The fierce tiger spirit, Lu Shan Jun, didn’t bother to pounce again. He merely stalked towards the remaining five people, step by step.

This was not at all an enemy they could match. Thinking back to the strange movement of the tiger just now, and comparing their own movement skills and Qinggong,¹ even escaping seemed like it would be difficult.

Lu Shan Jun’s subvocal, beastly hissing grew heavier and louder, his mouth opened wide to reveal long fangs, and a demonic aura began to wrap around Lu Chengfeng and the rest of the warriors. They felt an enormous sense of oppression.

The pressure exuded by this ferocious tiger was far higher than any martial arts master they had faced before. The remaining few lost all courage to resist, let alone take care of their four downed companions.

“Ba-dum… Ba-dum…”

Lu Chengfeng’s heart beat rapidly and he was breathing hard. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as his mind went blank.

He was closest to the tiger, and he could smell the beast’s pungent breath.

“Creak… creak… creak…”

Seeing the tiger spirit getting closer and closer, Lu Chengfeng clenched his fists tightly and assumed the Lu family’s boxing stance. He couldn’t just wait to die. He would put up a fight even if he knew he would lose. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yu Guangzong and the other three of his companions follow his lead and take up their respective stances.

“Hey… This is the first time I’ve met a martial artist. If it weren’t for my teacher’s guidance, I would have liked to see whether your flesh tastes better than ordinary humans.”

The approaching tiger licked his chops as he spoke, practically drooling.

“It’s such a pity to suffer such a misfortune in these mountains.”²

Lu Shan Jun had already seen through the five people’s tough acts, and knew that they were already scared to death, and thus even more vulnerable.

But upon hearing Lu Shan Jun’s words, the beggar’s advice from earlier flashed through Lu Chengfeng’s mind like lightning.

“ROOOAAR-“

Just as the tiger roared and opened his mouth, Lu Chengfeng shouted that sentence as fast and as loudly as he could.

“We know Mr. Ji!!”

As Lu Chengfeng finished his words, he opened his eyes to find the tiger’s jaws inches away from his face. He could feel the tiger’s warm breath.

“Mr. Ji? Have you been to the Mountain Temple?”

“Yes, yes!”

Lu Chengfeng didn’t dare to move, but he quickly replied.

“We met the beggar inside the temple. He advised us not to try to hunt the man-eating tiger, and also told us that the tiger in the mountains had already become a spirit, but we didn’t listen… Still, when we departed, he told me that if we were ever in a critical situation, we should shout that we know Mr. Ji!”

Although he was trembling slightly, Lu Chengfeng still spoke rapidly and finished his explanation.

If Ji Yuan were here, he would have already begun cursing out Lu Chengfeng for blabbing about some dramatic made up story.³ Could he please stop being so blunt?

Now, the remaining five people all knew their life and death depended on the tiger’s decision, and they hardly dared to breathe as they waited for his verdict.

“Whoosh…Whooo…”

The mountain wind swelled and ebbed, seemingly reflecting the tiger spirit’s thought progression. When his luminescent green eyes turned back to Lu Chengfeng, the latter inexplicably felt that the killing intent in his gaze had notably reduced.

“Since it was advice left to you by Mr. Ji, I will naturally consider it carefully. However, you may be attempting to deceive me. Take me to the mountain temple to ask Mr. Ji in person!”

Lu Chengfeng breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the man was still inside the mountain temple, there shouldn’t be a problem.

After obtaining the tiger spirit’s approval, the remaining five hurried to find their four critically injured companions, then headed back towards the mountain temple, carrying the others. However, this time, they were followed by a big, eye-catching tiger. They couldn’t see him when they turned around, but they knew he was following them closely.

Yan Fei and the others were not yet dead. Their physical foundation had been built up through martial arts practice since childhood. An ordinary person’s body would have long since gone cold. Although they had to be carried, spat out blood every so often, and looked to be in a critical state, their internal force had sealed off their vitals. As long as they could get medical treatment in time, there was a large chance of survival.

At this moment, Ji Yuan was still wondering whether the nine people were alive or dead, and whether they would somehow succeed. Suddenly, he heard the footsteps of the returning heroes, followed by the soft sound of the tiger’s paw-steps behind them.

