Before long, Yun Chengxuan had run out of sight. Jiang Jin followed slowly behind, tracing his tracks.
She didn't know how long she had walked when the sound of a tiger's roar seemed to echo from ahead.
Jiang Jin's heart skipped a beat. She quickly stopped and listened carefully.
The tiger's roar echoed more clearly this time.
Jiang Jin grew frantic. She hadn't expected there to be fierce tigers in these deep mountains. No wonder those refugees would rather starve than venture in here.
Pushing all other thoughts aside, she quickened her pace, eventually breaking into a jog. She had a sinking feeling that this tiger roar had something to do with Yun Chengxuan.
As she drew closer, the tiger's roars became increasingly distinct.
Just as she was panting heavily and on the verge of collapsing, she finally saw it: in the mountain pass ahead, a full-grown tiger was lunging at Yun Chengxuan with its jaws wide open.
Yun Chengxuan reacted swiftly, nimbly dodging its gaping maw and grabbing a handful of fur at the back of the tiger's neck with one hand.
Using the leverage from his grip, he leaped forward and upward, landing squarely on the tiger's back. He raised his right fist and smashed it fiercely into the tiger's neck.
The tiger seemed to realize the devastating power of his fist. With a loud roar, it violently shook its massive body.
Tiger fur wasn't actually very long, so it was a mystery how he managed to hold on so tightly. The tiger thrashed around several times but failed to shake him off.
Enraged, the tiger angled its body and slammed itself toward a large tree.
Seeing that Yun Chengxuan was about to be crushed against the trunk, he raised his right leg and kicked hard against the tree.
The massive impact threw him off the tiger's back. Taking a tuft of tiger fur with him, he flew several meters through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
The tiger was also thrown off balance by the force, stumbling a couple of steps before regaining its footing.
Only then did Jiang Jin notice that his bow and quiver had been tossed on the ground not far away.
Jiang Jin quickly drew her bow and shot an arrow at the tiger, shouting, "Yun Chengxuan, are you alright? Where is your dagger? Use your dagger!"
Thwack.
The arrow struck the tiger's abdomen, but unfortunately, it lacked sufficient force. Combined with the tiger's thick hide, the arrow only penetrated a couple of centimeters, failing to cause any significant damage.
The tiger shook itself vigorously, dislodging the arrow, and let out a ferocious roar in Jiang Jin's direction.
Jiang Jin raised her bow once more.
Yun Chengxuan leaped to his feet. "Auntie, I'm fine! Don't use your arrows! I'm going to use this tiger's pelt to make you a complete tiger-skin coat."
Jiang Jin was left speechless. Wasn't this the time to think about killing the tiger as quickly as possible? Why was he still obsessing over a complete pelt?
No wonder he wasn't using his dagger, this silly child!
Yun Chengxuan had no idea what she was thinking. He was stubbornly determined to make a flawless tiger-skin coat for his aunt.
The tiger sensed a threat to its life. Dealing with one human was already difficult enough; now that another had appeared, it was completely outmatched.
It decided to retreat. Arching its back and baring its fangs at Yun Chengxuan in a mock offensive stance, it cautiously backed away.
Yun Chengxuan showed no fear. Seizing the opportunity, he delivered a devastating punch to its abdomen.
The tiger was actually sent flying two meters away, crashing to the ground.
In this life-or-death moment, the tiger unleashed its hidden potential. It scrambled up swiftly and sprinted wildly into the depths of the dense forest.
However, perhaps because Yun Chengxuan had injured it, its running speed wasn't very fast, and its gait was somewhat awkward.
Of course, while this speed was slow for a feline like a tiger, it was still incredibly fast compared to a human.
Afraid that his tiger-skin coat was getting away, Yun Chengxuan gave chase, vanishing from Jiang Jin's sight in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Jin: "..."
Her eyelids twitched uncontrollably. It was the first time she had ever seen someone chasing a tiger. He was truly one of a kind.
