Chapter 14 Treacherous

Words : 2637 Updated : Oct 8th, 2023

"Brother, be careful!" A voice suddenly called out from the forest, coming from the hidden archer. After killing one of the hunters, the Iron-Tail Tiger ferociously charged towards the strongest man among them, the burly leader. "Rumble..." The Iron-Tail Tiger was vicious, with claws that could tear through trees with ease. Despite the burly man's strength as an Eighth-level Lian Ti Realm warrior, he was struggling to survive against the beast. The attacks from the rest of the group barely slowed the tiger down. Their ordinary weapons clanged uselessly against its tough hide, failing to inflict any significant damage. Only the initial sneak attack had managed to injure the tiger, hitting its vulnerable neck. "Everyone, run! This beast is too powerful!" the burly man roared, pushing his inner energy to the limit. "I'll cover the retreat!" "Mountsplitter!" With a loud shout, the man swung his axes, creating a sharp gust of wind as they sliced through the air, aimed directly at the tiger's head. "Boom!" The Iron-Tail Tiger staggered back, its forehead bleeding from the force of the blow. However, the man paid a heavy price. The tiger's tail had lashed out, breaking several bones in his waist, leaving his body a bloody mess. "Brother!" the others cried out in horror. "Don't worry about me, just run!" The burly man gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand, determined to buy time for his comrades to escape. Arrows continued to fly from the hidden archer, trying to distract the tiger and give the man some breathing room. "Crash!" The burly man clashed with the tiger again, but this time the impact sent him flying. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the tiger, ignoring the arrows piercing its skin, fixed its blood-red gaze on the fallen warrior, preparing to strike a fatal blow. Everything happened in a flash. From the moment the man named Leif had been killed, only a few brief seconds had passed. Stanley, though no stranger to the violence of hunting, had never seen someone die right before his eyes. "Die, beast!" Stanley moved swiftly, activating his One-inch Kick technique. His body blurred, and he kicked at the tiger's head while still mid-air. "Bang!" A powerful force reverberated through his foot as he was thrown back, but he flipped mid-air and landed several meters away with ease. "Roar!" The Iron-Tail Tiger howled in pain, glaring fiercely at the boy who had just struck it. It could feel that its skull had nearly been shattered by the human's kick. The burly man, who had thought he was about to die, stared in shock. The terrifying tiger, which had nearly killed him, now seemed wary of this young boy who had appeared out of nowhere. The tiger's attention was fully focused on Stanley now. Unlike ordinary beasts, powerful monsters like this had developed a certain level of intelligence. Instinct told the tiger that this boy was a serious threat. Seeing his chance, the burly man rushed to Stanley's side, standing with him against the tiger. "Dude, thank you for saving my life. My name is Joyce Yuan." The burly man cupped his hands in gratitude. "Let's finish this tiger off first," Stanley nodded. "Roar!" Before they could say more, the Iron-Tail Tiger attacked again. Stanley swiftly dodged using his One-inch Kick, a technique he had already mastered. "Mountsplitter!" Joyce roared again, swinging his axe at the tiger's side. Despite his best efforts and all his strength, his strike barely left a scratch on the beast's tough hide. Stanley's One-inch Kick allowed him to observe the tiger's life force with precision. Every movement of the beast's life threads was clear to him. "Fierce Tiger Strike!" With a sudden leap, Stanley punched the tiger directly in the head, sending a rush of inner energy howling through the air. "Bang!" The punch landed on the same spot as before, and the sound of bones cracking echoed. The tiger staggered backward, dazed, with stars flashing in its vision. Joyce stood stunned, watching in disbelief. He, a seasoned warrior with all his strength, had barely hurt the beast, yet this young boy had nearly shattered the tiger's skull with his bare fists. "Soaring Dragon Style!" Stanley's body twisted in mid-air, and with lightning speed, both his fists crashed down on the tiger's skull once more. "Boom!" This time, the Iron-Tail Tiger had no chance to react. Stanley's powerful Dragon and Tiger Boxing technique, combined with his mastery of life force manipulation, shattered the tiger's skull entirely. With a final, pitiful cry, the giant beast collapsed to the ground, dead. "Not bad for a peak-level first-rank beast. It took three direct hits to bring it down," Stanley thought, knowing full well that his raw strength was still no match for the tiger. He had relied on his precise control of life force and his perfected techniques to win. As the Iron-Tail Tiger lay dead, the remaining hunters cautiously approached. They had run when the fight intensified but now crept back to check on Joyce. Suddenly, Stanley felt a dangerous presence. Ever since he had fused with the Life and Death Bead, his senses had become incredibly sharp. He immediately realized that the archer, still hidden, was aiming directly at him. "Brother, this kid's inner energy is only at the sixth-level Lian Ti Realm." "We've already lost Leif for this tiger. We can't let this kid take the prize." Stanley overheard bits of their whispered conversation, and his expression darkened. He smirked coldly and said, "I killed this