Chapter 6: Shipwreck
Withstood a fierce strike from the tiger's claw, the right arm was not idle, executing the move "Ten Thousand Willows Welcoming the Wind," swiftly launching three punches aimed at the tiger's forehead
What a wonderful child, how could heaven be so cruel
Mr. Fang has been gone for two months, and Mo Ran is finding it very difficult to adjust. For the past eight years, he has engaged in daily sparring with Mr. Fang, practiced according to Mr. Fang's prescribed routines, and exchanged banter with him during leisure time, often belittling each other. These activities had long become an indispensable part of his life. Suddenly being alone, Mo Ran appears quite unnatural, speaking much less than before. Even the neighbors in the village have noticed Mo Ran's unusual behavior.
"It was it that pounced over first." Hearing the unfriendly tone in the young man's voice, Mo Ran desperately defended himself.
Indeed, having lost my parents at a young age, I finally found someone to rely on, only to become an orphan again in just a few years
Upon hearing the young man's words, Mo Ran nearly lost his breath and immediately retorted: "Your tiger wants to eat me, and I am not allowed to fight back? Is there no law in this world? Am I just supposed to stand here and let your tiger devour me?"
Kind-hearted Mrs. Chen originally wanted to have Mo Ran eat all three meals at her home, but Mo Ran politely declined. Mo Ran understood that Mrs. Chen's family did not have much land and was not wealthy. Moreover, since Mr. Chen needed medical treatment, any surplus grain had long been exchanged for medicine.
The wild rabbit seemed to be familiar with the terrain; whenever Mo Ran was about to catch it, the rabbit always managed to evade him by using the trees and puddles. Thus, a chase unfolded between the person and the rabbit in the woods. It was unclear how far they had chased, but Mo Ran saw the wild rabbit dart ahead and disappear behind a large tree. By the time Mo Ran reached the spot, the rabbit had vanished without a trace.
Alas... poor child
However, Mo Ran's physical strength could not compare to that of such a formidable beast. The good times did not last long; Mo Ran's forehead was already drenched in sweat, and the depletion of his stamina caused a sharp decline in his speed
Pong, pong, pong
And the book is dead!
Thus, one person and one tiger faced each other, neither moving.
During the day, Mo Ran would help Old Lady Chen chop some firewood and tidy up the yard. Sometimes, he would also have a meal at her house. The rest of his time was entirely devoted to practicing his skills. However, ever since he was struck by lightning last time, that strange purple inner energy had not shown any unusual activity; it remained stable in Mo Ran's purple dantian. Regarding this, Mo Ran felt quite helpless.
With a loud bang, Mo Ran was struck again. Blood spurted out on the spot, and he flew forward, rolling down the steep slope ahead.
Finally, Mo Ran could no longer run, and he stopped with his back against a large tree, gasping for breath.
How is he supposed to live? He is only ten years old
Ah... no longer avoiding, Mo then forcefully kicked back against the sturdy tree trunk, using the momentum to pounce forward at the fierce tiger.
Sigh... Old Fang was never kind to Xiaoran, often hitting and scolding him for no reason. This child has suffered quite a bit.
"You have harmed my Bai Ling; you deserve to die." The young man suddenly unleashed a powerful aura.
The reason for being complacent lies in the fact that when observing Mo Ran previously, the youth did not detect any energy fluctuations from him at all. He felt that Mo Ran was merely a martial artist with some superficial skills, only slightly stronger than an ordinary person, and not even worthy of being called an acquired martial artist.
Suddenly, a massive figure sprang out from the dense forest ahead. Mo Ran rubbed his eyes and focused his gaze. He saw, about twenty meters in front of him, a gigantic white tiger. This tiger was somewhat different from an ordinary one; it was entirely snow-white, with only five black stripes on its back. Its enormous mouth displayed two teeth, each about half a meter long, protruding upward at an angle. A large character "王" was prominently visible on its forehead. This tiger was somewhat different from an ordinary one; it was entirely snow-white, with only five black stripes on its back. Its enormous mouth displayed two teeth, each about half a meter long, protruding upward at an angle. A large character "王" was prominently visible on its forehead.
