Chapter 32: Fighting the Tiger

Two days later, the convoy arrived at the trading location. The journey had been relatively safe, interrupted only by two encounters with small groups of mountain bandits blocking the path.

However, upon seeing the flags of the Tiger-伏 (Fuhu) Gang, none dared to act recklessly and they were allowed to pass obediently.

In this territory, the reputation of the Tiger-伏 Gang was quite useful.

The trading partner this time was a large stronghold that did business regularly with the Tiger-伏 Gang; they followed the rules, exchanging money for goods hand-to-hand.

Due to a lack of large wagons and livestock, they even paid a premium to purchase twenty large wagons and mules to transport weapons and ironware back to the stronghold.

The large strongholds within the Chiman Mountains contained not only bandits but also the elderly, women, and children. With a large population, they had even reclaimed farmland, necessitating a vast amount of agricultural tools, ironware, mules, horses, and oxen.

Once the transaction was complete, the convoy became even more vigilant. Wei Wuding personally conducted inspections, and the guard unit did not dare to slacken in the slightest.

The stronghold trading with the Tiger-伏 Gang this time did not have many banknotes; the transaction was primarily conducted in silver and copper coins, filling three large wagons, making them a prime target for bandits.

As the captain of the guard, Chen Yuan patrolled day and night without pause. Yu Zhenchuan was even more nervous than him, his nerves stretched thin; whenever he barked orders at the guards, it was Chen Yuan who had to soothe them.

This had been the pattern for the past year: Yu Zhenchuan played the "bad cop" while Chen Yuan played the "good cop," effectively winning the hearts of the men.

At noon on the third day, the convoy stopped in a valley to cook and eat.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yu Zhenchuan caught another man and scolded him while eating

"I told you to scout the forest, yet you dare to be lazy! If bandits were lying in ambush and suddenly rushed out, we would all lose our lives..."

Chen Yuan sat squatting nearby, holding two white flour cakes. He broke them apart, soaked them in a bowl of freshly boiled meat broth, and used two peeled tree branches as chopsticks to feast heartily.

Suddenly, a violent gust of wind swept through, sending sand and stones flying, swaying trees, and flattening vegetation.

*Clatter!*

Someone failed to hold their ceramic bowl steady; it was blown to the ground, shattering into pieces, and the meat broth spilled everywhere.

"Ow, my food!"

He complained loudly, but his voice was immediately drowned out by a tiger's roar.

"Awoooo!"

Then, a mottled, ferocious tiger leaped out from the forest, landing in front of the convoy.

The giant tiger was twenty feet long and taller than a fine steed, more than twice the size of an ordinary tiger, blocking most of the mountain path.

The tiger's eyes were as large as copper bells, shifting left and right as it scanned the crowd. It exuded a cruelty and cunning identical to that of a human. It extended a crimson tongue to lick its lips, saliva dripping down, emitting a stench of raw meat that wafted on the wind, making one feel nauseous.

Several deep scars marked its back, likely from some unknown wound; blood flowed steadily from them, staining its fur and making it look extremely hideous.

The sudden appearance of such a giant tiger threw the convoy into instant chaos. Someone screamed

"The Mountain Lord! It's Grandfather Mountain Lord!"

Seeing such a beast, Wei Wuding's expression changed drastically. He drew his longsword, abruptly sliced through an iron pot in front of him, and shouted

"Do not panic! It is just a great tiger, what is there to fear? Kill this beast, and everyone gets a pound of tiger meat to feast on!"

Only then did the crowd manage to steady themselves, drawing their blades and swords, though their eyes remained filled with terror.

Yu Zhenchuan gripped his ring-pommel saber tightly, his voice trembling

"De... demon! This must be a man-eating tiger demon! Those missing merchant caravans were all eaten by it!"

Chen Yuan slowly raised his long saber, staring intently at the giant tiger with an extremely solemn gaze.

Suddenly, the tiger's gaze stopped on Chen Yuan. A look of pleasant surprise appeared on its face, and it lunged forward.

