19. Shooting the Tiger

Rank!
The stench was unbearable.
The black cat, Lu Xun, traced the character for "tiger" in Zhao Jia’s palm.
"You mean the tiger that wounded you is also aboard?" Zhao Jia’s hawk-like gaze swept the deck, voice lowered.
The cat nodded.
The scent carried by the river wind was unmistakable.
The steward of the official ship—half an official himself—paced restlessly as though standing on burning coals, wishing he could seize the helm and steer the vessel out of the bandits’ encirclement.
Thirty men, all armored.
The sailors clung to their weapons, trembling like quails.
Dense fog blanketed the river.
Three large ships crashed through the mist, blocking the official vessel’s escape.
A dozen small boats circled like worker bees, weapons clanging and voices howling.
Bang!
The anchor dropped, locking the ship in place.
Iron grappling hooks soared from the hands of the henchmen, latching onto the eaves.
Planks were laid out, forming a makeshift deck.
Water bandits leapt onto the improvised walkway.
"Cut the iron chains!"
At Zhao Jia’s command, the crew sprang into action.
Swish, swish.
Splash, splash.
Several bandits who stepped onto the makeshift deck first tumbled into the gap between the ships.
Chen Sheng, the River Dragon in the Waves, spotted Zhao Jia immediately.
"Be careful, Chief! That’s Constable Zhao from Meilan County—an external martial arts master with twenty years’ experience. Not to be underestimated!" Xiong Tao hastily warned.
Chen Sheng, the grand chief of the River Dragon Water Fortress on Xunyang River, was confident, relishing a challenge—his skills were formidable.
But the constable before him was no easy prey, armored head to toe. An external martial artist in armor could withstand the chaos of battle.
"Lift!"
Chen Sheng hefted a massive, thick door plank and hurled it forward.
Clang.
The plank landed across the ropes, forming a solid deck. The strongmen, poised to sever the chains, realized the plank wedged perfectly between the two ships. Even if they cut the chains, it wouldn’t help.
Chen Sheng’s gaze shifted. "Master Xu, it’s your turn."
Xu Hong smiled and clapped his hands.
"Roar!"
The mountains shuddered; beasts and birds scattered in terror.
A white-browed tiger strode out from the hold, pacing like a king surveying its domain. Its fierce gaze swept the crowd, and, guided by a woman’s whispered command, it fixed its sights on Zhao Jia at the bow.
Suddenly, the tiger leapt—covering twenty feet in a single bound—landing squarely atop the great plank.
Its throat rumbled thunderously.
Hearts trembled in response.
Even clad in armor, every man’s face drained of color.
Fighting bandits was one thing—at least they could hold out for reinforcements.
But no one expected a battle like this.
What witchcraft had the bandits used to tame a tiger?
None of them had ever fought a beast.
Zhao Jia forced himself to remain calm. "Where are the heavy crossbows?!"
Two crossbowmen took their positions, weapons ready. Zhao Jia reached into a chest, drew forth an ironwood bow, nocked an arrow, and pulled to a half moon, aiming at the stalking tiger. He shouted, "Beast, come!"
The tiger was proud.
It had always been the one to roar—no creature dared raise a voice in its presence.
Zhao Jia’s thunderous shout awakened its savage nature. It roared in fury, pressed its paws to the deck, and launched itself, dodging the incoming quarrel. The other crossbowman, seeing the tiger leap, released his trigger in haste.
Whoosh!
The bolt barely grazed its fur.
Zhao Jia drew the ironwood bow to its limit and fired at the tiger’s apex.
Whizz.