In an instant, he felt as if hundreds of thousands of alpacas were galloping in his heart,⁴ Ji Yuan immediately and thoroughly cursed all of the warriors’ ancestors.

‘Those bastards, may they suffer a thousand blows! They brought back that damn Lu Shan Jun!’

Was Ji Yuan panicking? Absolutely!

But Ji Yuan didn’t dare show it. After going over several possibilities, he still thought it best to maintain his aloof demeanor.

When Lu Chengfeng and the others spotted the mountain temple and the unextinguished fire inside that still flickered, a strong hope was born in their hearts. They all quickened their pace, but a dark shadow was one step ahead of them.

The tiger spirit leaped from behind, jumping over several startled young warriors, and landed just outside the eaves of the mountain temple. The group now behind him immediately stopped, and didn’t dare move casually.

In the temple, Ji Yuan’s mental state wasn’t much better than theirs. His sight had improved from last time, and through his blurred vision, he could vaguely make out what looked to be smoke-like tendrils emanating from the tiger’s enormous body.

At this moment, under Lu Chengfeng and the group’s disbelieving eyes, the tiger spirit actually sat up on his hind legs and pressed his paws together in a salute.

“Lu Shan Jun greets Mr. Ji!”

Several people’s eyes widened, and they were so stunned they briefly forgot their fear. The tiger spirit actually respectfully greeted the beggar in the temple. Although it looked awkward because of the tiger’s body attempting a human salute, the respect in the action was clear, as if the tiger had been taught by a master in a formal academy.

Inside the temple, Ji Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that he could resolve this situation with words alone!

“There’s no need to be so polite, Lu Shan Jun. I apologize for not being able to greet you, as I am ill.”

“I don’t dare disturb you, Sir.”

The fierce tiger glanced at Lu Chengfeng and his group, then lowered his forelimbs and looked towards the temple with narrowed eyes.

“I came here this time because I, Lu Shan Jun, am confused. I was hoping you, sir, would be able to help clear my doubts!”

The tiger spirit didn’t mention anything about what the warriors had said, or whether he believed they had lied to him, and neither Lu Chengfeng nor his companions dared to interject.

“Tell me.”

What else could Ji Yuan do, tell him to stop talking? He didn’t dare!

“Sir’s previous teachings helped me gain clarity. The practice of cultivation is like the path of morality. One must be honorable and avoid doing evil. One must follow the path of righteousness and never waver. Finally, to have a righteous heart, one must have a clear mind. Tonight, these nine people prepared an ambush to surround and kill me. Had I been an ordinary tiger, they would surely have succeeded. Since they have approached me with the intent to kill, I can kill them without hindering the righteousness of my body and mind. In that case, why did you, Sir, leave a message to save them?”

Damn, you’re a tiger spirit, why are you so perceptive…

Ji Yuan realized that his bluff yesterday did indeed match the tiger spirit’s words. He himself had not been able to express it clearly, so his words had been vague, not at all close to Lu Shan Jun’s thorough level of comprehension.

Now that Lu Shan Jun was asking him why he had chosen to save the warriors, he couldn’t just say that he was afraid no one would take him down the mountain. He needed to give an appropriate answer, otherwise there might be dire consequences.

Ji Yuan, who seemed to be pondering his words, actually had no clue and wanted to scratch his head. He thought hard and finally came up with an idea for how to answer.

1. Friendly reminder that this is a Chinese martial arts training to jump up vertical surfaces. 😀 ↩︎
2. Unclear whether LS is talking about how unfortunate it is for the warriors to have encountered him, or whether he’s saying that it’s a pity he can’t eat them. ↩︎
3. Lit: “spraying some dog-blood drama” ↩︎
4. 十万只羊驼奔腾 Yes, this is literally what it is in the raws. No, I could not find a corresponding idiom/proverb. Yes, I checked. You could just replace it with “a herd of horses,” but… Alpacas! XD — EDIT: Thank you Kichi!!! “this is a multilayered metaphor for swearing internally. The slang term grass mud horses is a homophone for motherf*cker, and these creatures have been categorized as a species of alpaca. So thousands of galloping alpacas is vivid and SFW swearing” ↩︎

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read