Under the astonished gaze of Old Sun, Li Qing effortlessly hoisted the massive tiger onto his shoulder. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a faint rustling sound coming from the tiger's den.
"Hmm?"
Li Qing turned around and looked towards the source of the noise. To his surprise, among the pile of small tiger cubs crushed by the giant python, there seemed to be one that still had a flicker of life.
He approached the giant tiger while carrying it, and indeed, within the flattened nest of tiger cubs, there was one that was still alive, albeit its breath was weak.
If he were to abandon it like this, the little tiger cub would surely perish.
Li Qing furrowed his brow as he looked at the round-headed little tiger, unsure of how to handle the situation. Just then, the little tiger nudged its head and struggled to crawl towards Li Qing.
At that moment, with the scent of the tiger mother clinging to him, Li Qing made the newly opened-eyed little tiger feel an overwhelming sense of familiarity.
He sighed and said, "Alas, your tiger mother lost a hind leg in the struggle with the giant python and was bound to perish. I merely ended its life a bit earlier."
"I'll take you with me, and I hope you won't hold a grudge against me when you grow up."
As he spoke, Li Qing took off his iron armor and extended a hand to place the little tiger inside his clothing against his chest.
"Aw!"
The little tiger peeked out and let out a soft cry.
With one large and one small tiger, Li Qing made his way back.
Hiding behind a tree, Old Sun exclaimed in admiration, "Little brother, you're amazing! To be able to fight a tiger barehanded, truly heroic!"
Li Qing merely shook his head, dismissing the flattery. He replied, "Alright, let's hurry back."
In the shattered stone tiger den, only a few tiger cub corpses and the remains of the giant python lay scattered. He had lost interest in these things and was eager to return and start his brewing business.
The return journey was slow, and by the time they reached Cuishan Village, it was already deep into the night.
As Li Qing approached the village entrance with the fierce tiger, the hunting dogs kept by the villagers began to howl and bark wildly.
"Woof woof woof! Woof woof!"
"Woof woof!"
The reason for their uproar was the aura of the fierce tiger that Li Qing carried, a scent belonging to the king of the mountains, which made the hunting dogs restless.
Soon, oil lamps flickered to life, and the hunters in the village were awakened.
"Why is Erchai barking like that? Is something coming down from the mountains?"
"Grab your bows and let's take a look."
"Go, go, go! This barking isn't right!"
Many people grabbed torches and weapons, gathering at the village entrance to find out what was happening.
However, just then, Old Sun shouted from the edge of the forest, "Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid! We’re back from hunting!"
"It's Old Sun's voice!"
"Wait, what did Old Sun hunt this time to scare the village dogs like this?"
As the villagers speculated, the next moment, they witnessed a scene they would never forget.
In the night, a magnificent striped tiger emerged, illuminated by the light of the torches. The villagers could see that it was an ordinary-looking young man carrying the fierce tiger as he stepped into the village.
"Hiss!"
Everyone gasped, their hearts racing wildly.
The hunting dogs, meanwhile, ceased their barking, tucking their tails and trembling in fear.
This person had actually hunted a mountain lord! And he was carrying it back! Judging by its size, it must weigh at least four to five hundred jin, definitely a mature fierce tiger!
"Hahaha, don’t be afraid! Li little brother is as brave as can be; a mere fierce tiger is no match for him." In a relatively primitive place like Cuishan Village, strength was always revered.
Especially since most of the villagers were hunters, they understood better than anyone how terrifying a mature fierce tiger in the mountains could be; they would usually avoid it at all costs.
Li Qing, who had returned after hunting a fierce tiger, naturally earned their awe-filled gazes.
Among the villagers, there were also some young women, and at this moment, their looks towards Li Qing became extremely eager.
From this day forth, Li Qing, who returned after hunting a tiger, became a legendary figure in the village!
That night, Li Qing stayed at Old Sun's house.
After carrying the four to five hundred jin tiger over such a long distance, even his stamina was somewhat depleted, but fortunately, nothing unexpected had occurred along the way.
With the aura of the fierce tiger leading the way, other wild beasts in the forest dared not approach, making the journey relatively smooth.
After finding a nursing hunting dog in the village to feed the little tiger, Li Qing embraced the little tiger and rested for the entire night.
By dawn, Old Sun's son quickly skinned and dismembered the tiger that Li Qing had brought back.
According to their agreement, Li Qing only took a few bones he needed, leaving the rest for Old Sun's family.
In addition, Li Qing also gave Old Sun fifty taels of silver as a reward for this trip.
With this money, the Sun family could completely escape the life of hunters and send their children to study in Shengtian.
Thus, after leaving behind a tale of hunting tigers in Cuishan Village, Li Qing took a horse-drawn carriage and hurried back to Shengtian.
Almost as soon as Li Qing left, deep within Xiao Cuiling, a figure moved swiftly through the forest.
If someone were to closely observe this scene, they would surely be astonished, mistaking it for an immortal!
For this figure was riding a flying sword, soaring through the woods at a surprisingly fast speed.
The seemingly immortal figure landed beside the tiger den made of piled stones, and their expression suddenly darkened.
Clap!
It was a young man with an ethereal demeanor, dressed in a white daoist robe, exuding an aura of celestial grace.
The young man patted a brown brocade pouch at his waist, and in an instant, a more powerful and robust fierce tiger appeared out of thin air, exuding a terrifying aura.
As soon as this fierce tiger appeared, it saw the pile of dead tiger cubs lying in the den and immediately let out a roar of grief and anger.
"Roar!"
The tiger's roar shook the heavens, even causing tangible damage, with leaves falling from the surrounding trees.
"Alas, if it weren't for the fact that tiger-type demon beasts are so hard to find, I wouldn't have let you associate with ordinary wild tigers."
"After finally giving birth to a batch of tiger cubs, I hadn't even had the chance to check if any had demon beast bloodlines, and they all ended up dead."
The young man sighed and gently patted the head of the giant tiger beside him in a comforting manner.
"Eh?"
The young man exclaimed in surprise, then quickly walked to the back of the tiger den, where he saw the broken body of a giant python lying across the mountainside.
"So that's it; it was attacked by a giant python. Although it's an ordinary python, it has lived for nearly a hundred years."
"This snake gallbladder is a good thing; it can be used as an auxiliary material for Beast Raising Pills. This trip isn't a loss after all."
As he spoke, the young man summoned his flying sword, deftly slicing open the python's belly, revealing a fist-sized green snake gallbladder.
Satisfied with the harvest of a hundred-year-old python's gallbladder, the young man nodded in approval, then collected the giant tiger demon beast and flew away on his sword, disappearing deep into the forest.
(End of Chapter)