Dragon Tendon and Tiger Bones

The eight-hundred-mile Great Green Mountains stretched out in a vast, majestic expanse, with jagged peaks lined up like a coiled dragon or a winding python.

At the foot of a low hill on the southwest side, a small, crystal-clear stream flowed past the edge of a mountain village.

This was the tiny Clear Creek Village.

It consisted of only about two hundred households, and Zhao Hong was one of them.

Half a year ago, his biological father, Zhao Tieshan, had died under the claws of a wild beast while hunting in the mountains.

Since then, he had been the only one left in his home.

Clear Creek Village was quite far from the county seat, so the villagers relied on the mountains and the water to survive. Although there were occasional frictions and grudges between neighbors, they were generally kind-hearted when it mattered.

Because of this, the cruel practice of preying on orphans never occurred, and the surrounding neighbors took good care of him.

Although the past six months had been poor and lonely, he was at least able to feed himself, and he was far from the point of being unable to survive.

In the courtyard, a group of teenagers around fifteen or sixteen years old surrounded Zhao Hong, chattering incessantly.

"Ah Hong, how do you feel now? Do you dream of the demon rat?"

"Your luck is too good, to actually run into a demon and come out unscathed."

"Hmph, if it were me, I definitely wouldn't have been too scared to get up. It's just that you're too weak, Ah Hong."

"Was that rat really half the size of a person?"

"I heard my dad say that once a rat becomes a demon, it's not only huge but has glowing green eyes and a long tongue. Is that true?"

Zhao Hong, surrounded by the group, felt his forehead twitch with irritation.

What was all this nonsense?

Lucky to run into a demon?

He felt like giving Iron Egg, who had said that, a good kick.

"My head hurts a bit."

He clutched his head at the right moment, putting on a pained expression while his arm trembled rhythmically.

The surrounding friends immediately fell silent.

Wang Haohao, who was usually closer to Zhao Hong, immediately pushed the others toward the exit.

"Let's go, let's go. Don't disturb Ah Hong's rest."

"Ah Hong, we're leaving. Get some good rest, I'll come find you again tomorrow."

Hearing this, the muscles on Zhao Hong's face twitched. Please, don't ever come back.

Watching the group of friends leave, his ears finally found some peace. He sat down on a stone stool and stared at the ground, lost in deep thought.

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

[Name: Zhao Hong]

[Talent: Dragon Tendon and Tiger Bones]

[Accumulate Dragon-Tiger Divine Strength, cultivate the Haoran Qi]

Two days ago, he had encountered a rat half the size of a person at the edge of the village. Its fur was dark and glossy, its claws and teeth were sharp, and its eyes were blood-red—it was clearly a demon that had gained sentience.

At the time, he had been scared witless. Fortunately, an adult nearby had let out a shout, scaring the demon rat away, which very aptly proved the idiom "as timid as a mouse."

Even when they became demons, they were still just as cowardly.

Of course, Zhao Hong was exceptionally grateful that it was a cowardly demon rat.

Otherwise, he would have already become a meal in the demon rat's belly.

After returning home, his consciousness had blurred, he had developed a high fever, and he had begun having nightmares.

Two days later, until this morning, he had awakened the wisdom of his past life and gained this "Dragon Tendon and Tiger Bones" talent, which dispelled all his discomfort and left him feeling as vigorous as a dragon and as strong as a tiger.

"Dragon Tendon and Tiger Bones, it's not a hallucination."

Zhao Hong's face revealed a look of excitement.

He had encountered a demon rat, but it had turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

The wisdom of his past life was already behind him; it was the past.

Living well in the present and the future was what mattered.

Although Clear Creek Village was small, because it was nestled against the vast Great Green Mountains, there were many experienced hunters in the village. They were skilled with blades and bows, spent their lives walking the mountains and fighting beasts, and naturally possessed extraordinary strength.

Among them, several adults had even tempered their blood and qi through crude body-strengthening methods, becoming martial artists who led the village in hunting.

The boys of fifteen or sixteen were all being disciplined to practice martial arts.

They practiced basic punches, kicks, and blade techniques meant for fighting beasts.

Waking up this morning, the memories of his past life were deep, and the feeling of the talent manifesting in his body was very obvious.

His physique had strengthened, and his power had surged.

