Chapter 12 - 12 Snow Mane, Frost Wolf Even though it was almost certain that the Snow Mane was asleep. When Xia Hong climbed down from the tree, he still tried to be as quiet as possible. Upon reaching the ground, he first moved cautiously toward the south. He stopped only when he reached a large oval stone, two or three meters in diameter. After observing the surroundings, Xia Hong dug a man-sized pit in the snow with his bare hands beside the stone. After digging it, he lay down to test the size. Once confirmed okay, he walked fifty meters away from the stone and took out a piece of black stick he'd been carrying on his back. This was certainly not an ordinary small stick. Small Torch: Each fire heap burning 10 units of wood can generate one of these, portable, with a strong attraction to the Cold Beast. He took it before heading out, unexpectedly proving useful. "Whether it works or not, it all depends on this thing!" Xia Hong glanced back at the Ice Tree, inserted the Small Torch into the ground, then took out a Fire Stone and struck it twice hard; immediately, sparks flew. The white tip of the Small Torch caught the sparks and ignited at once, raising a crimson flame over half a meter high, identical to the flame that had burned the Deceitful Monster in the cave earlier. The moment the flame rose, Xia Hong dashed swiftly toward the stone. Once next to the stone, he quickly crawled into the pit he dug earlier, then used his hands to shovel the surrounding snow onto himself, burying himself completely. When fully covered, he left only his eyes exposed above the snow, starting to observe the torch without moving. Xia Hong still trusted the system's items. After all, the scene of that Deceitful Monster being burnt, wailing in pain, still lingered in his mind. But how strong the attraction of this flame was to the Cold Beast, he was not entirely sure. Would that Snow Mane be drawn in? Xia Hong's question was soon answered. Step... step... step... In a short while, a cautious, testing footstep came from behind. The footsteps came closer, and though Xia Hong dared not look back, the probing steps already told the tale. As expected, when the Snow Mane with ice spikes on its back passed within ten meters of him, Xia Hong held his breath, not daring to even move his eyeballs. That Snow Mane's eyes had two Black Arrows stuck in them, it seemed to be in too much pain to pull them out. Unable to see, the Snow Mane moved very slowly, pausing after every few steps. But strangely, the closer it got to the torch, the more excited it seemed, even quickening its pace. When it finally reached the torch, the Snow Mane suddenly stopped. It brought its face close to the tip of the torch, and though it clearly made contact with the flames, there was no sign of being burned. Instead, as its body was bathed in the firelight, its breathing became steadier. It even seemed a bit... somewhat... Enjoying it? In the snow, Xia Hong's eyes were filled with confusion and perplexity. The Snow Mane had an expression of enjoyment on its face. But as he continued his close observation of the Snow Mane's body. Xia Hong's expression shifted from perplexity to gravity. The group back at the Da Shi Camp had done more than just blind the Snow Mane; its body was riddled with arrows and sword wounds. Even from fifty meters away, Xia Hong could clearly see that the Snow Mane's bleeding wounds were not only staunched by the firelight but were also healing rapidly before his eyes. Xia Hong even had an illusion. The Snow Mane's presence seemed to grow stronger with the firelight's shine. Could this torch heal the Cold Beast? Could it even help it train and grow stronger? For a moment, Xia Hong felt as if a thousand horses were galloping through his heart. Originally, he intended to use the torch to attract the Snow Mane, keeping it moving. The Snow Mane was already injured and as long as it didn't get proper rest in the tree, it would bleed itself to exhaustion and death in no time. By then, he could easily pick up the spoils. Unexpectedly, he had now provided it warmth. He could not pick up anything now, instead helping it heal, putting himself in danger. Given the circumstances, Xia Hong no longer thought of scavenging; he only hoped the torch would quickly extinguish, that the Snow Mane would leave, allowing him to walk away. But at this moment, again something unexpected happened. Roar...... A hoarse, deep beast roar suddenly sounded from behind. The enjoying Snow Mane immediately turned, its expression becoming incredibly wary. Boom... A Cold Beast shaped like a wolf leapt down from a tree, landing less than ten