They continued north from Ninggu City.
At first, there were still a few scattered villages. Farther on, there were only vast stretches of forest.
The old forest was full of legends.
After staying in the last village for two days, Jiang Qiao heard some stories about Ghost Bears and Human Tigers from the old man at the village entrance.
It was said that deep within the forest lived a kind of bear covered in blue fur.
The village woodcutters and hunters had all seen it before.
The bear stood as tall as two men and had an exceptionally massive build. Yet when it moved, it made no sound at all, like a ghost.
It would quietly walk up behind you.
Then pat you on the shoulder.
If you turned around, it would swallow you whole in a single bite.
The most terrifying part was—
It neither tore nor chewed its prey.
So if someone happened to be nearby, they could clearly hear the victim crying for help from inside its belly. The sounds often lasted for days, changing from pleas for help to screams, then fading into near-death weakness.
Until the bear's stomach acid slowly dissolved and absorbed them.
So, in the old forest—
If you suddenly heard someone crying for help, or heard agonized screams nearby, never let curiosity lead you to investigate. You had to stay far away.
This was also the only way ordinary people could discover a Ghost Bear.
As for Human Tigers...
Those things were even more Wicked.
From afar, they looked no different from ordinary tigers. Their size, roars, and manner of movement were all exactly the same.
The only difference was—
When it stood upright like a human, you would see a corpse curled up against its abdomen.
According to those who had