Chapter 225

Chen Wuji of the Qiang people stood by a pool, holding a bow and arrow, having drawn the bow and nocked an arrow.

Stand there!

Chen Wuji stood firm like a sturdy pine, arrow tip aimed at the few people charging out of the woods.

Four men, one of them elderly, about fifty years old, the other three young, all sturdy and strong Han fellows.

They wore no tribal clothing, all dressed as Han people, even their hairstyles were Han-style, making them indistinguishable from Han folks.

"Are they definitely Qiang people?" Chen Wuji turned his head and asked Qin Zhanhong in a low voice.

Qin Zhanhong

Lao Deng

He had never seen Qiang people before, but at this moment these few looked completely like Han people, even lacking their signature ear piercings.

Qin Zhanhong also picked up his knife, saying, "I won't mishear; they speak Zhongyuan dialect, but with a Qiang accent."

"Understood."

The four glanced nervously behind them, raising their hands slightly; the elder, smiling, called out, "Sir, we are hunters from the northern part of Shenxian Ling. Having heard that the fur market in Yunan City is good, we came to inquire, with no other intent—please don't misunderstand."

"What did you encounter?" Chen Wuji asked.

"A tiger, a tiger, but it seems to have given up the chase now; you can relax." The elder's face smiled like a chrysanthemum, his posture low and fawning, occasionally bending at the waist.

Chen Wuji asked, "I've heard the fur in the north sells better; why did you hear that the market in Yunan City is better instead?"

"Maybe it's just a rumor; we're dirt poor at home, hearing this we couldn't help but come take a look. If we could even get a slightly higher price, it'd be worth the trouble." The elder said.

Shenxian Ling stretches hundreds of miles north to south, teeming with poisonous insects and fierce beasts; is it worth risking such danger for a slight profit? Speak your true purpose plainly, or I'll let loose an arrow—and this arrow of mine doesn't play favorites! Chen Wuji asked.

The elder beat his legs and cried out sorrowfully, "Sir, you don't understand—we are dirt poor; even earning an extra liang of silver makes this perilous trip worthwhile. What other purpose could we have? Look at us—we hardly seem capable of any other aim!"

"That's true. You really don't look like it; I'm also a hunter, I understand your mindset—making a bit of silver in this world is indeed not easy." Chen Wuji relaxed, loosening the bowstring.

The elder, still bent at the waist, also laughed, but a dim, sinister light flickered deep in his eyes, like a jackal eyeing its prey—gloomy and ferocious.

At that moment, Chen Wuji suddenly raised his bow again and shot an arrow.

The motion was smooth as flowing clouds, without warning; as he lifted his arm, the arrow flew like a meteor and instantly pierced the elder's belly.

The sudden change caught the elder off guard.

He grimaced in pain, clutched his belly and shouted hoarsely, "Kill them!"

The remaining three young men instantly flashed murderous intent, brandishing spears and charging forward.

Chen Wuji's gaze sank, calm amid danger, and he quickly nocked another arrow.

Qin Zhanhong didn't hesitate either, brandishing his knife and rushing out.

At that moment, an orange-yellow figure darted from the woods, accompanied by a fierce gust; it slapped one person aside, then bit another's head, and vanished into another part of the forest.

Its speed was astonishing—appearing and disappearing in just a few breaths.

Moments later, a low, ape-like howl came from the woods.

Howl howl howl……

Chen Wuji: ……

What is a perfectly normal tiger learning to howl like an ape for?

In that opening, Qin Zhanhong, moving like a butterfly among flowers, had already placed his knife at the last Han man's throat: "Best stay still—move a muscle and your head will roll."

The young Qiang were nearly scared stiff.

He hadn't even seen clearly what had happened before his vision blurred; then his companion was dead and another missing, and suddenly the woman he'd been fantasizing about enjoying pounced like a ghost, pressing a blade to his throat.

Wasn't this supposed to be an ordinary mountain village? Where did these two masters come from? No, wait—there also seems to be a tiger.

The one that just pounced must be the tiger they happened to encounter.

This beast seems to be helping that dog‑couple as well.

What the hell kind of place is this? How could a tiger possibly aid humans?

The young Qiang couldn't figure it out.

His head felt like it was filled with thousands of buzzing flies, a noisy din, and his neck throbbed badly.

Especially this woman's knife hand wasn't steady at all—she nicked him, she's already cut him!

Qin Zhanhong glanced at the elder lying on the ground, not yet dead, and asked Chen Wuji, "Just now… was that a tiger?"

"Yeah, that old friend." Chen Wuji said, raising his hand and shouting into the woods, "Old pal, take your time enjoying yourself—there are still a few here; I'll leave them for you later."

Howl~

It's unclear what this howl means, but it seems to carry a hint of coquettishness.

Qin Zhanhong:?

She looked at Chen Wuji with a bewildered face, "Can you… communicate with it?"

"No, I speak my part, it howls its part—but we're both reasonable folk, so we can roughly get by." Chen Wuji said, crouching to pinch the arrow embedded in the elder Qiang's body.

"Lao Deng, quit playing dead—I know this arrow won't kill you just yet!" Chen Wuji slowly shook the arrow's tail, coldly asking, "Why did you come?"

"We… really are hunters; you're killing us because of that?" the elder Qiang gasped, his voice drawn out low, as if he were about to die.

Chen Wuji shoved hard on the arrow, pressing it downward, "What's your purpose?"

The elder Qiang grunted, his face flushing red, his body jerking upright, "We… we… really are hunters, we didn't deceive you—why are you so ruthless…"

"If you won't talk, later I'll give my tiger brother an extra meal. I'll tell him to chew slowly, starting with your feet, then your arms, then the rest." Chen Wuji said with a faint smile.

"You've probably eaten plenty of animals in your life, but being food yourself is likely a first—cherish it. If luck's on your side, you might last a couple of hours."

The elder Qiang shuddered violently, "How can you be so vicious? You…"

"What the hell am I? Don't say, shut up quick, say less of these useless things, shouting a few lines you think I won't kill you? Speak nicely and maybe you can still keep a dog's life, but with your attitude you only deserve to give my tiger brother an extra meal, then become a big lump left by my tiger brother in this mountain—tsk, no bones left!" Chen Wuji let loose a tirade to his face.