Then he flicked a finger gently at the bowl of bloody water mixed with ashes and chanted in a low voice, "Go, hurry! Let me see where they've run off to!"
The blood in the bowl began bubbling and churning as though it were boiling.
Then a tiny tiger formed entirely of blood, red from head to tail, actually rose unsteadily out of the bloody water!
The blood-red tiger gave a lazy yawn. Though miniature, it had distinct features and an imposing air. Even the character for "king" on its forehead was vivid and clearly visible.
Hearing Cui Jiuyang's command, the blood-red tiger shook its furry head, leaped out of the bowl, and landed lightly on the ground.
It lowered its head and sniffed left and right, seemingly catching some special scent. Then it abruptly raised its little head and gave a young yet majestic roar toward the deep mountains behind the village before turning into a streak of red lightning and racing down the street.
Before Cui Jiuyang could say anything else, the desperately anxious Niu Ergan had already drawn the dagger at his waist and charged after the blood-red tiger with several equally anxious men, hurrying for fear that one moment's delay would leave them unable to recover their lost lifespans.
Watching their eager retreating figures, Cui Jiuyang smiled, shook his head, and followed at an unhurried pace.
Following the little tiger as it led the way like a streak of blood-red lightning, they unwittingly made their way up a mountain.
Normally, the mountain beside Langya Village should have been Ox-Heart Mountain, but they were still ten li from the real Langya Village.
The mountain before them was nameless.
Though called a nameless hill, it was actually quite massive, its rolling slopes joining the surrounding mountains. Hardy old