Chapter 280: Chapter 279 Old Acquaintance_1 The battle inside the room continued. The fat cultivator had not thought of leaving, nor had he considered calling for help. Having been starved for quite some time and drained of much blood, the Tiger Demon’s strength was greatly diminished, and he had intended to subdue it first through his own cultivation. The fat cultivator, a newcomer, would inevitably be held accountable and subjected to a round of scolding if it became known that he had been negligent, allowing the Tiger Demon to break free from the chains. Therefore, to subdue the Tiger Demon without alarming others was the best solution. But as the fight dragged on, the fat cultivator realized that to continue would be folly—not to mention subduing the Tiger Demon, avoiding being devoured would be a feat in its own right. The Tiger Demon was much stronger than he had anticipated. Doubt arose in the fat cultivator’s mind. Having starved for so long, how could the Tiger Demon’s blood qi still be so potent? After a few more rounds, not only did the Tiger Demon show no signs of fatigue but seemed even more ferocious. The fat cultivator suddenly had an epiphany: “Not right!” “Someone has fed the Tiger Demon!” The fat cultivator’s heart trembled with fear. Who could have secretly fed the Tiger Demon right under his nose? After a moment’s thought, a chill ran down his spine. He remembered the pastries that had gone missing from the kitchen and the vanishing dried meat. Someone had stolen the pastries, fed the Tiger Demon, and even undone the chains. And he couldn’t see this person! Was it a sophisticated Concealment Technique? The fat cultivator glanced at the Spirit Chains used for binding monsters, his heart pounding wildly. He had looked at the chains when he entered the room, and they had been intact. In just a short amount of time, someone had unlocked them. And he hadn’t noticed a thing. This proved that the cultivator he couldn’t see must be extremely skilled, with unfathomable divine sense and inscrutable methods. And right now, this terrifying cultivator was in the room! Perhaps even watching his struggle with the Tiger Demon with a mocking expression. Cold sweat poured down the fat cultivator’s face. He had to run! If he didn’t run, he was a dead man! Making a snap decision, the fat cultivator dodged the Tiger Demon’s swipe and retreated, sprinting towards the doorway. But it was already too late. The corner’s Mo Hua had already extended its sinister little hand and gave a gentle squeeze towards him. Spiritual Power instantly converged into several chains, layering shackles upon him and binding him completely on the spot! In a flash, the fat cultivator felt as though he had plunged into an ice cellar, his face turning deathly pale. What spell was this?! What in the hell was this spell?! Before he could think further, the Tiger Demon pounced, biting into his shoulder. The fat cultivator struggled desperately, still trying to reach the door. But a second Water Prison Technique locked him in place again, leaving him utterly immobilized. The Tiger Demon bit again, this time penetrating his neck. The fat cultivator knew his death was certain. Lurking enemies in the shadows, a fierce tiger in the open—right then, he had fallen into the jaws of death. In his life, he was always the one outwitting others; this was the first time someone had outwitted him. And with this one act of deception, his life was over. With difficulty, he turned his neck to look towards the corner of the room, wanting to know who had tricked him. But the corner was empty, not a soul in sight. He knew the person was there, yet he couldn’t see them. Out came a mouthful of fresh blood as the fat cultivator died with his eyes wide open. Until his last breath, he didn’t know who had bested him, not knowing what his murderer even looked like. The Tiger Demon killed the fat cultivator, bit him a few more times to make sure he was thoroughly dead, then tossed him aside, seemingly with a sense of disdain. The Tiger Demon did not eat the fat cultivator’s flesh, nor did it swallow his blood, spitting out what it had in its mouth. Mo Hua watched with curiosity. This Big Tiger actually didn’t eat humans? Was it because it found the fat cultivator unpalatable, or did it scorn him because a wicked heart made his meat unclean? After pondering for a moment and unable to figure it out, Mo Hua decided not to bother with it; there were more important things at hand. He concealed his presence, walked over to the fat cultivator’s body, rifled through his storage bag, and took out the Jade Pendant that Kong Sheng had given him. Mo Hua didn’t take the other items, to avoid being noticed. But only Kong Sheng and the chubby cultivator knew about this