Indeed, Zhou Huan’s speculation proved valid. After that fierce, nameless wind swept through, everyone suddenly fell silent, hearing only their own ragged breaths and heartbeats. Yet, one sound was clearly audible to all: the sound of a massive beast walking, pthwack, pthwack, crushing the dry leaves in the woods with a soft crunch.

“ROAR!” A piercing cry split the air.

“Tiger!” Zhou Huan instantly became alert, then immediately commanded the others, “Run! Run as fast as you can! Tian Xiong and Bing Yuan, stay here with me to cover the rear. Dongzi, take Tian Lang and head for the summit. We’ll catch up right behind you. Nobody stray more than a hundred paces apart.”

As Zhou Huan spoke, Dongzi grabbed Tian Lang, and they bolted, ascending the narrow, grassy path up the mountain with blinding speed.

“Get your weapons ready! We have to fight for this one moment, or none of us will make it out alive!” Zhou Huan shouted, grabbing the stone he had picked up earlier, assuming a ready stance, his eyes fixed on the tree line where the wind originated.

In just a matter of seconds, a striped, ferocious tiger burst from the woods, its eyes wide and perfectly round, its fangs impossibly sharp. Angry saliva dripped from the beast’s tongue before it let out another roar that shook the entire forest.

Zhou Huan glanced briefly at the stone in his hand, just to confirm its jagged edge. The moment his attention snapped back, the tiger that had charged from the woods leaped high into the air, aiming its charge at the three men. Tian Xiong and Shi Bingyuan, clutching their stones, saw the attack coming and instinctively retreated several paces backward. After narrowly dodging the initial pounce, they saw the tiger immediately pivot and launch itself at Zhou Huan. Zhou Huan leaned his body back sharply, evading the crushing impact.

The tiger spun around and lashed its tail horizontally toward Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan, relying on the agility he had just recovered—an agility now surpassing his former limits—leapt high to avoid the tail whip. However, the tiger’s next lunge pinned Zhou Huan solidly beneath its massive body.

“Master!”

“Master!”

Shi Bingyuan and Tian Xiong cried out simultaneously, their eyes blazing red. Grabbing the stones they held, they charged toward the tiger pinning Zhou Huan, raising their weapons and bringing them down like rain onto the beast’s body. They exerted all their strength, smashing the tiger’s neck and head until they resembled pulp, even grinding the hard stones in their hands into powder.

“Senior Brother, stop smashing! Stop! We’ve been hitting it this hard for so long, and the tiger isn't showing any reaction. What is going on?”

Shi Bingyuan gasped, sweat beading on his forehead. He looked down: “Why do I feel like my legs are soaked? Am I bleeding?”

Tian Xiong leaned over to look at Shi Bingyuan’s pant leg. It was covered in bright red blood. Tian Xiong immediately grew agitated: “Senior Brother, your leg!”

Hearing this, Shi Bingyuan assumed the tiger had bitten him, yet he felt no pain whatsoever. He tentatively reached down to touch his leg; it was still there. He pinched some blood from his trousers and smelled it: “Huh? This doesn’t smell like human blood. It must be the tiger’s.” With that realization, Shi Bingyuan instantly jumped off the tiger’s body and crouched down to look. Blood was pouring profusely from the side of the tiger’s neck near the ground, and his trousers must have been soaked when he leaned in.

“Tian Xiong, Tian Xiong, get off me! I can’t get out!”

Hearing the voice, Tian Xiong and Shi Bingyuan were overwhelmed with relief. They shouted back, “Master, are you alright?”

“I’m fine! But if you don’t get off me soon, you really will be in trouble!”

Only then did Tian Xiong realize he was sitting on the tiger. Zhou Huan’s voice was clearly coming from under the beast. Tian Xiong leaped off the tiger’s body immediately, and together with Shi Bingyuan, they worked to shift the heavy carcass.

Zhou Huan slowly pushed one arm out from beneath the tiger, then followed with his head, breathing in short, sharp gasps. As he exhaled, he sputtered, “This female tiger actually pinned me down! Her blood is so foul and rancid!”

