Acquiring the Tiger Saliva Stone and Killing the Ghost-Patterned Biao

Li Xian followed up with another Swiftfeather Arrow.

Tiger blood pooled on the ground, and seeing that there was clearly no way it would survive, he finally walked closer to investigate.

The great beast was massive, with its lower belly slightly bulging; it was unexpectedly a pregnant tigress.

I don't know whether to count this as one tiger or two.

Tiger blood was hot and pungent, making it unsuitable for direct raw consumption, so Li Xian directly packed away the tiger carcass.

Just like that, in less than a day, he had already hunted a tiger and a deer. The harvest could not be said to be anything less than abundant.

I don't know if my luck is exceptionally good, or if there are simply too many tiger beasts in this place.

When hunting with Dad in the past, wanting to kill a single large tiger meant tracking them for at least ten-odd days.

Li Xian let out a light breath.

The tiger and the deer together weighed at least several hundred jin, yet once loaded into the Meat-Shrinking Bag, they felt as light as if they were nothing at all.

It did not affect his movement in the slightest.

If he had possessed such a treasure in the past, going hunting up in the mountains would have been much less laborious.

After hanging the Meat-Shrinking Bag around his waist and tying it securely with a rope, Li Xian was suddenly struck by a clever idea, thinking that under normal circumstances, a single mountain could not tolerate two tigers.

Yet this Bear-Tiger Mountain was clearly a gathering place for fierce beasts.

Since this large tiger was carrying cubs, finding the tiger lair might perhaps yield an unexpected harvest.

Thus, following the tracks, he gradually moved away from the riverside.

Arriving at a small halfway point up the mountainside, he caught a rank, foul odor, which made Li Xian even more certain that the tiger lair was nearby.

Tigers were wild beasts with an extremely strong sense of territory.

This urinous stench was a mark; having already penetrated deep into tiger territory, he naturally had to be extremely cautious, keeping his steps light and practicing All-Around Hearing.

Got it.

Discovering a cave, he prostrated himself on the ground to listen for a moment.

The snoring of a tiger beast was like thunder and extremely distinct; if Li Xian could not hear any movement, it would prove that the cave was completely empty.

He then entered the cave to investigate, pressing deeper inside. The tiger lair was very foul, and white bones could be seen from time to time.

Good grief... this mountain tiger must have eaten quite a few people, right?

Li Xian felt a sudden chill, then abruptly spotted a speck of light ahead, discovering a glowing stone.

Clutched in his hand, it was extremely warm.

Tiger Saliva Stone, a precious mountain treasure!

Li Xian felt a great surge of surprise. Of course, the two words "precious" were only aimed at ordinary households.

This kind of stone object was licked day in and day out by mountain tigers, polished round by the barbs on their tongues. It was an item of utmost yang, and legend had it that soaking it in water and drinking it could strengthen the body.

It could also ward off the cold in winter.

This thing was still quite useful to Li Xian.

Held in his hand, the texture was just like jade, and it was slightly heavy.

This tiger lair probably still has another tiger.

If I take this object away, it will definitely come looking for me.

Hmph, let it look if it wants; it'll just be right on time to run into each other again.

Li Xian put away the Tiger Saliva Stone and quickly left the cave, casting his gaze about to find suitable terrain.

Tiger beasts were extremely sensitive to the scent of the Tiger Saliva Stone, and even if Li Xian discarded it, his body already carried the scent.

That tiger beast would still come looking for him.

Roughly half an hour later.

A mountain tiger's roar suddenly echoed through the forest, and Li Xian knew that the male tiger had returned to its lair.

This roar... sounds like rumbling thunder rolling in. This male tiger is likely even more formidable.

A solemn look appeared in Li Xian's eyes.

It did not take long.

The sound of branches snapping drifted from afar, and Li Xian gazed out to catch sight of a bulging tiger back.

This is...

Li Xian's entire body tightened.

Coming from a family of hunters, he was far too familiar with the habits, patterns, and physical forms of tiger beasts.

The stripe patterns on this mountain tiger were very strange; I'm afraid it wasn't a tiger beast at all, but a biao!

Furthermore, it was a "Ghost-Patterned Biao" that people feared the moment they saw it!

This wild beast had a body resembling a tiger, yet it was even larger than a tiger, and the patterns on its body looked like pairs of ghost faces.

It was notoriously fierce.

Provoking it... meant only one ending: Your Death or Mine, endless and irreconcilable!

Even if he fled a thousand or eight hundred li, it would still follow his scent, tracking him all the way in an endless, unyielding pursuit.

"Roar!"

