The black-horned bull, heavily injured, lay on the ground panting. There was no response in the cave, and the Ghost Tiger seemed to be absent, and the mysterious giant had not appeared.
"Could we have come up empty?"
Someone beside Ling Qian asked.
At this time, Luoyun squatting beside me seemed to sense something, he pulled my sleeve and whispered, "It seems that big bull is the gatekeeper."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
The fat man also heard and asked curiously.
"I've seen similar situations before, but not with a cow guarding the tiger. In the mountains years ago, there were still mountain wolves, about the size of dogs and very fast, they would run around in the woods. They'd hide from people and only attack if pursued. Very fierce! But their fur is valuable, my father took me hunting them for a while, and I saw that the lower-ranking wolves would linger at the cave entrance, like they were guarding it, while the higher-ranking ones stayed inside. When they went out to hunt, the guards would remain at home. I figure this big bull is the same."
Actually, what Luoyun said wasn't wrong. From what I had observed earlier, the mysterious giant was definitely the leader, the status of the Ghost Tiger was probably in the middle, and the black-horned bull was the lowest.
"The Ghost Tiger isn't here, we may have to wait for a while today."
The fat man pulled out a cigarette and threw it to me. I nodded and thought to myself as I smoked, whether the earth beasts really had intelligence. If they didn't have intelligence, then why hadn't the black-horned cow been eaten by the tiger phantom, but most of the earth beasts I had seen before were not much different from wild beasts.
Ling Qian led the people back, and also pulled the black-horned cow to the side. I turned around and saw Ling Qian riding on the black-horned cow, taking out some bottles and jars from her arms, and first opened a bottle of red liquid. People around intentionally retreated, as if to avoid it.
I only saw Ling Qian carefully pour the red powder at the base of the black-horned cow's horn. As soon as the powder touched it, the black-horned cow immediately roared in pain and its body convulsed violently. I slowly walked over; it was the first time I had seen someone handle an earth beast, and this experience was rare and would be useful to me in the future.
As I got closer, Ling Qian and the others didn't say much. I could clearly see that when the red powder landed on the horn, it seemed to melt and crack rapidly as if it had encountered lava, and flames even appeared in some places.
"What is this powder?" I couldn't resist my curiosity and asked.
Ling Qian glanced at me, snorted, but didn't answer. I poked my nose in, but then heard Ling Xiong's voice from behind.
"Each type of earth beast has different methods of processing, and of course, their valuable parts differ. The most valuable part of the black-horned cow is its horns, but the horns are too hard and it's difficult to saw through even with a chainsaw. Therefore, to remove the horns intact, other methods must be used. The red powder is called Spark Powder, which ignites upon contact with air. It doesn't cause a large flame, but after burning the muscles and skin at the base of the cow's horn, the horn can be removed intact. However, this method still carries some risk; the best method is to peel off the skull."
I didn't expect Ling Xiong to tell me this, and asked with some doubts, "Why are you so kind as to tell me these things?"
"If you survive the ordeal and clear the account between us, perhaps we will have the opportunity to cooperate in the future. Telling you these things doesn't cost me anything; everything I do is based on the principle of putting my interests first."
A principled person is often terrifying because they follow their principles and are not disturbed when handling all things. Such people are often rational, but rational people are always difficult to control.
I nodded, took a few steps back, and the black-horned cow quickly breathed its last after its horns were removed and its huge body was treated as food. The sky gradually darkened, and I saw Ling Qian and the others began to discuss whether they should take refuge first. It was not convenient to fight with the remaining two monsters at night.
But before they could come to a conclusion, the man in charge of scouting suddenly turned back and shouted, "There's an old tiger coming!"
Immediately, everyone became nervous. I pulled the fat man and Luo Qiong into a more distant clump of grass, and Ling Qian and the others also ambushed themselves. Before long, a huge figure appeared unsteadily not far away, with the tiger phantasm slowly walking towards them while carrying a dead deer in its mouth. It walked slowly, appearing cautious.
When it came closer, I signaled to the fat man and Luo Qiong not to make a sound. Ling Qian was hiding in the branches; there was a trap under the ground in front of the tiger phantom, and once it fell in, the huge net would trap it.
However, this big cat seemed particularly cautious, as if it could smell something in the air, and suddenly dropped the dead deer from its mouth, then began to roar around wildly.
But Ling Qian couldn't contain herself, and as she dropped from the tree branch, she landed squarely on the tiger's back, and then raised a dagger to stab toward its forehead.
This approach was actually very dangerous, but she was taking a high-risk tactic, perhaps for the sake of convenience. The tip of the dagger landed firmly on the tiger's head, but this forceful blow failed to kill the tiger. The blade got stuck after only piercing a little bit.
"The tiger's head is the hardest; even saying it's made of copper is not an exaggeration. Come down quickly!" I shouted impatiently, and didn't pay attention to our unresolved grievances. Ling Xiong next to me gave me a strange glance, but I was late in shouting. The tiger flung Ling Qian to the ground with great force and then pounced at her with the knife still lodged in its head. Although Ling Qian had some skill, she wasn't at the level to fight the tiger directly.
This pounce could certainly take off half of a life!
At the critical moment, I rushed up from behind and grabbed the tiger's tail, it had incredible strength, but being hindered by me slowed it down, and Ling Qian took advantage of the opportunity to retreat and escape from the tiger's attack range.
"Bang!"
The people around immediately began shooting at the tiger. After the first shot hit the tiger and blood spurted out, the tiger roared in pain, and its strength became even more astonishing. It wildly swung its tail, sending me flying away.
"Use the net, hurry!"
Ling Qian shouted, and the people next to her immediately acted. I stood up from the ground, holding my chest, when the fat man next to me shouted, "Are you crazy? That woman just caused us trouble, and you're saving her. Are you crazy or something?"
I gave him a look, she was her and I was me. I couldn't just stand there watching a young woman getting torn apart by a tiger. But the fat man wasn't wrong either, he had the personality of repaying favors and seeking revenge. As for me, no matter how we fight, I try not to harm anyone's life if I can help it. That's just the way I am.
The large net covered the body of the ghost tiger. Compared to the black-horned ox, the ghost tiger was even more frantic, and four big men couldn't completely suppress it. The ghost tiger, thrashing madly in the net, seemed to have sensed that it might be in trouble and started fighting desperately.
Ling Qian raised the hunting rifle, took large strides, aimed at the ghost tiger's soft belly, pulled the trigger, and blood immediately spurted out as the ghost tiger howled in pain. Ling Qian didn’t show any mercy and fired several shots in quick succession.
"This girl is fast at reloading, looks like she's used to shooting."
The fat man mumbled while the ghost tiger's belly had already been torn open, exposing large pieces of intestine and filling the air with a nauseating stench.
"While it's still alive, let’s deal with it quickly."
Ling Xu urged from the side. Several people subdued the ghost tiger, which had lost its fighting spirit, on the ground. Ling Qian stepped forward, pulled out a dagger, and then thrust it into the ghost tiger's mouth.
"This ghost tiger has two treasures. The first is its heart, surrounded by resentment, which can be used in alchemy and is favored by many alchemists. The second is one of its teeth, which has never been replaced. The tiger's tooth is where the hostility resides, and the one that has never been replaced is the most rare item. Wearing it can ward off evil spirits..."
Ling Xu explained to me, as Ling Qian pulled out a sharp, milky-white tooth from the tiger's mouth, about as long as my finger and covered in blood.
Ling Xu took it and placed it in my hand. I was startled, but then I heard him say, "I'm a fair person. You saved my sister, so this tooth is yours."