When misfortune strikes, it rarely does so alone.
By the time Xiao Yanshi caught up to the sound, Xie Kaiji was nearly bitten on the backside by the tiger. Fortunately, his reactions were lightning-fast; he rolled along the ground, narrowly escaping the tiger’s maw. However, he was utterly no match for the hulking beast. As the tiger roared, its lethal claws swiped, kicking up a whirlwind of fallen leaves, and even a tree too thick for one person to encircle was split in two.
My life is over!
Xie Kaiji’s heart hammered against his ribs. Even with his fastest footwork, he couldn’t outrun that claw.
“Stop standing there like a fool, run!” Xiao Yanshi let out a sharp cry. Xie Kaiji instinctively moved sideways, and at the same time, a dagger flashed past, plunging deep into the tiger’s front paw right before his eyes.
“ROAR!” The dagger in Xiao Yanshi’s hand was sharp enough to slice through metal like silk; this heavy blow instantly severed one of the tiger’s claws.
The pain of a severed claw is the same for man and beast alike. Xiao Yanshi had saved Xie Kaiji, but he had also driven the tiger into a frenzy.
“Turn right ahead, there’s a trap there.” Blood splattered across Xiao Yanshi’s cheek, making his features look even sharper and more ferocious. Only then did Xie Kaiji truly realize the reality of the situation: his good brother had spent nearly a decade bathing in blood on the battlefield, and he wasn’t just there to spectate.
To save their lives, the two exhausted nearly every ounce of strength they had. Xie Kaiji’s throat felt as if he had swallowed gravel, the friction nearly making him cough up blood. “Are we there yet?!”
“Look out!” Xiao Yanshi’s shout was fast, but the massive black shadow behind them was faster. Without a second thought, he kicked Xie Kaiji out of the way and used the momentum to leap aside himself.
BOOM! The massive tiger, large as a small hill, lunged down from the air. Expecting it to land on solid ground, its four paws instead went soft, and it crashed heavily into the earth. The sharp, protruding branches of the trap pierced its hide, and the dense, searing pain sent it rearing its head to let out a howl of agony.
Xie Kaiji covered his ears and took a deep breath. “Good heavens, such a massive tiger… one bite and half my body would be gone!”
“If you dawdle any longer, the other half of your body will be gone too.” Xiao Yanshi sheathed his dagger, grabbed Xie Kaiji, and prepared to bolt.
Unexpectedly, in that instant, the massive body struggling in the trap suddenly surged upward, its front claws swiping toward the two of them. Xie Kaiji shoved Xiao Yanshi aside and retreated with frantic speed, but his foot slipped on a slanting slope that had been partially revealed.
Can anyone have worse luck than me!
In his panic, Xie Kaiji had prepared himself to tumble down the slope and suffer serious injury, but Xiao Yanshi didn’t give him the chance. With one sweep of his powerful arm, he narrowly hauled him back. But misfortune never comes alone; in that critical moment, neither noticed the sharp, protruding branch beneath their feet… Xie Kaiji felt a pain so sharp he nearly fainted.
Xiao Yanshi couldn’t protect both ends. As he clutched Xie Kaiji, a tiger’s claw sliced through the air toward his vitals. He only had time to twist his body, and then pain exploded across his waist.
As Xie Kaiji bowed his head, he saw blood blooming instantly across Xiao Yanshi’s waist.
“Xiao the Second!”
“Shut up!” Xiao Yanshi seemed not to feel the pain. He hoisted Xie Kaiji onto his shoulder and ran back the way they came.
“The trap you set was too perfunctory; that beast has already broken free.” Xie Kaiji felt dizzy; even as he complained, his words were laced with helplessness.
“In that short amount of time, by the time I dug a trap, your corpse would already be cold…” Xiao Yanshi caught his breath, glanced back hurriedly, then scanned left and right, selecting a sturdier-looking tree.
“What are you doing?” Xie Kaiji slid off Xiao Yanshi’s shoulder.
“Get up the tree first.”
It took all of Xiao Yanshi’s remaining strength to shove Xie Kaiji into a fork in the tree. He wiped the blood from his waist, tore off the rhinoceros-horn button from his garment to trace the tooth marks left on it, and laughed instead.
“I must thank Xue You well when I get back; this rhinoceros-horn button was a gift from him just the other day.”
His face lacked any lingering fear of escaping the tiger’s maw. Even now, he could still laugh. Xie Kaiji moved his leg, grimacing in pain.
“I say, even at a time like this, must you show off your sweetheart? If he were to arrive in time to play the hero, that would truly be a marriage gifted by the heavens!”
The more Xie Kaiji thought about it, the more sorrowful he felt. “You have it easy, at least you have a nominal ‘consort’ to burn paper for you in the afterlife. I’m far worse off. I’ve grown this big and haven’t even touched a beauty’s hand… if I’d known this, I shouldn’t have been so shy when Mother arranged concubines for me. I should have taken one or two into my room; that would be better than arriving in the underworld still a virgin… Ouch, slow down, you’re killing me!!”
Xie Kaiji had only been focused on not having his backside bitten by the tiger and had stepped onto a broken slope. If not for Xiao Yanshi’s quick reflexes, Xie Kaiji would have either tumbled to the bottom of the slope or landed in the tiger’s jaws. Even so, the protruding branch had pierced his calf. The only silver lining was that the wound had missed his tendons and veins, though it bled quite profusely.
At this point, the canteen of wine Xiao Yanshi had brought came in handy.
