Volume One, Chapter 19: Escape from the Tiger's Maw

Liu Feng cast a slow, wary gaze around him, and the realization hit him almost instantly. This was no mere expert he had encountered; it was a tiger. Was he truly destined to die here today? Liu Feng had no desire to perish, nor could he afford to. Even if it meant fighting with his final breath, he had to carve out a sliver of hope for survival.

Li Ergou, severely wounded by Liu Feng’s heavy blow, now lay half-kneeling on the ground, blood spilling from his lips as he used his broadsword to prop up his broken body. His bloodshot, triangular eyes darted about. Given his grave injuries, his chances of escaping the tiger’s maw were slim. Glancing at the vigilant Liu Feng ahead, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his jowls twitching. "Death is waiting either way..."

His blood-stained left hand stealthily grabbed a handful of gravel. "I’ll take you down with me!"

With a sharp spray of dirt and stones, Li Ergou lunged forward with his blade, aiming straight for Liu Feng’s heart. Just as Liu Feng prepared to parry, a branch snapped in the thicket to his right, and a gold-and-black shadow lunged out, carrying a wave of putrid, gamey stench. Liu Feng cursed inwardly; Li Ergou was throwing his life away just to entangle him with the beast. Liu Feng knew he had to keep Li Ergou between himself and the predator to buy a split second of reaction time.

He tilted his head to track the tiger’s trajectory and suddenly ducked. Before his eyes could even register the movement, a blood-curdling scream tore through the mountain forest. The tiger had clamped its jaws precisely onto Li Ergou’s sword-wielding arm, and with a violent shake of its massive neck, it ripped the limb clean from his body. Blood sprayed in a gruesome arc.

"Ah! My arm!" Li Ergou collapsed into a pool of blood, his severed limb spraying a crimson stain across the dead leaves. The tiger tossed the remains aside, its bloodied whiskers twitching as its bronze-colored eyes shifted between Liu Feng and the writhing man.

Liu Feng’s muscles coiled tight. His right hand crept toward the crossbow on his back, his eyes locked onto the beast. The predator stood nearly four feet at the shoulder, its brown-yellow coat matted with mud and gore. He studied it closely; its eyes were clear and intact—this was not the scarred, man-eating tiger he remembered from local tales.

Li Ergou was still rolling on the ground, clutching his stump as blood soaked the forest floor like spilled cinnabar. He looked at Liu Feng with a twisted expression, his throat rasping out a desperate plea: "Save... save me... for the sake of our village..."

Liu Feng slammed his steel-tipped spear into the earth, the shaft vibrating. "You should have thought of today the moment you set your sights on my wife." His voice was colder than a blade’s edge.

The tiger let out a sound like rolling thunder from its throat, opened its maw, and clamped down on Li Ergou’s skull. *Crunch!* The sound of bone shattering was as crisp as a walnut breaking.

Liu Feng seized the moment to retreat, his back pressing against an old pine. He drew a feathered arrow from his quiver, the steel tip glinting coldly in the shadows. He had considered running, but before the king of beasts, any movement would be caught instantly. How could he possibly outrun it?

As the tiger lowered its head to tear at Li Ergou’s leg, Liu Feng exploded into action. He fired three arrows in rapid succession. *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* They flew in a formation, targeting the tiger’s eyes and throat. The beast roared in fury, swerving to avoid the lethal strikes, but one arrow pierced the joint of its front leg.

The steel tip punched through fur and into the bone. The tiger reared up on its hind legs, its two-meter frame blotting out the sky. *Clang!* Liu Feng drew his spear, but as he met the lunging claws, the impact sent a tremor through his arms. Had he not been strengthening his body these past two days, his wrists would have snapped.

As the tiger landed, its wounded leg buckled. Liu Feng surged forward, his blade slashing at the tiger’s belly, only to be swiped aside by a tail as heavy as an iron whip. "Damn it!" he cursed, rolling away. His waist burned, but it was only a superficial wound.

The tiger shrieked and lunged again. Liu Feng arched his back in a bridge maneuver, thrusting his spear upward. The blade carved a bloody gash across the beast's chest, but the momentum sent him flying, his back slamming into an oak tree. The stench of death was overwhelming.

Thinking quickly, Liu Feng kicked off the oak, vaulting into the air to dodge the follow-up bite. He slashed downward, tearing a long wound across the tiger’s back. The beast roared in agony, its paw smashing the tree stump where Liu Feng had stood a moment before. Amidst the flying wood chips, Liu Feng spotted a gap at the tiger’s haunches. "Take this!" He hurled his hunting knife with all his might, burying it into the base of the tiger's tail.

The beast reared up, and Liu Feng seized the opening to fire his final steel-tipped arrow directly at its throat. The arrow sank three inches deep. The tiger lunged in a final, crazed frenzy, but Liu Feng met it with his spear, driving it through the beast’s foreleg. Hot blood geysered over his face.

Liu Feng ripped the spear free. He knew that if he fought to the death, he would be gravely wounded. The beast’s speed was now severely compromised by its injuries—this was his chance. He gathered his weapons as the tiger limped, then turned and sprinted toward home with every ounce of strength he possessed.

Only when he had put enough distance between them and realized the tiger was no longer pursuing did he finally stop. Liu Feng collapsed in the woods, gasping for air, his heart still racing with terror. If Li Ergou hadn't distracted the beast, or if he hadn't managed to cripple its leg, he would have been torn to shreds.

He checked his waist; the fabric of his clothes was soaked in blood, but the wound was superficial. His right arm was numb and useless from the tiger’s swipe, though no bones were broken. Knowing the scent of blood would attract other predators, he decisively began his descent. He had to survive; he could always come back to finish the tiger later. After all, tiger bone and hide were worth a fortune.