Thud.
"Hit!"
The shot struck true, but the tiger hardly slowed. Its massive claws bore down upon Zhao Jia.
Zhao Jia discarded the bow and braced himself.
Gripping his broad saber, he prepared to wrestle the beast.
Everyone knew the constable’s chances were slim.
The tiger stretched a yard long; one blow carried the strength to crush horse and rider.
In that critical moment—
There came a sound—
"Go-go…"
"Quack!"
Like thunder in the sky.
A flash of white exploded against the tiger’s glaring eye, blood spurting.
The striped beast reeled from the pain, staggered by the white light, crashing into the ship’s eaves. Its outstretched paw barely touched Zhao Jia before it hastily withdrew.
Zhao Jia clutched his saber, stepped forward, and with all his strength, struck the tiger as it tried to climb back up.
Clinging to the eaves, its hind legs braced for another leap, the tiger was hacked into the water.
Blood dyed the river crimson.
Splash!
A toad, as large as a basin, also leapt from the ship.
‘Huff, huff!’
Zhao Jia felt his heart pounding, lungs like battered bellows. Never had he fought so fiercely—draining every ounce of strength.
Exhausted, he felt a gentle, tingling energy rise from his core, flowing through his limbs. The tiger’s wounds no longer stung.
He recalled hearing thunder—
Like a toad’s call.
The white flash seemed familiar.
He caught a glimpse of the toad and knew he couldn’t be mistaken—
It was the toad from Clear Spring Temple.
Why had the toad saved him? Wasn’t it dead?
He scanned for the black cat.
No sign.
"A true hero! Reborn Prince of Martial Arts, no less!"
Chief Chen Sheng applauded, offering, "Brother, with your skill at hunting tigers, why serve corrupt officials? Join my fortress—I’ll make you my deputy chief. Gold, beauty, feast—choose what you will! Eat and drink your fill, what say you?"
Zhao Jia raised his saber, shouting, "Officers and bandits cannot coexist. Enough talk—who will face death next?"
Chen Sheng’s face darkened as he strode onto the deck. "Refuse a toast, then drink the penalty! Kill them all!"
...
Lu Xun had leapt into the river alongside the tiger.
He knew the beast could swim underwater.
The arrow had wounded it but not fatally.
If the tiger climbed out, it would become a deadly menace again—on land, no small creature could stand against it.
But the river belonged to the toad.
He had to seize this chance to finish the tiger and claim its head!
Glug-glug,
Glug-glug.
...
The tiger clamped its mouth shut, refusing the river water entry.
Underwater, it moved sluggishly, dog-paddling toward the surface.
"Go-go-go!"
The tiger turned toward the sound.
A flash of white, swirling the currents, rushed in.
Bang.

The white light struck its wound directly.
The tiger howled in agony, water flooding its throat from all sides.
Feeling death’s shadow, it whimpered, shut its mouth and nose.
It realized it could not open its jaws so easily; it didn’t care who attacked, only sought to reach the shore.
The forest was its domain; the river threatened its life.
Within the whirlpool, its strength dissipated, sharp fangs useless. The little thief who ambushed it moved freely, white flashes and currents striking without pause.
"Quack."
The basin-sized toad swelled to the size of a millstone.
Lu Xun gathered his strength each time, pushing himself to the utmost.
Aim.
Fire.
"Water Arrow!"
Smack.
The wounded tiger roared instinctively.
Glug-glug-glug.
The panicked striped beast flailed wildly; the more it struggled, the more water flooded in.
Gradually, its efforts weakened.
With its single eye, it watched the light above—so near, yet so far.
"Water Arrow."
"Water Arrow."
...
"Water Arrow!"
The white light flashed—so like the surface of river or lake.
In its confusion, everything seemed to calm; the suffocating pain vanished.
"No more struggling?"
Lu Xun held back his excitement, watching from a distance, not daring to approach.
"Water Arrow!"
After several cautious minutes, the tiger’s body floated like rootless duckweed in the current.
Certain now, Lu Xun drew near, waving his webbed hands.
The striped tiger stared with its lone eye; once shining like a pearl, now only a dull gray.
Alas, the king of the land drowned in the whirlpool.
Lu Xun reached out with his toad’s hand and grasped the tiger’s head.
With a gentle lift, the massive tiger’s head rose in his grasp.
Black smoke swirled, forming characters.
【Head of the Rampant Tiger of the Military】
Type: Fur (Beast—Tiger)
Quality: Ordinary
Art: Tiger Hunt
Annotation: "Counties suffer frequent tiger rampages, causing harm to the people. Often traps are set, yet casualties remain high."
【Eats people, eats many people.】
Lu Xun was overjoyed, but his brows furrowed.
He rejoiced at the tiger’s strength.
He thought: No wonder I barely escaped the tiger’s jaws—it was only an "art." If it had been a magical tiger hunt, escape would have been impossible.
He frowned at the tiger’s purpose.
The toad was "Silver," but the Rampant Tiger was "Man-eater."
"Man-eater" was easier to grasp than "Silver."
【Do you wish to crush the head of the Rampant Tiger of the Military?】
"No, do not crush."