Chapter 38: Great Tiger (1)

To act as an accomplice to the tiger—

Becoming a tiger ghost for the tiger.

Zhang Zilie, in his book 《Zhengzitong》, said: Those who are devoured by tigers cannot attain Nirvana, becoming tiger ghosts, slaves to the tigers.

Tiger ghosts lure humans to tigers. They do this to provide their masters with food.

This was the extent of the story known amongst the people. Those with many experiences, the hunters, might have heard legends about the tiger ghosts.

However, Jin Ri-yeon provided a bit more detail about the tiger ghosts:

1. Amongst tigers, those who survive for long and accumulate spiritual power are the ones who create tiger ghosts.

2. When a person killed by a tiger becomes a tiger ghost, they often cling to their own family.

3. Tiger ghosts, in order to escape their plight, lead others to tigers. They seek to free themselves by sacrificing someone else to the tiger.

4. Tiger ghosts are extremely fond of fresh things and conches.

Jin Ri-yeon said that the tiger ghost was not that formidable a yokai. It made sense. It was merely a yokai transformed from a commoner killed by a tiger.

So, Yi-gang imagined it to have a somewhat ordinary appearance.

However.

“Kraaaak!”

The woman’s entire skin turned bumpy, and dense blue fur sprouted all over. Her mouth, torn long, was filled with sharp, protruding teeth.

She was hideously terrifying and endlessly grotesque.

It was understandable why the young hunter, lying prostrate on the ground, screamed in horror.

“Arrrrgh! Damn it!”

It seemed he had a close relationship with this woman, who had turned into a monster in an instant.

Yi-gang encouraged him to be strong, but it appeared he could not hear him.

The tiger ghost lashed out at Jin Ri-yeon with her claws.

Kkagagang—

However, Jin Ri-yeon deflected her claws with a sword. Her whip sword strikes fluttered in the air like silk ribbons.

The sword light flashed several times, and several fingers, covered in bristling fur, scattered into the sky. Blue blood spurted out.

“No! If she dies…!”

The hunter murmured like that.

Even in that state, worrying about his lover, was it not true love? Yi-gang thought so.

“We should be beheading her, but.”

Even as blood splattered on her face, Jin Ri-yeon spoke calmly. The tiger ghost, once ferocious, must have realized the difference in strength. She was frozen, unable to even think about stemming the blood from her severed fingers.

And then, Jin Ri-yeon wrapped a bead in her hand with a tingling sound.

“I cannot kill the poor common folk either.”

With these merciful words, she raised her fist.

An excellent swordsman was often skilled in the art of fists and feet technique as well. A low-level yokai like the tiger ghost could not avoid the fists of Jin Ri-yeon, who was aiming for the peak among the first-rate.

Puh-uk!

It was a punch that seemed more like a “stab” than a “hit.”

One would worry how such power could come from her slender arms and legs. It seemed like it could have punctured the tiger ghost’s stomach.

“Kuh-uk!”

And then, something like blue smoke burst out from the bulging back of the tiger ghost.

The smoke took form. It had a face that seemed to indiscriminately mix both human and tiger features.

It fled from Jin Ri-yeon towards Yi-gang, or precisely, towards the hunter sitting helplessly on the floor.

It seemed it was not just an illusion visible only to Yi-gang’s eyes, as the hunter screamed and Jin Ri-yeon signaled.

“Huuaaargh!”

“Now!”

Yi-gang drew his sword. It was not the sword gifted by Neung Ji-pyeong, but the meteorite sword, the Shooting Star Fang.

When Jin Ri-yeon realized someone was next to the tiger ghost, she had asked Yi-gang for a favor. She said that when the tiger ghost was cornered, it would try to possess another commoner nearby.

Jin Ri-yeon had asked him to stop it.

He had not expected the tiger ghost that escaped from the woman’s body to look so horrific.

Shiiiiing—

The blue tiger ghost flew towards them with the sound of a sinister wind.

But Yi-gang was not afraid.

「Like a moth diving into the flame,」 the Immortal Divine Sword commented, and the Pixiu necklace around Yi-gang’s neck shone brightly.

Ignoring Yi-gang and flying straight at him, the tiger ghost’s face distorted in horror. It felt its presence was nothing compared to the purple radiance.

The tiger ghost’s movement, swift as the wind, suddenly halted.

And then, the hefty Shooting Star Fang drew a long arc.

It was neither fast nor sharp, but it was more than enough to cut through the frozen tiger ghost.

Seo-geok—

There was a definitive sensation of cutting. It felt like tearing a cloth woven from ice, a cold touch.

「Kiyaaaak!」

The meteorite sword, imbued with the nature of destroying evil and revealing truth—

And the power of Yi-gang himself, who, after training in the Great Yin Flow, could now reach even ghosts.

Thanks to this, the tiger ghost scattered into dust with a scream.

Behind where it had been, Jin Ri-yeon stood with her drawn sword.

“Ah…”

She had not thought Yi-gang could kill the tiger ghost with a single slash. She had intended to step in and finish it off herself.

