The roar was getting closer and closer, from far away to near, as if it was ringing next to my ear.
Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound, and stared nervously in the direction of the trap.
A huge tiger slowly walked out of the woods. Its golden fur gleamed in the afterglow of the setting sun, and its sharp eyes emitted a terrifying light.
The tiger approached the trap cautiously, sniffing the air.
The tiger's nose twitched, the strong smell of fish making it salivate.
It was completely overwhelmed by the temptation of food and had no idea that danger was approaching.
Finally, it reached the edge of the trap and stretched its neck, trying to reach the fish at the bottom.
"thump!"
With a dull thud, the tiger's front paws stepped on empty air, and its huge body instantly lost balance and fell heavily into the trap.
The sharp stones and traps at the bottom of the trap dug deep into its flesh, and the intense pain made it let out a deafening roar.
Chen Changyuan and others on the tree were greatly encouraged by seeing this.
“Good opportunity!”
Chen Changyuan let out a low cry and jumped down from the tree first, his hunting knife flashing with a cold light. The others followed closely behind him, landing one after another and surrounding the tiger.
The tiger struggled frantically in the trap, scratching the walls with its sharp claws, trying to climb out.
However, the trap was too deep and its efforts were in vain.
"You beast, let's see where you can run now!" Zhou Wu raised the spear in his hand and stabbed it hard into the tiger's back.
"Awoo!" The tiger let out a painful howl, and blood gushed out of the wound.
Seeing this, everyone's morale was boosted, and they all raised their weapons and launched a fierce attack on the tiger.
Hunting knives, spears, bows and arrows rained down on the tiger, and every blow carried deadly killing intent.
Although the tiger was in trouble, its ferocity remained undiminished. It kept waving its claws in an attempt to fight back.
However, its movements were severely restricted, and it was unable to effectively attack the crowd.
"Brother Changyuan, be careful!" the young man suddenly shouted.
Chen Changyuan turned around suddenly and saw that the tiger had escaped from a trap at some point and was grabbing his face with its sharp claws.
At the critical moment, Chen Changyuan instinctively leaned back and barely avoided the fatal blow.
The tiger's claws brushed past the tip of his nose, bringing up a fishy gust of wind.
"That was close!" Chen Changyuan broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly steadied himself, raised his hunting knife again, and stabbed towards the tiger's abdomen.
The tiger screamed again, and blood dyed the bottom of the trap red.
Its struggles became weaker and weaker, and its breathing became more and more rapid.
"You beast, prepare to die!" Zhou Wu roared, and the spear in his hand pierced the tiger's body again, this time hitting the heart.
The tiger's body suddenly stiffened, then slowly fell down and there was no movement anymore.
Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and smiled victoriously on their faces.
"It's finally over!" the young man shouted excitedly.
"Yes, it's finally over." Chen Changyuan also breathed a sigh of relief, his heart filled with joy of surviving the disaster.
Everyone worked together to drag the tiger out of the trap.
The beast was as heavy as a huge rock. The young men were so tired that they were panting, their faces flushed and their necks thick.
After much difficulty, I laid it flat on the ground. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on its golden fur, revealing a strange beauty.
Chen Changyuan squatted down and looked at the dead tiger carefully.
He reached out and touched the tiger's teeth, then pried open its claws and took a look, his brows gradually furrowed.
"Something's wrong."
Chen Changyuan stood up with a hint of doubt in his tone.
"This tiger is much smaller than an average adult tiger. Its teeth haven't fully grown yet, and its claws aren't sharp enough..."
Zhou Wu walked over and patted Chen Changyuan on the shoulder.
"Brother Changyuan, what do you mean? Is this tiger still a cub?"
Chen Changyuan nodded. "Yes, this is probably just a tiger cub. A real adult tiger would be at least twice its size."
When these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.
The young men looked at each other in bewilderment, their originally excited mood instantly being poured with a bucket of cold water.
"Brother Changyuan, do we still want this tiger?"
A young man asked cautiously.
Chen Changyuan fell into deep thought. Although this tiger cub was worth a lot of money, if its mother was nearby, it would be a big trouble.
If this tiger cub is brought back to the village and the tigress follows the scent, the consequences will be unimaginable.
Zhou Wu also realized the seriousness of the problem.
"Brother Changyuan, let's not keep this little tiger. If the tigress comes looking for us, our village will be in trouble."
Chen Changyuan sighed, "I understand the stakes involved. But this little tiger is worth a lot of money after all. It would be a shame to give it up just like that."
Everyone was at a loss for a moment and started discussing the issue one after another.
Some people advocate taking Xiaohu back, after all, money is attractive; others advocate giving up, safety first.
Chen Changyuan looked up at the sky and made a decision in his heart.
"Alright, stop arguing," Chen Changyuan said with a big wave of his hand. "It's getting late, let's go down the mountain first. We'll talk about Xiaohu tomorrow."
The mountain road was rugged and everyone was silent all the way. The atmosphere was as solemn as the night that was about to fall above their heads.
Everyone pricked up their ears and listened vigilantly to the movements around them, fearing that a tigress with white forehead and hanging eyes would jump out from behind a tree.
Fortunately, the journey was safe and sound, and we didn't encounter any accidents until we reached the foot of the mountain.
"Finally..."
A young man was about to say something when his feet suddenly felt empty and he fell straight down.
"Ouch!" A scream broke the silence of the mountains.
"What's going on?" Chen Changyuan's heart tightened and he rushed forward.
The two young men carrying the tiger cub on their backs, along with the dead tiger, fell into a trap.
The bottom of the trap was filled with sharpened bamboo sticks, one of which happened to pierce Xiaohu's abdomen. Blood gushed out, staining the surrounding soil red.
The two young men were so dizzy from the fall that they couldn't react to what had happened for a while.
"Quick! Pull them up!"
Chen Changyuan acted decisively and directed the others to rescue them. Several strong men hurriedly lowered the ropes and pulled the two young men and Xiaohu up one by one.
The two young men were still in shock. One of them covered his arm and said with a grin:
"Brother Changyuan, this...what's going on? Why is there a trap here?"
Another young man was also frightened: "That's right, I almost died here..."
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