Chapter 10: A Tiger’s Ghost, Yi’s Archery

“Unusual matters?”
Qin Jiang He thought for a moment and mentioned some things that seemed out of the ordinary, but there were no useful clues.

Zhou Chen, who had been playing the role of an inconspicuous follower, suddenly interjected:
“County Captain Zhang, last night I encountered something unusual.”

Although he didn’t want to stand out, he wanted to use Zhang Long’s power to resolve the thing that had knocked on his door last night.

“What is it?”

Zhang Long, Qin Jiang He, and the others all looked at Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen spoke with a look of fear and lingering trepidation:

“Last night, in the middle of the night, the missing Qin Lao Han suddenly came knocking on the door, looking for me and Qin Hong Yu, asking us to open the door!”

“I felt something was fishy, and my relationship with Qin Lao Han wasn’t good, so I was wary and didn’t open the door immediately!”

“Besides, I’ve been hunting since I was a child, and my hearing is sharp. I was still awake at the time, and I can guarantee that there were no footsteps outside.”

“So I told Qin Lao Han to come back during the day if he had something to say. I just wouldn’t open the door. The person outside called for a while and then there was no more sound!”

“I didn’t dare open the door and go out until daybreak today. I didn’t find any traces.”

“But Qin Hong Yu and I still went to Qin Lao Han’s house, only to find that he was missing, and then we discovered that it wasn’t just Qin Lao Han who had disappeared!”

Qin Jiang He’s heart skipped a beat. He wouldn’t believe that the person knocking on the door last night was Qin Lao Han himself. In other words, it was very likely that a demon or ghost had appeared in Da He Village?
Zhang Long narrowed his eyes, stared at Zhou Chen, and pondered:

“Did Qin Lao Han bang on the door or try to force his way in last night?”

“No, he just called for me and Qin Hong Yu to open the door from outside.”

“Anything else unusual?”

“Nothing else!”

Zhang Long nodded slightly, relieved in his heart. He glanced at Qin Jiang He and the other constables with their solemn expressions and said calmly:

“Don’t be nervous, it shouldn’t be anything powerful!”

“If it was something powerful, would he still be alive?”

“Moreover, the fact that all the missing people are those who live alone further indicates that the culprit isn’t very strong!”

“Your Excellency is wise!”

Several constables, along with Qin Jiang He and Zhou Chen, flattered him with compliments.

Zhang Long had a point.

The worry they had felt initially subsided a bit.

Zhou Chen and his group returned to Da He Village, where Zhang Long questioned the villagers one by one for information.

“Judging from the moldy food in Widow Chen’s house, her disappearance was definitely not just two days ago, at least four days or more. However, someone saw Widow Chen and Zhang Da Gen on a date late at night the day before yesterday!”

“Based on the situation at Zhang Da Gen’s house, his disappearance was likely the day before yesterday!”

“Qin Lao Han also had a date with Widow Chen before he disappeared…”

Zhang Long organized the information he had gathered. On the surface, it seemed that Widow Chen was inextricably linked to the case. It was very likely that Widow Chen had murdered the others and then fled to avoid punishment.

However, judging from the leftovers and supplies in Widow Chen’s house, it didn’t seem like she had fled in fear of punishment. Moreover, the fact that Zhou Chen had encountered ‘Qin Lao Han’ knocking on his door last night didn’t seem like a human act…

Suddenly.

Zhang Long thought of something and abruptly looked at Zhou Chen: “I seem to recall hearing that your Master was eaten by a tiger not long ago?”

“Yes!”

Zhou Chen nodded.

“Did you hear any tiger roars last night?”

“Yes.”

Zhou Chen’s heart stirred:
“Could it be related to the tiger? A tiger’s ghost!?”

It was said that after a tiger ate a person, it would turn their soul into its puppet ghost. The Qin Lao Han who knocked on the door last night might have been a ghost .

As for Widow Chen, she had probably become a ghost long ago, then lured Qin Lao Han, Zhang Da Gen, and other lonely bachelors into the tiger’s mouth, ultimately turning them into ghost as well.

Zhang Long’s eyes gleamed, clearly having thought of something.

He looked at Zhou Chen, thought for a moment, and said:
“What you encountered last night might have been a ghost , and the culprit is very likely the tiger that ate your Master!”

“After a tiger eats a person, it easily gains intelligence and transforms into a demon beast. The more people it eats, the faster it transforms!”

“You’ve been hunting since you were a child. If there was a tiger around, could you track it down?”

“I should be able to!”

Zhou Chen nodded, then said with a look of resentment:

“I will definitely track down that tiger and avenge my Master!”

“Good, come with me to the mountains to track down that evil tiger!”

Zhang Long, decisive and efficient, immediately gathered his constables for action.

Zhou Chen brought his bow and arrows and equipment along with them.

“Your Excellency, since that evil tiger likes to eat people, it will most likely come again tonight. Why don’t we set up an ambush and wait for it?”

Zhou Chen was puzzled.

“An intelligent tiger is very cunning, and it also has ghost to gather intelligence. It won’t enter the village at all. Even if it comes at night, it will only stay near the forest. As soon as it senses danger, it will flee!”

Zhang Long said casually.

