Chapter 54: The Young Nobleman

Looking at the rushing small animals, Zhao Mu felt a deep sense of shock.

He had once seen some ancient old photographs and historical records which indicated that most mountains in history were completely bare.

With barren mountains, the animals inhabiting them were naturally few.

However, this beast wave completely exceeded his expectations.

The number of these small animals was simply staggering!

When they first entered the mountains, they never expected to find so many creatures living within them.

"The roar of a tiger shakes the mountains and terrifies all beasts!"

Zhao Mu muttered to himself, faintly recalling a book from his past life which stated that a tiger's roar could travel for three thousand meters, or about six li.

In other words, ever since that tiger roar echoed through the air, almost all the animals within a six-li radius had been frightened into fleeing the deep mountains.

Perhaps the number of these animals wasn't truly massive to begin with, but as they sprinted frantically, they spooked other creatures into joining the stampede.

Gradually, all the animals in the mountains poured out.

Compared to the entire mountain range, however, the number of these creatures was still negligible.

Just as Zhao Mu was marveling at the terrifying power of the tiger's roar, three young noblemen on horseback came galloping wildly out from the mountain.

Yet, the demeanor of these three young aristocrats was a far cry from their usual arrogant and condescending selves.

At this moment, not only were they covered in dust and grime, but the expressions on their faces had also shifted from fearless bravado to sheer panic and terror.

Clearly, they were in deep trouble!

Just as they came into the line of sight of Zhao Mu and his companions, another tiger roar burst forth from the forest.

Judging by the volume, the source of this roar was much closer to them than the previous one.

So close, in fact, that it felt as if it were right on top of them!

Following that roar, the fine steeds carrying the three young noblemen suddenly began to tremble violently.

One of the horses collapsed directly onto the ground, throwing its rider over its head.

"Liu Jun!"

The other two young noblemen cried out in alarm upon seeing this.

Yet their own situation was no better than that of Liu Jun; although their mounts hadn't thrown them off, the horses' legs had turned completely weak.

The roar of a tiger seemed to exert a natural, overwhelming suppression over all animals!

"Hyah! Hyah!"

The two young noblemen whipped their mounts frantically, trying to force the beasts to carry them away as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, the fallen Liu Jun had turned ashen-faced, looking completely out of his mind with fear.

Two legs could never outrun four; without a horse, he would undoubtedly fail to escape and would end up devoured in the tiger's belly!

"Save... save me!"

Liu Jun could no longer care about his horse; he scrambled toward the other two, hoping they would take him along.

Yet when those two noblemen looked at Liu Jun now, it was as if they were gazing upon a plague god.

By now, their own horses were too terrified to run; if they were to take Liu Jun with them, they would have to double up on a single horse, which would inevitably slow them down and allow the tiger to catch them!

While a tiger's endurance might not match a horse's, its explosive speed was incomparable!

If that tiger were to appear right behind them, it would close the distance in the blink of an eye!

"Get lost! Scram! Let go!"

One of the noblemen targeted by Liu Jun immediately raised his riding crop and lashed out at him.

Although the blow caused him pain, Liu Jun dared not let go. The horse he had been riding was completely paralyzed by terror from the tiger's roar, and if he wanted to survive, he had to make the other two take him with them.

Hidden behind a boulder, Zhao Mu watched the trio from afar, a trace of coldness in his eyes.

He remembered that when they first arrived at Taiping County, among the gorgeously dressed youths on horseback whipping refugees for amusement were precisely these three individuals!

Though he did not know what these three had done, those two tiger roars were undoubtedly directed at them.

Otherwise, they would never have been panicked to this extent.

After all, tigers were nocturnal creatures with a strong sense of territory, usually hunting strictly within their own domains.

For that tiger to roar repeatedly and charge out of its territory well before nightfall meant one thing: these three had thoroughly enraged the beast.

The sins of heaven may be forgiven, but self-inflicted sins are inescapable!

However, the worst part was not simply that these three had provoked a tiger.

The direction in which they were fleeing led straight toward the spot where Zhao Mu and his group were hiding.

If the tiger mistook Zhao Mu's group for accomplices of the three noblemen, it would undoubtedly slaughter them as well.

"Brother Wang, what should we do?"

Sensing that the tiger's roar was drawing closer, Zhao Mu lowered his voice and asked anxiously.

Wang Wu said nothing, merely notching an arrow onto his bowstring, ready to draw and aim at any moment.

Wen Zhi whispered, "It's too late to run now. If that tiger refuses to let us go, we'll just have to fight for our lives!"

Zhao Mu swallowed hard. Though he hadn't seen the tiger yet, he could feel his adrenaline surging wildly.

Turning his head to look at Shi Min, he saw that the youth had already drawn his bow, gazing intently ahead with total concentration.

Zhao Mu clenched his fists, crouching in place as he stared fixedly at the figures in the distance.

At that moment, the two noblemen finally spurred their horses into motion, abandoning Liu Jun as they fled for their lives.

Though filled with despair, Liu Jun had no alternative and could only run frantically on his own two feet.

Looking closely, a dark stain had already formed between his legs.

Even so, he refused to give up.

Right then, another tiger roar echoed.

As the roar reverberated, Zhao Mu saw the trees in the nearby forest shake violently.

Swallowing hard once more, he could no longer describe his feelings.

Fear!

Dread!

If it were him, he probably wouldn't even have the strength left to lift his legs right now.

Left behind, Liu Jun collapsed limply onto the ground. Despite his unwillingness to accept this fate, his legs refused to obey him.

Hot tears streamed down his face. He was originally a wealthy young master from the city who had simply wanted a thrill by entering the mountains with those two companions.

And now, his wonderful life was about to end!

How could he ever accept this?

"Wuu wuu wuu! Someone save me!"

Throwing away all remaining pride, Liu Jun burst into loud sobs.

Zhao Mu frowned. He was not a person fond of meddling in others' affairs, nor did he hold a favorable impression of Liu Jun and his companions.

Consequently, he had no intention of saving Liu Jun.

Yet if Liu Jun perished, the very next target would likely be themselves!

"Xiao Shi, shoot!"

Hesitating for a moment, Zhao Mu decided to order Shi Min to loose an arrow.

Shi Min blinked in surprise and asked, "Shoot whom?"

As he watched the two mounted noblemen charging straight toward their hiding spot, Zhao Mu instinctively pointed toward the pair.

Just at that moment, however, a tawny-yellow figure suddenly burst out from the slope ahead of them.

Roar!

A earth-shaking tiger roar erupted!

The horses carrying the two noblemen instantly collapsed to the ground, throwing their riders off from sheer momentum.

And that tawny-yellow shadow flashed through the air, appearing right beside the two men in the blink of an eye.