They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 122 Tiger Vanguard

The mountain road to Huangfengling is rugged and full of strange rocks. It is so quiet that the only sound is the whistling of the wind blowing through the cracks in the rocks, which gives it a desolate and eerie feel.

Yuan Shoucheng followed Chen Guangrui, his steps unsteady, fine beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. He muttered to himself as he walked, his voice slightly weak.
"Scholar Chen, are we really going to venture into the Yellow Wind Cave? That Yellow Wind Monster is no pushover; I've heard that a single gust of demonic wind he spews can even melt the bones of immortals. In my opinion, this is a risky undertaking. Let's find a place to rest first and then reconsider our plans."

His small eyes darted around as he plotted an excuse to escape.

Chen Guangrui continued walking without turning his head and asked, "Aren't you good at divination? Can you calculate how dangerous this trip will be?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shoucheng immediately perked up, straightened his back, and spoke with the professional confidence he was so proud of.

"I couldn't tell you this unless you asked. Before I left, I cast a divination, and it was a clear ominous sign! The divination indicated that our trip would be somewhat dangerous, so I said, to be on the safe side, let's lay low for a while."

He leaned closer to Chen Guangrui, lowered his voice, and said in a slightly ingratiating tone, "It's not that I, Old Yuan, am afraid of death. That's what the divination says. I'm a fortune teller, and I seek good fortune and avoid misfortune."

Chen Guangrui turned her head and glanced at him indifferently: "Your calculations are inaccurate."

These words were spoken lightly, but to Yuan Shoucheng they were like a thunderclap. His chubby face instantly flushed red, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and his voice rose sharply.
"Scholar Chen, what are you saying? Do you think my reputation for accurate predictions is just for show? It's all clearly written in the divination..."

"Is that so?" Chen Guangrui interrupted him, her tone calm but every word piercing his heart.

"That Third Prince Ao Lie of Eagle Sorrow Gorge, hiding at the bottom of the gorge for so many years, who could find him no matter how hard they tried? And who finally found him? Hmm? In the end, who found him, and who couldn't get him out? Hmm? Look at me?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shoucheng was like a rooster with its neck choked; all the words of his argument stuck in his throat, leaving only "Uh... this... that..."
His face flushed red and then turned pale, filled with shame and anger, yet unable to refute it. In the end, he could only grumble sullenly and turn his head away to sulk. Argue the facts with Chen Guangrui? He could only swallow this bitter pill.

Each lost in their own thoughts, the two hurried on their way. Suddenly, they saw an old man sitting slumped under an old pine tree by the roadside. The old man had white hair and beard, was emaciated, and one leg was swollen and covered in mud. He was groaning softly, looking quite pitiful.

Seeing such an old man in the middle of nowhere in Huangfengling was really quite unexpected.

The old man under the pine tree saw the two of them, and his groans grew louder as he weakly called out in their direction.

"Ouch, it hurts so much! You two kind people! Please have mercy and help this old man!"

Chen Guangrui and Yuan Shoucheng stopped. Yuan Shoucheng cleared his throat, put on a concerned expression, and asked in a loud voice,

"Grandpa, how did you end up here all alone in these deep mountains and wilderness?"

The old man immediately looked distressed and groaned, clutching his swollen leg with one hand, tears welling up in his eyes. "Don't even mention it! My home is just a short distance ahead."

He struggled to raise his finger and pointed to the blurry bend in the mountain road ahead.

"I went up the mountain to gather some firewood today, but I accidentally slipped and broke my leg. I really can't walk anymore, and it's getting dark. Please, kind people, have mercy and carry this old man for a while! My home isn't far, it's just ahead!"

Yuan Shoucheng tugged at Chen Guangrui's sleeve, his small eyes scanning the old man warily, and spoke quickly in a voice barely audible to the two of them.
"Scholar Chen! Did you see that? An ominous sign has appeared! This old man suddenly appeared in this desolate wilderness. Even a blind man would know something's wrong. He must be a monster under the command of the Yellow Wind Monster. What should we do? Should we outsmart him and outmaneuver him?"

He has a habit of thinking crookedly.

Chen Guangrui glanced at the old man who was still groaning in pain and uttered a few words expressionlessly, "What are you playing at? Trouble. Do we have to use tricks for every little monster? Don't we have ropes?"

As he spoke, he flipped his hand, and the golden rope, which shone with an extraordinary light, quietly appeared in his hand.

At this moment, the old man under the pine tree, seeing the two stop whispering, was secretly pleased. He deliberately groaned in pain a few more times and weakly cried out,
"I beg one of you to have the kindness to carry me for a while. If it's really too much trouble, you two can take turns carrying me. Don't let this old body of mine get tired..."

He tried his best to act pitiful, but in reality, he was secretly plotting something.

Yuan Shoucheng was about to speak when he saw the rope and thought to himself that this time they were being direct, but it was a pity for the little monster. Scholar Chen was cunning, and it was rare for him to take such direct action this time.

But Chen Guangrui didn't respond to the old man's words at all. He stepped forward, stared straight at the fake old man, and clearly recited the incantation taught by the Dragon Suppression Immortal.