Indeed, perhaps the old man's departure is not a bad thing for Xiaoran
The young man approached the fierce tiger, gently extending a hand to stroke its massive head, and smiled, saying, "What’s wrong, Bai Ling?" At that moment, the tiger no longer bore any trace of its earlier fierce and proud demeanor; it was as docile as a kitten, seemingly enjoying the young man's caress, lowering its head and blinking its eyes at him.
The fierce tiger chased after him, fixating on Mo Ran, but did not pounce. Instead, it seemed to mock and play with him, simply watching. This made Mo Ran quite displeased. "Damn it, am I really this unlucky?" he cursed at the heavens, as he stared at the tiger.
"I can't believe it... whose cat has grown this big?" Mo Ran was startled by the sudden appearance of the fierce tiger
It is settled
Boom
Did not die? The young man was momentarily taken aback, realizing that the boy who had been struck away by his "Flame Palm" was not dead. It seemed that his injuries were not severe, and he even had the speed to escape like this
After looking around for a while, I found no trace of the wild rabbit. Reluctantly, I decided to turn around and head back.
However, it was precisely because of this illusion that Mo Ran was given the opportunity to escape
At the moment when Mo Ran felt a sense of wonder, a young man slowly emerged from the depths of the dense forest. The young man was of medium build, with a face like jade, long hair cascading over his shoulders, dressed in a white robe, and holding a milky-white jade ruler in his hand. He appeared so graceful and natural, exuding an air of elegance.
Passing by Moran's yard, the neighbors felt a deep sympathy for the child who often sat in a daze in the yard over the past few days
Hearing Mo Ran refer to his own spirit beast as a beast, the young man felt a surge of anger in his heart. He shouted loudly, and his white robe billowed as his internal energy surged. Then, the young man extended his palm, as white as jade, and a ball of icy white flame condensed above his hand.
The fierce tiger shook its head and then opened its massive, blood-stained mouth to let out a low growl at Mo Ran
For the past two months, the neighbors in the village who have surplus grain have sent it to Mo Ran, albeit in small amounts. This gesture, though modest, indicates that the villagers care for Mo Ran. However, since everyone's living conditions are quite similar, the help they can provide is limited. At times, Mo Ran can only go up the mountain to hunt for game, returning to cure some meat, which can be dried into jerky to make do with when there is no grain available.
The young man followed and looked down, unable to see the bottom; it was estimated that just below the slope was a cliff, and that boy was undoubtedly doomed. Without investigating further, he turned and rode off on the white tiger, speeding away.
The fierce tiger swung its forepaw towards Mo Ran, and in that instant, Mo Ran suddenly felt an unparalleled clarity of mind. The purple energy within his Purple Palace Dantian was no longer calm; it surged wildly outwards, rapidly filling his entire body’s meridians and skin. He accurately assessed the direction of the tiger's paw as it came crashing down and forcefully raised his left arm to meet it.
Moments later, the tiger seemed to sense something, suddenly stepping back a few paces, turning its massive body, and crouching on the ground as if waiting for something
Damn! Want to run? Mo Ran suddenly spread his legs and chased forward
In this pounce, the fierce tiger failed to catch its prey and was momentarily taken aback. However, it soon let out another roar and lunged at Mo Ran once more. Mo Ran exerted all his strength, rolling like a donkey and climbing like a monkey, dodging left and right. Due to the tiger's massive size, it found it difficult to maneuver in the dense forest. Coupled with Mo Ran's peculiar speed and agile reflexes, the tiger was unable to even graze Mo Ran.
At a critical moment, Mo Ran unleashed an astonishing potential, driving the fierce tiger back and temporarily preserving his own life. However, he did not escape unscathed; after receiving a blow from the tiger's claw, two deep gashes appeared on Mo Ran's left arm, a sight that was both shocking and distressing.
"It is much more noble than you," he said disdainfully, casting a glance at Mo Ran. In the eyes of the young man, this boy, who could not even be considered a postnatal warrior, was certainly not as noble as his spirit beast.
