Normally tigers are proud ferocious beasts, the rulers of the forest. Barring an accident or some other circumstances, no tiger would bother to kill humans for food. They prefer to hunt boars or other bigger prey.

  But when a tiger gets severely injured or old and kicked off from their group, they turn their eyes on weak humans. Gone is their usual pride because that alone cannot fill their empty stomachs. Unable to hunt their usual prey, they leave their homes and start attacking human settlements causing a large number of deaths.

  The terror of the man eating tiger was immense. From a single roar, it had shattered the spirits of countless villagers. Little Hong was sobbing on the ground, tightly clutching his mother's clothes.

  "Don't worry Hong'er, Master Wu will definitely drive it back. Believe in him!"

  His mother hugged him tightly, whispering in his ears to console him. Chen Yinying looked at the shaking pair of mother and son and turned back to the room. She had learned the cause of commotion and now she was going back to sleep.

  What was happening in the village wasn't her problem.

  ***

  Ling Yun finished his cultivation session up at dawn and went to prepare the breakfast. Chen Yinying was still sleeping. He found that little Hong and his mother were also waking up but there was a gloomy atmosphere in the house.

  Did something happened last night?

  Little Hong who is usually so energetic barely returned his greeting and didn't even notice little Bai around his neck. Both of them had dark circles under their eyes. He wanted to ask them but it felt like they were on edge for some reason so he decided to make tea.

  Taking two cups with him, he went back to the room and took out his pot. Soon, Chen Yinying opened her eyes.

  "Aaaahhhh.. what is that nice smell?"

  She yawned again and blinked her eyes. "Sunheart flame tea. It's good for waking up getting rid of sleepiness." She looked at Ling Yun standing by the side of the bed holding a cup. Her eyes immediately narrowed into slits as she angrily puffed her cheeks.

  "Since you look like you've never been in the company of a girl, let me give you an advice. Don't go staring at her when she wakes up. Us girls like to tidy ourselves before showing our appearance to other men."

  His face instantly flushed red with embarassment. It wasn't like he was a stranger to female company in fact Ling Yun had even lived together with two girls. But both were quite special circumstances.

  One was his sister who was overly dependent on her loving big brother so she didn't care about her appearance around him and the other was his master who was just as same as her.

  But looking at her slightly dishevelled hair and pouting lips, he felt he was seeing something private, something intimate. Still he failed to avert his eyes as when a sudden realisation struck him that his companion was too cute. Usually she wears her mask so from time to time, her beauty takes his heart by surprise. It's like clouds parting to reveal the etheral moon.

  Her groggy eyes sharpened then shone with a mischievous glint. "Master, this appearance is only reserved for my future husband. If you watch any longer, you'll have to take responsibility master~"

  "Ehemm! Don't let the tea get cold."

  Ling Yun immediately turned away and rushed outside the room hearing pleasant laughter behind him.

  This girl is too devious.

  ***

  "Thank the Heavens that no one got injured last night. If not for master Wu who knows what would've happened."

  After finishing the breakfast, all four of them chatted about events last night. Ling Yun had learned from Chen Yinying about the man eating tiger then asked little Hong's mother for more details.

  The tiger had started preying on their village three months ago. The men banded together and tried to kill it but the tiger was too powerful and cunning for them. It knew when to attack and when to retreat. The tiger would only attack at night. It would kill two or three people before swiftly escaping into the forest from the mob.

  Her husband was one of the men killed while trying to drive him away. But shortly after that, their saviour appeared. Master Wu was a monster hunter and hearing of their plight, he vowed to remain in the village till he slays the beast. From his presence, the number of deaths had become quite negligible.

  The woman was singing praises of Master Wu's bravery but little Hong still had a frown on his face. After listening for sometime, he finally snapped and got away from his mother's lap.

  "What brave hero! He again let the tiger escape last night!"

  "Hong'er how can you say such things about master Wu. You know if he wasn't-"

  "I don't care." Little Hong yelled loudly and then finally broke into tears. "My father's killer is still alive. And I can do nothing!"

  His mother also started sobbing. Little Hong shook himself off from her hold and ran away outside. Ling Yun could also feel his frustration. He knew how it felt to be powerless to save the ones you love. How it can slowly poison your spirit till there was nothing left but bitterness at life and at yourself.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  "Auntie, can you take me to Master Wu? I want to meet him."

  The woman wiped away her tears and composed herself. "I can but master why do you want to see him? Aren't you going to leave for your journey?"

  "I believe I can help him kill the tiger."

  ***

  "Master Wu, here taste this wine. I had saved this especially for my son's wedding."

  "Master Wu try this cake. My wife just made them this morning. It's completely fresh."

  The woman took them to the village head's home where Master Wu was currently staying. It wasn't anything impressive but was slightly bigger than other houses in the village.

  There was a large crowd gathered in the courtyard. Every villager had brought some kind of gift in success of last night. Even little Hong's mother carried a pot of butter she had made herself.

  At the centre of gathering was a young man with a pretty girl by his side. The first thing one would notice was his missing right arm. There were also a few scars on his face giving him the look of a rugged warrior. He was the hero of the village, Master Wu.

  "All of you please let him rest. Master Wu is pretty tired from last night. You can leave your gifts at the front door."

  The girl by his side announced loudly, dispersing the crowd. She was the only daughter of the previous head of the village. He had been killed by the tiger so in name she was the head but in every matter she always deferred to Master Wu.

