Chapter 37 Hidden Plot and Quests!
"Well…" Wang Mu hesitated for a moment.
"Ideally," the village chief shook his head, "we should adopt it for the defense of the village. Unfortunately, we are not cultivators, nor do we understand the Beast Taming Technique. Simply raising it might be dangerous, given its fierce nature. Should it attack us when we are unprepared, that would be a grave mistake!"
The White Crystal Tiger King fell silent.
Wang Mu was somewhat unclear about the village chief's thoughts.
The village chief looked the White Crystal Tiger King up and down, his gaze as if appraising a treasure.
The Tiger King's fur bristled, and a chill ran through him for no apparent reason.
"I've heard of an Ancient Method that can eradicate the ferocity of Fierce Beasts," the village chief suddenly said. "And not only that, it can greatly enhance their strength while making them more docile."
"Oh? What is this Ancient Method?" Wang Mu wondered.
Pointing at the Tiger King, the village chief said, "This is a male tiger. The most valuable part of the White Crystal Tiger King is its tiger's penis, which can strengthen one's yang and nourish the yin, improve constitution, and boost vitality. Thus, all we need to do is castrate him, foster him for a while, and whether we release him back into the Divine Wood Forest or raise him as the village's Guardian Beast, either would be a fine choice."
Wang Mu was speechless.
"ROAR ROAR ROAR!!!"
This time, the White Crystal Tiger King struggled fiercely!
The intensity of the struggle was something Wang Mu had never seen before!
Throughout the journey, Wang Mu had not seen the White Crystal Tiger King struggle so violently!
Even when he heard he was going to be eaten, he hadn't struggled so intensely!
A tiger may be killed, but not humiliated!
"This…" Wang Mu had expected some kind of mystical method. "It would be better to just kill him then; we could still get the tiger's penis."
"That won't do," the village chief shook his head repeatedly. "The tiger's penis must be removed while he is still alive to be effective. That way, his Essence Blood is still present. If he's killed, the Tiger King's Essence Blood in the tiger's penis would be greatly weakened."
The Tiger King couldn't bear it any longer, and tears began to well in his large, bell-like eyes.
He started howling continuously, occasionally gesturing at something.
"Hmph!" The village chief's expression hardened, and he barked, "You beast, finally ready to confess? You didn't expect this day to come, did you? Tell me honestly! Where is that other beast?"
Wang Mu, who was standing by, was slightly stunned.
Well, well, this White Crystal Tiger King has a story to tell?
Seeing Wang Mu lost in thought, the village chief slowly said, "Do you know how Aunt Hong's husband died?"
"Er… I think he died in a Fierce Beast attack," Wang Mu said, trying to recall.
"That's right," the village chief said slowly. "That happened over ten years ago. Back then, Aunt Hong and her husband's child was only six or seven years old; it was a time of peace and happiness for their family."
"Later, there was a Fierce Beast attack on the village. That time, Anle Village suffered heavy losses, and many villagers were killed."
"Her husband died fighting Fierce Beasts, leaving behind Aunt Hong and their little girl. You might have heard about the girl, but you've never seen her. Since then, she left Anle Village to temper herself and grow stronger. She even spoke of joining an Immortal Sect to practice Cultivation and attain the Tao... But now, more than ten years have passed, and there's been no word from her."
Wang Mu nodded.
He often ate at Aunt Hong's home.
He had only heard bits about Aunt Hong's family: that her husband had died young and she had a young daughter, whom he had never seen.
He had no idea it had happened so many years ago.
Hearing this, Wang Mu had a keen sense. Could this be a hidden plotline for Anle Village?
"And this... has to do with this Tiger King…?" Wang Mu asked hesitantly.
"This Tiger King was one of the attacking Fierce Beasts that time…" the village chief said with a cold snort. "But back then, he was relatively small and not that powerful. He was just a marginal Fierce Beast during that attack, pretty much standing by and doing nothing."
