CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39: THE EXPERT

Night. The cool moonlight shimmered like water, spilling across the expanse of the earth. It flowed into the southwestern sky above Baojiao County. Occasionally, dark clouds would gather, only to scatter again.

After Chen Ku had mastered the third layer of the Skinny Dog Transformation, now possessing a strength of 2,200 pounds, he finished his shift and slipped out of Medicine King Hall, heading straight for the Lian Family’s forest.

He had long desired to slaughter that tiger.

What’s going on? Leaving the city tonight, it feels like the security check is even stricter, he thought.

Indeed, as Chen Ku left the city, he distinctly sensed that today’s security differed from the past, especially at the southern city gate. He wondered, Could it be that something is about to happen in the county? Then, his thoughts shifted. First, I’ll slaughter that tiger and get my first strand of Ferocious Beast Level Evil Qi!

Soon after, he arrived at the Lian Family Medicine Mountain.

"It’s that young man again, coming to forage for herbs every night. Isn’t he afraid of danger?"

Inside the Lian Family’s wooden stockade at the foot of the mountain, the Lian Family servant who had taken Chen Ku’s Eight Hundred Wen in Copper Coins had come to recognize him.

"Indeed. The guards who patrol the mountain every day have mentioned more than once encountering fierce tigers and bears, and there were even rumors of demons in the past... Only the guards who have cultivated Force Power dare to patrol the mountain in groups..."

"Could this kid also possess some powerful skills, since he comes up the mountain at night every time?"

"That’s nonsense. Look at his age; he’s just seventeen or eighteen. How capable could he be? I guess he’s just bold, plus he has no other choice. After all, what endeavor doesn’t risk one’s life? Our Owner’s mountain here is high risk but high reward. Last month alone, two Treasure Herbs were found."

"Only an Herbalist with a high Dao Level could confidently harvest those. Average people spending Eight Hundred Wen each time can hardly make their money back."

"Of course. Our Owner isn’t exactly a great philanthropist."

While the Lian Family servants chatted back and forth in their guard shacks at the foot of the mountain, Chen Ku had already entered the mountain.

If he had heard what these servants were saying, he would have chuckled to himself: Tonight will be my last visit here.

Once he slaughtered that fierce tiger, he wouldn’t have to personally come here every night anymore.

After entering the mountain, dark clouds partially obscured the sky, dimming the moonlight considerably.

An ordinary person would have had to light a torch or find some way to see, but Chen Ku didn’t need anything. Under the dim moonlight, his eyes glowed faintly green, seeing through the dark forest as if it were nothing.

Canine Night Vision!

At the same time, the tip of his nose twitched continually, sniffing out the scent of that evil tiger.

To ensure that he would definitely encounter that evil tiger tonight, Chen Ku deliberately headed deeper into the mountain.

Suddenly, his nose picked up the scent of tiger urine. That’s the scent! That big beast must be nearby!

He sniffed all around, confirming a direction and a suitable place to hide and lay an ambush.

Next, he took a live chicken from the cage on his back, smeared it with Poison, and deliberately cut its neck—not enough to kill it—letting the chicken cluck loudly and flutter about chaotically in the deep mountains.

Chen Ku then hid behind a large bluestone, using some herbs to mask his scent, blending himself into the environment while still sniffing out the tiger’s scent directly ahead.

Although possessing over two thousand pounds of strength, he still preferred the ease of an ambush.

After all, he was human; why would he recklessly engage in a life-or-death struggle with a tiger head-on!

While Chen Ku lay in wait behind the large bluestone, before long, he smelled the scent drawing nearer and nearer, and an invisible sense of pressure in his heart grew increasingly intense...

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the mountain forest, stirring everything.

From that chaotic thicket, a fierce tiger leapt out. It had black stripes on yellow fur, upturned eyes, a white forehead, and the character ’King’ emblazoned on its head, giving it a commanding presence. With one paw, it pinned down the bleeding chicken.

However, it lowered its massive head, sniffed the chicken gently, then released it. It seemed to have detected another scent and let out a terrifying guttural roar...

ROAR.

It seemed to detect the scent of a human—and not just any human, but a familiar one, prey that had eluded its grasp several times before.

Just as it raised its tiger head high, looking around to find the source—

WHOOSH!!

Chen Ku burst forth from behind the bluestone like the wind, leaping onto the tiger’s back and performing Yellow Dog Peeing, striking the great beast in the midsection.