However, with just one light swing from Yi-gang, the tiger ghost had disintegrated.

“How?”

“Pardon?”

Jin Ri-yeon was flustered, which in turn made Yi-gang feel perplexed.

“How did you cut it?”

“You told me to cut.”

“No, I mean, you shouldn’t have been able to destroy it like that.”

Yi-gang suddenly looked down at his sword. It was a meteorite sword, even if it was rusty. That might have contributed to an exceptional effect.

“My sword is a bit old. They say objects become spiritually powerful as they age, right?”

“Uh… well.”

Jin Ri-yeon did not seem entirely convinced by Yi-gang’s justification, but she nodded.

It was after this incident that Jin Ri-yeon also realized that Yi-gang was exceptional. Besides, he was wearing the Pixiu necklace.

“You have talent.”

She could only assess so much.

In the meantime, Yi-gang had searched the ground. He had a hunch, and there it was.

“Ah, this!”

A stone fragment the size of a fingernail, glowing blue, had fallen.

“Is this the internal elixir?”

“It seems like an internal elixir… Don’t eat it!”

As Yi-gang brought it close to his face, Jin Ri-yeon shouted in alarm.

Of course, even if Yi-gang were keen on elixirs, he would not consume something so suspicious.

“I won’t eat it.”

“…”

Yi-gang was merely trying to smell it. It emitted an odor similar to a strong acrid burn.

Jin Ri-yeon, feeling awkward, fiddled with her fingers.

“We need to go back to the family quarters for purification before it can be used as a medicinal ingredient. I’ll give it to you when we return.”

“To me?”

“You caught it, after all.”

Yi-gang had merely swung his sword at what Jin Ri-yeon had already captured.

Did he really have the right to receive the internal elixir?

“Oh well. I’ll gratefully accept it, thank you.”

Of course, Yi-gang was not one to refuse what was being offered, especially if it was something beneficial for the body.

“What’s going on here!”

“Ah, Sang-chil!”

Then, the hunters and villagers appeared.

It was only natural since a hunter named Sang-chil had screamed so. Even now, he was holding onto the collapsed woman and wailing.

“This woman! Why are you possessed! Open your eyes!”

“Oh dear, Ran! Are you alright! Ah, her fingers!”

The villagers also rushed in, making a fuss.

Fortunately, she was breathing. Three of her fingers had been cut off, but the wounds had healed.

Considering what had been used by the tiger ghost, it was extremely fortunate. Thanks to Jin Ri-yeon and Yi-gang’s braving the danger, they had saved her life.

However, Jin Ri-yeon seemed to think otherwise.

“It’s because of me that her fingers…”

She regretted having to cut off the fingers, unavoidably.

Yi-gang looked at her blankly. Jin Ri-yeon felt his gaze.

“…Why are you staring?”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“What do you mean?”

“If someone can live by losing a few fingers, anyone would wish for that.”

Jin Ri-yeon lost her words at Yi-gang’s statement.

Yi-gang was thinking from the perspective of the woman whose fingers had been cut off, not Jin Ri-yeon’s.

“If she resents you, then she’s just being foolish.”

“…”

Could that be so? Yi-gang’s tone was so firm that Jin Ri-yeon somehow found his words convincing.

Then, the hunters of the Tiger Killer Gang, who confirmed Sang-chil was safe, cautiously approached. They were all quite elderly.

Among them, a hunter who seemed to be the most senior stepped forward as their representative. He was not the leader of the Tiger Killer Gang, but he appeared to have some status.

“We’ve heard you saved our youngest from the tiger ghost.”

Though he seemed to understand the situation a bit differently, he was correct.

“We knew you were remarkable people. But to recognize such a yokai.”

“Did you know about the tiger ghost?”

“I’ve been hunting beasts for quite a long time. I even saw one a long time ago.”

The old hunter’s face had a gruesome scar. Perhaps his face had been ripped by a tiger’s claw.

“Thank you.”

He bowed deeply in gratitude. The others behind him did the same.

Their eyes had held only hostility and suspicion earlier in the day, but now they seemed genuinely grateful.

“When are you planning to leave?”

“We’re leaving first thing tomorrow,” Yi-gang answered.

He planned to brew and consume one more root of the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb the next morning before they departed.

“Since you’re the ones who saved Sang-chil… there’s something we feel we must tell you.”

The elder hunter paused, choosing his words carefully.

Curious, Yi-gang quietly awaited what the hunter had to say.

Eventually, the information he shared was indeed helpful.

“You’re saying it’s not just one tiger?”

“Yes, a Great Tiger is leading several others.”

“That’s news to me.”

“…We also realized it not too long ago.”

The revelation that a pack of tigers was roaming was astonishing.

They could have been in great danger if they had prepared only for one.

“Thank you. We would have been caught off guard had we not known.”

Yi-gang and Jin Ri-yeon expressed their gratitude.

The elder hunter bowed deeply as he spoke, “If you’re heading down to Shanyang County, those creatures are likely on the opposite side, so you shouldn’t worry too much.”

