After Transmigrating, I Was Kidnapped By A Scheming Beauty Into The Bridal Chamber - Chapter 13

Just as she was distracted, a series of tiger roars erupted from the nearby woods, shaking the very ground beneath their feet. Even just from the sound, it was clear this was no small beast.

Shen Hetang was terrified, but she managed to stay calm. “Chief Li, kill the chickens and ducks you brought, and sprinkle the medicine on them.”

“Right, right! Houzi, hurry up! Kill the chickens!” Li Baokui shouted across to the other side.

“I can’t, Chief! My hands are shaking, and I’ve got no strength left! Someone else do it!” Seeing the tiger’s massive head suddenly burst out from between two large trees, Houzi panicked. He tossed the chickens and ducks right at the tiger, making everyone else’s heart leap into their throats.

Shen Hetang was stunned by the gargantuan beast before her. It was nearly two meters long, likely weighing three or four hundred pounds, with clear, striking black and white stripes. Aside from the shock, she was even struck by how beautiful the white tiger was. But the tiger’s menacing gaze and the primal, dangerous aura of the beast brought her back to her senses. An animal this size could easily make a meal out of two people.

Li Baokui was so angry he nearly fainted, and Shen Hetang couldn’t help but curse, “If you’re so weak, why did you throw them so far? Are you afraid you won’t have enough energy for it to chase you? What a useless teammate!”

****

When the tiger suddenly crashed to the ground, one of Li Baokui’s wild swings missed the beast and slashed across Shen Hetang’s arm instead. In an instant, her sleeve turned crimson, making it impossible to tell if it was tiger blood or her own.

“What are you standing there for? Attack!”

Hearing her speak, Li Baokui’s eyes locked onto her.

“What good am I on my own? Do you want me to be an extra snack for the tiger?”

“What are you waiting for? Go!” Li Baokui said, his gaze locking onto her.

“What use is it if I go alone? Am I just there to be an extra meal for the tiger? Isn’t there still a lamb? Hurry up and scatter the medicine!”

“Right, right! Where is the lamb?”

“Here, it’s right here. It’s already been coated with the medicine.”

In the few seconds they spent talking, they hid behind trees, keeping about ten meters of distance between themselves and the tiger. The tiger’s icy eyes met those of the humans opposite, clearly not regarding the dozen or so people as any kind of threat. It swiped at the dead chickens and ducks with its paws, as if knowing that the already dead prey would be there for the taking later, though it seemed far more interested in the live humans right now.

As the massive tiger pounced toward Houzi, who was the closest, nearly half the group went weak at the knees. Houzi, for his part, had no idea why the tiger had targeted him first, especially since he had just fed it the chickens and ducks.

“Mama, help me!” Houzi cried out, his body frozen with terror; only his mouth still worked.

“Everyone, attack now!” Shen Hetang shouted as she gathered all her strength and hurled the small lamb, striking the tiger right on the head. The tiger landed, then turned its head. Its cold, terrifying eyes fixed on Shen Hetang before drifting down to the bleeding lamb at its feet, which it couldn’t help but lick.

Seeing the tiger touch the drugged lamb, Shen Hetang steadied herself. She had used a heavy dose; even if the tiger didn’t eat the lamb, just licking it a couple of times should be enough to slow its movements.

True to her expectations, the tiger only licked it a few times and made no attempt to tear into the lamb. Perhaps the taste was off, and it didn’t want to eat any more. She had no idea how long it would take for the mixture of poison and sedative hidden in the raw meat to take effect.

While the tiger’s attention was fixed on the lamb, Shen Hetang quickly grabbed a rope. She lassoed the upper half of Houzi’s body and pulled hard, dragging him away from the tiger’s reach.

By then, the tiger had lost interest in the lamb. It glared at the people causing the commotion and lunged at them, plunging the small group into chaos. Now, there was no choice but to fight; running away was no longer an option.

Five or six burly men surrounded the tiger and attacked, but the beast was simply too strong. It knocked one down, threw two others aside, and bit a third. The scene descended into total disorder. Shen Hetang did not dare join the first wave of attackers. Instead, she stayed back, waiting for the medicine to take effect, and stepped in to help whenever someone was on the verge of being bitten to death.

The first wave of fighters was all but defeated. The tiger had two gaping holes in its belly, and it was visibly swaying on its feet. Seeing this, the men who had been too terrified to move earlier finally joined the fray. Just as the beast went berserk, ready to snap a yamen runner’s neck, Shen Hetang leaped forward and kicked it squarely in the head. She had put every ounce of her strength into the blow, partly to test the original owner’s fighting prowess. The already wounded tiger was knocked sideways, sliding over two or three meters before slamming its head against a rock—it was likely concussed.

She had just pulled Li Baokui to his feet when the tiger roared, a sound so deafening that the leaves on the trees trembled. It lunged at Shen Hetang, jaws wide open, as if determined to kill her, no matter the cost.

With nowhere to dodge, she was knocked to the ground by the tiger’s weight. She strained to hold back its massive, snapping jaws, the veins bulging in her neck and arms. Fortunately, the others recovered their wits and seized the opening, stabbing the tiger repeatedly in the neck. This gave Shen Hetang the chance to roll away. She grabbed the fur on the tiger’s back, nimbly scrambled onto it, and drew her short blade, dealing a final, fatal blow to its head.

Just as the tiger collapsed with a heavy thud, Li Baokui swung his broadsword. He missed the beast and struck Shen Hetang’s arm instead. In an instant, her sleeve was soaked in crimson, making it impossible to tell if the blood belonged to the tiger or to her.

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