章 25: Chapter 25 Tacit Understanding (Seeking follow-up reading, seeking votes!)
Mountain Lord, the king of the mountains, also referred to as a tiger possessing at least the strength of a Third Grade Martial Artist.
Wang Sheng was very curious about how Li Peng had made the determination. Can a pile of animal feces really tell you anything?
"Grandpa Li, how did you confirm that these traces were left by the Mountain Lord?"
Li Peng stood up, looked at everyone, and said, "This feces belongs to a tiger. Yun Sheng might not mention it, but the rest of you should be able to confirm it, right?"
Wenguang and a few other hunters nodded.
They often ventured into the mountains and were familiar with the feces of every kind of animal, which was very helpful both for finding prey and avoiding fierce beasts.
But their experience was insufficient to distinguish between ordinary tiger feces and Mountain Lord feces.
So they all looked at Li Peng with curious eyes.
Li Peng continued, "There is a significant difference between the Mountain Lord and an ordinary big cat, and that is the Mountain Lord's digestive ability has undergone a mutation, making their feces extremely 'pure,' with almost no residue. The most obvious sign is the hair in the feces – do you see any hair here?"
Upon inspection, it was indeed so.
"A big cat will eat grass to expel indigestible hair and debris from its body, but not the Mountain Lord. The Mountain Lord can directly digest everything, leaving no residue behind."
Wang Sheng had an epiphany; he suddenly remembered some knowledge from his previous life.
Cats, dogs, and the like would lick their fur, so they eat grass to help expel the hair. Tigers, as feline animals, also have this habit.
However, the feces that Li Peng had rummaged through showed no signs of hair fibers.
Either this tiger did not lick its fur or this tiger had a terrifying ability to digest, and either case proved that this tiger was no ordinary creature.
Combining this with old hunter Li Peng's judgment, it was almost certain that a Mountain Lord was active in the vicinity.
Now everyone started to be perplexed.
Should they continue to move forward or retreat?
Li Peng looked at Wang Sheng and asked, "Yun Sheng, can you deal with the Mountain Lord?"
Wang Sheng shook his head and said, "I have never truly faced a Mountain Lord, so I cannot confirm whether I can handle it."
He had no idea what level of Martial Artist he was now, only that he was many times stronger than when he first began.
But whether he could confront a Mountain Lord, comparable to a Third Grade Martial Artist, he himself had no certainty.
After getting this answer, Li Peng thought for a moment and then said, "Let's retreat, go back to the village. We shouldn't take this risk."
If Wang Sheng had been certain he could handle it, Li Peng would have been willing to go forward.
But since even Wang Sheng was unsure, they had no choice but to retreat. After all, one's life is their own.
Upon hearing Li Peng's command, the hunters all sighed in relief; in fact, they had wanted to retreat the moment they heard a Mountain Lord might be near.
Wang Sheng felt similarly, as he disliked undertaking uncertain ventures, but unlike the hunters, he felt a tinge of disappointment at the lost opportunity for real combat.
However, safety was of paramount importance, so he followed Li Peng and the others back the way they came.
On the way back, the group moved quickly. After walking for an hour, they began to relax and started talking.
Naturally, the topic of conversation was the Mountain Lord they had discussed earlier.
"Old Li is truly amazing. To be able to distinguish between the Mountain Lord and a big cat just by the feces – my old man never taught me anything like that."
The speaker was Li Wenguang. Up until Li Yongfeng's generation, the family had always been hunters, with a huge wealth of experience passed down from their ancestors.
Yet, he had never learned this sort of thing.
Li Peng glanced at Wenguang and then said, "What's the use of learning that? Do you think you don't need to avoid it just because it's ordinary tiger feces?"
"..."
His words silenced all the hunters present.
Indeed, that was the case.
Ordinary hunters, even upon seeing ordinary tiger feces, would normally choose to avoid it – no one would go looking for trouble.
So, it was enough to recognize it as tiger feces – knowing the exact type was ultimately irrelevant.
One could only say it was the clear foresight of an old hunter.
The group continued forward, but they had only walked a short distance when a sudden roar burst forth.
"Roar!"
The roar was incredibly loud and seemed very close, causing several hunters to reel from dizziness and even temporary deafness.
Then, a gust of wind attacked them, knocking to the ground those who were already unstable from the dizziness.
The only one who managed to remain standing was Wang Sheng, who possessed the strength of a martial artist.
He looked solemnly toward the direction from which the sound had originated.
Soon, a massive figure emerged from the bushes.
This was an enormous tiger, measuring over five meters long, unlike an ordinary tiger. Its limbs showed noticeable muscles, indicating the tiger's tremendous strength.
What was most striking was the color of the tiger—it was a white tiger.
Its snow-white fur was intermittently streaked with black patterns, adding a touch of elegance and beauty to its ferocity.
But no one present had the mind to appreciate this elegance.
Almost simultaneously, Wang Sheng and Li Peng exclaimed two words, "Mountain Lord!"
The might that this strong tiger had just displayed was not something an ordinary tiger could achieve, and the roar that came with a wave of air could only belong to a Mountain Lord with martial artist strength.
Then, considering the size.
Over five meters long, its size was almost double that of an average tiger's.
Next to this Mountain Lord, Wang Sheng appeared pitifully small.
The hunters were shivering uncontrollably. How unlucky they were to encounter a Mountain Lord that hadn't appeared in decades on their hunting trip.
Would they even be able to leave alive?
Compared to their fear, Wang Sheng, equipped with martial prowess, was much calmer.
"Grandpa Li, Uncle Li, you go first, I'll cover our retreat!"
It was then that everyone remembered they had a martial artist among them, and it seemed there was a glimmer of hope.
Li Yongfeng, however, was somewhat worried. He knew some of Wang Sheng's capabilities. Could Wang Sheng withstand a Mountain Lord comparable to a Third Grade Martial Artist?
But now was not the time for second thoughts, they had to escape quickly, staying would only hinder Wang Sheng.
"Yun Sheng, please be extremely careful!"
Everyone forcibly steadied their trembling legs and began to retreat.
Normally, fierce animals like tigers would attack at the sight of humans turning their backs on them.
Wang Sheng was ready for action, yet the Mountain Lord let Li Wenguang and the others leave.
This behavior confirmed some of Wang Sheng's suspicions.
"Indeed, this Mountain Lord came specifically for me!"
Ever since its appearance, the Mountain Lord's gaze had not left him. He had initially thought it was an illusion, but now it was clear.
The Mountain Lord had been targeting him from the very start!
"Roar!"
The Mountain Lord roared once more, charging toward Wang Sheng like a battle chariot.
Seeing the battle-hungry Mountain Lord, Wang Sheng seemed to understand something.
Hidden Weapon, murderous intent arises!
Whether it was him, Wang Sheng, or the Mountain Lord, both possessing immense power, deep down, they couldn't suppress the excitement in their hearts!
Man and beast suddenly reached an unspoken agreement.
Then—
Let the battle begin!
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