Watching the tiger charge straight at him, Chen Sanshi finally understood what "a tiger descending the mountain" truly meant.
He didn't panic. His breathing stayed steady as he drew his bow.
Another arrow flew.
This time, he aimed at the softest part—the eye.
The charging tiger was as fast as lightning, its sheer presence enough to crush a man's will. Hitting a moving target like that, let alone its eyes, was almost impossible—no different from shooting a willow leaf at a hundred paces.
But Chen Sanshi could do that.
"Roar—!"
A roar that shook his insides rang out. The arrow struck true, blinding the tiger's left eye.
"Whsssh—"
The next arrow followed immediately—right into the other eye.
Blood gushed down the tiger's face, staining its white whiskers crimson.
Even with both eyes destroyed and unbearable pain wracking its body, the beast didn't stop. Guided by the last traces of instinct, it leapt upward, claws digging into the tree bark, determined to tear its attacker to shreds.
Tigers could climb—Chen Sanshi knew that well.
He had already prepared for it. Just as the beast lunged up, he jumped to the next tree, twisting in midair to loose another arrow as he moved.
A cornered beast was always the most dangerous.
The tiger wasn't dead yet, but it wouldn't last long.
He only needed to drag this out. No need to rush.
The tiger, relying on its hearing, tracked him through the air and leapt again.
Chen Sanshi shifted to another tree and fired. The arrow struck.
Again and again, they repeated the deadly exchange.
No matter how fierce, it was still an animal. With multiple arrows buried in its flesh and both eyes blinded, the tiger soon weakened. Its limbs trembled as it fell from over ten meters up, crashing heavily onto the forest floor.
Losing that last burst of primal strength, it could no longer endure the pain. The beast thrashed and clawed wildly, gouging deep scars into the blood-soaked mud as it roared and writhed in its own death throes.
It was over.
Chen Sanshi was about to finish the hunt when his ears caught the faint sound of hurried footsteps closing in.
The two martial hall disciples from before emerged.
"Brother, let me help you finish that beast off!"
Wei Xu shouted, sword already half-drawn as he charged forward.
The tiger was half-dead, barely breathing—it needed only one more strike. Help wasn't what they wanted.
They wanted a share of the spoils.
"Get lost."
Chen Sanshi's voice was cold and sharp as steel.
The Kaiyuan Bow was already drawn when the word left his mouth.
A single arrow whistled through the air.
A chill brushed across Wei Xu's neck. He froze in place, unable to move.
Warm blood trickled down his collar before he realized what had happened.
A hair's breadth.
If that arrow had flown even a hair closer, his throat would've been pierced clean through.
"Senior brother…"
His junior stammered, terrified out of his wits.
'What kind of madman is this?!'
They had only wanted a cut of the prize—never to fight! Yet this guy shot without hesitation, not even giving them a chance to speak!
And that speed!
They barely saw him move—his hand brushed the quiver, and the next instant, the arrow was already at their throats.
Wei Xu clutched the bleeding line on his neck, stumbling backward, too afraid to take another step forward.
Retaliate?
Not a chance.
He wasn't blind—he saw clearly what this man had done to the tiger. If the beast couldn't survive him, what chance did he have?
Up in the tree, Chen Sanshi kept his cold gaze fixed on them.
Once they were fully cowed, he slung his bow aside and drew his Willow-Leaf Spear.
Veins bulged along his arms like coiled snakes as he gripped the weapon upside down, leaping from the tree with the spear aimed straight at the tiger's skull.
"Pchhh—"
The sharp tip drove clean through the tiger's head, nailing it to the ground.
Chen Sanshi landed with one knee pressed against the beast's corpse, feeling its qi ebb away until there was nothing left. Only then did he pull out the spear—its blade coated with red and white gore.
Done.
He dragged the roe deer over, slinging both carcasses across his shoulders.
Together, they weighed nearly one thousand catties, but for a cultivator at tempering blood (Mastery), that was nothing.
Only now did Wei Xu finally snap out of his daze.
