Chapter 8, Killing the Tiger
Gao Cheng's eyes suddenly brightened, and he swiftly drew his bow and nocked an arrow. Whoosh! A streak of light shot out, and with a soft thud, it embedded itself in a thicket. It seemed to have struck something.
The tiger is the king of the jungle, and many of its parts are valuable for assisting warriors in their training. Among these, tiger meat and tiger blood nourish vital energy and blood, while tiger bones strengthen the skeleton. Tiger tendons and tiger skin can be used to make leather armor and crossbows. A fierce tiger is worth thousands of coins
A low, deep roar echoed, as the wind howled like a tiger and the clouds swirled like a dragon. A fierce gust of wind rushed in, and before anyone could react, a fierce tiger with distinctive white markings leaped out from the thicket, its mouth stained with blood. It seemed that someone had already fallen victim to the tiger's jaws.
The tiger is the king of all beasts, the sovereign of the jungle. Its mere mention instills fear. The faces of the other individuals turned pale instantly, terrified to the point of losing their composure, nearly dropping their long spears and turning to flee.
The circular formation is one of the ten formations devised by Sun Bin, serving as a fundamental military array with outstanding defensive capabilities. At this moment, Gao Tai and others formed a circular formation, standing shoulder to shoulder while wielding long spears, which provided some hope of withstanding the fierce tiger's assault
The fierce tiger, in its dying struggle, shook its head, and with a crack, the long spear broke, sending Gao Tai and Zhang Chen flying far away. Fortunately, the fierce tiger, having sustained fatal injuries and on the verge of death, did not inflict significant harm on the two.
He drew the bow and nocked the arrow, his attention intensely focused. At this moment, all external sounds seemed to be far away. The fierce tiger confronting Gao Tai and others came into his view, its body appearing as if magnified tenfold, with its fur, sharp claws, and the feathered arrow embedded in its right front leg vividly clear in his eyes
Gao Cheng called out in a low voice, the feathered arrow pierced through the air, tracing a mysterious arc in the sky. With a soft thud, it embedded itself in one of the fierce tiger's eyes. At this critical moment, the visual enhancement brought by the first layer of the Zhi Xu Jing enabled him to hit this fatal shot.
Give me China
Roar! The fierce tiger let out a deafening cry, as this feathered arrow not only blinded one of its eyes but also injured its brain. Upon witnessing this, Gao Tai rushed out together with Zhang Chen, thrusting their long spears, which plunged fiercely into the tiger's head
Do not act recklessly, quickly form a circular formation! Gao Cheng focused his mind and forcefully calmed his spirit, clearing his thoughts, and immediately began to command loudly.
Seeing that Gao Tai and Zhang Chen were not seriously injured, Gao Cheng finally felt relieved. He then quickly approached the body of the fierce tiger, took out a water pouch from his bosom, and collected a full pouch of the tiger's heart blood.
Gao Cheng adjusted his disordered breathing in the tree, practicing the meditation technique of Zhi Xu Jing, which enhances mental strength, allowing him to maintain a semblance of calm in the face of danger
Gao Cheng quickly jumped down from the tree and came to Gao Tai and Zhang Chen's side to check on their injuries. "Uncle Gao, how are you? Are you injured?"
Damn beast! Anger surged within Gao Cheng as he fiercely drew the horned python bow into a full moon shape, releasing his right hand. A flash of lightning streaked by, and the feathered arrow whistled out, piercing into the right front leg of the fierce tiger
In the sparse forest, low shrubs are scattered everywhere. Fifty individuals are searching dispersedly under the leadership of five squad leaders. The scorching sunlight falls from the sky, illuminating patches of leaves. With the leaves overhead providing cover, the forest becomes significantly cooler.
Gao Tai swung the iron knife in his hand, swiftly cutting through the thorns before him to clear a path. He felt a great sense of joy in his heart. He had a basic understanding of archery and knew that mastering the bow and arrow was not easy. To his surprise, the young master was able to hunt several game in the mountains just two or three days after acquiring the longbow
With a hearty laugh, Wan Ju stepped forward and pulled out a wild rabbit that had been struck by an arrow from the bushes, exclaiming, "Young master, your archery skills are truly impressive!"