Jade Pendant, so even if Mo Hua took it, no one would know. Mo Hua tucked the Jade Pendant into his storage bag. Worth a fortune, the pendant, according to Kong Sheng, was worth over five hundred Spirit Stones. But Mo Hua didn’t plan to trade it for Spirit Stones. It was a personal item of Kong Sheng with the “Kong” character on it, belonging to the direct line of the Kong Family, and Mo Hua intended to keep it, as it might be useful in the future. After securing the Jade Pendant, Mo Hua noticed that the Tiger Demon was watching him. Perhaps not watching per se. The Tiger Demon couldn’t see through Mo Hua’s Concealment Technique but was merely sensing Mo Hua’s presence and thus staring in his direction. And it seemed to bear no ill will. Mo Hua found it strange. Could it be grateful for the food I gave it? This wasn’t typical behavior for Monster Beasts, was it? According to what the older generation of Monster Hunters said, Monster Beasts naturally despise humans, and even if they don’t eat people, they still think about killing them. Mo Hua stared back into the beast’s gaze and suddenly paused. “Could it be that it recognizes me?” Mo Hua released his Divine Sense and, seeing that no one was around, briefly revealed his figure. Upon seeing this, the Tiger Demon’s eyes brightened, and it let out a low growl. The growl sounded like both a “roar” and a “meow,” resembling both a tiger and a cat. A cat? Mo Hua was startled and took another look at the Tiger Demon, feeling an increasing sense of familiarity, and then it dawned on him: “Could it be that Little Demon Cat…” Uncle Chu had once caught a young Cat Monster with a trap, Mo Hua had fed it dried fish and even used it to practice his movement techniques, then released it back into Big Black Mountain, reminding it “not to eat people.” He had not expected that the Cat Monster from back then was actually a Tiger Demon? And it had grown so much, it now appeared to be a Big Tiger. It was unclear what breed of Tiger Demon it was, its appearance was peculiar, like a mix between a tiger and a cat, something Mo Hua had never seen in Big Black Mountain before. Mo Hua wanted to reminisce but suddenly remembered that this was a Monster Beast, which probably couldn’t understand him. And given the unpredictable nature of Monster Beasts, though it appeared docile now, who knew when it might turn and eat him. Mo Hua sighed, thought for a moment, took out a few pieces of dried meat from the storage bag, and tossed them to the Tiger Demon as a “greeting gift.” The Tiger Demon held the dried meat and gnawed on it eagerly. Monster Beasts presumably couldn’t understand human language. Now it wasn’t eating human flesh, it wasn’t clear if it remembered Mo Hua’s “advice” or if its habits were unique and naturally so. Mo Hua wanted to say more but suddenly sensed that someone was approaching. The chubby cultivator had died, but the noise from the struggle with the Tiger Demon seemed to have caught the attention of the Evil Cultivators. Several Evil Cultivators were headed this way. Mo Hua quickly used the Concealment Technique and scaled the wall in a few steps, then quietly lay on a roof beam. The Tiger Demon also sensed the commotion, quickly swallowed the dried meat, and returned to its original spot, even putting its paws back into the shackles. Afterward, it lowered its head and lay on the ground, looking listless. Mo Hua watched, shocked. This tiger must have become clever! How was it so astute? Better at acting than even he was? Before long, two Evil Cultivators, one tall and one short, walked in. Upon entering, they saw the blood stains on the ground and the chubby cultivator’s corpse nearby. The shorter Evil Cultivator said, “No big deal, just a dead person.” The taller Evil Cultivator stepped forward, kicked the corpse of the chubby cultivator, and wondered, “How could he have been killed by a tiger?” “New guy, probably careless.” “What a waste.” The tall Evil Cultivator looked around and expressed doubt, “Something’s not right here. The Tiger Demon is locked up and can’t move; how did this fatty die so far away?” “Probably got bitten during feeding, then crawled out here, bleeding all over the place.” “Damn, can’t even die properly, leaving us to clean up all this blood,” the tall Evil Cultivator cursed and then asked, “What do we do now? Should we slaughter this Monster Beast?” The shorter Evil Cultivator scoffed, “You dare to slaughter it?” “What? Can’t this Monster Beast be killed?” The tall Evil Cultivator was surprised. The shorter Evil Cultivator glanced at him and said flatly: “This Monster Beast has a special bloodline. The fourth Householder keeps it for blood drinking. If you dare slaughter it, the fourth Householder will be the one to slaughter you.”