He and his junior stumbled back, keeping a wide distance as they stammered, "W-Who are you, sir… to act so domineeringly?!"
"Just a lowly Flag Officer in the army."
Chen Sanshi's tone was calm and unshaken.
Everything in this world was decided by strength.
If those two dared to retaliate, they wouldn't even have time to raise their hands before he filled them with arrows.
It was simple—if they couldn't withstand his bow, even a higher cultivation realm wouldn't save them.
A tempering blood martial artist couldn't rely on flesh alone to block a blade—or an arrow.
'Bullshit!'
Wei Xu had never seen a Flag Officer with such terrifying archery.
Besides, his master had warned him: lately, Xiang Tingchun was looking for excuses to punish martial halls. They were not to provoke anyone from the army—if they died, no one would dare to avenge them.
Wei Xu and his junior quickly stepped aside, trembling, afraid he might shoot again.
Chen Sanshi walked past them openly, his steps firm and steady.
Never again will I fear anyone.
Deep in the rich heart of the Second Mountain, he not only came and went as he pleased—he could now make martial hall disciples bow their heads.
This tiger hunt had been worth it. Two of his skills had advanced.
[Tracking and Hiding (Minor Achievement)]
[Progress: 55/1000]
[…]
[Skill: Archery (Minor Achievement)]
[Progress: 150/1000]
Archery, however, was progressing slower than before.
That was because of the bow.
The two-stone bow he had customized earlier now felt light and weak after his recent martial improvements.
"Looks like it's time to upgrade my bow again."
"A bow stronger than two-stone will need to be custom-forged by the Thousand-Household Division's armory smiths."
He glanced down at the tiger's body and muttered, "This beast's bones are far tougher than normal predators. Maybe I can use them as materials for the new bow."
"Also, I owe uncle Zhao Qiao thanks. Without his directions, I'd have worn myself out searching this whole mountain for the tiger's lair."
Crossing back over the creek, Chen Sanshi returned to the southern slope of Second Mountain.
To his surprise, Zhao Qiao, Wu Da, and Zhuang Yi were waiting there.
They had stayed behind out of worry.
After all, tiger hunting was dangerous, and they feared martial hall disciples might cause trouble for him.
Even if they couldn't help much, they had wanted to wait—if something happened, at least someone could retrieve his body instead of leaving him to rot in the mountains. That was how hunters looked out for one another.
Seems they had worried for nothing.
"Brother Chen, you're incredible!"
Zhuang Yi stared at the tiger's claws and fangs, fear still lingering even though it was dead. He couldn't imagine how terrifying it must've been alive.
Their hunting dogs crouched low to the ground, whining softly, too afraid to bark.
Wu Da's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You can kill a tiger with martial arts alone?"
Zhao Qiao chuckled. "Shitou's really made something of himself. Not only can he slay a tiger, but it looks like no one dares mess with him now. Let's hurry down the mountain."
Chen Sanshi glanced at them.
Compared to his hunt, their earnings looked pitiful—just a few wild chickens and rabbits, nothing valuable.
He paused, set down both the tiger and the deer, and said, "Uncle Zhao, I can't carry all this alone. Can you help me bring it to the county? I'll pay you as usual."
"Brother Chen, you killed a tiger. Surely you can carry it yourself?" Zhuang Yi scratched his head.
"Shut it!"
Zhao Qiao glared at him.
The fool couldn't tell that Chen Sanshi was only saying that to give them an excuse to earn some coins—out of kindness.
The four of them made their way to Poyang County.
After an official appraisal, the tiger proved to be exceptional. Not quite a spirit beast, but certainly above an ordinary predator. That raised its market value considerably.
The tiger weighed 700 catties and was priced at 150 taels of silver.
However, Chen Sanshi kept the tiger's heart, gall, hide, bones, and 50 catties of meat for his own use. The rest sold for 68 taels of silver.
The deer earned him another 1 tael.
'That should be enough resources for Minor Achievement in tempering blood.'