Dragon Tendon and Tiger Bones

The eight-hundred-mile Great Green Mountains stretched far and wide, their majestic peaks rising in clusters, their ridges winding like coiling dragons and twisting serpents.

At the foot of a low mountain on the southwest side, a stream flowed downhill, clear to the bottom, winding past the edge of a mountain village.

The tiny Clear Creek Village.

There were only a little over two hundred households, and Zhao Hong's was one of them.

Half a year ago, his biological father, Zhao Tieshan, had been hunting in the mountains when he died beneath the claws of a ferocious beast.

Since then, Zhao Hong had been the only one left in the family.

Clear Creek Village was far from the county seat. The villagers made their living off the mountains and waters. Though the neighbors sometimes had grudges and disagreements, they were decent when it mattered.

So no one had taken advantage of his family's misfortune. The neighbors around him had looked after him quite a bit.

Though the past half year had been poor and lonely, he only had himself to feed. It was hardly enough to leave him unable to get by.

In the courtyard, a group of boys and girls around fifteen or sixteen crowded around Zhao Hong, chattering nonstop.

"Ah Hong, how are you feeling now? Do you dream about the demon rat?"

"You're way too lucky. You actually ran into a demon and came away unharmed."

"Hmph, if it were me, I wouldn't have been so scared I couldn't get back up. You're just too weak, Ah Hong."

"Was that rat really half as tall as a person?"

"I heard my dad say that rats that have become spirits are not only huge, but have green eyes and long tongues. Is that true?"

Zhao Hong, surrounded by them, wore a dark expression.

What was all this nonsense?

He was lucky to have run into a demon?

He wanted to kick Iron Egg, who'd said that, right in the foot.

"My head hurts a little."

He clutched his head at just the right moment, putting on a pained expression. His arm even trembled and shook.

His young friends immediately fell silent.

Wang Haohao, who was usually closer to Zhao Hong than the others, promptly ushered them out.

"Come on, let's go. Don't disturb Ah Hong while he rests."

"Ah Hong, we're heading out. Get some rest. I'll come see you again tomorrow."

At that, the muscles in Zhao Hong's face twitched. Please don't come again.

After watching the group of friends leave, he finally had some peace and quiet. He plopped down on a stone stool and stared at the ground, lost in thought.

In truth, he was looking at a panel only he could see.

[Name: Zhao Hong]

[Talent: Dragon Tendon and Tiger Bones]

[Accumulate Dragon-Tiger Divine Strength; cultivate an aura of righteousness]

Two days ago, he had encountered a rat half the height of a man at the edge of the village. Its fur gleamed darkly, its claws and teeth were sharp, and its eyes were scarlet. It was clearly a demon that had become a spirit.

He'd been scared out of his wits. Luckily, an adult nearby had shouted, frightening the demon rat away. The incident had proven just how apt the saying "as timid as a mouse" was.

Even after becoming a spirit, it was still just as timid.

Of course, Zhao Hong was extremely grateful that the demon rat had been a coward.

Otherwise, he would already have become a delicious meal in its belly.

Afterward, he'd gone home and lost consciousness, coming down with a high fever and falling into nightmares.

Two days passed. Only this morning had he awakened the memories of his past life and gained the talent Dragon Tendon and Tiger Bones, driving away all his discomfort and making him as vigorous as a dragon and tiger.

"Dragon Tendon and Tiger Bones. This isn't an illusion."

Zhao Hong's face lit up with excitement.

He'd encountered a demon rat, but disaster had turned into good fortune.

As for the memories from his previous life, there was no need to dwell on them. They belonged to the past.

What mattered was making the most of the present and the future.

Though Clear Creek Village was small, it stood right beside the mighty Great Green Mountains. The village had plenty of hunters, all experienced and skilled with blades and bows. They roamed the wilderness year-round and fought beasts, so they were naturally quite strong.

A few of the adults had even trained their bodies with rudimentary strengthening methods and built up their vital energy and blood, becoming martial artists who led the village's hunts.

The boys around fifteen or sixteen were all made to practice martial arts.

They learned fists and kicks for fighting beasts, along with the basics of knife work.

When he woke that morning, his memories of his previous life remained vivid, and he could clearly feel the talent coursing through him.

His body had grown stronger, and his strength had increased greatly.

He didn't feel anything like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness.

The stone stool beneath him weighed nearly fifty pounds. Usually, he could barely lift it in his arms, but today he could pick it up with one hand and raise it high with ease. He even felt like he had strength to spare.

