A bow made of special wood appeared in Zhou Yang's hand. He held the bow in one hand and the quiver in the other, but before he could even sling the strap over his shoulder, he felt a massive, dark shadow charging toward him.
"Bingbing!" Zhou Yang shouted, rolling forward and coating himself in dirt and dust.
Following Zhou Yang's earlier tactics of throwing stones, Xue Bingbing quickly grasped his intention. She sat up halfway, cupped her hands around her mouth, and roared at the tiger as it prepared to attack Zhou Yang.
"You mangy cat! You mangy cat that can't even climb a tree! What kind of skill is it to keep going after Brother Yangzi? You foul, mangy cat!"
Xue Bingbing’s shrill shouting instantly reached the tiger's ears. It stopped abruptly, sniffed the air, and glanced indifferently in Zhou Yang's direction. The "king" character mark on its forehead wrinkled slightly before it turned around and began walking toward the tree where Xue Bingbing was hiding.
The tiger looked up, its amber eyes darting back and forth. It tried to pounce, its hind legs churning up a pile of dirt and sand, its sharp front claws leaving deep gouges in the tree trunk.
Seeing that the tiger couldn't reach her, Xue Bingbing’s fear subsided. She continued, "You mangy cat, can you even make it up here?"
But no sooner had she finished speaking than she regretted it.
The tiger first turned and walked backward. Just as Xue Bingbing thought it was going to find Zhou Wei, it suddenly spun around, lowered its body, and crept almost flat against the ground. Before she could react, it lunged forward. Its taut muscles coiled and released as it reached the tree and leaped straight up.
The jump was immense, reaching almost the exact height where Xue Bingbing sat.
"Ahhh!!!"
Xue Bingbing’s face drained of color, her crimson lips turning pale. She scrambled backward, nearly falling out of the tree.
Nearby, Zhou Wei heard her scream and felt his heart tighten. His brow furrowed as he watched the scene with intense focus. Because of the tiger's massive bulk, it had achieved the height, but it couldn't find a foothold on the tree. With a loud "thud," it crashed heavily back to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Seizing the moment, Zhou Yang emerged from behind a tree. He raised his bow, pulled it to its maximum draw, and squinted. Drawing on the experience from his past life, he let an arrow fly with a sharp "whoosh."
The tiger heard the sound of the air being split and dodged by jerking its head to the side, causing the arrow to bury itself halfway into the mud. The tiger’s dark brown eyes lingered on the arrow for a split second before it turned and locked onto the direction from which the shot had come.
Zhou Yang didn't hesitate; gritting his teeth, he immediately nocked more arrows.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Three more arrows flew within seconds. The tiger dodged to the side again, but Zhou Yang had anticipated its movement. Two arrows successfully pierced its thick fur and embedded themselves into its body.
"ROAR!"
The tiger slammed its paws into the ground and bellowed. With a murderous glint in its eyes, it charged toward Zhou Yang’s hiding spot without a second thought. It had only intended to toy with these two humans, but now, Zhou Yang had truly enraged it.
Zhou Yang ducked his head and dashed straight into a thicket of bushes to his side. The space was narrow, just enough for one person to squeeze through. The tiger slammed its head into the brush with a "thud," causing it to wince in pain. Through the tiger's heavy, growling breaths, Zhou Yang locked eyes with the beast. He knew that this tiger was now committed to a fight to the death.
Taking advantage of the moment, Zhou Yang loosed two more arrows. The bow provided by the System was indeed powerful. Ordinary bows would struggle to penetrate a tiger’s thick hide, but the System’s weapon pierced it whenever it struck. Soon, the tiger's fur was stained with bright red blood, which began to flow from the spots where the arrows were lodged.
The tiger circled to another side and closed in on Zhou Yang again. Knowing he had to keep his distance, Zhou Yang took a step forward, but his foot caught on a vine, and he tumbled to the ground.
The tiger bared its fangs, ready to tear into him. Zhou Yang rolled across the ground, used the momentum to perform a kip-up, and immediately leaped onto the trunk of a large tree. At that same moment, the massive tiger lunged, its body carrying a gust of wind. Zhou Yang landed on the tree, did a backflip, and his eyes brushed past the tiger’s.
The pungent scent of the beast filled his nose. Suppressing his urge to vomit, Zhou Yang pushed off the bark and ran toward another tree that was easier to climb. As he did, he fired an arrow at the tiger’s backside, but the beast was prepared, avoiding it with a flick of its tail.
Digging its claws into the earth, the tiger pounced again.
Nearby, Xue Bingbing had regained her composure, though her back was soaked with cold sweat. "You foul cat, look over here!"
Unable to kill Zhou Yang and having sustained injuries, the tiger’s chest heaved violently. It glared at Xue Bingbing, memorizing her face, before turning back to attack Zhou Yang.
However, in those few seconds, Zhou Yang—relying on the muscle memory from his past life—had already nocked an arrow and climbed high into the tree. He squinted one eye and aimed at the tiger’s head.
The moment the tiger locked eyes with him, Zhou Yang released the arrow. The tiger instinctively dodged forward, and the arrow struck it straight in the neck. Its brownish-yellow fur was instantly dyed red.
Now, the tiger was truly enraged. It didn't hesitate for a second, launching itself at the tree. It took a running start and jumped with everything it had, reaching the level where Zhou Yang stood.
Shocked, Zhou Yang hugged the trunk and scurried to the other side. The tiger circled and lunged again. They traded positions back and forth; for a time, neither could gain the upper hand. However, because the footing on the tree was poor, it was hard for the tiger to get a grip, and Zhou Yang’s palms were becoming slick with sweat, causing him to slip. If this continued, he would fall sooner or later.
Xue Bingbing, watching from the side, grew desperate. Suddenly, she felt the small wood-chopping knife at her waist—the one Zhou Yang had told her to carry for self-defense. She took a deep breath, her face contorting with effort, and with a flick of her slender hand, she threw the knife, which struck the tiger’s body.
The tiger was provoked again; it roared and turned to glare at Xue Bingbing.
Zhou Yang seized the opportunity. He nocked two arrows, stilled his breath, and focused. His eyes snapped open, a flash of light visible in his black pupils. The tiger sensed something and turned back to lunge at the tree once more.
This was the moment!
Zhou Yang released the taut string. One arrow flew toward the tiger’s eye, the other toward its neck. The beast tried to turn its head, but it was too late.
From a distance of one meter, the sound of flesh being torn rang out. One arrow embedded itself in the tiger's neck, and the other pierced its eye socket.
"Thud!"
The blood-soaked body of the tiger fell backward and hit the ground!