"Little brother, are you all right?" Liu Boqin looked at Ye Chen's ghastly wounds and couldn't help sighing inwardly. "He's so young, yet he's about to die here protecting that monk. What a pity."
But Liu Boqin didn't say that aloud, afraid of hurting Ye Chen's feelings. Even so, Ye Chen could see the pity in his eyes.
"Brother Liu, how is that monk?" Ye Chen asked weakly.
"You mean Master Xuanzang? He's fine. I ran into him when I was coming up the mountain. His horse got spooked, so I helped calm it down. He was the one who told me you'd been attacked by wild beasts here."
"Good, as long as he's all right." Ye Chen nodded, but then his pupils suddenly contracted. "Look out!" he shouted, enduring the pain in his body.
Liu Boqin had spent years traveling through these mountains, so his reactions were far quicker than most. As soon as he heard Ye Chen's warning, he grabbed the trident lying on the ground and turned around.
The tiger that had been lying there wasn't dead after all. It had gotten back to its feet, and seemed almost no worse for wear.
"This beast has incredible vitality. Little brother, wait here a moment. I'll finish it off, then take you home to treat your wounds." As he spoke, Liu Boqin stood up.
The tiger still hadn't given up. It had planned to attack Liu Boqin from behind, but Ye Chen had caught it in the act.
But now that it had started, there was no turning back. The tiger had been discovered, so it could only grit its teeth and continue fighting Liu Boqin head-on.
This time, though, Liu Boqin had the upper hand. The earlier thrust of his trident had badly wounded the tiger. No