Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

”The snow’s been coming down especially hard these past two days. I was worried the Mutant Tiger wouldn’t show itself. I didn’t expect it to be found so quickly.”

Wang Chuang glanced at the rapidly departing Yun Shuanglin, his face completely free of worry.

He looked away and continued speaking to Chen Cheng, almost as if to himself.

”It’s strange, you know. The last time we at Jiuan Hunting Manor caught a Mutant Tiger was just before the Tiger Slaying Banquet. But the time before that, you’d have to go back seven years.”

”There are rumors that some kind of major change must have happened deep in the mountains for a Mutant Tiger to appear near human territory after such a short interval.”

”A major change?”

Chen Cheng glanced sideways.

He knew very little about the outside world, and he was completely ignorant of the conditions within the deep ancient forests.

Now that Wang Chuang had brought it up, a hint of curiosity appeared in his eyes.

”It’s hard to say. Natural disasters, man-made calamities, beast-related disasters… anything is possible. If things really get chaotic in the deep ancient forests, those Exotic Beasts lose their habitats and have no choice but to flee outwards.”

Just as he was speaking, the few Manor Soldiers who had run off to retrieve the carcass had already returned.

They were carrying the Snow Falcon’s body, and it looked like quite a struggle.

The Snow Falcon was large, but logically, two strong adult men should have been more than enough to move it.

But right now, even with four of them lifting and carrying it on their shoulders, they were still struggling.

”This species of Snow Falcon is all sinewy muscle and iron-like bones once they mature. Their actual weight is far greater than it appears.”

Wang Chuang offered an explanation, then ordered the Manor Soldiers in a low voice:

”Find a place to hide it. We’ll pick it up on our way back to the city.”

The men, clearly experienced in this, immediately acknowledged the order and set to work.

First, they found a distinctive pine tree. It had a fist-sized scar on its trunk and a thick branch growing out at an angle beside it, making it an excellent, easily recognizable landmark.

Then they buried the Snow Falcon’s corpse in the snowdrift at the base of the tree and sprinkled a special powder over it.

This powder could mask the scent of blood, preventing other wild animals from stealing it.

”Cheng, this Snow Falcon is yours. When we head back, you can take it home yourself or sell it directly to the Hunting Manor.”

Wang Chuang said.

”This Snow Falcon may not be a Treasure Bird, but its flesh and bones are far more nourishing than those of an ordinary bird. If you pair it with certain medicinal herbs and stew it into a medicated meal, the effects are excellent. A single one like this can sell for one hundred taels of silver.”

”In that case, exchange it for one hundred taels’ worth of Exotic Tiger Meat for me.”

Chen Cheng had his own plans.

Right now, he had over a thousand taels of silver. The Treasure Fish at home would last him more than twenty days. Plus, if he escorted two more boat convoys this month, he could get two more Treasure Fish.

Because of this, neither silver nor the Snow Falcon meat held much appeal for him.

’But if I can exchange it for the rarer, more restorative Exotic Tiger Meat… now that would get my attention. I should try to hunt as many other animals as possible along the way and trade them all in at once.’

”No problem.”

Wang Chuang grinned and said:

”Normally, every affiliated Martial Artist only gets a quota of one jin of Exotic Tiger Meat. You can’t exchange for or buy more.”

”But you’re different. We’re brothers, and my uncle really has his eye on you. When the time comes, keep it quiet. After the crowd disperses, I’ll arrange the exchange for you privately.”

”Thanks, Brother Chuanzi.”

Chen Cheng smiled, but before he could finish speaking, a heavy slap from Wang Chuang’s broad palm landed on his back.

”What’s with the formalities between us? Let’s go! We need to hurry over there too!”

「Afterward.」

Their team quickened their pace, heading toward the place where the signal arrow had sounded.

For this operation, the Jiuan Hunting Manor’s forces were divided into a total of seven teams. Each team was led by a core member of the Hunting Manor and an affiliated Martial Artist, accompanied by six Manor Soldiers.

After the seven teams arrived at Huangxiazi Ridge, they fanned out to search from seven different directions, maintaining contact with each other.

According to the plan, the first team to find the Mutant Tiger was to fire a signal arrow immediately. The other teams, upon hearing it, would move toward the signal’s location to converge and surround the prey.

This was the Jiuan Hunting Manor’s usual method for hunting large prey, and it had never failed.

The distance between the teams ensured wide coverage while still allowing them to converge quickly at critical moments.

The division of labor was clear, their movements were coordinated, and the process was efficient and relatively safe.

「Some time later.」

The team led by Wang Chuang and Chen Cheng successfully arrived at the location.

It was a low-lying section of ancient forest, hidden behind a gentle slope. While the surrounding pine woods gradually thinned out, here they suddenly became dense.

Ancient pines reached for the sky, their branches intertwining to block out the already dim light of day.

Falling snow was caught mid-air by the impenetrable canopy, with only a few scattered flakes managing to slip through the gaps to land on the rotting leaves below.

The forest was dark and oppressive.

Though it was still daytime, stepping inside felt like instantly crossing into dusk.

The ground, covered in decaying leaves, was uneven and treacherous to walk on.

There was no telling what lay buried beneath the rotting leaves; the ground was sometimes firm, sometimes soft and yielding, putting one on edge.

The trunks of the ancient pines were so thick it would take two people to encircle them. Their cracked bark resembled scales, and they twisted upward like countless struggling pythons.

An indescribable musty smell filled the air, mixed with the stench of rotting leaves and animal dung, as well as the faint, almost imperceptible scent of rust.

The team had not been in the ancient forest for long when a faint call for help suddenly came from up ahead.

”Is anyone there… can anyone come… help us…”

The voice was intermittent and extremely weak, as if squeezed from the throat. It was only thanks to the silence of the forest that it could be heard clearly by the group.

”That’s my fourth uncle’s voice!”

Wang Chuang’s expression changed drastically. He pushed off hard with his feet, his entire body shooting like an arrow loosed from its bowstring toward the source of the voice.