"And the Beast King leading the Fierce Beasts in that attack was the one I told you about before: the Flame King Human-faced Lion! It's an ancient Fierce Beast that came down from Gu Yun Mountain!"
"This beast has a human face and is skilled at disguise. It lurked in Gu Yun Mountain for many years until it was nearly exterminated by powerful Cultivators there. Afterwards, it hid in the Divine Wood Forest for many years and only emerged that one time to attack the village..."
The village chief's voice grew gradually colder. "This Mountain-shattering Bow, do you know why our village created it?"
"Could it be specifically to deal with the Flame King Human-faced Lion?" Wang Mu asked.
"Exactly! That attack brought great losses to our village! Although disciples from the Immortal Sect later came and helped us drive it away, that cunning Flame King Human-faced Lion managed to escape!"
"Later, our village spent several years appealing to the mountains and sects, and finally forged this Mountain-shattering Bow, precisely to deal with that Flame King Human-faced Lion!"
Hearing this, Wang Mu understood.
It really was the village's hidden storyline.
"To this day..." The village chief sighed softly. "I was seriously injured in that battle. Everyone you know who survived also suffered wounds, to a greater or lesser extent."
Wang Mu looked at Tie Hu, Tie Niu, as well as Grandpa Yu and Aunt Hong. All of them remained silent, their expressions solemn.
Damn, every one of them is a superhuman, and that's when they're injured?
How strong must they be when they're not injured?
"This White Crystal Tiger King was a participant back then and has now become the Beast King of our Divine Wood Forest. He must know the whereabouts of the Flame King Human-faced Lion," the village chief said gravely. "All these years, I've wanted to hunt it every single day."
"But I know it's useless. Even if I learned the Flame King Human-faced Lion's whereabouts, I couldn't deal with it!"
"I can't use the Mountain-shattering Bow for long, and against the Flame King Human-faced Lion, I have no strength to fight."
"But you are different!"
The village chief looked at Wang Mu, his aged cheeks gaining a bit of rosiness, as if somewhat excited. "Mu Guy, your strength has already surpassed ours. With the hunting skills you possess, along with your other abilities, you are entirely capable of wielding the Mountain-shattering Bow!"
Wang Mu's lips twitched. I'm not up to it yet!
But the words remained unspoken.
"So, Village Chief, were you deliberately saying those things before?"
"Correct. That beast would never easily reveal the Flame King Human-faced Lion's whereabouts, so I threatened him like that," the village chief nodded.
Wang Mu became thoughtful.
Wang Mu looked at the White Crystal Tiger King and said, "Are you planning to confess?"
The White Crystal Tiger King nodded repeatedly.
Wang Mu thought for a moment, then looked at the village chief and said, "I have another question. The Flame King Human-faced Lion is so strong, so why not ask the disciples from the Immortal Sect to take care of it? That Fierce Beast itself also came down from Gu Yun Mountain..."
"If it could have been dealt with, it would have been resolved back on Gu Yun Mountain," the village chief shook his head, "and that beast wouldn't have been allowed to escape. This Fierce Beast is quite extraordinary; it's immune to some Spells, which makes it very difficult for those Immortal Sect disciples to handle."
"Conversely, some ordinary arrows can cause it harm."
"So, even those Immortal Sect disciples could lose their lives if they were careless. Gradually, those disciples became reluctant to deal with this Fierce Beast."
"Moreover, in recent years, the Flame King Human-faced Lion has also understood that if it were to cause trouble again, the Immortal Sect would probably send even more terrifyingly powerful Cultivators to deal with it. So, it simply chose to hide... and vanished without a trace..."
"I see..." Wang Mu murmured, finally understanding.
Immune to Spells... quite something.
Still, this Flame King Human-faced Lion is certainly cunning enough.
"Flame King Human-faced Lion..."
Wang Mu clutched the Mountain-shattering Bow and said solemnly, "Village Chief, rest assured. It is because you all took me in that I, Wang Mu, am who I am today! This beast—if I don't hunt it down, I will never leave this village!"
A hidden quest! I accept!