The old man was wondering why the two of them weren't moving when he saw a flash of golden light in Chen Guangrui's hand, and a beam of golden light shot out, instantly binding him tightly!

"Ouch! What are you doing!" The old man was suddenly bound by the golden rope and couldn't move. In his panic, his voice changed and revealed a hint of anger.

He struggled desperately, but the golden rope seemed alive, tightening with each struggle, making his bones ache. Yuan Shoucheng watched in stunned silence; this was completely different from the battle of wits he had envisioned.

Chen Guangrui looked at the old man, who was tied up like a dumpling and writhing in place, his expression unchanged, and his tone still calm, "Alright, reveal yourself. Stop wasting your time."

A foul-smelling black smoke billowed from the old man bound by the golden rope, and he twisted and changed shape. In the blink of an eye, the pitiful old man was gone, replaced by a tiger-headed demon general with yellow hair, black stripes, sharp teeth, and claws.

His simple cloth clothes were torn, revealing his muscular monster body. Only his tiger face was filled with bewilderment and frustration, and he subconsciously muttered, "Holy crap! What kind of trick is this?!"

It goes to great lengths to transform into an old man and trick people into carrying it, but no one ever simply pulls out a rope and ties it up without a word.

This is wrong!

The tiger, bound by the gleaming golden rope, writhed like a fish out of water on the cold ground, roaring. Its yellow fur was marred by shock and confusion.
"My God! Who are you people?! You have some nerve, coming all the way to our Yellow Wind Ridge to cause trouble and kidnap people?! I am..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yuan Shoucheng was already laughing beside him. He circled the tightly bound Tiger Vanguard twice, his triangular eyes squinting as if he were looking at a rare, newly acquired item.

"Hey, this is interesting. Who tied up whom? Who interrogated whom?"

Yuan Shoucheng squatted down, reached out and lightly patted Tiger Vanguard's furry cheek, chuckling.
"Fairy brother, is your brain a bit like your appearance...you know? You're all tied up like a dumpling, and you're still yelling at us and interrogating us?"

His eyes darted around, and a wicked idea popped into his head. He spotted Tiger Vanguard's round, plump buttocks, found a firm spot, and gave him a kick—hard but not too hard.
"Everyone says you can't touch a tiger's backside, so let me see if I can kick it?"

"Ow!"

Tiger Vanguard shuddered in pain, letting out a deafening roar that sent leaves falling from the trees nearby. The kick wasn't fatal, but it was certainly humiliating.
"Fuck your god, you kicked my ass?"

He completely lost his temper, his eyes wide open as if spitting fire, glaring fiercely at Yuan Shoucheng, his roar echoing through the valley.
"You two are dead! Do you know who I am? I am the vanguard patrolling Huangfeng Ridge, Tiger Lord! You've tied up my Tiger Vanguard! Do you know who my backer is? The Great Sage Huangfeng, that's my king! He's incredibly powerful and has boundless magic!"

Tiger Vanguard, panting heavily, roared at the top of his lungs to intimidate the two audacious fellows before him, spitting as he spoke.
"Where did you bumpkins come from? Haven't you heard of my king's name?"

He spoke with great enthusiasm, seemingly having invoked his strongest backer, revealing his true, menacing nature.
"Let me tell you, if you know what's good for you, release me right now and kowtow a hundred times to apologize, and I might give you a quick death! Otherwise, when my king finds out, hehe... he'll blow his divine wind and turn your bones to dust, leaving you no chance to be reincarnated, annihilating you completely!"

Tiger Vanguard finished speaking in one breath, his face turning red from holding his breath. He was panting heavily, his eyes fierce yet smug, staring at Chen Guangrui and Yuan Shoucheng as if they were dead, waiting to see them run away in terror.

Yuan Shoucheng was amused by his loud and boisterous outburst and laughed with his arms crossed.

Chen Guangrui's face was expressionless, but after listening to such a long description, the corners of his mouth suddenly curved upwards, revealing a very faint smile.

To Tiger Vanguard, that smile was nothing short of blatant mockery.

He was stunned. "You still dare to laugh?! What I said..."

Before Hu Xianfeng could even finish his question, Chen Guangrui had already moved. He didn't bother with any more words, took a step forward, and delivered another hard kick to Hu Xianfeng's still-twitching buttocks, which had just been kicked by Yuan Shoucheng.

The force was much greater than that of Yuan Shoucheng.

"Ouch!"

The kick landed squarely, and Tiger Vanguard was in so much pain that his fur stood on end, his eyes nearly bulged out, and his piercing screams became distorted, "You! You still kicked me? You son of a bitch..."

Chen Guangrui looked down at Hu Xianfeng, who was convulsing in pain on the ground, his voice flat and emotionless, as if stating a simple fact.

"He's that good? Okay."

He reached out and grabbed the golden rope binding Tiger Vanguard, pulling it up as if lifting a huge package.

"Then I'll trouble you, vanguard, to lead the way. Let's find your king and see just how mighty this Yellow Wind Great Sage, who can blow bones to dust, really is."

(End of this chapter)