Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Slaying the Tiger The furious beast unleashed the instincts of a wild animal, turning the Qi Family into a living purgatory in an instant. Screams of agony, cries for help, sounds of biting, sounds of chewing... The villagers of Erhe Village were destined for a sleepless night. Everyone huddled at home, trembling in fear. No one knew how much time had passed. The world returned to silence as a blood-soaked body struggled to crawl out from the main gate, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground. "Help..." She let out a weak cry for help, but who would dare to come out and see? A shadow silently entered the Qi Family, and soon exited. And on his Attribute Panel, nine points of energy suddenly appeared. The next morning, people found Qi Dalang’s wife lying dead at the doorstep from excessive bleeding. As well as others who died in even more miserable states. The Qi Family was wiped out by the beast! This shocking news quickly spread far and wide, reaching the Government Office in the town. "Qi Hu has gone to the city, and the Inspector intends to groom him." "Someone has already ridden swiftly to notify, but it might take days to get the message." "By the time he returns, the bodies will probably start to decay." The village head of Erhe Village stood at the Qi Family’s door, looking worried. He wanted to help arrange the Qi Family’s funeral, but no one responded. On normal days, the Qi Family acted too domineering, almost everyone in the village had been bullied by them. "Ah Yi, after all, they were our neighbors for many years, won’t you come and lend a hand?" The village head called out from outside. Lou Yi pretended not to hear him; besides, the door was already locked, so they couldn’t come in. He looked at the Attribute Panel, his energy was back up to ten points. Should he save up thirty points to enhance Lou’s Axe Skill, or use them immediately on Stone Throwing Skill? Lou Yi thought it over slightly and chose the second option. If he didn’t improve his skills immediately, he might not have the chance to use the remaining energy when danger came. He looked at the barely visible plus sign next to the Stone Throwing Skill and imagined a force pressing on it. The Stone Throwing status changed from (Proficient 0/10) to (Mastery 0/30). An unfamiliar memory appeared in Lou Yi’s mind. This time, he came to a world with supernatural powers and became a herb-picking child. In the mountains, fierce beasts and wild creatures roamed everywhere, and most importantly, the entire mountain was shrouded in fog, limiting visibility to less than ten feet. Danger often leapt out from the fog, claiming lives. To survive, and to gather more Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, Lou Yi had to be constantly cautious, listening and identifying threats; his slingshot became his lifeline. Whenever a sound emerged from the fog, he would launch a swift attack, quelling the danger before it could grow. Due to his exceptional performance, his mentor gifted him elixirs to strengthen his physical body and all five senses, allowing his stone throwing ability to improve continuously, until it reached extreme proficiency... After digesting the memory, a warm current appeared in Lou Yi’s body, spreading half-way through his limbs and the other half rushing towards his head and neck. His eyes, ears, nose, and the most mysterious brain were all rapidly transformed by this warm current. His eyes could see ants on the ground clearly; his ears could hear the village head’s muttering from tens of meters away; his nose was overwhelmed by the thick scent of blood from the neighboring house... When Lou Yi opened his eyes, he could even see the glint of cold steel passing by. The Stone Throwing Skill was further enhanced: Targets within a two hundred meter range, as small as eggs, had a hit probability of over ninety-nine percent, with increasing accuracy as distance decreased. Even in the two hundred to three hundred meter range, the hit probability remained over ninety percent. Beyond four hundred meters, the probability dropped sharply. It’s time to deal with the beast! Lou Yi quietly slipped out of his house, disappearing like the wind, unnoticed by any villager in Erhe Village. Due to his enhanced senses, Lou Yi’s tracking ability now surpassed that of a police dog. Following the faint trace of blood in the air, Lou Yi changed directions rapidly, moving swiftly forward. Soon, he arrived outside an abandoned Land God Temple. The Land God Temple had been deserted for years, its walls collapsed in places, and the weeds in the yard grew taller than a person. Lou Yi carefully controlled his steps, making no sound at all. "This beast is indeed cunning." No one would have thought that a fierce tiger would hide in this place instead of the forest. ’Phew...’ The beast’s breathing sounded like a blower, piercingly loud in Lou Yi’s ears at that moment. He cautiously stepped into the courtyard and saw the beast lying on a boulder, exposing its large red belly. This is a good chance! Lou Yi’s eyes lit up; the belly was the beast’s softest part. He pulled out his slingshot, fitting a fist-sized stone into it. The slingshot traced a figure eight in front of him before he released the cord; the stone shot out along the thick rope’s tangent, striking the center of the beast’s belly in an instant! ’Puff!’ The stone penetrated the beast’s body, forming a visible bloody hole in a flash. "Roar!" The beast’s fur stood on end, letting out an earth-shattering roar of agony. It tried to leap up from the ground, but its first attempt failed, crashing back down, showing just how much pain Lou Yi’s sneak attack inflicted! "Roar!" It glared at Lou Yi, its eyes filled with chilling murderous intent. "Come on," Lou Yi taunted, beckoning it with his hand. The beast roared once more, accelerating in place, and leaping powerfully, lunging high toward Lou Yi. Lou Yi was engulfed in a large shadow in an instant. The beast hated him immensely, attempting to crush Lou Yi to death right away. But after all, it wasn’t human. Forgetting that such a powerful attack left a massive flaw, its belly was exposed back to Lou Yi’s view. Lou Yi raised his axe. Even a lion uses its full power to hunt a rabbit! He stomped on the ground with his right foot, leaving a deep pit, propelling himself like a cannonball, and in an instant, reached directly below the beast. "Splitting Mountain." Lou Yi felt all his muscles from head to toe flowing like a stream into his right arm, channeling this terrifying power into the axe he wielded! "Die!" The axe cut through the sky with a buzzing vibration. Under the influence of Lou Yi’s Splitting Mountain aura, the beast’s body froze momentarily. Taking advantage of this, Lou Yi’s axe sliced through the beast’s belly like cutting through tofu, severing its internal organs and even its back skin and flesh. He burst out of the beast’s body, soaring toward the moon, while the beast momentarily paused in mid-air, then fell downwards at an even faster pace. ’Boom!’ The beast landed heavily on the ground, struggled a couple of times, then went lifeless. Lou Yi also landed with a ’bang’, absorbing the force with a crouch. He wiped his face, his hand stained with blood. ’It was much easier than expected, it feels like even without using the advanced skill Splitting Mountain, I could have finished it off.’ Lou Yi looked forward, ’But I need to wash up well, and also clean up the scene thoroughly.’ Although tempted by the beast’s pelt, Lou Yi understood priorities. Stepping forward to move the beast, just touching its corpse, familiar semi-transparent characters flashed: ’Energy +1, absorb?’ The beast could generate energy too? Lou Yi was puzzled, yet felt it naturally so. This beast was exceptionally cunning, likely becoming a spirit, different from ordinary wild animals. This implies that the sources of energy acquisition aren’t limited to humans; sufficiently intelligent creatures might also fall within scope. Without overthinking, Lou Yi moved the thousand-pound beast to the nearby river. Numerous crocodiles in the river, sensing the scent of blood, began to gather; probably by the next day, not a morsel of the beast would remain. "Cheng Chen, I’ve avenged you." A faint sigh echoed by the river. The next time he went up the mountain to fell trees, Lou Yi actively sought out Steward Yang Fatty. "I wonder, is Jia Family Manor still hiring people?" Yang Fatty was overjoyed: "Hiring! We’ll always have room for talents like you!" ...