I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

tiger.

There really are tigers, and more than one.

On the cliff, Zhou An looked into the distance and saw a ripple among the lush green forests, as if a huge creature was running wildly.

"How come there are tigers here? I've never heard Zhao Sanshi mention them before."

Zhou An dared not be negligent. He clenched his hands into claws and gripped the cliff face. With his hips twisting, he slid down the cliff at an extremely fast speed, like a nimble snake.

"Brother Zhou, are you alright? Are you exhausted?"

Seeing Zhou An hurriedly climb down from the cliff, Liu Shuqing, who was responsible for guarding him nearby, rushed over and asked anxiously.

"I'm fine. I heard a tiger roaring up there, and I was worried that a big tiger was coming this way, so I came down quickly."

Zhou An pointed in the direction from which the tiger's roar came and said quickly.

"Tiger's roar, giant worm..."

Liu Shuqing was taken aback.

"Now is not the time to be certain. What about those herb gatherers... Regardless of whether a tiger is really coming or not, we must notify them immediately."

Before Liu Shuqing could finish speaking, Zhou An spoke directly.

Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, running away is the best.

As for whether it's time to wrap up yet?

He already had seven Blood Ganoderma flowers in his medicine box, so what did a little scolding matter?

"Over there, Wang Yi and Zhang Hui, who was sent by Senior Brother Sun, are keeping watch together."

Seeing Zhou An's solemn expression, Liu Shuqing didn't say anything more. She pointed to a spot and the two of them ran over there first.

That senior brother Sun Heng is a man of his word; he keeps his promises.

After Wu Tao's matter was settled, two senior brothers, Zhang Yi and Li, were sent over the next day.

This was both to prevent any further so-called sparring and because Zhou An's efficiency in harvesting the Blood Ganoderma flowers had become too high, so they sent people over to assist.

"Beep!"

Soon, the two arrived at an open space, and Liu Shuqing cupped her hands to her lips and blew a short whistle.

Within moments, two people rushed over.

"What's the matter with the whistle?"

When they were still about ten steps apart, the imposing Zhang Hui looked at Liu Shuqing with a solemn expression.

"Senior Brother Zhang, I just saw a tiger coming from that direction on the cliff. Just in case, we should leave as soon as possible."

"Tiger, are you sure?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hui frowned.

"There's still half an hour before we finish. If we pick significantly fewer herbs than we have in the past few days, it will be difficult for either of us to explain when we get back."

"Senior Brother Zhang is right, but if that tiger charges at us and causes injury, we'll have an even harder time explaining to Senior Brother Sun and Elder Huang."

Zhou An didn't argue directly. He first praised her before speaking eagerly.

"Why don't we gather the herb gatherers together first? Regardless of whether the tiger is coming for us or not, we should at least warn it."

If I don't say a word, the trouble might be even bigger, but it won't waste much time anyway.

"What you said... makes sense; we should notify them first."

Seeing Zhou An's tense expression, Sun Hui, though certain he hadn't heard the tiger's roar, still dared not be careless.

After all, this place is close to the dangerous area of ​​Cloudblade Mountain.

As soon as he finished speaking, the four of them immediately got to work.

Soon, Qian Youde, Sun Wenhao, Li Si, and other herb gatherers were called back.

"Did you hear the roar of a tiger?"

As soon as the person arrived, Zhang Hui was the first to ask questions.

"A tiger's roar?"

Zhao Sanshi, one of the herb gatherers, frowned, shook his head slightly, and then looked at the other herb gatherers and asked.

"Did you hear that?"

The group looked at each other, their expressions hesitant. Finally, a man with dirt stuffed under his fingernails frowned and pondered for a moment before looking at Zhao Sanshi and speaking.

"I think I've heard it before, but I'm not sure."

"And you?"

"I think I heard it too, but I'm not sure if it was the sound of falling rocks."

"Brother Zhang, since you called us here, you must have made some discovery. There's still half an hour before we finish. Do you have any suggestions?"

Having spent years collecting herbs in the mountains, one must be wary of any disturbance, preferring to err on the side of caution.

Before confirming whether the tiger's roar was real or not, Zhao Sanshi tended to be cautious.

As for finishing work...

This time, unlike previous times, he couldn't be the first to speak when gathering herbs.

It wasn't just because Huang Huayuan was leading the team this time, but also because their commission and rewards for this medicinal herb gathering were higher than before.