  "Miss, please let me meet Master Wu. It's very important." Little Hong's mother yelled loudly but the girl pretended not hear.

  "Wait! Let them in." She was surprised to hear Master Wu personally call them in. Feeling curious, she took a look at them. The village milk woman she knew but there were two strangers beside her. There was one who she believed to be a girl in a fox mask and a guy clad in purple robes with a white snake around his neck. From the corner of her eye, she saw Master Wu's eyes were fixed on the young man.

  The young man was more handsome than him but that didn't matter. In her heart, the heroic Master Wu was much better than any pretty boy.

  "Is that snake your spiritual pet? Where did you find it? What grade of bloodline does it have?

  "Oh, sorry I got too excited. My name is Zhen Wu."

  "I'm Ling Yun."

  "So what is an alchemist doing in this area?" Master Wu spoke up when the young man reached infront of him.

  "I was just passing by here when I learned of this matter. I will keep this short, I want to help you kill that monster."

  "Kill the tiger, huh." Master Wu looked at the sky in contemplation. "You make it sound as easy as killing a chicken. I was a brave swordsman once but I lost my arm in an accident. Due to my injuries, my cultivation also fell and I lost my status and future. If I was fully healed I could easily kill it."

  He looked at Ling Yun with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "You don't happen to have a pill to cure me, do you?"

  "I'm sorry."

  His eyes quickly flashed in disappointment before he started laughing. "I was just asking as joke. You don't have to look so glum about it. The major problem in killing the tiger is that it escapes when it sees large numbers. I alone am not enough to trap it."

  "Then why don't you search the forests for its lair and kill it? It has been three months, surely you could've done better."

  "If I went to the forest, then who would protect the villagers if something happened." He looked at the village head's daughter with a tender gaze.

  "I am not here for personal glory, I am here to protect the village. They call a crippled person like me their hero and being that is the most important thing to me."

  The village head's daughter all this time was listening silently but she lost control of her emotions at that. She kneeled down by side and grabbed his hand tightly.

  "Master Wu all the villagers are grateful from the bottom of our hearts! If you weren't here I don't think there would be a village left! You are a true hero!"

  Master Wu consoled her till she regained her composure. She looked at her guests and blushed in embarassment. "Sorry for causing disturbance." She hurriedly bowed and left.

  "You really love this village." Ling Yun was also a little moved by this scene. It was everyone's childhood dream, becoming a hero.

  "I am their hero. Let's get to the main business. Are you strong enough to help me in battle?"

  "I believe I'm strong enough to kill it by myself."

  Master Wu stared blankly at his eyes filled with conviction. After some time, he nervously laughed and said, "Overconfidence will kill you one day. Tonight stay with me. If the tiger attacks, we both are going to deal with it together. Don't try to fight it alone."

  "That's fine. I will meet you in the evening."

  ***

  "Master can you really kill that man eating tiger?"

  She had contained her excitement throughout the way back but after arriving at their home, little Hong's mother finally spoke up.

  "I said it before, didn't I? After tomorrow you don't have to be scared about the tiger anymore."

  The woman still remained sceptical, after all Master Wu couldn't kill it after all this time. Ling Yun read her thoughts from her face and just simply smiled.

  "You don't have think too hard about it. Take it as a payment for letting us stay for the night."

  The woman simply nodded and left.

  "How long are you going to keep silent?" With them finally alone, Ling Yun finally asked what he wanted to. Chen Yinying had never been quiet for this long. She has silently followed him and watched all the proceedings from behind

  "What do you mean master?" She tried to play dumb but Ling Yun knew something was up. Even if she was wearing a fox mask, he could feel her gaze on the back of his head for quite some time.

  "If you want to say something, say it. No use in holding it in. I also want to know what you think of all this."

  He saw her hesitating for a moment before finally making up her mind. "Why are you doing this master? Why are you risking you life for this village?"

  Before he would be confused as to why couldn't she understand something so obvious, but after spending so much time listening to Brahma, he understood what she wanted to say. For cultivators becoming a hero and risking your life to save strangers isn't normal but-

  "I know you may call me stupid, that doing this wouldn't bring me any benefits but still I can't help but try to save someone infront of me."

  "I am not talking about whether it's beneficial or not. Don't you realise how dangerous it could turn out. How can you be so arrogant when you haven't even seen the tiger. From its roar I heard last night, I believe it could be a demonic beast."

  "It doesn't matter if it is a demonic beast or not. I can still win." Ling Yun said with a firm voice. "If I just stay here without doing anything then what's the point of everything I have done since that night?"

  I won't be useless like before, little Hua. This time I have the strength to save people.

  "Recklessly meddling in the affairs of strangers can hurt people you love. And for what, so you can feel the satisfaction of doing the right thing? So you can call yourself a hero?! These people won't shed a single tear if something happens to you. The only ones who will suffer are the people close to you "

  Chen Yinying had removed her mask so he could see her breathing heavily. She too had got a little heated in this argument. Her nose had flared up in anger and her pink eyes were glaring hard at him.

  Ling Yun sighed loudly as his anger deflated. She was right in her own way. Mostly everyone will agree to her, perhaps he was the strange one. There was no point in trying to convince her. It was his own decision, he didn't need anyone else.

  "I'm not asking for your help. I can handle it by myself. Just sorry for the delay in our trip."