Zhou Huan turned back, reflecting that what he had done last night was a bit excessive. He knew he was currently nothing, possessing only his own experience and nothing else, yet he still dared to provoke those specters. It was truly vexing.

"Hah!" Tian Lang let out a long breath, stretching his limbs as he glanced around. To one side slept Dong Zi, drooling, and to the other, Shi Bingyuan, who slept with remarkable neatness. He couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle, "Truly, strange disciples emerge from a strange master's line!"

This remark was overheard by Zhou Huan, who muttered to himself, Strange master? Everyone here now is useless; where are the strange masters? Even if my abilities were restored, I couldn't claim to be a strange master. What nonsense.

"Brother Tian Lang, you're up. Catch your breath; I'll have Tian Xiong prepare breakfast. We'll hit the road again after we eat."

"Good, good. We'll travel a bit less today. It's only about two hundred li from here to the capital." Tian Lang then stood up, pointing to the two large mountains to the west: "See those two mountains? One is called Great Black Mountain, the other Cloud-Connecting Mountain. With these two mountains one after the other, the main road to the capital lies beyond. It's another half-day's journey to the city. So even if we reach the capital, it will still be early—it’s only the eleventh day of the fifth month." As he spoke, Tian Lang counted on his fingers: "My heavens, we’ve only been walking for five days. At the pace we've been setting, we should reach the capital in under ten days."

Tian Lang showed a look of great astonishment, as if reaching the capital in such a short time was utterly beyond imagination, almost mythical.

"Master Zhou, did you know? I traveled this route with my master five years ago, and it took us over twenty days. This time, we've made it in exactly half the time—it’s a miracle!" Tian Lang couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Zhou Huan smiled. "I’m actually moving rather slowly. If I went at my faster pace, we could reach the capital in just six or seven days. Wouldn't that be an even bigger miracle?" As he spoke, Zhou Huan secretly mocked himself. If there were trains or airplanes, wouldn't it be even faster? What am I bragging about to this ancient person? He shook his head, touched his queue, and sighed self-deprecatingly. Am I not an ancient person now?

As the two were talking, Dong Zi and Shi Bingyuan also stirred awake, shaking off their drowsiness and tidying their clothes. Shi Bingyuan started to look for breakfast, but Zhou Huan stopped him. "Tian Xiong already went. He should be back by now. Let's wait a bit longer, help light the fire, and after breakfast, we’ll take some provisions but skip lunch, heading straight out. We aim to cross one of those two mountains this very day."

Shi Bingyuan and Dong Zi gathered a pile of dry firewood and stacked it up, then brought some dry straw for kindling. They also took their own waterskins to a nearby stream to fill them for everyone to drink.

Just as everyone finished making preparations, Zhou Huan noticed movement and hurried panting sounds coming from the woods several dozen meters away. When the sound broke through the foliage and a figure emerged, they all recognized Tian Xiong. However, the fellow was carrying a wild beast striped yellow and white, shaped like a cat but easily twice its size—Tian Xiong was hauling two of them.

But when Zhou Huan saw Tian Xiong, his body was covered in bloodstains, his face was pale, and he was gasping for breath. The two beasts in his hands were dripping blood, drop by drop. Tian Xiong rushed to Zhou Huan’s side, instantly dropping his catch. He then stammered out: "Master, Master! I killed two tiger cubs! That should be enough food for our entire day. I'm exhausted! If I hadn't been clever with these two little ones, they really would have pounced on me."

At that moment, Zhou Huan didn't comfort Tian Xiong or praise his great deed; instead, a wave of intense tension immediately washed over him.

"This is bad. If you killed the cubs, the mother tiger can't be far behind us."

"No way, Master! I ran as fast as I could! Look how my face has changed color. Can tigers really have such excellent noses, or a connection that strong?" Tian Xiong simply couldn't believe a tiger could track him just by the scent of two cubs.

Dong Zi staggered over. "Oh, Master Zhou, you worry too much! Brother Tian Xiong was just trying to make sure we ate well. Come on, Uncle Bingyuan, start the fire. We’ll roast these two little guys whole, skin and all. I don't believe a tiger can chase us here."

Dong Zi seemed unconcerned. He casually took one of the cubs Tian Xiong had dropped and proceeded to drain most of the remaining blood from both. Shi Bingyuan had already lit the fire, and Dong Zi used two sticks to skewer the tigers, placing them over the blaze to roast.

"My word! I, Jiang Tian Lang, never dreamed I’d eat tiger meat! I truly want to taste what tiger meat is like." As he spoke, a line of drool slowly formed at the corner of Tian Lang’s mouth.

At this moment, no one paid any heed to Zhou Huan’s words. It was clear that everyone was starving, not caring what they ate.

It was understandable; in the great mountains of the Northeast, unless you were swift, how could these farmhands manage hunting? Grabbing a bargain like two tiger cubs was a stroke of luck. So Zhou Huan went along with the group, but he still warned them: "We shouldn't linger here. We’ll roast them quickly; as soon as they're done, we leave immediately. We’ll eat while we walk, and we’ll discuss things once we are out of this mountain range."

The group unanimously agreed with Zhou Huan. Soon, the two cubs were roasting splendidly, giving off a mouth-watering aroma. Everyone grabbed pieces, tearing the tiger into several chunks, and divided the meat. Dong Zi opened his mouth to take a bite, but Zhou Huan stopped him flat: "Stop eating! Pack up immediately; we’re leaving!"

"Oh!" Dong Zi glanced at Zhou Huan, feeling somewhat perplexed, but since he now considered Zhou Huan his master, he obeyed without question. He started packing up at Zhou Huan’s command. The few of them shouldered their belongings and headed toward the hilltop. Before leaving, Zhou Huan specifically confirmed the area where Tian Xiong had caught the tigers, and they deliberately detoured around that spot.

Sometimes things truly follow a pattern. Zhou Huan's knowledge, whether he heard it from someone or read it in a book, was proving accurate this time. As they advanced toward the summit, they began to feel a growing stench of raw animal scent, accompanied by an extremely dense killing aura. Heavy, arrogant gasps of breath penetrated the forest, directly assaulting the group's psychological defenses.

At this moment, Tian Xiong recalled the words Zhou Huan had spoken earlier and instantly felt a jolt of fear. Could the great tiger really be pursuing them?

"Master Zhou, what is that smell? It’s so rank!" Tian Lang understood nothing about hunting, so he took Zhou Huan’s words as gospel, believing Zhou Huan must know these things.

Zhou Huan replied, "Perhaps I was right. But I can't be certain yet, though there is definitely some kind of beast near us."

"What? Master, if that’s the case, shouldn't we prepare for a fight?"

"Have you ever fought a tiger?"

"No!"

"Then what can you prepare? Do you know?"

"No idea!" Shi Bingyuan pondered, "How about I prepare a wooden staff, just in case we get the worst of it?"

"Forget it. We keep walking. If we actually run into it, we'll think of a solution then. For now, everyone find a sharp stone to keep for self-defense. If a large beast really comes, we won’t be able to look out for each other. Try your best to solve your own problems with your own strength. If you have the capacity, cooperate with others. We have only one goal: none of us gets injured, let alone dies."

Zhou Huan’s words sounded like a command, and after he spoke, all his companions nodded in agreement.

Just then, a gust of bloody wind swept through the trees, making the branches rustle loudly. The birds in the forest suddenly took flight—an ominous premonition invaded the last line of defense in everyone’s hearts.