Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Tiger Calamity "A tiger? Where did it come from?" Lou Yi immediately thought of the tiger that had killed Cheng Chen. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶 He heard that it was later driven away by people sent by Landlord Jia, but it wasn’t killed. "How would I know? A few nights ago, it suddenly appeared in Gangzi Village and ate a mother and her son!" Yang Er looked terrified, "I heard it gnawed all their insides clean, leaving only two heads uneaten. It’s truly horrible." "You all should be careful too," Lou Yi said. After Yang Er left, Lou Yi pondered over how much chance he had if he were to face the tiger. Now, his strength was more than five times that of an average person, with a casual punch exerting at least seven or eight hundred pounds of force. But tigers in his original world often had a claw strength of a thousand to two thousand pounds. Not to mention, the tigers in this world were even bigger, their strength presumably much greater. "Without assurance, I must wait until my axe skill is proficient before I even have a chance." Lou Yi had a premonition that once his axe skill advanced, his strength would make a leap, giving him a good chance to kill the tiger. Let this vicious tiger live a little longer for now! ... The arrival of the malicious tiger had a bigger impact than Lou Yi had anticipated. People walked hurriedly on the roads, only nodding to acquaintances instead of stopping to chat as before. The crowd at the vegetable market greatly diminished. Every day, before the moon even rose, many families in the village closed and bolted their doors. Even the usually idle ruffians and street loafers were nowhere to be seen, like hibernating turtles. Only Carpenter Xu’s business improved. The reason being more people were getting their doors repaired, filling gaps, reinforcing bolts, and so on. The idleness of the ruffians brought significant negative impact on Lou Yi’s grand undertaking of collecting energy. The blockage of information meant he mostly had to wait for newcomers at the cemetery. It took several days to gather a little energy. "Gangzi Village has been attacked again!" "An old widower was eaten, how tragic!" Early in the morning, Lou Yi heard Madam Gao chatting with Madam Chang at the door, so he decided to head to Gangzi Village. Tigers rarely appeared in the daytime, but he’d have to take some risk. Not picking up the available energy would be a waste. The five or six li journey, clearly felt less crowded. The old farmers in the fields continued their work, as hunger was more terrifying than being bitten by a tiger. Gangzi Village. A wooden fence, two people high, was built around the perimeter. As it was daytime, there was an opening, but only one person could pass through at a time. Stepping into the village, Lou Yi saw a house with white cloth hanging by the door, one side of its mud wall collapsed. Spots of blood were at the door, an ugly old lady holding a broom was cleaning. Upon seeing Lou Yi, she glanced at him and ignored him. With a solemn expression, Lou Yi approached and asked, "Granny, is this Old Man Hu’s house?" "He once bought me candied haw for me as a child, alas, my condolences... I would like to see the old man one last time." After speaking, Lou Yi handed over a cloth bag. The old lady actually opened the bag on the spot, pulling out a string of copper coins. Cold sweat rushed down Lou Yi’s back, luckily he placed 30 coins instead of one, otherwise, he’d be embarrassed. Though Lou Yi offered a generous amount, the old lady still showed no emotion, "Only his head is left, what’s there to see?" "It’s in that box inside, look if you want." Lou Yi stepped into the house and was hit by a strong smell of blood. Red stains were on the ground and walls, even some scattered hair could be seen. In front of the bed was a black wooden box, two feet long, engraved with a peculiar creature resembling a dog with two horns. Opening the box, inside was an old man’s head covered in sparse white hair, neck downward wrapped in a black cloth, eyes closed, looking peaceful. "Old Man Hu, may you find a good home in your next life." Lou Yi clasped his hands together and kowtowed as a formal gesture. Then, he reached forward. When his hand was within three centimeters of the face, familiar semi-transparent small characters appeared: ’Energy +1, absorb it?’ "Yes." When Lou Yi stepped outside, he breathed a sigh of relief, the worst-case scenario he feared hadn’t happened. Even if only a head remained after death, it could still provide him with energy. In the days that followed. The tiger continued roaming Gangzi Village and neighboring villages, biting a few more people to death. Public sentiments grew more restless and anxious, yet Lou Yi boldly went to pay his respects, managing to gather energy up to five points. Unexpectedly, the more chaotic the world becomes, the easier it is to accumulate energy. "The Government Office has taken action!" "The Inspector has sent people to capture the tiger, and the one leading the team is the Man Slaughter!" This news invigorated everyone. Man Slaughter Ning Xiong has a track record of having killed a tiger alive. It is said that he is a martial artist from the main city and the only martial artist in the entire Xinxiang, representing the pinnacle of martial power. Though Lou Yi is known as a warrior, widely renowned in the nearby villages, his deterrent power is not on the same level as Man Slaughter Ning Xiong. After the tiger was ambushed by Ning Xiong and numerous archers, it indeed went silent temporarily. But a few days later, it moved to Lu Family Village a few miles away, and devoured another person! Ning Xiong was furious and pursued personally. But he wasn’t known for his agility, and the tiger was quite cunning, moving to a new place after each attack, engaging in guerrilla warfare that left Ning Xiong helpless. After several attempts, the Government Office gained nothing; the archers were all physically and mentally exhausted, not even catching a glimpse of the tiger’s tail. "This tiger has become a demon!" "The Government Office has reportedly withdrawn!" "We’re doomed, what should we do now?" "What a useless Man Slaughter, just a false reputation!" The Inspector cannot focus all his energy on the tiger; after several failed attempts, he withdrew the team and returned to the office. Meanwhile, the fierce tiger became even more rampant, attacking people in broad daylight for the first time. The person was lucky, jumping into the water to escape harm, but this made everyone in the surrounding villages even more anxious. The only solace for Lou Yi was that he had gathered two more points of energy, getting closer to the breakthrough point of ten. "Ah Yi, are you coming along?" Fellow lumberjack Liu Zi and a few others from neighboring villages came early in the morning to call Lou Yi to the mountains. In such a precarious environment, Lou Yi, known as the strongest within the nearby villages, became very sought after. Even when going to the market to buy vegetables, many people would call him to tag along. "The big tiger appeared in Tianfang Village, not far from us," Liu Zi said. Upon hearing this, everyone felt a sense of oppression. "Damn, that useless Inspector ran off!" "Hey, they wouldn’t risk their lives for us commoners." "I wonder if the martial artists from the main city will take action?" Hearing this, a hopeful expression appeared on everyone’s faces. It’s rumored that the martial artists from the main city are far more formidable than the Man Slaughter, capable of tearing apart tigers and leopards, subduing demons, and slaying a tiger with ease. "We’ll have to endure for now. The main city is too far from here; it’s unlikely they’ll send anyone soon." When Lou Yi and a few others reached the small mountain, they found fewer than half of the usual number of loggers present. "Ah Yi, let’s talk over here." Yang Fatty, still looking lazy, lit up when he saw Lou Yi and invited him to a secluded spot. "This big tiger is getting closer to us. Are you not afraid, Ah Yi?" "I’m afraid, but what can I do?" "Hey, if you can’t provoke it, can’t you avoid it? No matter how fierce this big tiger is, the Jia Family has dozens of guards and walls two zhang high. Can it come and cause trouble?" Yang Fatty coaxed, "Join the Jia Family, and you won’t have to fear this big tiger anymore." Lou Yi sighed, clasped his hands, and said, "Thank you, Brother Yang, for considering me, but the wife and child of my friend are still in danger. I can’t abandon them..." Upon hearing this, Yang Fatty couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect. "Ah Yi, you’re truly loyal!" Later that day, Lou Yi went down the mountain and visited Daihe Village, arriving at Gou Wa’s home. "Sister-in-law, with the big tiger running rampant, it’s not the time to worry about reputation. You and Gou Wa should come to my place; my house is safe, made of bricks and stone. I’ll sleep on the floor, while you take the bed..." "I’m not afraid of the big tiger; I’ll kill it to avenge my father!" Gou Wa shouted, eyes red with emotion, upon hearing about the big tiger. Cheng Son Shi was silent for a moment before saying, "You take Gou Wa. There are so many people in the village; the big tiger might not target me." Lou Yi tried to persuade her again, but Cheng Son Shi was resolute. Seeing no other choice, he took Gou Wa back home. "I won’t go, I want to stay with my mother!" Gou Wa cried the entire journey, calling for his mother, which made Lou Yi feel quite uneasy. He wanted very much to slay the vicious tiger immediately, but his current strength was not secure enough. Looking at the Attribute Panel, he had accumulated eight points of energy, just two points short of breaking through Lou’s Axe Skill. Almost there, almost there. Lou Yi muttered to himself in his heart. ...