"Dragon-Tiger Divine Strength and an aura of righteousness. From now on, I won't be at the bottom when I practice martial arts."

Zhao Hong licked his lips, a powerful ambition rising within him.

Whether in his previous life or this one, the dragon and tiger he knew of were extraordinary, possessing immense divine might.

The talent Dragon Tendon and Tiger Bones was almost too incredible to imagine.

If he hadn't awakened the memories of his past life, his future would have followed a set course: practice martial arts every day, join the adults on mountain hunts when he got older, find a girl his age in the village, marry and have children, and support his family.

But now that he had awakened his memories and gained this talent, he was no longer as ignorant as before, nor would he be confined to the tiny patch of land that was Clear Creek Village.

This dynasty, known as Great Li, was vast beyond measure. Powerful martial masters could shake mountains and rivers.

Practice martial arts and grow stronger.

Go out into the world.

See the vast lands beyond. Otherwise, he would have lived for nothing.

"Ah Hong."

A voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard, interrupting Zhao Hong's thoughts.

He looked up to see a boy who had already pushed the door open and strode inside without asking permission.

"Zhang Tai."

Zhao Hong frowned slightly.

He was the little tyrant among the village boys his age. His father was one of the few martial artists in the village.

The boys were all in their mid-teens and practiced martial arts every day, so naturally they competed over who was stronger and who was braver.

Zhao Hong was an orphan, and his martial arts were at the bottom of the pack. He naturally couldn't escape being mocked by the others.

Zhang Tai had bullied him plenty.

With words, and with fists.

"What are you here for?"

After awakening the memories of his past life, Zhao Hong felt that squabbling over who was stronger as a boy was perfectly normal. But Zhang Tai always acted superior, and the things he said could be so biting that they made people uncomfortable.

Unless Zhao Hong could knock Zhang Tai flat.

However, although Zhao Hong felt that his strength had increased greatly, Zhang Tai had good reason to be so arrogant.

He was quite stout, and his father was a martial artist. With all the game his father brought home, Zhang Tai ate beast meat and drank beast blood every day. A month ago, he'd already been able to lift a two-hundred-pound stone stool with one hand.

Zhao Hong figured he definitely couldn't beat the guy yet.

"I came to apologize."

"Sorry."

Zhang Tai kept a stiff face, clearly reluctant.

"Apologize?"

Zhao Hong was taken aback.

Had the sun risen in the west?

"My dad beat me up and said I shouldn't have said such nasty things to you."

"My dad said the demon rat you ran into really had become a spirit. Even if I'd run into it, I wouldn't have stood a chance."

At that, Zhao Hong remembered what had happened.

After encountering the demon rat, he'd been in a daze and said he'd run into a demon. None of his young friends had believed him, and Zhang Tai had mocked him mercilessly.

"Venison and deer blood. They'll help you get your strength back."

Zhang Tai set the basket in his hands on the ground and glared at Zhao Hong. "But in my eyes, you're still at the bottom when it comes to martial arts. You're a good-for-nothing."

"Don't worry. Even though I look down on you, I won't leave you to fend for yourself. I'll look after you from now on. Once I've trained a bit more, I'll find that rat and kill it to avenge you. Yeah, and then I'll let you hang its head in front of your house."

As he spoke, a smug look crossed Zhang Tai's face.

He seemed to have already pictured himself slaying the demon rat, then basking in everyone's shocked cries and reverent stares.

His father was one of the village leaders. Zhang Tai wanted to become a leader too—and to surpass his father, becoming the very strongest.

To him, Zhao Hong's dazed expression looked as if he'd been stunned and scared witless.

Zhang Tai felt much better. He tossed out one last remark and turned to leave.

"I'm off."

Zhao Hong wore an expression caught between laughter and tears.

Zhang Tai had spent the whole time looking down on him, yet somehow Zhao Hong couldn't feel even a bit angry.

Wasn't this boy just a classic tsundere?

"But he does have a point. Without this change, wouldn't I have ended up as this guy's lackey, under his protection? Just like the other hunters who now hunt alongside him, his father, and Uncle Chuan."

"But things are different now."

"I'll let it slide on account of the venison and deer blood."

His soul held the combined experience of two lifetimes, adding up to more than forty years. Zhang Tai's sharp tongue didn't bother him at all.

Looking at the venison and deer blood in the basket, Zhao Hong's eyes burned with excitement.

Now this was good stuff.