What he didn’t say was that it was very dangerous at night. They might encounter other strange things, so he would rather go into the mountains to hunt during the day than work in the wilderness at night. “I see, thank you for your explanation, Your Excellency!”

Zhou Chen acted as if he had suddenly understood and had been deeply instructed.

The group moved quickly, arriving at the back mountain in less than half an hour. Zhou Chen’s Great Achievement level tracking skills immediately found traces of the tiger’s activity.

“I didn’t see any signs of it before when I was hunting, so it must have appeared in the past few days. If I had encountered it alone, I wonder if I could have dealt with it?”

Zhou Chen’s mind was heavy with worry:

“I must find it and use Zhang Long’s hand to eliminate it. Otherwise, it will become stronger and stronger, and the threat to me will become greater and greater. With it around, hunting here will become very dangerous!”

Following the traces, Zhou Chen led Zhang Long and his group in pursuit.

As they tracked, Zhou Chen noticed that this path was almost identical to the one Cao Lao Tou had taken him on when he was eaten by the tiger.

“It seems very likely that this is the tiger that ate Cao Lao Tou!”

They continued for about another half an hour.

Zhou Chen arrived at the spot where Cao Lao Tou had been attacked.

Suddenly.

He smelled a familiar scent.

Cao Lao Tou’s scent.

He hurried forward and found a pair of worn-out cloth shoes in the grass.

“These are my Master’s shoes!”

Zhou Chen picked up the shoes with a sorrowful expression.

However, the moment he held the shoes, Zhou Chen’s heart skipped a beat.

There was a hidden compartment in the sole. It had been torn open by the tiger, revealing a part of it, and Zhou Chen vaguely saw three large characters:
[Yi’s Archery]

“Cao Lao Tou actually had a secret manual for martial arts?”

Zhou Chen was both surprised and delighted. He had no time to think too much. He subtly covered the opening that revealed the manual with his hand, held the shoes in his arms, and acted heartbroken, as if he was grieving for Cao Lao Tou.

Zhang Long didn’t pay attention to a pair of worn-out shoes. He knew that Cao Lao Tou had been eaten by the tiger, so it was normal to find his shoes here.

Moreover, the reason he had Zhou Chen track the tiger wasn’t because he trusted Zhou Chen’s tracking skills, but because he suspected that the tiger’s lair was likely near where Cao Lao Tou had been killed.

If Zhou Chen couldn’t track the tiger, he would have Zhou Chen lead him here to search.

“Everyone be careful, the evil tiger might be nearby!”

Zhang Long gripped the treasured saber at his waist. After cautioning the constables, he looked at Zhou Chen, who was holding the shoes and looking heartbroken:
“Can you find the tiger?”

“It shouldn’t be a problem!”

Zhou Chen put the shoes away in his arms and continued to examine the traces around him.

Soon, he confirmed the direction and led Zhang Long and his group to track in the two o’clock direction.

“Help! Sob…”

A woman’s cry for help, filled with pain and helplessness, came from the distance.

Zhang Long immediately drew his saber and charged forward, taking the lead.

Zhou Chen frowned and retreated behind the constables.

He saw a beautiful woman lying half-reclined in the shade of a large tree ahead, her clothes disheveled, revealing glimpses of her spring scenery.

The beautiful woman’s brows were tightly furrowed, her expression pitiful, making people want to embrace her and comfort her.

It was none other than the missing Widow Chen!
Clang!
The crisp sound of a saber rang out. Zhou Chen only saw a flash of blood-red saber light, followed by a scream, and Widow Chen vanished into thin air!
“Is this what a martial artist is like? Is the blood-red color on the saber his Qi and blood?”

Zhou Chen stared intently at Zhang Long, filled with curiosity.

“Evil beast, come out and face your death!”

After killing Widow Chen, Zhang Long didn’t hesitate for a moment. He strode forward, his voice booming like a bell.

“Roar!”

The forest trembled as a giant tiger with glaring eyes and a white forehead suddenly leaped out from behind the bushes. Its b*oody maw gaped open, revealing rows of sharp teeth. A terrifying murderous aura, accompanied by a gust of fishy wind, surged towards them.

“Hiss! It’s much bigger than before!”

Zhou Chen’s eyes widened. Even the largest Siberian tiger wasn’t longer than three meters, but this evil tiger was at least five meters long, with a shoulder height of about one meter and seventy or eighty centimeters. It was truly a majestic and powerful beast!
“Zhang Long should be able to handle it, right?”

Even though Zhang Long had anticipated the tiger, he was still full of confidence and showed no fear. In fact, Zhang Long even seemed somewhat eager, clearly not taking the tiger seriously.

Moreover, killing this tiger would definitely benefit Zhang Long.

Otherwise, Zhang Long wouldn’t be so proactive in coming to the mountains to deal with the tiger.

After all, the saying went, “The yamen’s doors face south; if you have no money, don’t come in.”

The yamen here was just as corrupt.

“Break the Army!”

Just as Zhou Chen was thinking about Zhang Long and the tiger engaging in a fierce battle, he saw Zhang Long’s saber flash, unleashing a three-inch blood-red saber Qi.

The majestic tiger, pouncing towards them, was met with a slide from Zhang Long, its belly ripped open, killed with a single blow.

“Hiss!”