Helpless, she hurried after him.
Although Yun Chengxuan was incredibly fierce, if there were other wild beasts in the deep mountains and he got attacked from both sides, his slender frame wouldn't be able to handle it.
Jogging along the trail, she heard a miserable tiger roar about seven or eight minutes later. A flash of joy crossed Jiang Jin's eyes as she quickened her pace.
Soon, she saw Yun Chengxuan riding on the tiger's back, beating it mercilessly. He seemed quite angry, spewing a constant stream of complaints.
"I'll teach you to run! I'll teach you to run! I told you not to run, are you deaf, you stupid tiger!"
"Why did you even bother running? You're still going to end up as a tiger-skin coat for my aunt anyway. Didn't you just run for nothing? Are you stupid or what?"
The tiger roared, tears of humiliation welling in its eyes, but it was completely powerless against the human riding its back and pummeling it.
It was the majestic king of the forest, yet here it was, pinned down and beaten by a human. It was suffocatingly humiliating, but there was nothing it could do.
But at this point, it had lost all strength to resist; its bones had been broken!
It was a good thing it couldn't understand human speech, or it would probably die of sheer anger. You were chasing me and beating the crap out of me—I'd be the stupid one if I didn't run!
Jiang Jin almost wanted to shed a tear of sympathy for the beast. Of all the people it could have run into, it just had to cross paths with Yun Chengxuan, the king of superhuman strength.
However, she was also amazed by Yun Chengxuan's capabilities. In the original owner's memories, he was known for his great strength, but she hadn't realized it was to this monstrous extent.
Moreover, his reflexes had never been as sharp as they were now.
It seemed that Yun You's training had been highly effective.
After a few more punches from Yun Chengxuan, the tiger finally closed its eyes in resentment and breathed its last.
Yun Chengxuan sat on the tiger's back, panting heavily. He looked at his reddened fists and muttered under his breath, "Tigers really are tough to beat. It ran so fast I almost couldn't catch up."
Speechless, Jiang Jin walked over. "Are you alright?"
Yun Chengxuan hopped off the tiger's back and pointed at the carcass, eagerly asking for praise. "Auntie, your tiger-skin coat!"
Jiang Jin was deeply touched. This child truly treated his aunt well, but it was a pity that...
She stepped forward and grabbed his well-defined, large hand. Seeing that it was only red and the skin wasn't even broken, she finally relaxed and began to lecture him.
"You can't do this anymore. What if there were other wild beasts in the deep mountains? You'd be torn apart and eaten until you were nothing but a pile of mush, understand?"
Yun Chengxuan scratched his head. "Then wouldn't Auntie have even more tiger-skin coats?"
Jiang Jin: "..." She was completely at a loss for words. Forget it, she gave up. Let him think whatever he wants.
She reached out and touched the still-warm tiger. The fur was actually a bit coarse and didn't feel very soft, but tiger skin was known for its excellent insulation.
Yun Chengxuan asked with eyes shining brightly, "How is it, Auntie?"
Seeing his expression, practically begging for a compliment, Jiang Jin smiled. "It's wonderful. You did a great job. But it was too dangerous. Next time, remember to wait for me so we can go together. Alright, let's get ready to head down the mountain."
Yun Chengxuan broke into a wide grin. "Auntie, we haven't caught a bunny yet. I want to eat bunny."
Jiang Jin: "..." She had completely forgotten that they came up the mountain to catch rabbits.
She weighed her words carefully and said, "We don't even know how we're going to get a tiger this big down the mountain, how can we go looking for rabbits? Be a good boy, we'll eat tiger meat later, and we can have bunny some other time."
But Yun Chengxuan steadfastly stuck to his original goal: "Auntie, I want to eat bunny. Bunnies are delicious."
With that, he stepped forward, grabbed the tiger, and started dragging it away. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he stopped in his tracks.