A sudden chill rose in Chen Yuan's heart—this was the warning sign that only appeared when facing a life-or-death crisis.

*This damned beast, instead of looking for anyone else, it picks me!*

But the others did not know that the tiger's target was Chen Yuan. Five daring guards rushed forward, raising their blades to strike the tiger.

The giant tiger let out an impatient roar and lashed out with a massive paw.

Four men were sent flying, their bones broken and limbs shattered, landing on the ground in agony.

The tiger lunged again, biting the last man around the waist. With two massive chews, it tossed him back and swallowed him whole.

"Ah! Help! He—"

The man's shrill, desperate scream cut off abruptly, leaving everyone watching with hair standing on end.

Having swallowed a man, the tiger shook its head and, with a single leap, lunged toward the crowd.

Furious, Wei Wuding stepped forward to intercept, shouting

"Attack with me! Slaughter this beast!"

Another guard captain, Luo Hai, turned back to call out

"The beast is fierce! Everyone, charge together and avenge our fallen brothers!"

With that, he charged forward alongside Wei Wuding.

Seeing Wei Wuding and Luo Hai leading the charge, over twenty martial artists felt their courage rise and followed them into the fray.

However, instead of attacking, Chen Yuan took two steps back and grabbed Yu Zhenchuan by the wrist.

Yu Zhenchuan, inspired by Luo Hai's words, was about to rush forward to kill the tiger when he looked over in confusion.

Chen Yuan shook his head slowly and said

"This beast is not easy to deal with. Let's watch first."

Yu Zhenchuan was astonished. In the past, whenever they encountered bandits or wild beasts, Chen Yuan had always been the first to fight bravely. Why was he so cowardly today?

But before he could ask, a bone-chilling tiger roar erupted, shaking the very soul. Yu Zhenchuan's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed.

The twenty-odd martial artists were the first to be hit; their spirits were crushed, and they froze in place.

The giant tiger charged into the crowd, opening its bloody maw, sweeping its tail like a whip, and striking with its paws. In an instant, the twenty martial artists were all dead or wounded.

Only Wei Wuding, who was at the peak of the Inner Strength realm, managed to break free. Using his lightness skill, he retreated thirty feet, narrowly avoiding the tiger's maw.

The tiger swallowed another martial artist, licked its lips, and continued its pounce toward Chen Yuan.

Wei Wuding stepped in between the tiger and Chen Yuan, thinking the beast was lunging at him. Summoning his courage, he thrust his sword at the tiger.

The tiger did not dodge. The longsword struck its body, but it remained unharmed. Impatient, it raised a paw and swiped at Wei Wuding's shoulder.

*Crack!*

Wei Wuding's shoulder collapsed, and he was sent flying like a broken ragdoll, crashing to the ground.

The giant tiger reached Chen Yuan in a few strides, lunging with a ferocious bite.

Chen Yuan felt a bone-deep chill. He shoved Yu Zhenchuan aside, kicked off the ground, and retreated, narrowly avoiding the tiger's jaws.

Despite its massive size, the tiger possessed an agility that was highly disproportionate to its bulk. Even with Chen Yuan exerting his full strength in the Shadow-Leaping Step, he was nearly caught.

*Whoosh!*

The tiger's bite met empty air. It raised its paw again to strike Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan threw himself to the side. The tiger's paw slammed heavily into the ground, creating a large crater and sending shards of stone flying.

The tiger's assault was fierce, but Chen Yuan would not sit idly by. Using the "White Tiger Leaps the Ravine" technique, he slashed diagonally toward the tiger's head.

Chen Yuan put his full strength into this strike, concentrating two thousand catties of force into the blade, creating a loud whistling sound as it cut through the air.

Simultaneously, a layer of white *Gang* energy, about an inch thick, enveloped the blade, reflecting the sunlight with a blinding glare.

Lying on the ground, Wei Wuding watched Chen Yuan fight the tiger and cried out in shock

"Gang energy!"

The giant tiger leaped to the side, dodging the strike.