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

The stone stool under his seat weighed nearly fifty pounds. Usually, he could barely lift it, but today he had picked it up and held it high with one hand with ease, and he felt he still had strength to spare.

"Dragon-Tiger Divine Strength, Haoran Qi—from now on, when it comes to martial arts, I will no longer be at the bottom."

Zhao Hong licked his lips, a deep ambition rising in his heart.

Whether in his past life or the present, the dragon and tiger were both extraordinary, possessing immense divine courage and ferocity.

To have Dragon Tendon and Tiger Bones as a talent was something people wouldn't even dare to imagine.

If he hadn't awakened the wisdom of his past life, his life would have followed a set path: practicing martial arts every day, following the adults into the mountains to hunt when he was older, finding a girl of the same age in the village to marry, and raising a family.

But with the awakening of his past life's wisdom and the addition of this talent, he was no longer as ignorant as before, nor would he be confined to the small patch of land that was Clear Creek Village.

This dynasty known as Great Li had boundless territory, and powerful martial artists could shake mountains and rivers.

Practice martial arts and become strong.

Walk out.

Only by seeing the vast world outside would he truly have lived in vain.

"Ah Hong."

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

He looked up to see a teenager pushing the door open and entering without permission.

"Zhang Tai."

Zhao Hong frowned slightly.

This was the little bully among the village youths; his father was one of the few martial artists in the village.

As a teenager who practiced martial arts every day, he naturally loved to compare himself to others—who was stronger, who was braver.

Since Zhao Hong was an orphan and at the bottom of the martial arts rankings, he was inevitably mocked by the group.

Zhang Tai had bullied him quite a bit.

Both with words and with his fists.

"What are you here for?"

After awakening his past life's wisdom, Zhao Hong felt that the competitiveness of youth was normal, but this guy always had a sense of superiority, and the words that came out of his mouth were far too sharp and unpleasant.

Unless he could beat Zhang Tai to the ground.

However, although he felt his strength had surged, Zhang Tai had the confidence to be arrogant.

He was quite sturdy, his father was a martial artist, the game they brought back was impressive, and his daily diet consisted of beast meat and blood. A month ago, he could already lift a two-hundred-pound stone stool with one hand.

Zhao Hong felt he definitely couldn't beat this guy for the time being.

"To apologize."

"Sorry."

Zhang Tai kept a straight face, looking reluctant.

"Apologize?"

Zhao Hong was stunned.

Did the sun rise in the west?

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

"My dad said that what you encountered really was a demon rat. Even if I had run into it, I wouldn't have been able to fight it at all."

Hearing this, Zhao Hong immediately recalled the incident.

After he had encountered the demon rat that day, he had been in a daze and told everyone he had run into a demon. None of his friends believed him, and Zhang Tai had mocked him mercilessly.

"Venison and deer blood, to help you recover."

Zhang Tai put the basket in his hand on the ground and glared at Zhao Hong. "But in my eyes, you're still at the bottom of the martial arts rankings, a total waste."

"Don't worry, even though I look down on you, I won't ignore you. I'll cover for you from now on. Once I practice more and find that rat, I'll slaughter it to avenge you. Yeah, when that time comes, I might allow you to hang the rat's head in front of your door."

As he spoke, a look of triumph appeared on Zhang Tai's face.

He seemed to have already imagined himself slaying the demon rat, enjoying the shocked exclamations and reverent gazes of everyone.

His father was one of the village leaders, and he wanted to be a leader too—and he wanted to be even more powerful than his father, the one and only strongest.

Zhao Hong's stunned expression looked to him as if he had been shocked into silence.

Zhang Tai felt much better, threw out one last sentence, and turned to leave.

"I'm off."

Zhao Hong was left with a wry smile.

He was clearly full of contempt, yet he couldn't even bring himself to be angry.

Wasn't this just a classic case of a tsundere kid?

"Still, what he said makes a lot of sense. If things hadn't changed like this, wouldn't I just be a lackey under his protection from now on? Just like the other hunters who follow his father and Uncle Chuan out to hunt."

"But it is different now, after all."

"For the sake of the venison and deer blood, I won't hold it against you."

He possessed a soul with forty-plus years of experience across two lifetimes, so he didn't take Zhang Tai's sharp tongue to heart at all.

Looking at the venison and deer blood in the basket, Zhao Hong's gaze turned fervent.

These were good things, indeed.