With a roar, the fierce tiger lunged towards Mo Ran, its gaping maw exhaling a foul stench that blew onto Mo Ran's face, making him feel nauseous. However, this was not the time to vomit. As the tiger pounced, Mo Ran rolled to the side to evade it. Although he had not yet learned to harness internal energy, after eight years of training under Old Fang's "Poisonous Stick Technique," Mo Ran's reflexes and agility were far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Feeling the momentum exuded by the young man, Mo Ran found himself almost breathless, secretly thinking that this young man's strength was extraordinary, likely not much lower than that of Elder Fang. Judging by his age, he should be around twenty years old. How could he be so formidable
Just as Mo Ran turned to leave, a sudden roar echoed from the dense forest, shaking his eardrums as if they were about to tear apart, causing the surrounding branches to rise and the leaves to fall to the ground.
Mo Ran only felt a flash before his eyes, and by the time he reacted, the young man's palm, enveloped in white flames, had struck his chest. He felt a scorching current wrap around him, and Mo Ran felt as if his entire body was being seared by flames, making him extremely uncomfortable
With a sound of "peng," a mouthful of fresh blood spurted from Mo Ran's mouth, and his body was propelled backward for more than ten meters, crashing into two small trees before heavily falling to the ground
Something happened. After finishing his meal, he suddenly put down the axe in his hand, leaned against the surrounding large trees for cover, and stealthily approached the wild rabbit. Just as he was very close to the rabbit, it seemed to have sensed him, and with a powerful push of its hind legs, it darted away into the depths of the forest
Is it really this unfortunate? A shiver involuntarily ran through Mo Ran's heart
The young man turned around, sizing up Mo Ran from head to toe, and asked in a hostile tone: "Did you hurt Bai Ling?"
A person and a tiger fell from the sky, crossing paths in mid-air. The fierce tiger shook its massive head, baring its teeth as it looked at the human before it, feeling a mix of confusion and fear. It had not expected that such a frail human could pose a threat to it. For a moment, both the tiger and the person stood there, at a loss, without taking any further action.
The young man stood still, raising both hands. Two streams of icy white flames erupted, and with a circular motion of his hands, he shouted "Hah!" Two currents of flame surged forward, striking Mo Ran's back.
"Does he possess some kind of protective treasure?" The young man couldn't help but feel enraged as he watched Mo Ran flee at high speed
Three punches struck squarely on the forehead of the fierce tiger
On this day, Mo Ran followed his usual practice of going up the mountain to chop firewood. Halfway through, he suddenly noticed a wild rabbit hopping in front of him.
Those who can help should lend a hand to that child
"Oh? You are injured?" Suddenly looking at the faint bruise on the tiger's forehead, the young man furrowed his sword-like brows.
"What nonsense theory is this? Are animals more noble than humans?" Moran shouted at the young man, clearly very angry.
Looking at Mo Ran, who had fallen to the ground, the young man revealed a faint smile of triumph at the corner of his mouth. With this strike, even if Mo Ran did not die, he would be nearly finished. Just as the young man was secretly pleased with himself, to his surprise, Mo Ran's body, which had just hit the ground, suddenly sprang up and, without looking back, darted away into the distance under the young man's astonished gaze
With his eyes fixed on the somewhat playful tiger, unable to endure the fear it instilled in him any longer, Mo Ran displayed a fierce expression for the first time in his life and shouted at the tiger: "Have you seen enough? If you want to eat, come on."
As Mo Ran's words fell, the fierce tiger seemed to understand what he said, and could not tolerate this human who dared to challenge its authority, lunging at him once more
Since learning of Elder Fang's passing, Mo Ran has become the subject of discussion among the villagers. They simply cannot imagine how a mere ten-year-old child could survive alone. Those unaware of the circumstances are even more outraged by Elder Fang's act of abandoning Mo Ran.
So fast. It was too late to evade; Mo Ran resolutely clenched his fists, exerting all his strength to retreat backward while simultaneously raising his arms to cross in front of his chest