Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies
Chapter 81 - 5 Trace of the Demon Tiger

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Hearing the roar, Shen Qing and Tian Xiaohu exchanged glances.

Being in constant contact with various beasts in the deep mountains, Shen Qing and Tian Xiaohu recognized it as the roar of a fierce tiger.

Was there actually a fierce tiger in Shicheng Mountain?

"Let's go, take a look outside."

Shen Qing led Tian Xiaohu outside the house, looking toward the direction of the animal's roar behind the mountain, and was instantly stupefied.

In the sky above Shicheng Mountain, a huge hole was pierced through thick dark clouds.

From a distance, it looked as if a great power of celestial gods had hurled a massive stone from the sky.

Blue sky and sunshine poured through the hole, appearing extraordinarily astonishing.

Such a spectacle made others in the village run out of their homes.

Everyone whispered to each other, creating a somewhat noisy scene.

Shen Qing knew that fierce tigers and black bears existed in Shicheng Mountain, though they were rarely seen daily.

However, he had never encountered a tiger with such a roar.

"I remember people are still hunting in the mountains, aren't they?" Shen Qing turned to Tian Xiaohu and asked.

Though it was indeed Li Chun, the tax officials in the city hadn't come yet, so the villagers naturally ignored any spring hunting bans.

They all wanted to seize the last opportunity to make some money.

Tian Xiaohu said without raising his head, "Yes, everyone is there now; the harvests have been poor lately, so everyone's desperately hunting in the mountains."

"Good, then we can ask them what's happening in the mountains at that time."

"Hmm."

As they were talking, there was a commotion at the village entrance, as if many people were rushing back into the village desperately.

"The mountain drivers are back!"

Someone exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention.

Hearing this, Shen Qing looked and saw Zhang Baqing leading a group of panicked hunters into the village.

Each one was terrified, as if they had seen a ghost.

Shen Qing stepped forward to stop Zhang Baqing, shook his shoulder, and asked, "Zhang Bazi, what happened on the mountain? Why are you all running?"

Zhang Baqing's face was full of terror; his whole body trembled as he stammered, "Demon... tiger!"

Shen Qing frowned, "A tiger is just a tiger, what demon tiger?"

"We... we... saw that tiger speak... human words!"

"What?!"

With these words, everyone in Hongshan Village was shocked.

Cries of surprise rang out one after another.

"I've lived this long... never... never seen such a strange thing..."

Shen Qing doubted, "Could you be mistaken?"

"It's not just me; everyone heard and saw it, and Chen Dacong was even swept away by a demonic wind," Zhang Baqing said with a very sure tone.

Shen Qing remained silent.

Zhang Baqing's character in their village was well-known; he wouldn't speak nonsense.

There really was a demon tiger in Shicheng Mountain.

Shen Qing immediately said, "Zhang Batou, we don't know what's happening in the mountains now; first calm down. Tonight, organize men over twelve years old in pairs of young and old, each with a gong, to patrol and keep watch around the village."

"Let's observe first, and I'll go to the city to find the government office for help in a day or two," Shen Qing said logically.

His calmness made Zhang Baqing seem as if he had found his backbone, and he soon calmed down as well, hurrying to make arrangements.

Shen Qing and the hunters in Hongshan Village had only heard of spiritual foxes in the mountains for generations, never about demons in this world.

The anxiety spread like wildfire.

The entire village was shrouded in a somber atmosphere, feeling as if a disaster was looming. Each hunter living in Hongshan Village was pushed to tension, placing hunting bows and daggers under their pillows at night.

Prepared to react at any moment to possible sudden changes.

That night, Shen Qing lay in bed, unable to sleep.

His mind kept thinking about the demon tiger.

At that moment, it seemed like the world he knew so little of was slowly revealing a mysterious corner to him.

The night passed silently.

Come early morning, Shen Qing woke up early.

His eldest sister, Shen Fang, prepared breakfast as usual, showing no sign of disturbance on her face.

Shen Qing brushed his teeth with willow twig and green salt, washed his face with hot water, then donned thick cotton clothes as he headed towards Zhang Shuyuan's house.

Knock knock knock.

He knocked on the door lightly and said, "Is Mr. Zhang home? I have something to ask."

"Come in."

Zhang Shuyuan's lazy voice came from inside.

Without much thought, Shen Qing walked in, seeing Zhang Shuyuan still shrunk under the covers, only struggling to sit up halfway as Shen Qing entered.

"Coming over early morning, is it about the demon tiger yesterday?"

"It's hard to hide from you, sir; indeed, it's about this matter." Shen Qing didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "I want to ask, sir, is there really any such thing as demons in this world?"

"Demons? How could there be? You must've read too many stories. I've grown up and read lots of books without ever hearing of any place where there were demons," Zhang Shuyuan shook his head.

"If you insist on being particular, you might find a few fragments about demons in ancient times, but that era is too long ago, somewhat unreliable."

Shen Qing held a reserved attitude toward Zhang Shuyuan's words.

Zhang Baqing and the others had indeed seen it with their eyes; a talking demon tiger couldn't be false.

"If there are no demons, are there celestial beings?" Shen Qing continued to ask.

"Yes, but since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, only one appeared."

"Who?"

"The founding emperor of the Great Zhou, now the nine-hundred-year-old ancestor of the Ji Family."

"He's still alive?" Shen Qing was amazed, never imagining someone could live that long.

"Don't act like you've never seen the world; it's common knowledge among us literati. The founding emperor of the Great Zhou entered the realm of immortality through martial arts, lived a second life, and is the only martial immortal of the era."

"However, because it involves the Imperial family's ethics, it's been kept secret, hidden from ordinary folk. Otherwise, why do you think the Ji Family has ruled the world for nine hundred years, standing unshakable?"

Zhang Shuyuan's words made Shen Qing's scalp tingle.

He didn't remember much else, but one cue stuck: entering the realm of immortality through martial arts.

This world indeed had celestial beings.

Previously, he had been ignorant.

Shen Qing continued to ask about other trivial details and then asked, "Sir, do you have any records about the history and culture of this region? I'd like to take a look."

"You haven't even fully learned the characters, so even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing silently stepped forward, placing three silver beans on the table.

The sound of each silver bean was extraordinarily pleasing.

Lying in bed, Zhang Shuyuan sighed softly, came out from his warm covers,

then took two books from the shelf and handed them to Shen Qing, saying, "You read these first; if you don't understand, come ask me."

Shen Qing cupped his hands, thanked him, and said, "Sorry to bother you, sir; I'll be leaving."

"What's the point of reading without knowing the characters? Forget it, as the old scholar said, 'Make no social distinctions in teaching,' let him read more books; it's not bad."

Zhang Shuyuan nonchalantly swept the silver beans into his pouch, then nestled back into his covers.

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