Chapter 125: There’s Something Fun Going On

Mo Jinnan gripped the longsword, instantly turning to face the tiger.

Xiang Xinyao quickly shouted, “Mr. Mo, don’t hurt the tiger’s fur.”

Mo Jinnan responded, “Understood.”

With that, the longsword aimed for the tiger’s eyes.

The tiger was large, but surprisingly agile. With a quick side jump, it avoided Mo Jinnan’s sword strike.

But Mo Jinnan was no novice. Using the trunk of a large tree for leverage, he propelled himself toward the tiger again.

To avoid harming the tiger’s fur, Mo Jinnan found himself restrained in his attacks.

When the tiger narrowly evaded his sword strike again, Mo Jinnan tossed the sword aside, embedding it into the trunk of a tree.

Clenching his fists, he now engaged in close combat with the tiger.

This was the perfect opportunity!

Xiang Xinyao quickly dropped down from the tree and clenched her fists, joining the fray.

Though Xiang Xinyao’s martial skills were still weak, her agility made up for it. With Mo Jinnan protecting her, she was able to avoid the tiger’s lethal strikes a few times with ease.

“Thud! Thud!” The sounds of fists hitting flesh rang out.

Mo Jinnan’s fist struck the tiger’s head, while Xiang Xinyao’s fist landed on its neck.

The tiger’s neck was one of its most vulnerable spots, followed by its spine.

Xiang Xinyao put all her inner strength into that punch. The tiger instantly felt as though it were suffocating.

At the same time, Mo Jinnan’s punch was also delivered with full power, making his hand sting from the impact.

The tiger’s head visibly caved in, showing just how much force was behind Mo Jinnan’s strike.

“Roar~!”

The tiger let out a heartbreaking roar, its body swaying dangerously.

Xiang Xinyao leaped onto the tiger’s back, grabbing the skin on its neck with both hands and using all her strength to pull upward.

The tiger collapsed to the ground, inadvertently pinning one of Xiang Xinyao’s legs.

Mo Jinnan’s heart raced, and he immediately swung his fist, delivering another blow to the tiger’s head.

With that punch, the tiger’s life was completely snuffed out.

“Ah! Help me, my leg is going to be crushed!” Xiang Xinyao cried out in pain.

Mo Jinnan quickly moved the tiger’s body off her and helped her up. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

Xiang Xinyao shook her head. “I’m fine, no injuries. I didn’t expect to have such a big haul today.”

“Yeah, today’s a good harvest. Let’s head back.”

Xiang Xinyao grabbed the wild rabbit. “Right, this tiger is a treasure, we’ve hit the jackpot today! Hehe, let’s head back to the inn.”

Mo Jinnan retrieved his sword and threw the tiger’s carcass over his shoulder. “Xinyao, there are two wild rabbits and a pheasant over there, could you get them?”

Following Mo Jinnan’s gaze, Xiang Xinyao ran over.

She picked up the wild rabbits and the pheasant from the ground and cheerfully followed Mo Jinnan back.

When they entered the village, they immediately caused a stir.

It was all because of the tiger carcass Mo Jinnan was carrying.

This tiger had both terrified and angered the people of the village.

It had already killed three people!

When the villagers saw Mo Jinnan carrying the tiger’s body, they were both shocked and delighted.

“Hero! Finally, a great hero has come to rid us of this menace!”

“A young and capable hero! Thank you for eliminating this huge threat!”

“Thank you, hero!”

“Thank you, great hero!”

“….”

The villagers were overwhelmed with gratitude, tears of joy streaming down their faces.

A young man sighed in relief. “Ever since that monster showed up here, we haven’t dared to go into the mountains to gather firewood. We’ve run out of everything we could burn at home. If we can’t gather more wood, we’ll have to burn our tables and chairs next.”

Xiang Xinyao looked puzzled. “But your town is surrounded by mountains. There are tigers on this mountain, can’t you gather firewood from other mountains?”

The young man answered helplessly, “Ah, the mountain to the east of the town was bought by Mr. Fang, the local landlord.

“Mr. Fang has people guarding the entrance to the mountain day and night. If we want to gather firewood from his mountain, we have to pay ten copper coins.

“And we’re only allowed to bring back one bundle of firewood per trip.”

“We’re just common folk. We have to pay to enter, and we’re limited to one bundle of firewood—how are we supposed to live like this?”

Xiang Xinyao asked, “What about the other two mountains?”

“Sigh! Those two mountains are even weirder. Every time we try to go in, strange things start happening.”

Mo Jinnan’s curiosity was piqued, and he raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What kind of strange things?”

The young man replied, “Whenever we go in, either we accidentally fall and get hurt, or we’re mysteriously attacked. Every time, we come back empty-handed, with nothing but injuries.”

Mo Jinnan frowned. “What’s attacking you?”

The young man shook his head. “We don’t know. We can’t see anything. An old blind man once said that those two mountains are sacred, protected by mountain gods, so no one from the village is allowed to go in and gather firewood or hunt.”

Xiang Xinyao grinned, her expression mischievous. “Now this sounds interesting.”

Mo Jinnan couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Yes, it does.”

Xiang Xinyao raised her voice. “Everyone, go back and spread the word about how we’ve killed the tiger and brought its body back. Don’t mention anything else.

“I want to see what kind of supernatural creatures are preventing you from gathering firewood.”

The villagers exchanged uncertain glances.

The mountain really was terrifying, and the man and woman before them were heroes who had slain the tiger. They didn’t want to put them in danger.

But seeing the tiger’s carcass on Mo Jinnan’s shoulder, the villagers hesitated. These two heroes had already killed a tiger, so maybe they really could figure out what was attacking them in the mountains.

If they solved this problem, they wouldn’t have to worry about gathering firewood anymore.

After a hushed discussion, the villagers reluctantly agreed to spread the word about the heroes’ triumph over the tiger.

Back at the inn, Xiang Xinyao’s younger sister, Xiang Xinyu, was pacing in front of the door.

“Why hasn’t my sister come back yet? It’s almost lunchtime.”

“Here I am!” Xiang Xinyao called out.

Xiang Xinyu turned, and the first thing she saw was the tiger carcass on Mo Jinnan’s shoulder, which made her pale with fear.

Seeing Xiang Xinyao smiling brightly, she rushed over.

“Sister, let me see if you’re hurt.”

Xiang Xinyao handed her the two wild rabbits. “I’m fine, I don’t even have a scratch on me. Quick, let’s go inside. I’m freezing!”

Xiang Xinyu took the rabbits and used her other hand to grab the wild rabbit and pheasant from Xiang Xinyao’s hands.

“Let’s hurry inside, there’s a brazier in the main hall.”

At the sound of the commotion, Xiang Xinyao’s parents and brothers came out to greet them.

When they saw the tiger’s carcass on Mo Jinnan’s shoulder, both of Xiang Xinyao’s parents gasped in shock.

“Thankfully, Mo Jinnan came with our daughter into the mountains, or the consequences would have been unthinkable!”

The three Xiang brothers stepped forward and took the tiger’s body from Mo Jinnan’s shoulders, carefully carrying it into the inn’s main hall.

The innkeeper’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw the tiger’s carcass.

The tiger had no visible bloodstains, and its fur was perfectly intact—this was worth a lot of money!