tiger." "Hmph, you might have landed the final blow, but without our brother, a brat like you wouldn't stand a chance against this Iron-Tail Tiger," one of the hunters sneered. "Yun Wang, shut your mouth!" Joyce barked, glaring at his comrade. "If it weren't for this young brother, I would have died to that beast's claws." Joyce stepped forward and cupped his fists, bowing to Stanley. "You saved my life. I won't forget this debt of gratitude. The Iron-Tail Tiger is yours to handle as you see fit." Stanley nodded, feeling some respect for Joyce. After all, the tiger's remains were worth at least tens of thousands of silver taels. If these men had tried to take it from him, it would have caused some trouble. He wasn't afraid, but it would've been a hassle he preferred to avoid. "Joyce, you're an idiot!" Yun Wang's eyes flickered with discontent. To him, even if this kid had saved Joyce, it didn't mean they should give up such a valuable prize. It was common for hunting teams to fight over valuable spoils, and this kid was just a mere sixth-level Lian Ti Realm novice. What was there to fear? "Let's go!" Joyce gave Stanley a respectful nod and led his group away, carrying their fallen comrade's body. As they left, Joyce gave Yun Wang a sharp glance and said in a low voice, "I know what you're thinking, but let me tell you, that boy is not ordinary. He killed the Iron-Tail Tiger, and that's no small feat. He could very well be from one of the influential families in Qing Yun City, and he's not someone we can afford to offend." Yun Wang grudgingly responded, "Yes, brother, you're right." But inwardly, he remained unsatisfied. He thought Joyce was being overly cautious. "I know you like to scheme, but you need to use your brain in the right way," Joyce continued with a warning tone. "I've been injured from the battle with that beast, so we need to find a place to rest. We'll likely spend the night in the forest." The group looked exhausted and disheartened after the hunt for the Iron-Tail Tiger had ended in failure. They had lost a member and gained nothing for their trouble. Later, the team found a safe spot to rest and recover. Joyce leaned against a tree and tore open his shirt to inspect his wounds. His skin was torn and bloody, but fortunately, none of his bones were broken. He applied some healing salve and thought to himself, "That boy... How could someone at the sixth-level Lian Ti Realm take down an Iron-Tail Tiger with just two punches?" Joyce knew that without Stanley's sudden intervention, they wouldn't have been able to kill the tiger. He himself might have even met his end. As an Eighth-level Lian Ti Realm warrior, Joyce began circulating his inner energy, and his wounds healed quickly with the help of the salve. "Hmm? Where are Yun Wang and Hyman?" Joyce asked as he looked around, realizing that two of his men were missing. "Yun Wang said he was going to scout for nearby prey," someone answered. "Dammit!" Joyce's face darkened. With his experience and knowledge of Yun Wang, he immediately understood what was going on. "That bastard Yun Wang must have been tempted by the tiger's materials and taken Hyman with him to murder Stanley and steal the spoils. This is bad!" ... Back in the forest, Stanley stood beside the fallen Iron-Tail Tiger, its large corpse too heavy for him to carry in full. He used his inner energy to infuse his Azure Sword and skillfully skinned the tiger. The hide was mostly intact, with only a few gashes from Joyce's axe, and it would fetch a good price. In addition to the hide, Stanley harvested the bones, heart blood, tiger teeth, and, most valuable of all, the tiger's iron-like tail, which could be used to craft a lower-grade human-tier battle weapon. With the valuable materials packed into his bag, Stanley's load was now full to the brim. He glanced at the sky, realizing it would be difficult to make it back to Qing Yun City before sunset, meaning he'd have to spend the night in the forest and return at dawn. The Shui Wu Mountain area was mostly inhabited by wild beasts rather than monsters, but as night fell, the forest became far more dangerous. Stanley needed to find a safe place to rest before darkness fully descended. "Thwang!" The sudden sound of a bowstring vibrating cut through the silence of the forest. Stanley's pupils contracted. He sensed a sharp wind approaching from behind, aimed at his head. He quickly sidestepped, and the arrow embedded itself into a nearby tree, its fletching still quivering. Spreading out his senses, Stanley detected two life forces nearby. Not far away, a short, dark-skinned youth held a longbow, his expression cold as he looked at Stanley. Simultaneously, Yun Wang stepped out from behind another tree, sword in hand. "What's the meaning of this?" Stanley asked coldly. "Don't play dumb, kid. Leave your bag and sword, and we'll let you walk away," Yun Wang sneered, holding his sword at the ready. "What if I don't?" Stanley's eyes flashed with cold anger. He had saved these people, and yet here they were, shamelessly trying to rob him. From his keen perception, Stanley knew only Yun Wang and the archer were nearby—Joyce and the other two weren't with them. It didn't take long for Stanley to realize these two had acted on their own, driven by greed. The materials from the Iron-Tail Tiger were worth tens of thousands of silver taels—enough to make Lian Ti Realm warriors take such a risk. Stanley finally understood that human heart is more treacherous than anything else.

Chapter 14 Treacherous

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