meters from the Snow Mane. The Cold Beast had a blue mane, a body about two meters long, a collar of reverse thorns around its neck, and a mouth full of dense fangs, its bloodthirsty eyes fixated first on the torch, then issued a low growl at the Snow Mane in front of it. "It's a Bone Spur Frost Wolf!" Xia Hong instantly recognized the Cold Beast species. The two most common Cold Beast types around the outskirts of Redwood Ridge, Snow Mane and Frost Wolf. Both had appeared. Xia Hong felt a bit heavy-hearted; encountering two kinds at once on his first expedition, he didn't think it was simply good luck. Clearly, as Redwood Ridge expanded, the activity range of Cold Beasts also continued to widen. The Great Xia Camp was only about five kilometers from here. If these Cold Beasts moved a bit further out, they might wander into the camp at any time. If these Cold Beasts stumbled upon it, it would be nothing short of a disaster for the camp now. Boom...... A loud noise pulled Xia Hong's thoughts back. Over there, the Snow Mane and Frost Wolf were already entangled in a fight. Evidently, the Snow Mane, even with both eyes blind, was unwilling to give up the torch. And the Frost Wolf was determined to have the torch as well, so naturally, they clashed. The Snow Mane's size was larger than the Frost Wolf's. And just as Xia Hong observed, after spending a little while by the torch, the Snow Mane's injuries had nearly healed, and as it clashed with the Frost Wolf, it didn't fall behind. But once more, Xia Hong gained a new understanding of Cold Beasts' intelligence. After two collisions, the Frost Wolf immediately changed its fighting strategy. It relied on its nimble body to continually dodge left and right from the Snow Mane's charges. Sometimes it even lay down, drilling under the Snow Mane's belly. And with each successful dodge, it used its claws and the ring of spikes around its neck to leave several deep wounds on the Snow Mane's abdomen. The Snow Mane, having been healed by the torch, quickly became covered in scars again, with its abdominal wounds continuously oozing out dark green blood, turning the surrounding ground green within moments. This wasn't the end. After a while, the Frost Wolf suddenly stopped its paw assault. Not only did it stop, but it began moving in circles around slowly on the ground, paws retracted, using only its pads to walk on the snow. The Frost Wolf actually realized the Snow Mane was blind. The eyes Xia Hong exposed in the snow were filled with astonishment. If the Snow Mane previously played dead to lure enemies because of a survival instinct that triggered an intelligence beyond its usual capabilities. Then now, the Frost Wolf's actions fully demonstrated that: Creatures like Cold Beasts truly possess intelligence, and it is definitely not low. This completely overturned Xia Hong's previous understanding of beasts. Finally, after several laps, the Frost Wolf seized a perfect opportunity, and with a sudden burst of force from its paws, launched a fierce pounce from behind, pinning the Snow Mane beneath it and biting into its neck. The Snow Mane writhed and struggled on the ground, once again bringing forth the tongue that had previously wreaked havoc on Da Shi Camp. But unfortunately, the Frost Wolf was too fast; even with its jaws locked on the Snow Mane's neck, it managed to dodge the Snow Mane's sharp tongue. After missing over ten wild stabs, the Snow Mane switched tactics, softening its tongue to entangle the Frost Wolf, attempting to strangle it. However, the Frost Wolf had a collar of spikes around its neck; those spikes were just as sharp as the Snow Mane's tongue, impossible to entangle. The two Cold Beasts continued their ground tussle for more than a hundred breaths. The battle ultimately ended with the Snow Mane bleeding to its death from exhaustion. The Frost Wolf rose, spat out two mouths of dark green blood, the ferocity on its face gradually faded, replaced by a certain smugness as it gazed at the still-burning torch. It walked over to the torch, placed its head directly on the fire, showing the same look of enjoyment as the Snow Mane just now. But soon, it scanned the surroundings, its expression becoming wary; it glanced at the Snow Mane corpse on the ground, then again at the torch. With almost no hesitation, the Frost Wolf picked up the torch with a sideways tilt of its head, sprinted into the snowy depths of the forest. With the Snow Mane defeated and the Frost Wolf retreating, the surroundings of the snow suddenly fell into silence. Only a pair of eyes beside the large stone were at this moment full of astonishment and joy.