered a smiling face back on. "Mumu, take careful aim and help your father quickly. If anything happens to him, you won't have a father anymore."

Li Mumu desperately wanted to say that not having a father sounded wonderful and she didn't need one anyway.

However, the Gu family clearly had no intention of abandoning a comrade fighting alongside them. At that moment, they chose to overlook Li Yuan's previous shameless behavior.

Old Master Gu exhaled slightly and instructed his eldest son to go and assist Li Yuan.

Gu Mingyu did not refuse. With his intervention, the pressure on Li Yuan lessened considerably.

For the sake of her eldest uncle, Li Mumu felt compelled to make a move once more.

Standing atop a hill and watching the heavy losses among its pack, the alpha wolf let out a howl toward the night sky.

Those who had just caught their breath once again braced themselves for battle.

With a grave expression, Old Master Gu warned, "Everyone, be careful. I'm afraid they're going to fight us to the death now."

Encouraged by the alpha's command, the wolves that had previously shown signs of hesitation rallied their spirits and launched another ferocious attack.

Because of his injured leg, Li Yuan was essentially unable to contribute anything useful. In truth, the Gu family scarcely needed him anyway, especially with their secret weapon, Li Mumu.

Gu Yu moved swiftly, but he had already exhausted every usable tree branch within reach.

When Li Mumu reached out her hand once more, the small, tender palm did not receive the bow and arrow from her cousin.

Gu Yu pulled a long face. "There are none left."

Li Mumu remained silent. This latest wave of attacks from the wolf pack was fueled by pure malice, unlike their initial containment of prey, and what made it even more terrifying was that the alpha wolf had now joined the fray personally.

This battle had become a fight to the finish.

As time dragged on, Li Sheng's attacks not only failed to weaken but grew even more violent, and the wounded wolves became increasingly vicious. His voice trembling, he urged, "Let's run! If we don't leave now, we're going to be eaten."

Terrified, Madam Zhao could only nod. The heavy stench of blood hung thick in the air, trapped in the ravine with no way to dissipate, heightening the oppressive tension.

Exchanging a glance, the couple grabbed their daughter Li Fengzhu and bolted without waiting for anyone else's response.

What they failed to realize was that while a large crowd deterred the wolves from attacking indiscriminately, breaking away alone simply handed the beasts an easy opportunity.

"Don't run!" a yamen runner shouted at the top of his lungs.

Yet, paralyzed by fear, Li Sheng ran even faster, completely abandoning his wife and daughter.

Before he could get far, however, a wolf suddenly lunged from the shadows and pinned him to the ground. In an instant, the valley echoed with Li Sheng's harrowing screams.

"Darling! Help me, save me!" Madam Zhao shrieked in absolute despair as she watched the vicious wolf tear through his neck, sending spurts of blood flying several feet into the air.

It all happened far too quickly. Li Mumu's attention had been entirely focused on the main battlefield, and by the time she heard the cries and turned to look, all she saw was the gushing fountain of blood.

Li Sheng's legs twitched twice before going completely still.

Old Mrs. Li rolled her eyes back in sheer terror and fainted on the spot.

Fortunately, because Madam Zhao and Li Fengzhu had lagged behind Li Sheng while fleeing, they had been a few steps slower. Seizing the moment while the wolves continued to maul Li Sheng's corpse, they scrambled back toward the group.

With Liuzi and the others brandishing torches, the solitary wolves dared not charge blindly, yet the eerie, glowing green eyes terrified the members of the Li family into a chorus of wails and sobs.

"Old Master Gu, what do we do?" Zhang Xiang asked loudly, cowering in the back. "Why do these wolves seem to multiply the more we kill them? Are we all going to die here?"