Zhang Hui looked at Zhou An.

"In that case, let's retreat to a more defensive position and observe for a while."

There's still half an hour until we finish work, which should be enough time for a cup of tea... What do you think, Senior Brother Zhang?

"Can."

Zhang Hui and Li Si exchanged a glance, then looked at the group of hesitant herb gatherers and nodded.

If Zhou An suggested leaving, he definitely wouldn't agree, but since it was just for observation, he could accept it.

He came here on Senior Brother Sun's instructions, but if this delays things and displeases Elder Huang, that won't do.

Thank you.

Hearing this, Zhao Sanshi breathed a sigh of relief and waved to the group of herb gatherers.

The latter scattered as if granted a pardon, some leaning against rocks, others under trees, all finding a safe place to rest and keep watch.

"Zhou An, did you really hear the tiger's roar?"

Wang Yi, Qian Youde, and Sun Wenhao walked over and said in a deep voice.

"Sure."

Zhou An nodded and shielded everyone in front of him.

"If there really were a tiger, do you think we could handle it?"

Wang Yi glanced at the long sword in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"A one-on-one match is a bit risky, but if you have someone to play with, it shouldn't be a big problem."

Sun Wenhao glanced at the herb gatherers not far away, then looked away from Zhang Hui and Li Si and pondered for a moment.

"Do you think there would be a reward if we killed a tiger?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yi became eager to act.

"Big insects are valuable, whether it's the meat or the penis. Even if it's split equally, each person can get a share of the blood-replenishing powder."

"To be on the safe side, ensuring safety is our top priority..."

Seeing everyone's gaze, Zhou An added.

"Of course, if there's a real opportunity, it's not impossible to kill... but we must first establish vigilance and patrols, and find a way out."

Including the herb gatherers, there are seventeen of them here.

He wouldn't be worried at all if it were just one tiger.

only......

These guys are really fearless, their first thought was to kill rather than run away, they're still not steady enough.

"After all, I'm not leading the team, so they can't all listen to me."

Zhou An felt somewhat helpless.

"It's almost time to rest. Everyone, pack up and get ready to start gathering herbs again."

Just in case, Captain Zhao, you should readjust the manpower and proceed with extreme caution.

In the blink of an eye, almost the time it takes to brew a cup of tea had passed, and Zhang Hui immediately spoke to Zhao Sanshi.

"it is good."

Zhao Sanshi nodded and began to greet the group of herb gatherers.

"Junior Brother Zhou, next you and I..."

"roar!"

Just as Zhang Hui was about to ask Zhou An to cooperate with his inspection, a tiger's roar suddenly came from ahead.

A dark shadow leaped swiftly from the lush forest, and in just a few leaps, it bit down on the shoulder of a herb gatherer.

"what!"

"A worm! A worm is eating people!"

"Genzi, someone come quick and save Genzi!"

"Don't panic, don't panic... surround it, surround it."

The sudden turn of events threw everyone into chaos. Seeing the herb gatherer struggling in the tiger's jaws, Zhao Sanshi's eyes turned bloodshot as he roared and charged forward.

"Help!"

Zhou An's expression also changed, and he joined Liu Shuqing and the others in taking action at Zhang Hui's shout.

Halfway there, Zhou An's pupils contracted, and his left ear twitched as a sharp whooshing sound came from the other side.

Suddenly, a dark arrow shot out from the jungle, heading straight for Zhang Hui, who was leading the group.

"careful."

Zhou An exclaimed in surprise, and with a sudden flick of his right hand, the scabbard flew off the sword the instant he uttered the shout, slamming hard into Zhang Hui, who was several steps away.

Snapped!

Zhang Hui grunted and staggered to the ground. Just as he was about to get angry, a cold-eyed arrow grazed past his scalp.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Everyone retreat!"

Zhang Hui was terrified, but Li Si, who was standing nearby, reacted quickly and shouted.

"Bang!"

At the same time, a sharp whistling sound shot up from Liu Shuqing's hand, and the arrow that pierced the clouds trailed a long trail of black smoke, exploding into a blood-red firework in the sky.

"Kill them all."

At this moment, figures suddenly emerged from the forest on the other side, roaring repeatedly, forming a pincer attack with the brown-striped tiger.

"call out."

At the same time, another sharp whooshing sound came from afar, making Zhou Quan's hair stand on end.

"Brother Zhou, be careful!"

Liu Shuqing's expression changed.

......