As Lin Yu's explanation deepened, the mountain lord and the spirit deer listened with rapt attention.
The tiger's massive body was taut, and it even breathed very softly. A little bit of Spiritual Power flowed into its body along with Lin Yu's sermon.
As Spiritual Power entered its body, its golden pupils gradually became covered with a soft light, and the malevolent aura that had surrounded it quietly dissipated, replaced by a faint flow of spiritual energy.
A moment later, it let out a low whimper, and with a forceful slash, the rock beneath its claws shimmered with a faint glow, indicating that it had successfully completed its first attempt at inducing qi!
"It's done! Immortal Master, I can feel the spiritual energy!" The tiger's voice was full of excitement, and its huge body trembled slightly, but it was afraid of disturbing Lin Yu, so it quickly steadied itself.
Seeing this, a sika deer nearby curiously and boldly approached, gently rubbing its wet nose against the tiger's fur.
Unexpectedly, the lingering spiritual energy from the tiger seeped into the deer's body through its nose.
The sika deer suddenly shivered, its bright eyes instantly lighting up. It even tilted its head, mimicking the tiger by slightly closing its eyes, its little nose twitching as it sensed the spiritual energy.
Seeing this, Lin Yu couldn't help but chuckle, "It's just that the little deer only has a spiritual root. Since we're destined to meet, let's listen together."
Afterwards, Lin Yu lectured the two for half an hour and personally corrected the tiger's bad luck several times.
By the time the tiger had mastered circulating its spiritual energy for one cycle, dusk was approaching, and a light mist was rising from the mountains and forests.
Lin Yu stood up and dusted off his robes. "I need to continue my training. Spiritual energy is scarce in this world. If I encounter a bottleneck in my cultivation in the future, I can calmly comprehend it by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. I should not rely on spiritual medicine to force it through."
The tiger quickly imitated the human, kneeling on its front knees with an even more respectful posture than before. "Immortal Master, I will never forget your kindness! If you ever need my assistance, please feel free to ask, and I will certainly obey."
Lin Yu took out a piece of peach wood from his pocket, and with two fingers joined together, carved it into a wooden talisman.
As Spiritual Power surged at Lin Yu's fingertips, runes took shape, and in the end, he actually refined this piece of peach wood into a magical artifact.
Lin Yu strung the wooden talisman on a rope and slipped it around the tiger's neck. "I made this talisman. You can carry it with you. If you encounter any danger, you can use it to contact me, and I can also use it to contact you."
The tiger cautiously teased the magical artifact on its neck with its paw a few times. After confirming that it felt no discomfort, it thanked Lin Yu again.
"Alright, you all cultivate here properly. I'm leaving now." As Lin Yu departed, the tiger escorted Lin Yu down the mountain.
As we reached the mountainside, we could see wisps of incense rising from the village at the foot of the mountain, and a newly made wooden sign standing under the old locust tree at the village entrance.
The four large characters "Mountain Lord's Protection" were written in red paint above the tablet. Li Laosan was leading several villagers to place fruits and pastries in front of it, muttering, "Thank you, Mountain Lord, for your mercy! Thank you, young sir, for saving our lives..."
Lin Yu glanced at the tiger beside him. A hint of warmth flashed in the tiger's eyes. It gently swayed its tail and did not approach any further. It knew that mortals were in awe and did not want to easily reveal itself and disturb them.
After passing the tiger halfway up the mountain, it stopped at Lin Yu's signal and bowed its head deeply to him.
"Please take care on your journey, Immortal Master. Tiger awaits your return!"
The sika deer beside it also bent its knees, nodding its little head as if in agreement.
Lin Yu waved his hand, turned around and headed south along the mountain path, his figure gradually disappearing into the mist of the forest.
From then on, a legend was added to the Qingfeng Mountain.
Some hunters say they once saw a white-browed tiger with piercing eyes in the deep mountains. It not only didn't harm people, but it would also lead lost woodcutters onto mountain paths.
Some villagers also said they heard deer calling from the mountains at night, and that there were far fewer wild animals in the mountains.
Several days later, Lin Yu traveled to a village a hundred miles away. He heard the villagers say that a black bear often came down from the mountain and wreaked havoc in the village.
At best, all the poultry died; at worst, women, children, and the elderly were dragged away. The people had no way to deal with the black bear.
I've tried all sorts of traps, hunting rifles, and bows and arrows, but nothing works.
Lin Yu stood at the village entrance, listening to the villagers gesticulating wildly and their voices trembling as they described the black bear's evil deeds. "That bear cub was bigger than an ox, its black fur was as stiff as iron needles. Last month it dragged the Li family's child into the mountains, and when they found him, all he had left was a blood-stained piece of clothing..."
After hearing this, Lin Yu realized that this might be a black bear that had come to life.
He flicked his fingers, and a wisp of Spiritual Power quietly spread out, extending along the direction of the mountains and forests.
In just a moment, he detected a trace of murky demonic energy, mixed with the stench of blood.
Lin Yu made no sound and quietly walked up the mountain.
With a single step, his figure had already darted several feet away, and soon disappeared into the depths of the mountain forest.
When he arrived at the ravine, the sight before him made him frown slightly: broken hunting rifles were scattered all over the ground, their barrels bent at almost a 90-degree angle.
The arrow was embedded in the tree trunk beside them, and two young men dressed in coarse cloth lay in pools of blood, their chests caved in, their breaths long since stopped.
The only boy still standing in the field was only sixteen or seventeen years old. His left arm had been ripped open with a deep wound that exposed the bone. Blood dripped from his fingertips onto the ground, staining the wood-chopping knife he was tightly gripping.
The black bear opposite him was at least two meters tall, with its black fur standing on end, its eye sockets glowing with an eerie red light, bits of flesh still hanging from the corners of its mouth, and blood droplets from its claws dripping onto the bluestone.
"You beast! I'll fight you to the death!" the boy roared, dragging his injured leg forward, his machete aimed at the black bear's eyes.
But the black bear merely waved its paw dismissively, and the boy was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the rocks, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Just as the black bear raised its paw to deliver the final blow to the boy, Lin Yu made his move.
With a gentle lift of his right hand, a giant hand of Spiritual Power appeared out of thin air and instantly suppressed the black bear.
"Aww--!"
The black bear roared and struggled, its massive body twisting beneath the giant hand, its claws digging deep furrows into the ground. But the giant hand remained unmoved, pressing it down harder and harder, pinning it to the ground so it couldn't even lift its head.
The boy had already closed his eyes, waiting for death to come, but after waiting for a long time, he didn't feel any pain. Instead, he heard the black bear's mournful howl.
He struggled to open his eyes and saw a boy, not even as old as him, standing not far away. His fingertips were glowing, and with just one hand, he had subdued the black bear that had left them helpless, rendering it unable to move.
Seeing the black bear subdued, his tense nerves relaxed, and the boy could no longer hold on. With a "thud," the woodcutter's knife slipped from his hand.
Even with only a breath left, his gaze remained fixed on the black bear, his eyes surging with hatred. If looks could kill, the black bear would probably be dead countless times over.
Finally, under Lin Yu's massive hand, the black bear was smashed into a pulp.
After dealing with the monster, Lin Yu walked to the two fallen youths, checked their breathing, and channeled a wisp of Spiritual Power into them. In the end, he gently shook his head.