Liu Jin took a deep breath, pulled the bowstring to its limit, and in that instant, gently released it.
The arrow sliced through the air, letting out a 'whoosh'!
The arrowhead directly pierced the tiger's eye, and blood splattered out.
The tiger, still eating the chunks of meat, let out a roar that shook the entire forest!
Another 'whoosh' sound was heard!
In a flash, another arrow, incredibly fast, shot towards the tiger, which was still howling in pain.
A 'thud' sound echoed!
The sound of the arrow penetrating flesh continued, hitting directly into its forehead, where it was firmly lodged by bone, not entering too deeply.
The tiger endured the pain and began to dash wildly into the distance, blood still dripping.
Liu Jin and Zhao Ergou exchanged a look, then flipped and jumped down from the tree.
He pulled a torch from the bonfire, grabbed his blade, and chased in the direction the tiger had fled.
The tiger had taken two arrows to the head; although its hide was thick, these were fatal injuries, especially with an arrow in its eye. If it kept bleeding, it would likely lose much of its mobility, so they couldn't just give up on this tiger.
Thus, the two followed the tiger's tracks.
The sky gradually brightened!
After several hours of pursuit, the two finally found the fleeing tiger deep in a forest, sprawled motionless on the grass, its head still bleeding.
However, faint growls still came from its mouth, sounding weak.
Seeing this, Liu Jin couldn't help but admire the tiger's powerful endurance; with two arrows in its forehead and so much blood lost, it could still run this far and wasn't even dead yet.
For safety, Liu Jin and Zhao Ergou did not approach. This tiger definitely still had the strength to resist, and if they got close and it reacted, directly pouncing them, they would surely die.
From over ten meters away, Liu Jin drew his bow and nocked an arrow, forming a half-moon shape, aiming at the tiger's forehead, and shot a few more arrows.
Thudding sounds echoed!
Arrows pierced into the tiger's forehead, blood continuously splattering out. The tiger lying on the ground occasionally let out growls.
Its limbs trembled ceaselessly, trying to stand up and escape again.
However, it appeared weak and moved very slowly.
Liu Jin shot a few more arrows, and the tiger finally stopped moving, lying stiffly in the grass, blood gushing out.
Only then did the two dare to approach. Zhao Ergou, holding his saber, without a word, chopped down at the tiger's head, producing clanging sounds.
After all this was done, the two finally truly breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhao Ergou chuckled!
"Jin-ge, you're truly amazing!"
"To actually shoot and kill a mighty tiger! If word gets out, everyone in the ten-mile radius will praise you."
Liu Jin smiled noncommittally. In this era, being able to shoot and kill a tiger could indeed cause a stir in the surrounding villages.
In the eyes of the common people, tigers were symbols of strength and authority, associated with superstitious beliefs. Even if they had the ability to hunt one, they wouldn't dare to.
For himself, there were great benefits. As long as the news spread, it would go from ten to a hundred, and quite a few people would know of his feat of killing a tiger, at the very least earning him a reputation for bravery.
So the two began to drag the tiger, heading back to the earlier big tree.
Upon arriving there, both were breathless with exhaustion, lying by the big tree to rest.
This tiger weighed nearly four hundred jin, and the two had to exert all their strength to drag it.
Liu Jin frowned. In this wilderness, taking the tiger away would likely take some time, but it was all worth it.
So, the two made a simple wooden frame and took all the remaining wild game the tiger had been eating.
They needed to leave this forest and, once on the main road, see if they could encounter any ox carts or donkey carts to help them with a ride, making it much easier to return to the city.
Several hours later, after much effort, the two finally dragged the tiger to the main road.
They then sat by the road, eating some of the previously roasted rabbit and chicken meat.
After waiting for a moment, an ox cart approached. An old man was waving a whip beside it, slowly making his way forward.
He quickly noticed Liu Jin and Zhao Ergou by the roadside but didn't pay much attention.
However, when he saw the tiger on the ground, his body trembled slightly.
Thinking he had seen wrong, he quickly rubbed his eyes. When he realized it was indeed a tiger, he stammered!
"B-big… big tiger!"
Frightened, the old man quickly waved his whip, wanting to urge the ox cart to leave quickly.
Liu Jin quickly reached out to stop him, saying politely!
"Elder, don't be afraid, this big tiger is already dead."
Hearing this, the old man breathed a sigh of relief, suppressing his panic.
However, looking at the massive creature lying on the ground, he was still very scared.
For common people like them, tigers were simply a disaster.
Seeing the old man's emotions stabilize, Liu Jin continued!
"Elder, this tiger is too big, we two can't drag it into the city. Could you give us a ride for a section?"
"We are willing to pay for this section of the journey."
The old man, hearing this, assessed the two in front of him, somewhat surprised. To be able to shoot and kill a tiger, they could be called brave warriors.
He quickly waved his hand, smiling amiably!
"No need for the fare. It just so happens that this old man is also going to the city, so giving you a ride is no trouble."
Liu Jin's face showed joy, and he nodded politely!
"Thank you, Elder."
He turned his head to Zhao Ergou beside him!
"Come, lend a hand, let's lift this big tiger onto the ox cart."
Zhao Ergou quickly nodded, and the two, dragging and pulling, pushed the tiger onto the ox cart.
Once ready, the old man waved the whip in his hand, urging the ox cart forward.
Liu Jin and Zhao Ergou followed closely behind, the few of them chatting amongst themselves!
From their conversation, Liu Jin learned that the old man was the village chief of Li Family Village outside Zhuo Commandery City, considered a small wealthy landowner with dozens of acres of fertile land, so owning an ox cart was not unusual.
However, one thing made Liu Jin increasingly anxious.
Because the old man mentioned that a Celestial Master from the Way of Great Peace had already come to their Li Family Village, spreading that simply placing a talisman in water could cure all diseases, gaining the trust of many common people.
His current trip to Zhuo Commandery was to pick up his younger son, who suffered from a chronic illness, and bring him back to Li Family Village, preparing to have the Celestial Master of Great Peace treat him.
Even villages surrounding the commandery city were being encroached upon by these Way of Great Peace followers; it was likely that remote towns and villages had long since become strongholds of the Way of Great Peace.
When Zhang Jiao eventually gives the command, and various regions rise up, it will instantly sweep across the entire Han Dynasty, and even Zhuo Commandery will become a target.
Liu Jin felt a sense of urgency. He had to establish himself firmly in the commandery before Zhang Jiao's rebellion, and quickly.
He needed to acquire a military force, seize this opportunity to earn military merits, accumulate strength, and plan for restoring the Han Dynasty in the future.