“Yes.”

Yi-gang gave a bright smile.

By capturing the tiger ghost, not only had he completed his mission, but he also received valuable information.

Aside from a limited lifespan and severe symptoms like frequent hemorrhages accompanied by seizures, there were various other detriments to having the Great Yin Meridian Blockage.

The most problematic one was the extreme fatigue felt even on days when nothing was done. An ordinary person might have to lie in bed all day.

The fact that Yi-gang moved around and trained without showing any signs of this was akin to superhuman endurance.

He ate heartily and trained diligently. But even consuming nutritious foods and grinding brood hen did not warm his cold body.

Instead of gaining weight, he seemed to get thinner regardless of his diet. This was why Yi-gang appeared frail.

However, taking the elixir did refresh him for a while. The Purple Spirit Phantom Herb, of which he had already brewed and consumed two roots, was particularly effective. Perhaps because it was rich in Yang energy, it made his body feel warm.

Inside the carriage, Jin Ri-yeon, sitting opposite Yi-gang, muttered,

“You’ll have to consume the last root in Shanyang County.”

“It seems the tigers are quite dangerous.”

Yi-gang thought about emitting the scent of the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb on their journey. If he did, the tigers might catch the scent and come looking.

Should he try catching the creature known as the Great Tiger? Yi-gang contemplated this, thinking of securing any possible rewards and selling the tiger’s skin.

However, he did not put this idea into action. Yi-gang was of a cautious nature.

The wooden box containing the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb was carefully sealed with well-spread candle wax. There should be no chance of the scent spreading and attracting wild animals.

The elder hunter of the Tiger Killer Gang had assured him that the likelihood of encountering a tiger on the way down to Shanyang County was low.

Thus, he did not worry too much even as they set off from Zhangjia Village in the carriage.

But could the elder hunter have been mistaken?

Due to the overcast weather, a sinister chill lingered in the dark forest.

“Young Master.”

“Yes.”

Outside the carriage, Neung Ji-pyeong alerted Yi-gang.

If one listened carefully, a very low sound could be heard.

It was a low tone, similar to the forest trembling.

A low-frequency unique to beasts, enough to make one’s bones tingle in fear.

“It’s definitely a tiger.”

The horses were the first to sense the danger and become frightened.

“Hee-hee-heeing—!”

The well-trained horses would have already abandoned the carriage and fled if it were not for their training. Neung Ji-pyeong barely managed to calm the horses and stop the carriage.

Then, a moment of silence engulfed them.

Everyone scanned their surroundings. The dense trees blocked any sunlight, making it dark.

From the open window on the left, Yi-gang noticed something yellowish moving.

Neung Ji-pyeong, who was standing on the carriage, noticed it too.

“It’s on the left!”

Just as the bushes seemed to shake, something tawny leaped out.

It was a massive tiger.

“Krrr-aaarrr!”

Despite being prepared, its roar had the power to freeze a human body. How could such a massive creature leap so lightly?

The beast pounced towards the horses, its substantial prey.

The horses, in sheer terror, reared up.

“Where do you think you’re going—!”

The flash of Neung Ji-pyeong’s sword gleamed.

Seeing the scattering red droplets of blood, Yi-gang suddenly became curious.

‘They say that tiger skins sell for a high price.’

Since Neung Ji-pyeong’s sword had sharply pierced through the tiger’s eye, that skin would surely become a top-quality product without a single scratch.

And then, Jin Ri-yeon, who had been waiting inside the carriage with Yi-gang until now, spoke up.

“Right side.”

There was another tiger, besides the one charging in with a roar.

This one, even bigger, was running towards the carriage without as much as a growl. It must have weighed at least 500 jin, but thanks to its elastic muscles, it hardly made any noise.

One tiger confronted them head-on, while the other cunningly targeted the carriage from the side. Had they not known, they might have been caught off guard.

“It really was true.”

The hunter’s information that there was not just one tiger was accurate.

Therefore, Yi-gang and his party were already prepared.

Yi-gang simply closed the right-side window of the carriage.

The charging tiger did not stop, leaping towards the carriage.

With the massive creature’s physical attack, any ordinary carriage would have its walls shattered in an instant.

Kwaaang!

With a deafening noise that seemed to rupture eardrums, the carriage shook. However, the walls did not break, nor did the carriage topple over.

The carriage, made by the Baek Clan out of concern for Yi-gang, had a framework of steel.

Moreover, inside the carriage, Yi-gang, Jin Ri-yeon, and one member of the Biyeon Squad were waiting, swords drawn.

They thrust their swords into the right window grille of the carriage at the moment of impact.

Pa-pa-pak!

The tiger could not break the carriage, but the swords had stabbed the tiger.

From beyond the wall, they could hear the creature scratching at the carriage’s wall.

All three of them simultaneously pulled their swords from the wall. Blood was smeared on every sword.

“We can’t use this one’s hide.”

Yi-gang muttered so.

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