Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

Chapter 87: Chapter 11: No Way Out, Settling in the Outer City

"The physical bodies of the Human Clan are so weak, yet such a frail group holds the esteemed title as the leader of all spirits, which is truly unjust. Now, in this era of great strife, I have awakened my spiritual wisdom and should seize the opportunity to change the ruler of this world,"

The tiger demon walked over to a villager lying on the ground; one of his legs was still intact.

Its gaze was cold as it opened its bloodied mouth wide and tore off the entire leg, then slowly sat down and began licking the leg, savoring the delicious meal.

With each lick, its tongue scraped off a layer of flesh, making a hissing sound.

The village was filled with a strong stench of blood and a sinister bloody aura.

"Ah, truly satisfying... I've heard that the Human Clan even likes my whip, saying it's a delicacy of the mountains. Someday, I'll capture some and see if they really like it..."

...

On the mountain path, numerous villagers from Hongshan Village walked with bewildered expressions.

Some villagers began to regret their decision as soon as they left.

"My child's father, should we not go? I've thought it over, and a golden nest or a silver nest is not as good as our own doghouse. The government officials haven't even come yet; wait till they come and start blaming, then we can escape to the mountains, it's not too late," a woman in the crowd said to her husband.

The head of the household, carrying heavy belongings, did not utter a word.

"Would you say something?"

"We've already left, we're not going back."

"..."

With the external pressure gone, many people's minds became more active, and the same question started arising among several other families.

"Roar..."

Just as people began to waver in their decision, a tiger roar came from afar.

The roar shook the heavens and the earth, rolling like thunder and echoing like the growl of an ancient beast in everyone's ears, causing palpitations.

Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked back.

"It seems like it's coming from our Hongshan Village," someone recognized the direction of the roar, looking puzzled.

Shen Qing, who was at the front of the group, called out to Tian Xiao Hu, "Take a few people and go back to the village to check what's happening. Be careful."

"Alright, you two come with me," said Tian Xiao Hu.

Tian Xiao Hu put down the belongings his family had brought and, carrying only a bow, casually selected two young Tian Family members and hurried back towards Hongshan Village.

Shen Qing found a suitable spot and rested on the spot.

They hadn't left Hongshan Village for long, having covered only about two or three li.

With the pace of Tian Xiao Hu and his group, it only took less than a quarter of an hour to reach the entrance of Hongshan Village again.

"Such a strong smell of blood, something's not right. We won't enter the village, let's go around to the mountain and check out the situation in the village from above," Tian Xiao Hu said, his nose very sensitive to the abnormality, immediately becoming alert.

A few followed Tian Xiao Hu to a high spot in the mountain forest.

The view here was open and they could overlook the entirety of Hongshan Village. They often rested here while hunting.

Reaching the spot and parting the branches, Tian Xiao Hu saw the bloody scene in the village and his face turned pale with shock.

It wasn't just him; the few young Tian Family members with him also felt waves of fear.

They could see clearly, a tiger demon was holding a leg and was nibbling on it with gusto.

The remaining villagers were all dead.

Seeing a figure floating behind the tiger demon, they were even more scared out of their wits.

My goodness! It really was a demon tiger!

At that moment, they suddenly felt a wave of relief.

If they hadn't left earlier, they would have been the ones lying in the pool of blood.

"Let's go, hurry back and tell Qingzi and the others," Tian Xiao Hu said, pulling his gaze away and speaking in a panic.

The Tian Family youngsters with him didn't dare to stay long and quickly left.

Fearing to disturb the demon tiger, Tian Xiao Hu took extra care to detour, staying far from the village.

It took them quite some effort, but they eventually rushed onto the mountain path and ran wildly.

Tian Xiaohu said breathlessly, "The tiger demon has come; everyone left in the village is dead!"

The devastating news exploded in the ears of the Hongshan Village villagers like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.

They grew even more terrified and felt that their decision to leave the village was both heroic and timely, confirming the suspicions Shen Qing had shared with them.

The many villagers who had just been clamoring to return were now silent as quails, frozen like cicadas in the cold.

Although they had luckily escaped a calamity, they all knew in their hearts that they couldn't return; their way back was completely cut off.

Where the tiger demon haunted was no longer suitable for their hunter lives.

The atmosphere on the mountain path suddenly became oppressive.

Walking at the front of the group, Shen Qing didn't say any comforting words; he maintained his calm demeanor, waiting for everyone to absorb the news, before he finally said, "Go to the city."

His voice wasn't loud, hardly raised at all.

Even so, his words acted like a hook, drawing everyone together and leading them towards Taiping County.

The wheels of the wagons and donkey carts started turning again, emitting squeaky noises.

The people of Hongshan Village walked forward as if their souls had left their bodies.

The weather today was very good.

There were no clouds in sight, and the sky was clear and blue.

Normally, Shen Qing with his cart would take just over one "shi chen" to arrive.

With people in tow, the journey was much slower than usual.

Starting before noon, it took them almost three "shi chen" to finally reach the outskirts of Taiping County.

Most of the villagers from Hongshan Village had not traveled far from home before, and even visits to Taiping County were rare.

They were very unfamiliar with the area.

Instinctively, they all turned their eyes to Shen Qing.

Shen Qing, walking at the front, shouted: "Men and boys, take out your bows, arrows, and weapons, hold them in hand and stay on the outside. Women and children, stay inside the formation – I'll find us a spot."

There were no objections or questions.

Noise erupted from the group as each hunter turned their belongings inside out to find a suitable weapon.

After a while, they barely managed to assemble as Shen Qing had arranged.

Seeing that the preparations were almost done, Shen Qing, leading sixty or seventy people from Hongshan Village, moved mightily toward the Outer City.

Gathered together and armed, their formidable appearance made it clear they were not to be trifled with.

Many passed by, filled with curiosity, but no one dared to approach and inquire.

Passing through the familiar Seven Turns Alley, they stopped in front of a shanty area.

Shen Qing recognized the place and headed straight in.

The others quickly followed.

This area was formerly a stronghold of the Huang Tian Sect, previously housing many people.

Due to issues with the Yellow Angel, the residents were disrupted by the government — some died, some fled, leaving many empty houses.

It was just perfect for them to settle.

Shen Qing entered and looked around; many houses were empty, the contents having been looted, leaving only the bare frames.

More than twenty days had passed, and some of the houses were occupied by homeless wanderers or neighbors, but most were still vacant.

There was enough room for them all if they squeezed a bit.

First to settle down, and as for the rest, it could come slowly.

This was no time to be picky.

The villagers from Hongshan Village were overjoyed; they hadn't expected to find a place to settle so soon.

With no need for Shen Qing to worry, they busied themselves enthusiastically.

This time, the arrival of the people from Hongshan Village at the shanty area caused quite a stir, and Shen Qing guessed that trouble might follow soon.

However, he hadn't expected it to come so quickly.

That very evening, just after they had settled in, a man claiming to be Brother Biao kicked open his door.