My sister broke off her engagement to marry someone richer? My older sister married me and became in

That step was taken.

I stepped over the withered branches and crushed the fallen leaves.

It also crossed the boundary between life and death.

The tigress's golden pupils suddenly contracted.

In its view, the actions of this tiny human were not a test, nor a retreat, but an undisguised invasion.

It is a challenge launched in its last vestige of dignity, its most desperate defense.

"roar--!"

A roar, unlike any of the previous growls, exploded through the valley.

That was not a warning.

It is a verdict.

Lu Qingshan only felt a blur before his eyes, and the huge orange-yellow figure, which was fifty meters away, turned into a blurry afterimage.

too fast.

It was so fast that his eyes couldn't keep up at all.

In that instant, all his hunting experience from his past and present lives became a joke.

The wind was torn apart.

A strong, pungent, fishy smell, mixed with the metallic odor of blood, slammed into his face like a wall, making him almost vomit.

A massive shadow instantly enveloped his entire world.

He didn't even have time to react; his mind went blank due to the extreme danger.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at that moment.

He could clearly see the snow-white, sharp fangs protruding from the gaping maw.

I saw glistening saliva hanging from its fangs.

They also saw the enormous claws that were outstretched, capable of easily tearing apart any steel.

The claws gleamed with a cold light, like five razor-sharp daggers, hurtling towards his face with a deathly whistling sound.

The old injury in my left arm throbbed with intense pain at that moment.

His body's instincts screamed wildly, urging him to dodge, urging him to raise his gun, urging him to do something.

But there was nothing he could do.

The scent of death had permeated his entire being.

"Am I going to die...?"

A thought flashed through his blank mind.

It was in that instant, just as the claws were about to touch his skin, that he saw it.

He saw in the tigress's golden pupils the reflection of her cub behind her, convulsing in a pool of blood, its life force growing weaker and weaker.

In those eyes, besides the overwhelming killing intent, there was something even deeper.

It is despair.

It is the purest despair of a mother who watches helplessly as her child dies.

"Let's gamble!"

This insane idea, like a bolt of lightning, cleaved through the shadow of death.

Lu Qingshan did not dodge.

He didn't even close his eyes.

He made a move that went against all his survival instincts.

In the last fraction of a second before the claws touched his body, he suddenly pulled out the herbal cloth bag that he always kept close to his body, still warm from his body heat, and with all his might, raised it high above his head.

He completely exposed his most vulnerable neck and face to the opponent's attack.

At the same time, he used up all the air in his chest and let out a cry that came not from his throat, but from the depths of his soul.

"I'll save your child!"

The sound echoed through the valley, carrying an undeniable penetrating power.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The five gleaming "daggers" stopped.

The claw tip was only a finger's width away from Lu Qingshan's eyeball.

The sharp wind stung his cheeks, and a few strands of his hair, broken off by the wind, drifted down slowly.

He could even smell the blood on the claws, the blood of some unfortunate beast.

But it eventually stopped.

"Heh...heh..."

The tigress's chest heaved violently, her scorching breath spraying onto Lu Qingshan's face.

Its growling never stopped, like a runaway locomotive that could start up again at any moment and crush everything in its path into pieces.

Lu Qingshan remained motionless.

He held the herb bag aloft, his heart pounding, his back soaked with cold sweat.

He could clearly see his own frank, anxious, and utterly murderous face perfectly reflected in the other person's enormous golden pupils.

He's gambling.

This king of beasts, besides its wild killing instincts, also retains a trace of maternal spirituality.

I'm betting it can understand my gaze.

I'm betting it can smell the familiar scent of the herbs in my hand.

one second.

two seconds.

Time passed second by second, but for Lu Qingshan, it felt longer than a century.

He could feel his raised arms starting to ache and go numb, and the wound on his left arm was sending waves of tearing pain through him.

But he dared not give it up.

He knew that if he made even the slightest move that led the other party to misjudge the situation, this fragile balance, which he had risked his life for, would instantly break.

"Waaah..."

A faint, mournful cry came from behind the tigress, breaking the suffocating standoff.

It was that tiger cub.

The tigress's massive body trembled violently, and the low growl in her throat paused for a moment. The ferocious killing intent in her golden pupils seemed to be diluted slightly by this mournful cry.

It stared intently at Lu Qingshan for another two seconds.

It was as if they wanted to etch this human appearance into their very bones.

at last.

It made the decision.

It slowly, very reluctantly, took a small step back.

The sharp claw that had been hovering in front of Lu Qingshan's face also retracted.

The tension that had been building up in Lu Qingshan's heart finally eased a little.

He knew he had won his gamble.

The mother tiger did not leave; she simply turned to the side, using her massive body to warily block the cubs and Lu Qingshan, but ultimately made room for only one person to pass through.

Its golden eyes, like two searchlights, continued to fixate on Lu Qingshan.

The meaning is very clear.

You can come over.

But if you dare to do anything improper, my claws will never stop next time.

Lu Qingshan dared not be careless in the slightest.

He slowly, in an almost decomposing slow motion, knelt down on the ground.

Then, using his knees instead of his feet, he laboriously moved step by step toward the dying tiger cub lying on the ground.

With every inch he moved, he could feel the pressure from the gaze behind him growing heavier.

His entire back was exposed to the tigress's line of sight and attack range.

This feeling is even more agonizing than just facing death.

Finally, he approached the tiger cub.

The moment he saw the injury clearly, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Fuck him!"

He cursed inwardly.

The enormous iron trap, with its menacing serrations, was completely embedded in the bone of the tiger cub's left forepaw.

The skin and flesh around the wound had turned black and necrotic in large areas due to prolonged pressure and blood loss, and had even begun to rot, emitting a nauseating stench.

The tiger cub's breathing was so weak it was almost imperceptible. Its tiny body was trembling uncontrollably from the intense pain and blood loss, and its body temperature was dropping rapidly.

If it had been half an hour later, no, even ten minutes later, even a miracle wouldn't have saved them.

Lu Qingshan dared not hesitate any longer.

He deftly opened the herb bag in his hand and poured the fragrant herbs inside onto the oilcloth beside him.

Then, he drew the sharp hunting knife from behind his waist.

Instead of acting immediately, he took out a match from his backpack, lit it, and repeatedly heated the tip of the knife over the flame until it turned red-hot.

Every movement was performed with calmness and focus.

Behind him, the tigress's heavy breathing, like a countdown timer in the hands of death, struck his heart again and again.

After finishing all this, Lu Qingshan took a deep breath and adjusted his posture.

His gaze fell on the cold, rusty iron clamp that was gripping the tiger cub's bones tightly.

We have to open it up first!

He raised his scorching hot hunting knife and aimed the tip at the gap in the metal clamp.

Just as the tip of his knife was about to touch the cold metal...

"roar--!"

Behind them, the tigress suddenly let out a low growl filled with warning and pain.

Immediately afterwards, a tremendous force pressed down on his shoulder.

Lu Qingshan's muscles froze instantly.

He saw it out of the corner of his eye.

It was a huge tiger paw with paw pads.

It landed firmly on his right shoulder.