Beating the Tiger

Seeing its claws fail to tear the flesh, the Fierce Tiger let out a roar, opened its massive jaws, and lunged at Luo Yi's neck.

Dodging the tiger's incoming maw, Luo Yi swung his Dao, slashing at the tiger's back.

Watching the descending blade, the Fierce Tiger pushed off with its hind legs, leaping forward to narrowly evade the strike.

After dodging the attack, the Fierce Tiger whipped its steel-like tail toward Luo Yi's abdomen.

Seeing the tail flying through the air, he quickly raised the Dao to block in front of him.

The lashing tail slammed into the Dao's edge. The Fierce Tiger yelped in pain with a roar.

Seizing the moment as the tiger's tail was injured, Luo Yi lunged forward with a swift step, swinging the Dao at the tiger's belly.

The Fierce Tiger reacted instantly, twisting its body sideways and raking its sharp claws across Luo Yi's arm.

Feeling the claw marks gouging into his arm, Luo Yi grunted in pain.

As the tiger landed and turned, seizing the opening.

Luo Yi hurled the Dao with all his might. The released blade shot through the air like a "Silver Lightning," straight toward the Fierce Tiger's back.

Sensing the danger, the Fierce Tiger tried to dodge.

But the speeding Dao plunged directly into the tiger's belly.

In an instant, a torrent of blood gushed from the wound.

With a Dao embedded in its flank, the "Fierce Tiger" let out a thunderous roar. Knowing it was no match for this man, it turned and fled into the depths of the forest.

Watching the fleeing tiger, "A bird in the hand—no way I'm letting it fly off now."

He took down the Three-Stone Hunting Bow from his back and nocked an arrow.

Following the trail of trampled grass and scattered, steaming blood left by the tiger as it crashed into the woods.

Luo Yi tracked the signs, chasing deeper into the forest where the tiger had escaped.

He kept an eye out for any large beasts that might ambush him while following the blood trail.

After about fifteen minutes, Luo Yi tracked the tiger to a very hidden cave entrance.

The blood trail ended right at the cave mouth.

He carefully studied the cave—about three meters in diameter, wide enough for several people to enter side by side.

The cave was pitch black, revealing nothing inside.

Unsure of the cave's conditions and wary of danger, Luo Yi didn't dare rush in.

He scouted the area around the cave and found a dead, withered tree.

Breaking the trunk into several pieces, he fashioned a few simple torches.

Lighting one branch with dry grass, he stuffed the extra branches into his pack.

Entering the cave, Luo Yi used the faint light from the burning branch to examine his surroundings.

Fresh blood was splattered everywhere inside—likely from the wounded tiger.

Recalling the "Animal World" documentaries from his past life, tigers were usually solitary, only showing group behavior under special circumstances.

Still, exceptions existed, so caution was key.

With one hand holding the torch and the other gripping his bow, Luo Yi prepared himself and slowly advanced into the cave's depths.

After a few minutes, a foul stench of rotting corpses wafted from deep within the cave. The smell hit him so hard he nearly threw up his breakfast.

He paused for a long time to recover, then made a simple mask from his clothes and pressed on.

The deeper he went, the worse the odor became. Gritting his teeth, he reached the source of the decay.

The ground was stained crimson with blood. Scattered everywhere were human and animal bones, broken and incomplete. Masses of white maggots writhed over the tiger's half-eaten, rotting leftovers.

The severely wounded Fierce Tiger lay on a large rock in a corner of the cave.

Thick, unknown mucus dripped from its mouth. The wound from the Dao in its belly, aggravated by its frantic escape, oozed steaming blood, dyeing the entire rock beneath it bright red.

Seeing the tiger gasping its last on the rock, Luo Yi worried the beast might lash out in its death throes. "If I screw this up, I'd be a total fool."

He stuck the torch into a crevice between rocks on the cave wall, drew his bow, and aimed at the tiger's eye.

Swish. The arrow pierced through the tiger's eye into its skull. The Fierce Tiger, clinging to its last breath, finally died.

Cautiously approaching the corpse, he confirmed the tiger was truly dead.

He pulled out the Dao, wiped it clean, and hung it back at his waist. A strange pride swelled in Luo Yi's chest at having hunted a Fierce Tiger. "Does that make me the modern-day Wu Song?"

The stench wafting from the cave made him want to leave immediately.

Looking at the tiger's carcass—at least six hundred pounds—figuring out how to haul it back became the next problem.

He tried hoisting it onto his back, but barely made it out of the cave before he was gasping for air.

This plan wouldn't work—too exhausting, and too dangerous if another large beast attacked.

He dropped the carcass and scanned the surrounding trees. Using his Dao, he cut down branches and vines of similar size, weaving them into a makeshift sled.

Loading the Fierce Tiger onto the sled, Luo Yi pulled it from the front, heading out of Yunling Mountain.

Leaving Yunling Mountain, Luo Yi dragged the Fierce Tiger's corpse toward Dongsheng Town.

Since it was still early, people were coming and going through the town gate.

The sight of Luo Yi dragging the Fierce Tiger's corpse immediately drew everyone's attention.

Passersby stared at the tiger's body on the flat ground, gradually gathering around Luo Yi and murmuring among themselves.

"Who is this guy? So strong, he actually managed to take down a tiger this big. Anyone know him?"

Hearing someone ask about his identity, everyone pricked up their ears.

Someone who recognized Luo Yi whispered, "Isn't that Luo Yi, Luo the Elder's son?"

"Isn't he the one who's been the talk of the town lately—dad went missing, and he ran into the mountains and encountered an Evil Spirit?"

"That's him! That's him!"

"He looked sickly just a few days ago, how'd he suddenly get so fierce?"

"This tiger, just from its size, has to be at least two or three hundred jin, right?"

"A tiger this big is way more than three hundred jin—at least five or six hundred, easy."

"Does anyone know if this young man is married, and where he lives?"

"My niece is about his age, and she's very pretty. I think they'd be a perfect match. For the bride price, we could just let him offer 'half a tiger' as a token."

"Half a tiger? Why not just tell him to deliver the whole tiger to your door?"

"A tough guy who can kill a tiger, and you're daring to scheme against him? Wonder how many punches from this young man you could take?"

Hearing that remark, the greedy glint in some eyes in the crowd instantly sobered up.

They turned to awe and envy.

As more middle-aged women gathered, the topic drifted further off course.

Many, with the idea of playing matchmaker for Luo Yi, started digging for his specific details.