Chapter 43: A Special Passage

"I never expected there would be such a place in the Guandong Mountains."

Following the trail on the map, Zhang Tiejun and Zhou Nianci arrived at a mountain col.

Unlike the freezing and snowy world outside, this place was not only free of ice and snow, but a few wild flowers even bloomed on the flat ground.

"It seems your master really knew how to pick a spot for himself," Zhang Tiejun said, pointing with his finger at a convex earthen mound on the flat ground.

Zhou Nianci was stunned for a moment, then rushed forward and said with a slightly sobbing voice, "Master, after ten years apart, I have finally found you."

After crying for a full twenty minutes, Zhou Nianci finally calmed down quite a bit. After pouring out all the trials and experiences of the past ten years through tears, she took out the cowhide-bound book titled *Strange Tales of the Guandong Mountains*.

"This was your dying wish, and now Nianci has fulfilled it for you. Furthermore, I will inherit your wish and continue writing this book."

With that, Zhou Nianci kowtowed solemnly several times before the grave.

With the memorial service coming to an end, the next step was to head home, and Zhou Nianci once again voiced what was on her mind.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"I want to inherit my master's dying wish and continue writing this book, but I need a lot of material. If possible, can you help me record more stories? About things in the Guandong Mountains?"

When Zhou Nianci finished speaking, her head lowered involuntarily. This kind of work could be said to be very boring and even dangerous.

Seeing that Zhang Tiejun did not agree, Zhou Nianci continued, "I can pay you."

Zhang Tiejun led Zhou Nianci to a fork in the road and pointed with his finger at the winding footpath: "If you walk down this path for twenty minutes, you can get out of the mountains."

"Got it." Zhou Nianci's tone was somewhat dejected when she said this.

"I'll remember it. I will record the things I see and then have Xiaohua bring them to you at school." Zhang Tiejun hadn't walked far before he suddenly stopped, turned his back to Zhou Nianci, and said, "I'll leave Xiaohua to you. I will gather her tuition money for you as soon as possible."

A thrilled Zhou Nianci nodded repeatedly in agreement. "No problem, leave this matter to me."

Having seen Zhou Nianci off, Zhang Tiejun returned to the Guandong Mountains, once again alone.

For some unknown reason, the Guandong Mountains, which appeared fraught with danger to outsiders, held an extraordinary attraction for Zhang Tiejun.

Bustling markets and lively villages were nothing more than places to Zhang Tiejun; only the Guandong Mountains could accommodate his solitary soul.

All matters before the New Year had been settled, with the only thing left undone being the delivery of a thousand catties of meat to the Qiao family shop.

This thousand catties of meat was as difficult as it was simple.

If he happened to run into a moose or a few reindeer, the meat problem would naturally resolve itself. But if he didn't, it would be troublesome. Pheasants and wild hares weighed at most three to five catties each, meaning he would need to catch at least a hundred of them.

Seeing that night was falling, Zhang Tiejun had no choice but to make camp right there.

For some reason, Zhang Tiejun had a lingering bad feeling today. One must know that many animals in the Guandong Mountains followed fixed routines of life.

For a hunter, observing and understanding the habits of animals was the most basic craft. Animals like moose, reindeer, and roe deer generally spent the morning drinking water near puddles and pools or looking for mates, foraged in the grasslands or forests during noon and afternoon, and gathered in groups to rest around midnight.

Generally speaking, night was the best time for hunting. Centuries of living habits had accustomed people to a lifestyle of sleeping by day and moving by night, yet many animals were nocturnal, resting by day and moving by night.

The Guandong Mountains were far too quiet tonight—quiet to the point of being deadly.

Small herbivorous animals like field mice, squirrels, and rabbits, as well as large carnivorous animals like wolves, owls, and lynxes, would all be active at night. Even if the sounds they made in the forest were negligible, there shouldn't be zero sound at all.

When things go against the norm, there is bound to be something demonic afoot. Such an unusual silence aroused Zhang Tiejun's vigilance.

Just as Zhang Tiejun was on high alert, a sound of muffled thunder suddenly echoed from the mountain peak!

The low-frequency sound waves were chilling, and the most terrifying thought formed in Zhang Tiejun's mind. If there was truly any animal in the entire Guandong Mountains capable of producing such a bizarre phenomenon, there was only one possibility.

A Siberian tiger!

An adult male Siberian tiger.

The Siberian tiger was the undisputed king of the entire Guandong Mountains. In ancient times when information was poorly disseminated, tigers from zero to six years old were called big cats; those from six to twelve years old were named mottled tigers; those from twelve to eighteen years old were scientifically termed great worms; those from eighteen to twenty-four years old were also dubbed great worms; and tigers over twenty-four years old earned a most respectful title.

Mountain Lord!

The Siberian tiger was the largest feline in the world, and there were countless titles praising it. Standing at the top of the food chain, it could make the entire Guandong Mountain range submit to its will.

Immediately after, a heart-rending howl came through, its volume so immense that it even startled many birds in the forest.

Coming to his senses, Zhang Tiejun instantly hid behind a boulder. He certainly didn't have the courage to match wits with a Siberian tiger; the force of a single paw from this beast could reach a thousand kilograms, enough to snap an adult pine tree in half, and its effortless leaping height could reach up to three meters.

Zhang Tiejun could be certain that the roar just now did not belong to a human, but rather to an herbivorous animal similar to a wild boar.

Thus, under the shadow of fear, Zhang Tiejun curled up beneath the rock and endured until dawn.

Praying three times in his heart, Zhang Tiejun slowly walked toward the depths of the mountain forest.

They say curiosity killed the cat, but for a hunter, where there was a Siberian tiger, opportunity and danger coexisted.

A tiger descending the mountain was a well-known taboo in the tattoo world; a starving Siberian tiger could be said to kill humans if they blocked its path, and Buddhas if the Buddhas blocked it.

However, when food was plentiful, Siberian tigers were particular about the freshness of their food, only tasting the most delicious parts of large prey.

This meant that if yesterday's sound came from a large piece of prey, Zhang Tiejun might just stumble upon hundreds of catties of meat for free.

This was a high-stakes gamble, as well as an opportunity for Zhang Tiejun.

Before even finding the carcass, Zhang Tiejun saw a massive swath of destroyed forest. Many dead trees had collapsed, and the grassland bore huge, sweeping gouges. Clearly, a fierce battle had taken place here last night.

Analyzing the traces at the scene, the Siberian tiger and that prey must have weighed hundreds of kilograms at the very least.

The signs of struggle continued for dozens of meters.

To put it simply, two massive creatures had forcefully carved out a "special pathway" right through the forest.