34: Injured and returning home

The vicious tiger, driven even more insane by the stinging pain in its belly, pulled out the armor-piercing spike lodged in its shoulder blade. It tore away a large chunk of flesh and tossed it aside without a glance, its blood-red eyes fixed intently on the fallen Li Qinghe before pouncing again!

Blood poured from the wound in its abdomen like a fountain, but it didn't seem to affect its violent strength in the slightest!

Li Qinghe endured the excruciating pain, rolling on the ground to dodge the lethal pounce and bite. At the same time, his hand quickly reached into his robe and pulled out the small cloth bag his master had given him—Monster-Confusing Powder!

He waited for the exact moment the vicious tiger opened its bloody maw to pounce again, using all his strength to hurl the entire bag of pungent, spicy powder right at its face!

"Poof!"

A cloud of yellow-green dust exploded before the tiger's eyes and nose!

"Roar—! Cough, cough... Awooo!"

Caught off guard, the tiger inhaled a large amount of dust into its nasal cavity. The pungent, spicy scent instantly caused it to shake its head, cough, and sneeze in agony!

Its blood-red eyes were further irritated by the powder, causing tears to stream uncontrollably and its vision to blur! It swung its claws wildly in a frenzy, but lost its aim.

"Now's my chance!"

Li Qinghe ignored the sharp pain in his right leg from being cut by gravel and the bone-deep wound on his left arm where the edge of the tiger's claw had grazed him during the earlier block. Despite the burning agony, he forced himself to stand. The spiritual power within his body surged frantically as his hands rapidly formed seals in front of his chest!

The already damp air in the hollow seemed to be sucked dry in an instant!

Countless tiny water droplets converged, compressed, and took shape wildly between Li Qinghe's palms!

A "Water Condensation Arrow," about a foot long and composed entirely of highly compressed water spiritual power with an arrow tip shimmering with bone-chilling cold, formed instantly!

Around the arrow's body, the air distorted slightly due to the contained lesser yin chill!

"Die!"

Li Qinghe roared and pushed his hands forward!

"Swoosh—!"

The Water Condensation Arrow turned into a cold, blue-white streak of light. It traveled with startling speed and a bone-chilling frost, accurately shooting into the tiger's barbed, bloody maw that was wide open in pain!

"Puchi! Crack!"

The Water Condensation Arrow instantly pierced deep into the tiger's mouth!

The contained lesser yin chill erupted violently inside its body!

At the same time, the impact of the high-pressure water arrow slammed into its throat bone like a heavy sledgehammer!

"Ugh..."

The tiger's massive body suddenly stiffened!

Its violent roar came to an abrupt halt!

Its blood-red eyes bulged, filled with unbelievable terror and frozen agony!

The crisp sound of its throat bone shattering was clearly audible!

Its massive body swayed a few times before crashing to the ground!

Its limbs continued to twitch unconsciously, and foul blood mixed with organ fragments and ice shards poured from its mouth and nose. The light in its cruel, bloody eyes quickly faded.

"Finally... it's dead."

Li Qinghe was completely drained of strength, barely managing to keep from kneeling over by leaning on his hunting knife.

Blood poured from the wound on his right leg, the pain in his left arm made half his body tremble, and his chest throbbed with a dull ache.

He panted heavily, every breath tugging at his wounds with a burning pain.

Looking at the massive creature gradually losing its life on the ground, the relief of surviving was intertwined with intense pain.

He didn't dare stay long; the smell of blood and the commotion of the fight could attract other beasts at any time.

Gritting his teeth, he dragged his injured leg to the tiger's carcass, pulled out his hunting knife, and, enduring the strong smell of blood and the churning in his stomach, began to skin it.

His movements were somewhat clumsy due to the pain, but his hunter's skill remained.

With great difficulty, he peeled off a tiger skin stained with foul blood, yet still showing its massive size and tough texture, and rolled it up.

By the time he finished, he was nearly exhausted.

He simply tied cloth strips tightly around the deepest wounds on his leg and arm to stop the bleeding, picked up his hunting bow from the ground, and managed to shoulder the rolled-up tiger skin and the remaining armor-piercing spikes (five left).

Looking back at the messy battlefield and the massive, skinless tiger carcass, Li Qinghe took a deep breath of the cold air filled with blood and toxic miasma. Using his hunting knife as a cane, he limped and stumbled toward Li Family Village, dragging his feet with difficulty.

Every step tugged at his wounds, leaving a bloody footprint. The afterglow of the setting sun stretched his shadow long, solitary, and stubborn.

The heavy night was like unspreadable ink, enveloping Li Family Village in darkness.

The festive red silks in the brick courtyard lost their color in the dark, leaving only blurred outlines.

All was silent, save for a few scattered barks and the chirping of unknown insects.

"Knock... knock-knock... knock..."

A very faint, dragging, and heavy knocking sound broke the silence, as if something were feebly scratching against the door panel.

In the main house, Li Dashan, who was already sleeping fitfully because of his younger son's "herb gathering," suddenly jolted awake.

Madam Zhang also sat up almost at the same time. The two looked at each other, both seeing suspicion and alarm in the other's eyes.

"Qinghe?"

Madam Zhang's voice carried sleepiness and a hint of imperceptible trembling.

Li Dashan didn't speak. He threw on his clothes, shuffled into his shoes, walked quickly to the courtyard gate, and asked in a low voice:

"Who is it?"

There was no answer from outside, only that faint yet persistent knocking, intermittent.

Li Dashan's heart tightened, and he suddenly pulled back the heavy door bolt.

"Creak—"

As the door opened, a figure almost entirely leaning against the doorframe, carrying a strong scent of blood and the cold dew of the mountains, suddenly slumped forward!

"Qinghe!"

Li Dashan was quick and caught him.

Under the faint moonlight, Li Qinghe's face was terrifyingly pale, his lips cracked and stained with mud and blood.

He was cold and wet all over, his clothes torn in many places and so smeared with blood and mud that their original color was unrecognizable.

The pant leg of his right leg was soaked in blood, clinging tightly to his skin. The wound on his left arm was even more gruesome; the bone-deep gash was tightly bound with coarse cloth strips, which had long since been stained blackish-red with blood.

He also carried a large, rolled-up object on his back that emitted a strong smell of blood.

Seeing his parents' familiar faces, the strings of Li Qinghe's heart, which had been stretched to the limit, suddenly relaxed, and his forced willpower instantly collapsed.

A faint grunt escaped his throat, his eyes closed, his body went completely limp, and he fainted.

"My son—!"

Madam Zhang, following close behind, saw this scene and felt her Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. She let out a shrill scream and rushed forward. Seeing her son covered in blood, tears streamed down her face, and her heart felt as if it were being gripped and crushed:

"What... what happened! My son!"

Li Dashan was also scared out of his wits, but as the head of the household, he suppressed his immense panic and heartache. His gaze swept over the large object wrapped in fur on his son's back and then at the injuries on his body, and he instantly understood most of what had happened.

"Stop wailing! Quick, give me a hand! Carry him inside!"

Li Dashan's voice was hoarse but carried an unquestionable decisiveness, his eyes turning red. He quickly unloaded the heavy, rank-smelling tiger skin roll from Li Qinghe's back and tossed it under the porch, not caring whether it was dirty or not.