Slaying the Fierce Tiger

"Uncle Kui, how are you?!"

Meng Qingshan could not help crying out.

Blood foamed from Gao Zhankui's mouth as he spoke with difficulty. "Qingshan, I'm fine. This beast is incredibly formidable, so be careful!"

Before Uncle Kui had even finished speaking, the White-Forehead Tiger suddenly charged toward a thick nearby tree.

Meng Qingshan instantly understood. The beast intended to shake him off by hurting itself slightly to deal a heavy blow to its enemy, so he swiftly leaped from its back.

With a deafening bang, the tiger slammed into the tree, sending pine needles raining down.

Witnessing this, Meng Qingshan secretly rejoiced. Had he not jumped down in time, he would have been crushed against the trunk as the beast's cushion and likely lost his life.

Freed from its restraint, the tiger staggered to its feet and shook its blood-soaked head. Clearly having lost the will to fight, it turned to flee in panic.

When tigers hunted, they generally relied on three swift attacks: a leap, a pounce, and a tail sweep.

Now that all three moves had failed, the tiger had already lost half its fighting spirit.

Moreover, the two of them had joined forces to grievously wound it. No matter how badly off it was, it was still an old beast that had gained spiritual awareness in the mountains. It naturally knew it had encountered powerful foes and immediately resolved to retreat into the forest.

How could Meng Qingshan possibly let this soon-to-be-earned "cultivation points" escape so easily?

He knew full well that this White-Forehead Tiger was at the end of its strength. Now was the perfect chance to kill the beast.

"Wretched beast, where do you think you're going?!"

Meng Qingshan shouted and rushed forward, grabbing the tiger by its tail.

However, the tiger's tail was as slick as a steel whip and difficult to hold. Even gripping it tightly, he could not exert enough Strength.

With a whoosh, the tail slipped from his grasp.

Seeing the beast about to vanish into the woods, Meng Qingshan glanced back at Uncle Kui. Seeing that he was not in immediate Danger to Life, he gave chase.

"Qingshan, the forest is dangerous. Do not pursue it too deeply!" Uncle Kui called out weakly, struggling to stop him as he watched Meng Qingshan's retreating figure.

Unfortunately, Uncle Kui's voice was too weak, and Meng Qingshan did not hear him.

Following the blood trail for several miles along the mountain paths, Meng Qingshan soon discovered the once-ferocious White-Forehead Tiger in a patch of grass.

By then, it was barely alive from excessive blood loss. Only faint inhalations came from its mouth and nose; there were no exhalations.

Sensing movement, its ears twitched slightly. Then, with its only remaining tiger eye, it stared at Meng Qingshan. Yet it lacked even the strength to struggle, as though quietly awaiting the end of its fate.

Faced with this sight, Meng Qingshan did not prolong its suffering. He decisively drew his short blade and mercilessly ended the beast's life.

At once, translucent blue text appeared before his eyes:

[You successfully killed a fierce tiger of Great Green Mountain and obtained 2000 cultivation points!]

Seeing such a generous cultivation reward, Meng Qingshan was overjoyed and immediately wanted to shout to vent his excitement.

However, he restrained his excitement. After taking a moment to compose himself, he hoisted the tiger's body onto his shoulder and headed back.

Before long, Meng Qingshan found Uncle Kui at the place where they had fought the tiger earlier.

When Uncle Kui saw the full-grown tiger on Meng Qingshan's shoulder, a relieved smile appeared on his face as well.

"Qingshan, if you hadn't been with me today, I'm afraid I wouldn't have made it back after facing that tiger alone!"

After Gao Zhankui spoke with feeling, he let out two hearty laughs in succession.

In Meng Qingshan's memories, Uncle Kui rarely smiled. Unless the escort agency had successfully completed a major deal, Uncle Kui was always stern-faced and taciturn, seldom showing any cheer.

"Uncle Kui, you worry too much. If I hadn't been here today, you might not even have encountered this tiger, much less suffered these injuries!"

Meng Qingshan softly reassured him while carefully examining Uncle Kui's wounds. As expected, Uncle Kui was seriously injured. That single tail whip from the tiger had broken three of his ribs, leaving him badly hurt.

Meng Qingshan immediately circulated the Long Wind Heart Method, gathering True Qi in his palm to disperse Uncle Kui's congealed blood and ease his pain.

But he had only cultivated the Long Wind Heart Method for a short time. After no more than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, his True Qi could no longer hold out.

Gao Zhankui reminded him, "Qingshan, we are deep within Great Green Mountain. It is not safe to linger here. We should descend the mountain quickly!"

As he spoke, Uncle Kui struggled to stand. Though his steps were unsteady, he could barely walk already, demonstrating the miraculous effects of Internal Energy.

Seeing this, Meng Qingshan supported Gao Zhankui. "Uncle Kui, let me carry you down the mountain first!"

Gao Zhankui waved him off. "This little injury is nothing. You needn't worry about me!"

After hearing this, Meng Qingshan did not insist further, recalling what he knew of Uncle Kui from the original owner's memories.

Uncle Kui's injuries were no light matter. Even walking down the mountain took considerable effort, so he clearly could not carry anything heavy.

He turned back to look at the spoils from this hunt, and his feelings immediately became complicated.

With his current strength, carrying either a wild boar or a fierce tiger back to Jade Mountain City alone should not have been a problem.

But the two beasts before him together weighed no less than five hundred jin.