Roar! The fierce tiger let out a painful roar and shifted its target, pouncing towards Gao Cheng. Upon seeing this, Gao Cheng hurriedly ran to a large tree not far away and quickly climbed up using both his hands and feet.
Gao Cheng retrieved his bow and arrow, thinking to himself: "The practice of the Linzhuang skill requires a substantial amount of food, as it is necessary to replenish the body's vital energy and blood through nourishment. These few prey are sufficient for both Gao Tai and me for two days of training"
However, the others were already terrified by the tiger, their hands and feet trembling, their minds blank, and they did not hear Gao Cheng's voice at all
Everyone, do not panic. Turning to flee at this moment will only make us prey for the fierce tiger. Let us form a circular formation. Young master still has a bow and arrows in hand; this beast cannot harm us!
At this moment, if everyone turns to flee, it will only allow the tiger to devour them one by one. However, if they form a line and use long spears to thrust, perhaps this tiger will have some reservations.
Zhang Chen and Wan Ju also understood that at this moment, everyone could not disperse. They said, "Brother Gao, rest assured, everyone knows the gravity of the situation and will definitely not act recklessly at this time"
Gao Tai coughed twice, spitting out a mouthful of saliva tinged with blood, and struggled to rise from the ground. "We are fine, young master. The fierce tiger is dead. Quickly go and collect its heart's warm blood; this is an excellent tonic for nourishing one's vital energy and assisting in cultivation!"
Wan Ju let out a loud shout, saying: "Brothers, let us charge together and kill this beast!"
A rustling sound approached from afar, accompanied by the swift whoosh of the wind. Gao Tai's nose twitched as he caught a whiff of a bloody scent, his expression changing dramatically. He quickly shouted, "Everyone be careful, there is a tiger in the forest"
With such a rapid pace of cultivation, it will not be long before Gao Cheng becomes a master archer who never misses his target
Wan Ju and Zhang Chen also regained their composure and quickly called out to the others to gather towards a clearing in the thicket. However, their speed was still slow. Suddenly, a fierce tiger, its eyes glowing red, roared and charged over at an incredible speed, directly pouncing on a soldier and knocking him to the ground. With a swift bite, the tiger severed the man's neck, blood splattering everywhere
With a sharp sound, the fierce tiger pounced onto the trunk of the large tree, its claws leaving deep marks on the surface. Taking advantage of the moment when Gao Cheng used his bow and arrow to restrain the tiger, the others finally formed a circular formation of spears under the repeated shouts of Gao Tai, Zhang Chen, and others
Suddenly, he twitched his ear, as if he heard a faint sound coming from the distant jungle. He raised his right hand, and everyone saw his gesture and quickly halted their steps
Gao Tai and Zhang Chen also displayed smiles on their faces, having searched for more than half an hour in the woods on one side of the road. Gao Cheng, holding a bow and arrow, took the opportunity to shoot down quite a number of prey. These are all meat, enough for ten people to have a hearty meal.
Gao Tai had previous experience in hunting and was aware of the terror posed by tigers in the jungle. Even seasoned hunters who frequently hunted in the jungle would only meet death when encountering a tiger. Upon hearing Gao Cheng's voice, he suddenly came to his senses and exclaimed: "What the young master said is correct, everyone quickly form ranks, only in this way can we deal with the tiger!"
Seeing the fierce tiger on the verge of death, several other soldiers rallied their remaining strength, each wielding their guns under the leadership of Wan Ju, and stabbed the tiger, creating several bloody wounds on its body. After being struck again, the fierce tiger finally lost its strength, let out a roar with unwilling eyes, its breath quickly fading, and it collapsed on the ground, motionless.
The fierce tiger wanted to climb the tree but could not manage to do so. Turning its head, it sought to kill others first, only to find that the crowd was armed with long spears, forming a circular formation. No matter from which direction it pounced, it could be pierced by the spears. The tiger growled softly, circling around the circular spear formation, trying to find a flaw in the arrangement.