The Unlucky Bear (Revised)

Who am I?

Where did I come from?

Where am I going?

The big bear blinked its tiny, bean-sized eyes, as if pondering these three questions.

With that bewildered little expression, Lu Chuan actually found the terrifying beast kind of adorably foolish.

"Roar!"

But the bear immediately let out an enraged roar, fury flashing in its eyes. A human was actually trying to grapple with it?

"Not good!"

Lu Chuan dashed forward.

It was a full-grown brown bear, much larger than the ones from his previous life.

Bears were known for their strength, and this one was immensely powerful. Add in the force of its blow from above, and it must have weighed at least several thousand jin.

Wu Qiu had already been pushed to his limit just holding it back. The veins stood out on the exposed skin of his neck and elsewhere. He gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his face, as his body slowly began to sink...

Perhaps only a martial artist who had achieved minor mastery of the Martial Way could fight a beast this large?

Clang!

Lu Chuan took a step, rolled forward, and came up beside Wu Qiu. He reversed his grip on the long saber at Wu Qiu's waist and, while Wu Qiu held off the big brown bear, slashed at its belly!

Pfft!

The sharp blade cut through fur and sliced into the bear's belly. Blood spurted out.

"Roar!"

The big brown bear bellowed in pain and fury. It raised both paws high, then brought them crashing down at the two men.

"Move!"

Lu Chuan grabbed Wu Qiu's shoulder and rolled aside with him. The saber came free in his hand, spraying blood.

Boom!

The bear's paws slammed down, and the ground seemed to tremble, but they hit nothing.

The big brown bear's eyes turned bloodshot. It tried to lunge at the two men again, only to find eight long sabers leveled at it.

The eight Flying Tiger Soldiers had rushed up and now shielded the two men.

"Roar!"

The big brown bear roared furiously, its voice deafening, trying to scare the eight soldiers away. But they didn't budge, standing firm and ready.

Drip, drip...

Blood trickled from the wound in its belly.

The two sides faced off for a moment. At last, the big brown bear shot them an unwilling look, turned around, and headed for the woods, wounded.

"Beast, where do you think you're going?"

A loud shout rang out. Everyone turned to see a figure speeding toward them from the left.

With a few leaps, he covered dozens of yards. His cape fluttered in the wind as he arrived before them and kicked the big brown bear in the side.

What happened next made Lu Chuan's pupils contract. The bear, weighing well over a thousand jin, flew away like a ball beneath the man's foot.

Boom...

It smashed through more than ten trees before crashing to the ground with a boom, motionless.

The figure used the force of his kick to flip backward, landing lightly on his feet.

"General Zhou!"

The Flying Tiger Soldiers hurriedly saluted. The newcomer was Zhou Ji, clad in armor.

"Go check."

Zhou Ji ordered the soldiers, then glanced at Wu Qiu, who sat on the ground, supported by Lu Chuan. He crouched beside him and asked urgently, "How are you?"

"I... I'm fine!"

Wu Qiu smiled weakly. "Thanks to this young brother, I managed to keep my life."

"Don't say that. You were injured because of me, Master Wu. I feel terrible."

Lu Chuan shook his head. In truth, he could have dodged without Wu Qiu protecting him.

But Huang Feihu had ordered them to keep their guide safe. Wu Qiu didn't know Lu Chuan could get out of the way, so he had stepped in. That was how things had ended up like this.

Zhou Ji checked Wu Qiu's pulse and shook his head. "You overexerted yourself just now, then took a blow from that beast. Your internal organs were jolted, and your qi and blood are in turmoil. You need to return and recuperate at once. I'll send someone to escort you back."

"No, General, I can still..."

Wu Qiu said anxiously, trying to raise a hand to grab Zhou Ji. But now he could barely lift it.

"Go back and rest. That's an order!"

Zhou Ji's expression darkened. "Your injuries are still relatively mild. I've already used my true qi to protect your internal organs. Take some medicine and rest for a while when you get back, and you'll be fine. If you delay, you could lose your cultivation."

