Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Black Scale Lion Battles Fierce Tiger

“Xu Yi, what should we do?” Lu Ke furrowed her brows. At the sound of the tiger’s roar, she had immediately taken the crossbow from her waist and assumed a defensive posture.

Run?

Could they outrun a tiger?

Xu Yi wasn’t sure. After all, he had never raced against a tiger before.

Climb a tree?

That was impossible. These trees were too large, and there were no vines attached to them; climbing up was simply out of the question.

Then there’s nothing left but to fight!

Xu Yi gripped the machete tightly and took a deep breath.

The tiger’s roar sounded once again.

“Something seems off. It sounds more like a tiger’s scream of pain.” Listening closely, Xu Yi noted there was a hint of distress in the sound and couldn’t help but comment.

“A scream of pain?” Lu Ke replied, puzzled, then quickly added, “Was the tiger attacked?”

“It’s possible; it’s not too far from us. Let’s go have a look,” Xu Yi suggested, suspecting that an animal was locked in combat with the tiger.

There were quite a few fierce beasts stronger than tigers, like the Black Scale Lion and the Bear Beast, both of which were much more formidable than tigers.

Given equal numbers, they could easily overpower a tiger.

Thus, Xu Yi was curious about which animal was fighting the tiger.

If they got lucky, he and Lu Ke might even snag some spoils.

Not to mention, they might manage to get some tiger meat, right?

Tiger bones and such; those are valuable medicinal materials.

Lu Ke initially wanted to dissuade him, thinking that whatever could make a tiger scream in pain must be an even more formidable beast. However, Xu Yi was already heading that way, so she had no choice but to follow.

Following the sound, the two quickly found the tiger.

A Black Scale Lion was taking on two tigers.

One of the tigers was covered in blood, evidently mauled by the Black Scale Lion’s claws and bites.

“Only two tigers? Weren’t there six?” Xu Yi exclaimed happily. With only two, he and Lu Ke dared to join the battle.

The Black Scale Lion was also injured, likely its hind leg. It could only remain stationary and was sitting.

“Target the wounded tiger, take it out first,” Xu Yi suggested, seeing it as an easy score not to be missed.

“Alright,” Lu Ke nodded, raising her crossbow. She and Xu Yi approached together.

Xu Yi, holding the Hunting Bow, stopped within less than ten meters.

Drawing the bow, aiming, shooting!

In a fluid motion, after releasing an arrow, Xu Yi immediately nocked another arrow onto the string.

Together with Lu Ke, they shot three arrows, and the tiger’s life was swiftly ended.

“Killed a tiger, earned 12 points.”

Twelve points for a tiger; Xu Yi found it fair enough.

After all, the Bear Beast was much fiercer than a tiger but only earned 20 points.

The Black Scale Lion was also stronger than a tiger but likewise only scored 12 points.

The remaining tiger and the Black Scale Lion noticed Xu Yi and Lu Ke. The surviving tiger glanced at its fallen comrade, roared at Xu Yi, and then turned tail and fled.

It seemed the tiger recognized Xu Yi and Lu Ke as threats. It promptly abandoned its companion and chose to flee for its life.

The Black Scale Lion continuously roared, warning Xu Yi and Lu Ke.

Xu Yi smiled, putting away the Hunting Bow.

The Black Scale Lion’s hide was something Xu Yi had been hoping for, to make a Black Scale Soft Armor.

If he had one, would he still fear those six tigers?

With his machete and Lu Ke’s support, they could definitely take on those six tigers.

That’s why he was determined to claim the Black Scale Lion’s hide.

Lu Ke was equally delighted, as she felt Xu Yi always gave her the best. The Black Scale Soft Armor and “giant wolf” were all his gifts to her.

Now Xu Yi could also craft a Black Scale Soft Armor.

The Black Scale Lion roared continuously but couldn’t stand up to escape.

Xu Yi glanced at the Black Scale Lion’s leg; it seemed the bone was crushed, given the absence of bleeding. This indicated that the tiger hadn’t pierced the Black Scale Lion’s defenses or torn its Scale Armor.

As Xu Yi approached, the Black Scale Lion tried to swipe at him with a front paw.

Unfortunately, it met with Xu Yi’s machete.

With one slash, Xu Yi didn’t sever the Black Scale Lion’s foreleg.

However, he pierced its Scale Armor, leaving a wound.

The Black Scale Lion cried out in pain, instinctively retracting its foreleg, trying to escape.

But it had no chance.

Xu Yi raised the machete, striking at its mouth.

This was its softer area, already bearing some blood and wounds, likely inflicted by the tiger.

One slash, and Xu Yi split the Black Scale Lion’s mouth. Its screams grew even louder.

It collapsed immediately, and Xu Yi thrust the machete into its mouth, ending its life.

“Killed a Black Scale Lion, earned 12 points.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Yi couldn’t help but stretch his neck.

Gaining 24 points in one go was quite a feat.

The most crucial thing was that it wasn’t strenuous, taking less than ten minutes altogether.

Lu Ke had already retrieved the arrows; one bone arrow had its shaft broken.

“First, let’s drag the Black Scale Lion back to the camp, then come back for the tiger’s carcass,” Xu Yi said, putting away his machete. He had no intention of leaving the bodies of the two animals behind.

The Black Scale Lion’s meat was soft and tasty, perfect for making jerky.

Moreover, with their “giant wolf,” which consumed seven or eight pounds of jerky daily, their supply of jerky was rapidly depleting, necessitating a substantial replenishment.

With the Black Scale Lion and tiger’s combined weight of seven or eight hundred pounds, it would last the “giant wolf” and others a long time.

Xu Yi and Lu Ke jointly dragged the Black Scale Lion back to the camp.

Upon seeing the Black Scale Lion, their “giant wolf” became excited, pacing inside the shack, seemingly eager to come out.

Ignoring “giant wolf,” Xu Yi and Lu Ke went to feed the reindeer and “Big White” with the returned forage, and after a short rest, they returned to drag back the tiger’s body.

The two carcasses required considerable time to process.

Xu Yi and Lu Ke set to work side by side, each taking responsibility for one animal, starting with skinning them.

After all, nighttime temperatures were freezing; if left untreated overnight, it wouldn’t be a significant problem.

After skinning them, they promptly used a tripod to hang up the hides.

For the first time, Xu Yi and Lu Ke had a tiger’s skin, and they were quite pleased.

Then Xu Yi and Lu Ke proceeded to gut the two beasts, with Lu Ke taking things to clean and prepare for the “giant wolf” to eat.

In the evening, they dined on tiger meat.

Having never tried it before, they were curious about its flavor and texture.

The carcasses were hung back inside the house, and after dinner, the two began processing the Black Scale Lion’s meat.

Since they had eaten tiger meat and found its flavor average and texture inferior to the Black Scale Lion’s, they preferred the latter.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep