Chapter 27: The Strange Tiger

  But unfortunately, misfortune always comes quietly when people are most happy. And unknowingly, a high mountain appeared in front of himself and Liu Lan. And with great enthusiasm, Xiao Chen impulsively made a bold statement to Liu Lan that he would conquer the high mountain.

  Xiao Chen and Liu Lan continued along the rugged mountain road, with breathtaking scenery unfolding before their eyes and beautiful melodies floating into their ears. Appreciating the beauty of nature and listening to the enchanting music, they conquered the high mountains in such a state. What a wonderful thing! But Xiao Chen never thought that in real life, many things are not as perfect as he imagined.

  It's also unknown when it started, but the path became narrower and steeper, and finally disappeared. Probably due to the rare presence of people, the winding sheep intestine path appeared and disappeared, overgrown with weeds. The two sides of the road were also thorny and dense, sometimes suddenly bursting out a cluster of unknown but exceptionally lush shrubs, blocking the way for the two people.

  Xiao Chen was stunned, he looked around and it seemed that the flowers, grass and trees were also slowly moving away from him. Everywhere he looked, there were only wildly growing reeds, which were not much shorter than himself, dense and thick.

  "Xiao Chen, you said, are we lost?" asked Liu Lan, who was already exhausted and sweating profusely.

  "This...". Xiao Chen took a deep breath, looking at the situation, it was probably true. If that's the case, then things were really bad. Xiao Chen couldn't help but look up at the sky, the sunset had already gradually declined to the west, and night would soon arrive. And if night arrived, wanting to proceed on this treacherous mountain road would be absolutely impossible. Could it be that he and Liu Lan would have to spend a night in this desolate wilderness?

  Just then, when Xiao Chen was worried, a noisy crowd came from afar.

  Xiao Chen was overjoyed, "Liu Lan, there are people, as long as we find them, they can take us away from this place."

  "Ah." Lü Lan also became excited. With the sound of chaotic footsteps getting closer and closer, from afar, more than a dozen short-clad people holding clubs, knives, and forks were rushing towards them wildly. Overjoyed, Xiao Chen hastily led Lü Lan to greet them, planning to beg these people to take them out of this haunted place.

  Wait, why are these people's faces like this? Xiao Chen's smile slowly disappeared from his face.

  "Little brother, what are you still dazing about? Run quickly!" The faces of these people rushing over were all filled with fear.

  "Run? Are you talking to me? Why should I run?" Xiao Chen was stunned, foolishly watching the panicked crowd rush past him. What's going on? Xiao Chen's confusion was quickly resolved. Suddenly, a loud "Wow!" sound came, the voice was so loud that it shook people's eardrums.

  "Xiao Chen, I'm scared." Looking at the thing that appeared in front of her, Liu Lan was frightened and lost her composure. At this time, Xiao Chen also stared blankly, a fierce beast with a ferocious appearance. Its striped face, flame-like eyes, especially its huge body covered with deep brown horizontal stripes extending all the way to its chest and abdomen. But that's not all, especially the black and white stripes on its forehead, forming a pattern that looked exactly like the Chinese character for "king", exuding an aura of majesty and dominance.

  "White-browed Hanging Eyeball Tiger!" For some reason, a familiar phrase burst out of Xiao Chen's mouth. Why is my fate so miserable?! Xiao Chen almost cried. Having just barely escaped the great calamity at Panlong Mountain, he hadn't even caught his breath yet. Could it be that he would lose his life to this beast's jaws? The ferocious tiger directly pounced towards Liu Ran, who was closest to him.

  "Xiao Chen, save me." Looking at the beast that was obviously bigger than a normal tiger by more than one circle, and then looking at its huge bloody mouth and those snow-white sharp teeth emitting a cold glow. Liu Lan's heart was suddenly shrouded in a huge sense of fear. Her survival instincts told her to escape quickly. But at this time, her body did not respond to her commands, her stiff body couldn't move an inch.

  "Danger! Lü Lan, get out of the way!" Just as this was happening, a surge of hot blood rushed to his forehead again, and Xiao Chen subconsciously pushed Lü Lan away. At that moment, the fierce tiger also arrived. The tiger directly knocked Xiao Chen to the ground and opened its big mouth to bite at Xiao Chen's head.

  Generally speaking, when a person is in a life-or-death situation, their mind and body will react extremely sensitively, and Xiao Chen was no exception.

  At the moment when the tiger's bloody mouth was about to fall, Xiao Chen raised his hands and tightly pressed against the tiger's lower jaw. Well, I'm not done living yet, I don't want to become a beast's dinner. But the tiger apparently had no intention of giving up this delicious meal, it desperately pressed its huge mouth downwards, while Xiao Chen desperately pushed upwards for his life. Both man and beast gave their all for their own purposes, and so they were locked in a stalemate.

  "Xiao Chen!" Liu Lan, who had barely escaped from the tiger's claws, cried out in grief and indignation. It was this man named Xiao Chen again, who had saved her life once more. Meanwhile, those dozen or so people who had just rushed past her were now fleeing further and further away.

  "Please, don't run! Hurry up and save Xiao Chen!" Lu Luan's eyes were filled with hope. Lu Lanan stumbled forward, opening her hands to grab the collar of a man who was escaping slowly, begging pitifully. "Let me through." The man roughly pushed Lu Lanan away and continued to flee in panic. Although these fleeing people looked strong and powerful, their faces were pale and they had clearly been frightened out of their wits.

  "You bunch of bastards, you're inhumane, worse than beasts!" Liu Lan's voice was hoarse from shouting in despair. The sound, which was almost hysterical, made everyone's heart tremble. The chaotic footsteps slowly came to a stop, and every single person lowered their head in shame. However, despite this, not one of them had the courage to turn back.