Wu Qiu fell silent, then finally said, "All right!"

"Reporting, General: the bear is dead."

A Flying Tiger Soldier came over to report.

"Dead?"

Lu Chuan and Zhou Ji spoke at the same time, but Lu Chuan was shocked, while Zhou Ji remained calm.

Dead?

That terrifying beast, which had been so huge, had been kicked to death in a single blow?

Lu Chuan stared, stunned.

What if that kick had landed on a person...? The scene had shaken him to his core, sending a tempest raging through his heart.

Was this the power and might of a martial artist?

Terrifying!

Truly terrifying!

"Letting that beast die so easily was too good for it. You few, take Centurion Wu back to camp to recuperate."

Zhou Ji snorted. "Also, bring back the bear paws, gallbladder, and heart to help him build up his strength. Leave the rest for everyone's extra meal tonight!"

"Yes!"

The Flying Tiger Soldiers accepted the order and went to butcher the unlucky bear, whose life had now run its full course and who would never again have the chance to ponder the meaning of "bear life."

"Thank you, General Zhou!" Wu Qiu said gratefully.

"Right. While there's still time..."

Zhou Ji had Lu Chuan help Wu Qiu sit up, then sat cross-legged behind him. "I'll treat your injuries. Kid, don't let anyone come near."

"Okay!"

Lu Chuan nodded, walked aside, and sat down to watch Zhou Ji. Even now, he could hardly calm himself.

A martial artist's immense power really was astonishing...

Then he thought back to the hair-raising moment just now.

The opportunity had been rare. With Wu Qiu holding up both bear paws, the best move might have been to drive his saber straight through the bear's heart.

But he hadn't known how much longer Wu Qiu could hold on.

The bear itself weighed a thousand jin, and then it had dropped down like Mount Tai crushing the top. Wu Qiu's strength might already have been spent.

If he couldn't hold on while Lu Chuan turned his blade, both of them would be in danger...

On the other hand, Lu Chuan had also calculated that once the bear was wounded, he and Wu Qiu would have an opening. Otherwise, he wouldn't have deliberately helped Wu Qiu roll toward the Flying Tiger Soldiers.

The only thing he hadn't anticipated was Zhou Ji's arrival—or that one kick from him would kill the unlucky bear.

"Awesome!"

Lu Chuan shook his head. This had really opened his eyes.

Before long, Zhou Ji finished treating Wu Qiu and rose. Some color had returned to Wu Qiu's pale face, and the bear had been divided up.

"There are horses behind us. Take them..."

Zhou Ji looked at Lu Chuan and pointed to the ten men. "Take the nearest route down the mountain and back to the city."

"Me? I'm not going back. Find someone else to guide you. I came to help you hunt beasts."

Lu Chuan immediately shook his head. Aside from Shen Gongbao's instructions, they also wanted him to lead them back?

Hah, they sure had a lot of nerve!

They had been deep in Cangtu Mountain for over half a month. He'd have trouble retracing the route himself, let alone finding the nearest mountain path to lead them out.

"Don't worry. If you go back now, you'll get every last copper of your reward."

Zhou Ji frowned, assuming Lu Chuan was after the reward.

"General, before I joined you, I don't think you ever said there'd be a reward, did you?" Lu Chuan asked in reply.

What he meant was: I didn't come here for your reward.

Zhou Ji raised an eyebrow, surprised and curious. "Then what do you want?"

"I don't want anything. I already said I came to help you hunt beasts."

Lu Chuan glanced around as he spoke. "Besides, I've never been this deep in the mountains before. If you have me lead the way, we might never get out. I still need to follow you and find the way myself."

"You... you really haven't been here before?" Zhou Ji asked suspiciously.

"If you don't believe me, I can swear an oath right now. You can choose the wording, too. For example, 'If I'm lying...'"

Before Lu Chuan could finish, Zhou Ji's mouth twitched. He waved his hands repeatedly. "No need, no need. I'll find someone else, then!"