In the midst of the swirling snowstorm, a small, blurry figure appeared. Dressed in a thick cotton hunting robe that wrapped even her face, only two clear, round, sparkling eyes were left visible. Though short in stature, she held a hunting bow about a meter long, and by her side was a black-backed hunting dog, half as tall as a person.

“Woof~ woof.” The hunting dog bared its teeth and barked, shielding its master behind it, ready to lunge and bite. But the small figure scolded crisply, “Dahei, come back.” The voice was clear and pleasant, yet slightly childish, obviously belonging to a young girl who hadn’t yet grown up.

The well-trained hunting dog immediately obeyed, returning to its master’s side, but still watched ahead warily, letting out a low, uneasy growl.

The little girl, holding her hunting bow, moved forward with remarkable agility, barely leaving any footprints in the snow. When she saw the scene before her clearly, her round eyes widened and she exclaimed in a low voice, “Oh my, it’s the scar-headed wolf, and it’s actually dead. This, what’s this?” The little girl discovered William Reed, who was biting the alpha wolf’s throat. She hurriedly squatted down, turned him over, and checked his breathing. Relieved to find he was still alive, she quickly frowned again, hurriedly took off her somewhat worn thick cotton coat, revealing a delicate and pretty face with cheeks flushed red from the cold, and clumsily wrapped William Reed in the cotton robe.

After a moment’s thought, she realized something was wrong, so she unwrapped the robe and checked William Reed’s injuries. The gruesome wounds startled her, but fortunately, the cold and the frosty battle energy had helped stop the bleeding. She quickly took some bandages and herbs from her small pouch, took a deep breath, and carefully treated his wounds, binding them tightly.

Though the little girl was small, she showed none of the pampered or coquettish airs of the lolis from the imperial capital. Faced with blood and wounds, she showed no disgust, but instead treated the injuries seriously and solemnly, her hands skillful and practiced—it was clearly not her first time doing this.

Next, she took a short shovel from her pack and quickly cleared a space about three meters across in the snow, gathered some dry branches and leaves, and skillfully built a campfire. After carefully moving William Reed next to the fire, she began to deal with the scar-headed wolf.

This scar-headed wolf was already a bronze-level monster, having roamed the area for over a decade, huge in size, probably weighing no less than 150 jin. But though the girl looked delicate, she was very capable and not lacking in strength, dragging the alpha wolf easily to the fire.

She pulled out a sharp dagger and began to skin and butcher the beast with astonishing skill. In no time, she had peeled off the entire wolf pelt, and even dug out from its chest a snow-white, jade-like crystal core that radiated waves of cold.

“Whew. As expected, a bronze-level monster would have a crystal core inside.” The little girl wiped the crystal core clean with snow, gazed at it in fascination, and murmured, “What a beautiful crystal core.” But she didn’t covet it, instead wrapping it in the wolf pelt and placing it beside the sleeping William Reed.

Only then did she greedily cut off a piece of wolf meat and roast it over the campfire. Her travel pack was like a treasure pouch, containing even some salt, spices, and a small iron pot. She filled the pot with clean snow and set it to boil.

Soon, the roasting wolf meat began to emit a mouthwatering aroma, sizzling with fat, making anyone’s mouth water at the sight. Her obedient black-backed hunting dog sat quietly to the side, staring longingly at the meat.

She didn’t know that William Reed’s injuries were undergoing some strange changes at that moment. This time’s severe wound, nearly fatal, was the most serious injury William Reed had ever suffered. If not for the appearance of this little girl who saved him, he might have died right there in this desolate land.

The thick cotton robe and the warmth of the campfire helped him maintain his body temperature. As the frosty battle energy in his body dissipated, the wounds, fortunately treated and bandaged, didn’t bleed out. Otherwise, he would have died from blood loss. However, even with his life saved, such injuries would normally require a period of recuperation to recover.

Yet, something strange happened. The ancient jade pendant William Reed had worn on his chest since childhood began to emit a faint, gentle blue-green glow, silently seeping into his skin and spreading along his meridians toward his wounds.

That pale blue-green aura seemed to possess powerful healing abilities, continuously nourishing the wounded muscles and even stimulating the wounds to slowly heal. Though the speed was somewhat slow, it was far beyond the normal healing rate of a human.

By midnight, William Reed’s whole body was flushed red, and his forehead was burning hot. The little girl watching over him realized things were bad—nothing is more dangerous for a seriously injured person than a high fever. If he couldn’t pull through, he would surely die.

Fortunately, the little girl seemed quite skilled at healing. She quickly scooped up some snow, wrapped it in a cloth, and placed it on his forehead to help bring down the fever.