When Shi Bingyuan and Tian Xiong finally saw Zhou Huan’s head, they were terrified: “Master, why is your head covered in blood?”

Zhou Huan continued to crawl out from under the tiger. When he finally stood clear, he was completely crimson, thick blood streaming down his body. The intense, putrid stench was truly assaulting the senses. Looking at Zhou Huan’s whip, its tail end was still dripping blood.

“Your master is exhausted! I think I’ve turned into a veritable ‘Blood Gourd’ now. And you two, you nearly crushed me to death! One tiger is heavy enough; why did you have to join the pileup!” Zhou Huan grumbled at his disciples, then added, “If we wanted tiger meat, this one beast would probably feed us all the way to the Capital!”

The two disciples smiled sheepishly, helping Zhou Huan wipe the blood from his body. Then, the three of them limped up the slope. It wasn't that they were injured, but the struggle with the tiger had been utterly draining, more exhausting than the past two days of travel combined. It proved that physical energy was indeed rapidly depleted when under extreme tension.

Halfway up the slope, Dongzi and Tian Lang stopped. They watched Zhou Huan, Tian Xiong, and Shi Bingyuan slowly ascending, evidently having subdued the tiger. In that brief moment, Tian Lang was utterly convinced of Zhou Huan’s extraordinary nature. This man was practically a celestial being; how could an ordinary person dispatch such a ferocious tiger without sustaining a single scratch? A true marvel, a divine man!

When Zhou Huan reached them, Tian Lang immediately began lavishing praise: “Master Zhou, you truly are a marvel! I, Tian Lang, am willing to serve you, or perhaps become a close friend, a sworn brother. We can exchange our knowledge: I’ll teach you the secrets of martial arts, and you teach me the Way of Taoism!”

Zhou Huan burst into laughter. He realized this was the moment Tian Lang had decided to form a bond with him. He mused that perhaps everything that came later—finding Hu Tingting, the horseman, and that old woman—might actually trace its origin back to this very moment.

These were merely Zhou Huan’s private speculations. Since the offer was on the table, he couldn't outright refuse, yet he truly had no martial arts secrets to impart. So, Zhou Huan spoke plainly: “Brother Tian Lang, becoming sworn brothers is no issue, but I cannot teach you martial secrets, because I know nothing of martial arts myself. Look at how I dealt with the tiger or Tian Ya—I only did those things to save my life. In normal circumstances, I couldn’t pull off such desperate feats.”

“That doesn’t matter! Let’s swear brotherhood right now!” As he spoke, Tian Lang suddenly knelt down with a thump, pulling the blood-soaked Zhou Huan down to kneel beside him. Then he asked, “Are any of the others joining us?”

Tian Xiong and Shi Bingyuan were Zhou Huan’s disciples and could not be on the same generation level as their Master. Dongzi was Zhou Huan’s servant and could not participate either. They declined respectfully but served as witnesses to the ceremony. Zhou Huan and Tian Lang had officially become sworn brothers.

After the ceremony, since Tian Lang was older, he became Zhou Huan’s Dage (Elder Brother). Zhou Huan respectfully addressed Tian Lang as Dage. The five of them then continued walking toward the mountain peak. Crossing the first ridge, they faced another mountain crest ahead. On this ridge stood a colossal boulder, looking immensely imposing and magnificent.

“Brother Huan, if we circle that giant rock, we reach the path down the mountain. We’ve been delayed today; otherwise, we should be down below by now. We still have half a day’s light. Once we descend, we’ll rest at the foot of the mountain. You must be tired, and there’s a quiet lake nestled in the center of the woods. You can clean off all that blood.” Tian Lang, familiar with the terrain, offered the suggestion.

Zhou Huan nodded. “Brother, our stamina is fine, but I worry about yours wearing thin. How about this: we descend quickly. It gets dark early. We’ll keep moving after we reach the base and devour all that tiger meat!”