Chen Yuan was relentless. Using the Shadow-Leaping Step, he left an afterimage in place and continued his assault on the tiger.

However, that single leap allowed the tiger to gain distance. It turned its massive body and lashed its tail, which came whistling toward him like a steel whip.

*Clang!*

The long saber struck the tiger's tail as if hitting solid rock. The *Gang* energy, renowned for its ability to sever metal, only managed to leave a wound about the thickness of a finger.

However, the blade-qi formed by his Six-Yang True Qi was extremely pure and fierce, charring a section of the tiger's tail.

The tiger let out a cry of pain and, in a fit of rage, turned to pounce on Chen Yuan.

This strike was incredibly fast. Unable to dodge in time, Chen Yuan could only hold his long saber horizontally in front of him.

Wary of the *Gang* energy on the blade, the tiger avoided Chen Yuan's vital chest area. It extended its paw, unsheathing five sharp claws that slashed toward Chen Yuan's waist and abdomen, leaving five afterimages in the air.

Chen Yuan flipped his wrist, swinging the long saber downward to strike the tiger's claws.

*Snap!*

The long saber broke into two pieces, but the tiger's claws were momentarily deflected, causing its momentum to stall.

Chen Yuan's feet moved in rapid succession as he retreated ten feet, throwing the half-broken blade toward the tiger's eyes.

The tiger raised a paw to swat the broken blade away. Seizing the opportunity, Chen Yuan used the Shadow-Leaping Step to turn and flee.

Wei Wuding struck the ground forcefully and shouted

"Fool!"

The tiger was incredibly fast and agile; it was impossible for Chen Yuan to escape. His only chance for survival was to fight to the death.

But Chen Yuan, seemingly terrified out of his wits, ran toward the valley entrance without looking back.

A look of mockery appeared in the tiger's eyes. It lunged forward, appearing behind Chen Yuan in an instant, and opened its bloody maw to bite!

At that exact moment, Chen Yuan suddenly spun around. With a flick of his right hand, a silver thread shot out from a ring on his ring finger, wrapping around the tiger's right front leg. His hand quickly wound the thread twice more; he gripped the silver wire and yanked downward with all his might!

*Thud!*

The silver thread snapped taut. Caught off guard, the tiger's massive body crashed heavily to the ground.

Chen Yuan discarded the ring, lunged forward, and formed his fingers into a sword gesture, thrusting toward the tiger's eyes!

This move was extremely ruthless; if it landed, the tiger would be blinded and left at his mercy.

In its desperation, the tiger only managed to jerk its head to the right, dodging with its right eye, but its left eye was struck squarely.

*Puchi!*

As Chen Yuan's finger pierced in, it was like puncturing an egg; a spray of blood erupted from the tiger's eye socket.

The tiger let out a pained roar, its ferocity exploding. It violently raised a paw to strike Chen Yuan.

A warning sign rose in Chen Yuan's heart. He raised his arm to protect his vitals, but his left arm was left with five deep, bloody gashes from the tiger's claws.

He hurriedly used the Shadow-Leaping Step to retreat.

But having been blinded in one eye, the tiger had fallen into a state of pure madness. Ignoring its injuries, it let out a soul-shaking roar.

*Awoooo!*

Although Chen Yuan had undergone the Starlight Infusion, which kept his mind clear and sharp, the proximity of the roar still affected him. His spirit trembled, and his footing faltered.

By the time Chen Yuan stabilized himself, the tiger had already opened its bloody maw and was lunging at him; even the bits of flesh between its teeth were clearly visible.

With no way to avoid it, Chen Yuan could only raise his right arm to shield himself, sinking into despair.

If the tiger bit him, he would surely die.

The onlookers were struck with terror. If Chen Yuan was killed by the tiger, they would be next.

Just then, a clear, resonant shout came from the cliff above

"Vile beast, you seek death!"

*Zheng!*

Everyone looked up to see a flying sword, about a foot long, descending from the sky. It pierced the tiger's head, sinking in all the way to the hilt!