That tiger roar violently erupted, and the Ghost-Patterned Biao sprang forward, its full appearance exposed in Li Xian's field of vision.

It could only be called fiercely majestic; the aura of this king of a hundred beasts seemed to have a natural suppression over humans.

Li Xian's hair stood on end, but he forced himself to calm down and immediately drew his bow to shoot. A brilliant light flashed in the Ghost-Patterned Biao's pupils as its hind legs kicked off a large tree.

It shifted to the left.

Dodge-rolling past the flying arrow, it thereafter actually prowled along the tree like an ape, overlooking Li Xian from a superior height.

What a clever beast!

Li Xian loosed three more arrows, all of which the Ghost-Patterned Biao easily evaded. With a thunderous roar, the Ghost-Patterned Biao kicked off with its hind legs and swooped down from the high ground.

Li Xian's thoughts flashed urgently. If he dodged backward at this moment, the Ghost-Patterned Biao would land and leverage its momentum to pounce and bite forward, making defense absolute sheer difficulty. Better to dart forward and downward, dodging from directly beneath the tiger beast's belly.

That way, there would be more reaction space.

In the flash of a thought, Li Xian had already made his decision, flinging himself forward and downward to the side, managing to dodge right past the Ghost-Patterned Biao's lower belly.

At the same time, bracing his hands on the ground, amidst his frantic busyness, he kicked out against the Ghost-Patterned Biao's belly.

[Clearwind Leg]

[Proficiency: 719/1000 Proficiency]

The leg force of Clearwind Leg went from the surface inward; while it looked feather-light, it actually injured the internal organs.

Against a rough-skinned and thick-fleshed wild beast like this, it could produce unexpected marvelous effects.

Only an anguished howl was heard from the Ghost-Patterned Biao as it grew even more furious. It wanted to immediately turn around and pounce to bite, but its previous momentum had been too fierce, causing it to slide several zhang across the ground before barely coming to a halt.

Just as it turned around to pounce—

Little did it know that this movement was also within Li Xian's calculations.

By this time, however, Li Xian had already widened the distance, slowed his breathing, sharpened his five senses, and swiftly drawn and shot two arrows.

"Squelch..."

Blood sprayed and splattered.

One of the arrows struck the Ghost-Patterned Biao's left eye. Yet what terrified Li Xian was that the Ghost-Patterned Biao merely went blind without losing its life.

Such a ferocious physical body!

Li Xian broke into a sprint.

Once the Ghost-Patterned Biao's bloodlust flared up, it could no longer feel pain. At this moment, only Li Xian existed in its eyes, and its tiger body crashed forward recklessly.

Bang!

It slammed into a large tree, and the immense force actually knocked the large tree straight over.

Good grief, it really is fierce, this fellow.

Li Xian bolted toward a certain spot, then suddenly leaped into the air.

The Ghost-Patterned Biao followed closely behind with a flying pounce.

Suddenly, the ground beneath both man and biao emptied out; this place was unexpectedly a sheer cliff a dozen or so zhang high.

At some unknown point, a vine had hooked onto Li Xian's ankle. Pulling hard at this moment, he neutralized his forward momentum and instead dropped rapidly downward.

With his ankle hooked on the vine, he hung suspended upside down on the cliff face.

Meanwhile, the Ghost-Patterned Biao plummeted straight down the cliff, smashing with a bang as its eye sockets burst and urine and feces leaked out.

Yet this thing's tenacity for life was truly terrifying to the extreme.

Falling from this height, it still hadn't died, struggling as it tried to get back up. Dangling upside down, Li Xian overlooked it from his high vantage point, aiming for its heart...

He shot three arrows in succession, every single one striking the exact same spot.

Finally, he tore open a gash.

He then withdrew a Swiftfeather Arrow, aimed at that opening, infused his Inner Qi, and loosed it.

The Ghost-Patterned Biao finally perished on the spot.

What a terrifying wild beast.

Li Xian wiped away a cold sweat.

Hunting in the mountains and utilizing the terrain was the most crucial thing of all. Human bodies were frail, and only by utilizing tools, schemes, and strategies could one preserve oneself in a mountain forest swarming with fierce beasts.

Li Xian had long since envisioned how to deal with mountain tigers.

Although it was a few shades more thrilling than he had imagined, it still largely proceeded according to plan.

One deer, two tigers...

Three Swiftfeather Arrows—for the first day's time, the harvest can be considered pretty good.

Li Xian made his way down to the base of the cliff and packed away the Ghost-Patterned Tiger.

Mentally calculating...

He had used over thirty ordinary arrows.

If I can maintain this kind of yield, this trip's harvest cannot be said to be small!