BANG!

It was as if thunder rumbled in the air.

At the same time, his left hand grabbed the scruff of its neck, while his right hand plunged the Bone-chopping Sharp Blade straight into the tiger’s eye!

A single stab, hitting the tiger’s eye!

The series of moves was executed as seamlessly as flowing clouds and water.

ROAR!!!!

The horrific pain was compounded by the sudden attack. With the blade piercing one eye and penetrating halfway into its brain, this king of beasts instantly erupted with terrifying strength. It leaped up from where it stood, trying to throw Chen Ku off.

However, Chen Ku’s current strength of over two thousand pounds was no empty boast. Gripping the scruff of the great beast’s neck, he relentlessly rained down heavy fists, smashing them toward the other eye of the tiger beneath him.

The tiger struggled desperately, letting out despairing wails and roars of agony.

But Chen Ku’s all-out punches and kicks, like a two-ton Big Hammer, kept pounding relentlessly.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Like a heavy hammer beating a drum, blood flowed freely.

Ultimately, Chen Ku held down the tiger, using all his strength to pound down with his fists, punching and kicking!

Finally, after more than a dozen punches, combined with the continuous use of leg techniques and Fist Techniques, he had beaten the tiger’s eyes, ears, and nose until they spurted blood.

[Diagram Master killed a white-foreheaded Fierce Tiger, earning one strand of Ferocious Beast Level Evil Qi.]

[Fierce Tiger Evil Qi (Can be equipped)]

[Diagram Master has met 2/3 of the conditions to unlock the Second Transformation Diagram.]

HUFF! HUFF!

Chen Ku had finally killed the tiger. He exhaled softly, then looked at the body, as large as a bull, and a thought stirred in his heart:

Ambushes are good, ambushes are brilliant! If there’s a ninety-eight percent certainty of a lethal ambush, there’s no need for a head-on confrontation.

Beating a Fierce Tiger to death, while partly due to the ambush, was also an undeniable testament to his strength of over two thousand pounds combined with his perfected Yellow Dog Peeing technique.

A Fierce Tiger... each one has at least two thousand pounds of strength. This Fierce Tiger Evil Qi can Transform too. If I can manifest this Fierce Tiger’s Tiger Arms, then with a swing of my own arms, I’ll have over four thousand pounds of strength!

Chen Ku thought to himself:

At that point, I wonder if, relying solely on four thousand pounds of brute strength, I could instantly crush a Force Transforming expert to death with a sneak attack, perhaps with a single heavy blow?

After collecting the tiger’s Evil Qi and looking at the corpse, of course, it could not be wasted; the entire body was a treasure—Tiger Bones, Tiger Skin, Tiger Whip...

He then carried it down the mountain.

He snuck past the Mountain Guard, as this was tantamount to poaching. After all, according to the landlords’ rules, the mountains were theirs, the medicinal herbs on them were theirs, and naturally, so were the animals within them.

Paying money for collecting herbs meant, naturally, paying money for hunting as well.

Chen Ku had paid the fee for gathering herbs; on what grounds could he carry away such a valuable tiger carcass?

Of course, it was best to slip away stealthily.

After much maneuvering, he finally snuck down the mountain from another side, thanks to Chen Ku’s nose, which allowed him to detect the presence of patrolling guards in advance.

But just as Chen Ku was carrying the tiger’s corpse down the mountain, his Skinny Dog Transformation nose picked up a scent from seven or eight miles away...

Human blood! And not just from one person! The blood of more than ten people! That must be Song Village... So many dead?!

Chen Ku’s face turned gravely serious. What on earth happened there?

Instinct told him. It seems a battle not between ordinary people is happening over there. In just these few breaths, another three people have died... Killing people like reaping grass! What kind of experts are these?!

Chen Ku instinctively wanted to hurry away with the tiger carcass. But then a thought crossed his mind, an urge he couldn’t suppress: his fortune had changed the last time he obtained a Martial Arts Manual by looting corpses.

Perhaps I should let Skinny Dog go take a look... he thought. If they’ve both suffered greatly, it might be another opportunity for me.

With this in mind, a stream of white qi shot out from between his eyebrows, transforming into a white-furred Skinny Dog that crept swiftly in that direction.

If there’s something to gain, I’ll take it; if not, I’ll withdraw.