Xie Kaiji couldn’t help but sigh at Xiao Yanshi’s foresight. “If we weren’t such close brothers, I would suspect you brought that tiger here yourself why does it only hunt me? And this canteen of wine truly saved my life!
Xiao Yanshi couldn’t be bothered to respond. He tore off a piece of Xie Kaiji’s hem to carefully bandage the wound.
The two sat in the tree. Below, the tiger caught the scent of blood and circled the tree. Unable to reach them, it acted like a caged beast, letting out a few howls before growing bored and beginning to scratch at the tree with its claws.
Xie Kaiji stretched his head out to look. “Do you think this tree can hold up if it keeps scratching like that?”
“No.” Xiao Yanshi pulled the dagger from his boot, carved a few three-foot-long pointed branches, and stored them away before climbing to a higher branch to survey the surroundings.
“What do you intend to do?” Xie Kaiji felt his heart jump, sensing Xiao Yanshi was ready to spring into action.
“Stay here and don’t make any sudden moves!” Xiao Yanshi tossed his own dagger to Xie Kaiji. “From now on, do exactly as I say.”
“No!” Xie Kaiji grabbed Xiao Yanshi’s arm. “You want to lure the tiger away?”
“By the time the people from the manor find us, I fear there will only be a few bone fragments left,” Xiao Yanshi shook off Xie Kaiji’s hand. “There’s a large patch of bushes not far from here. I will lead it there. If you don’t hear a tiger’s roar after three breaths, move carefully along that direction to where we tied the horses… As long as you reunite with the manor’s men, your life will be safe.”
Without waiting for Xie Kaiji to argue, he had already dropped to the ground like a bird skimming across grass.
Xie Kaiji’s complexion shifted drastically. “Xiao the Second!”
His voice was drowned out by a roar. In a blink, the tiger’s front body had lunged at the spot where Xiao Yanshi had just been standing, its claws sinking deep into the rot-filled soil, kicking up a humid, pungent stench.
Xie Kaiji gripped the tree trunk, his reason barely stopping him from jumping down.
Xiao Yanshi was faster than the tiger.
He darted toward the bushes like a gust of wind, glancing back once to see if the tiger was following, but he soon had no time to look back.
As the tiger leaped into the air, Xie Kaiji saw a few trees topple, and Xiao Yanshi’s silhouette vanished from sight.
After only a moment of hesitation, Xie Kaiji followed Xiao Yanshi’s instructions and crawled down from the tree with great difficulty. He turned to look at the direction Xiao Yanshi had gone and, gritting his teeth, turned and fled.
I cannot let Xiao Yanshi’s sacrifice be in vain!
Fortunately, all his bad luck had been exhausted beforehand. As Xie Kaiji ran toward the manor, the way was smooth. As he gained distance, the tiger’s roars faded, leaving only his own ragged gasps for air.
“You!” Xie Kaiji ran forward, and not far from where the horses were tied, a figure suddenly collided with him. Before he could speak, he heard a cold voice. “Where is Xiao Yanshi!”
“Th-that way…” Xie Kaiji was startled by the murderous aura radiating from the man, instinctively pointing in the previous direction.
The man, not caring in the slightest whether Xie Kaiji was injured, brushed past him and darted toward Xiao Yanshi’s path.
“Xue You?” Xie Kaiji was stunned. That flash of ruthlessness made it hard to reconcile him with the gentle, jade-like man he knew.
But he soon stopped thinking about such trifles. No matter what kind of person Xue You was, his anxious appearance confirmed he was going to save Xiao Yanshi.
Yet, Xue You alone wouldn’t be enough; a large number of hands were needed. Xie Kaiji didn’t look back, continuing to bolt toward the manor.
Xiao the Second, hold on!
Xiao Yanshi had been tempered on the battlefield for eight full years, yet this was his first time understanding what it meant to have no path to survival.
He had thought that luring the tiger away would be half the battle, but the beast simply didn’t play along, instead forcing Xiao Yanshi into a dead end. Well, of course—the beast had probably roamed Qingfeng Mountain for ages; it was far more familiar with the terrain than an “outsider” like Xiao Yanshi.
So, as Xiao Yanshi tried to guard Xie Kaiji while struggling to survive, he had no idea where he had ended up.
When the ground suddenly vanished beneath his feet, Xiao Yanshi nearly cried out. Fortunately, a sturdy, old pine tree stood nearby, allowing him to use its strength to leap forward and avoid the tragedy of falling off the cliff.
But it seemed there was no difference between dying then and dying now.
The tiger loomed closer with every step, its roar like an intimidation tactic. Xiao Yanshi moved his feet inch by inch, waiting for a chance to slip away.
But the beast clearly saw through Xiao Yanshi’s plan. It swept its tail like a rear guard, leaving deep marks in the ground with its front claws.
“This is really…” Xiao Yanshi drew his dagger, resolved to fight to the death.
A massive beast, so what? No matter how smart it is, it’s still just a beast!
In a flash, Xiao Yanshi feinted left. As the tiger’s claw swiped down, he spun his body, flipping in front of the tiger at an impossible angle, leaping up to grab its fur and swinging his right hand down with all his might.
The dagger sliced into skin, and a roar tore through the heavens.
To anger a vicious tiger was to invite a frenzy of thrashing. Xiao Yanshi’s waist wound burst open, and he was sent flying horizontally.
It’s over!
Just as he closed his eyes, a wind gusted from behind him.
His heart gave a tiny skip, and a moment later, he fell into a warm embrace.
“Apologies, I am late…”