Waking up around nine, I found everyone had mostly packed, just waiting for us.
Following yesterday's plan, we made good progress today with minimal rest. We only stopped for a couple of hours at noon for lunch; otherwise, it was a constant push forward.
We didn't have many horses, only four, all loaded with equipment.
Zhao Xuezhen was struggling with the journey, so Jiang Ye suggested we spare a horse for her to ride.
I had no objection. Honestly, the woman was wheezing so much, I was afraid she'd stop breathing at any moment.
So, we took the equipment off one horse, distributed it among ourselves, and continued on.
We traveled until past seven in the evening, and when everyone was exhausted, we found a place to camp.
As soon as it got dark, I thought of that wolf with the broken leg. For some reason, a sense of dread washed over me.
It wasn't because of the legends Rexiti had told us, but rather the memory of locking eyes with the broken-legged wolf last night. Its gaze sent a shiver down my spine.
Its eyes weren't fierce, but rather seemed filled with a sense of "wisdom."
Yes, that's the word I'd use. While it might not be the most fitting description for a wolf, its eyes truly gave me that impression.
The tents we brought were simple, just needing the thin telescopic poles to be extended and attached to the corners to set them up.
These tents could block wind and rain, but they offered no protection against any attack.
If we encountered a wolf pack again, staying inside these tents would be akin to waiting for death.
After the tents were up, I was completely exhausted. Having not slept well the night before and then traveling all day, my eyelids felt heavy.
Seeing my state, Song Bing told those of us who were on watch last night to go sleep in the tents first.
After wolfing down some dry rations, Fatso and I crawled into one tent. Each of us had a sleeping bag, and after zipping it up, I fell asleep before I could even hear what Fatso said to me.
I slept incredibly soundly. When I woke up, it was already the next day.
Startled, I quickly scrambled out of my sleeping bag. As I emerged from the tent, I saw Song Bing sitting alone by the extinguished campfire.
Upon seeing me, he stood up and said, "You're awake? Come take over. I'm going to get some shut-eye."
"You didn't sleep at all?" I asked.
He nodded. "I saw you were all too tired, so I stayed on watch. Thankfully, nothing happened last night."
I immediately urged Song Bing to go sleep in the tent. Up here on the plateau, extreme fatigue could be dangerous.
After Song Bing retreated into the tent, I glanced at my watch. It was only a little past six.
The sun was slowly beginning to peek over the horizon. In about half an hour, the sun would be fully risen.
Even though I was wearing a down jacket, the cold this morning made me shiver.
I relit the extinguished campfire, grabbed two cans of food and a bottle of water from my backpack, and placed the cans on the fire to heat.
After washing my face and rinsing my mouth with water, I ate the heated cans, and only then did I feel truly refreshed.
All the canned food was imported. Besides tuna, there were also vegetable cans, a variety of items.
These were all prepared by Li Chuang in advance. They tasted good and were filling.
As soon as I finished breakfast, Fatso and the others woke up. It seemed everyone had slept well, and each of them had regained their energy from the first day of departure.
Fatso, with his large appetite, consumed four cans for breakfast. Fortunately, we had brought plenty of supplies; at this rate, he probably wouldn't last three days.
"Brother Xiang, why do you think the wild wolves didn't attack us last night?" Fatso asked, wiping his mouth. He then pulled out a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes, lit one, and offered me one.
I took it, lit it, and took a puff. "Who knows? Maybe they thought we were too much trouble and decided not to come."
Fatso scoffed, "You can't be sure. I heard several wolf howls when I went out to relieve myself in the middle of the night! I think those wolves are following us, just as Rexiti said. They're waiting for the right moment to strike."
I glanced at him. "Are you possessed by a wolf king? How would you know that?"
Fatso replied, "I thought about it a lot last night. The more I thought, the more I felt Rexiti's words had some truth to them. Brother Xiang, think about it. That black wolf king is no pushover. We killed so many of its subordinates, and it's just going to let us go? If it lets us go so easily, how will its other subordinates view it? Its authority would be undermined."
"Authority? Do you really think of that wolf as human?" I asked.
"I didn't think that way at first. But when I remembered the giant lizards we encountered at the Kwantung Army Fortress, I realized that all living beings have spirits. Wolves might not be less cunning than people."
Hearing Fatso mention those giant lizards, I couldn't help but feel his reasoning was plausible.
That black wolf king had lived for so many years; it must have its unique characteristics.
As the saying goes, the older one gets, the wiser. It's quite possible that the black wolf king was indeed plotting something.
However, we would reach Alai Valley tomorrow. According to Rexiti, once we reached that area, the wolf packs would essentially disappear.
This was because it was beyond their usual range of activity.
At worst, we could travel through the night and possibly reach Alai Valley by midnight, which would be much safer.
Around ten in the morning, we packed up and set off.
Since the wolf pack hadn't appeared last night, everyone had relaxed considerably. However, Zhao Xuezhen's condition was dire.
Her altitude sickness was worsening. Even riding a horse, she was vomiting profusely.
With no other recourse, we had to stop and let her rest, allowing her to use oxygen.
We had brought oxygen cylinders, and she had used most of them on this journey.
When we first arrived, I also experienced mild altitude sickness, but I quickly adapted. Now, besides being a little breathless after a lot of walking, the dizziness was gone.
Because of Zhao Xuezhen's condition, we hadn't covered much ground after a full day's travel.
Rexiti was growing increasingly anxious. He said that at this pace, it would take another day to reach Alai Valley.
I could tell that everyone was starting to resent Zhao Xuezhen to some extent.
After all, she was slowing everyone down, but no one voiced it openly.
In the evening, Jiang Ye found me. He said his wife, Zhao Xuezhen, was really not doing well and needed to rest.
I had no choice. I found a mountain hollow and signaled for everyone to stop.
It was fine at first, but somehow, while setting up the tents, Jin Qiaoyue started arguing with Zhao Xuezhen.
They almost came to blows. When Li Chuang went to mediate, Jiang Ye slapped him.
Suddenly, the atmosphere became quite tense.