  "Damn it. You bunch of bastards, you won't save him, I'll do it myself." Liu Lan stamped her foot in anger. She picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground, gritted her teeth and rushed towards Xiao Chen.

  "Miss, danger." A soft and gentle voice sounded. Immediately, one of the dozen or so strangers rushed out. Although also in a short outfit, it was a beautiful young woman.

  "Girl, you're going to get yourself killed!" The woman tightly grabbed onto Liu Lan's arm, not letting her move forward. But at this moment, Liu Lan was almost mad with worry. Who could listen to reason? Saving Xiao Chen was the only thought in her mind.

  "Yuner." Another voice rose from the crowd. Immediately following, a robust and sturdy young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes ran out.

  "Help me, Lingyun!" The woman named Yun'er cried out in a flurry. Although the girl who was holding onto him tightly looked relatively weak, she had become so frantic that he was having trouble controlling her.

  "Let me go, you bastards! You won't save Xiao Chen, so I'll do it myself." Liu Lan continued to struggle desperately.

  "Miss, it's not that we don't want to save you, but this tiger is no ordinary one!" Yun'er whispered into Liu Lan's ear.

  "Yes, miss, your friend is beyond saving. Take this chance to escape quickly, or you'll be finished too." Lingyun also advised.

  "You two bastards, let me go." At this moment, Liu Lan's heart was already occupied with Xiao Chen's safety, and she didn't listen to anyone's advice.

  The tiger's bloody mouth was still open, and a foul smell rushed into Xiao Chen's nostrils. Looking again at the snow-white sharp teeth hanging above his head, Xiao Chen's heart inevitably felt a sense of panic. And once people fall into panic, their strength will be greatly discounted. Due to fear, Xiao Chen had a faint feeling of collapse, and the tiger's mouth began to sink down.

  The sharp teeth of the ferocious tiger finally sank viciously into Xiao Chen's shoulder. A stream of scarlet blood immediately flowed out. "Ah" The intense pain made Xiao Chen take a deep breath of cold air.

  The tiger excitedly swung its tail, becoming even more frenzied. Was it going to become the beast's food? No! The emotional change made his heart beat rapidly, and the blood flow accelerated. The unbearable heat emanating from his body made Xiao Chen feel extremely uncomfortable. "I don't want to die in this beast's mouth!" Xiao Chen roared loudly, exerting a great deal of strength, and surprisingly flipped the tiger over onto the ground. Xiao Chen followed suit, flipping himself over and mounting the tiger's back. His left hand firmly pressed down on the tiger's head, while his right hand clenched into a fist and frantically pounded against the tiger's skull.

  "Be honest with me, you beast!" Xiao Chen shouted while punching. He was still so young and had never thought about death before, let alone being buried in a beast's belly. The intense pain made the tiger struggle desperately, but it only earned Xiao Chen's even more violent beating - one punch, another punch, and yet another punch, with blood splashing everywhere. Gradually, the tiger's struggles slowed down until it finally lay still on the ground, motionless.

  It's finally over, and Xiao Chen slowly stopped moving, sliding down from the back of the fierce tiger with no strength. Exhausted Xiao Chen was panting heavily. Great, I'm finally alive! At this moment, a cool breeze came, and Xiao Chen felt a chill on his back, only to discover that his back was already soaked wet.

  Everyone present was stunned. The mountain is called Jihua Mountain, and at the foot of the mountain there is a very small village - Pingquan Village. As the saying goes, relying on the mountain to eat the mountain, these dozen or so people are also hunters who rely on the mountain for a living. But from some time ago, a fierce tiger appeared here, causing great harm to the people here. The peaceful life of Pingquan Village was disrupted.

  For the peace of the village, Pingquan Village finally decided to send out its best hunters to eliminate this scourge. After careful planning and preparation, Pingquan Village dispatched more than a dozen of the village's most excellent hunters, led by Lingyun and Lanyun. According to common sense, with so many people's strength and rich hunting experience, it would be easy to get rid of a single tiger.

  But unexpectedly, no one had expected that this fierce tiger not only surpassed the ordinary tiger in physique, but also far exceeded people's imagination in ferocity and strength. More than a dozen of the best hunters in Pingquan Village were instantly killed by the tiger after encountering it, while the beast itself was unscathed. The hunters were stunned, having never seen such a fierce beast before. The death of their companions made these brave hunters lose their nerve, choosing to flee in disarray. Due to panic and coincidence, they finally ran into Xiao Chen and his group.

  "This young man is too formidable. He can actually take down the ferocious tiger that our dozen or so men couldn't handle, it's unimaginable, simply unimaginable." This was the common thought among the hunters of Pingquan Village.

  The fierce tiger is dead, and naturally, Yun'er doesn't need to hold onto Liu Lan's hand anymore. The first thing Liu Lan does after regaining her freedom is to rush towards Xiao Chen, "Xiao Chen, are you okay? Let me see where you're hurt?" Liu Lan asks gently as she helps Xiao Chen up.

  "It's alright, Liu Lan, I'm sorry to have worried you." In order to reassure Liu Lan, Xiao Chen forced a relaxed tone and smiled. However, the massive pain in his back still twisted his smile into a grimace.

  "Xiao Chen, let's go!" Liu Lan put Xiao Chen's arm on her shoulder. She looked around, her eyes full of disdain. Compared to Xiao Chen, these guys didn't even dare to stand up in that situation, they were a bunch of cowards, a group of inhumane people.

  "Yuluan, everyone has times when they are afraid. Don't be like this. Let's go!" Seeing those people lower their heads in shame, Xiao Chen shook his head with a smile and turned around.