Chapter 1101: A Familiar Roar in the Wilderness

Strictly speaking this was the second time Xia Qing had heard the roar of a beast even larger than an Evolved Wolf up close.

The first time was on Hill Fifty-Three when the Wolf Pack and Bear Pack clashed. Xia Qing participated too. But her hearing was damaged during that fight. The wolf howls and bear roars sounded fainter than her own ringing ears so the experience wasn’t as impactful.

This time though Xia Qing was genuinely shaken by the king of the forest’s thunderous roar. Once her senses settled her battle spirit surged she could feel her blood starting to boil.

In that moment Xia Qing realized just how much she’d grown. Two years ago hearing a tiger’s roar this intense would have made her instinctively terrified—she’d have run for her life. Now after the initial shock she actually felt the urge and confidence to stand her ground and fight.

But when that massive tiger stepped out of the brush up ahead staring her down with pale yellow, round eyes brimming with murderous intent Xia Qing didn’t feel afraid anymore. She didn’t even feel like fighting. She just wanted to win its favor.

Because she recognized this tiger.

The antiseptic patch had fallen off its body but the skin where she’d shaved fur hadn’t grown back and the scars she’d treated were still plain to see.

She’d shaved that fur and tended those wounds herself—it was obvious at a glance. Xia Qing let her arms hang loose and greeted the tiger gently. “Hey, One-eyed. Do you remember me? I’m Xia Qing. I was the one who treated your wounds. Looks like you’re healing pretty well.”

Xia Qing couldn’t see the biggest scar on the tiger’s hind leg, but judging by the way it carried itself it must be recovering nicely.

“ROAR!!!” The Evolved Tiger let out an even angrier roar at Xia Qing. Her heart slammed in her chest from the force.

…Yep, that was definitely the One-eyed Tiger. Clearly, it didn’t recognize her anymore.

Xia Qing pulled out a pack of jerky from her pocket and handed it to Number Four. “Number Four, take this and give it to One-eyed.”

If it doesn’t recognize people or voices maybe it’ll at least remember the taste of jerky?

The Elder Wolf took the jerky in its jaws and started toward the Evolved Tiger, who stood fifteen meters away. Er didn’t budge, keeping his spot right in front of Xia Qing.

As Number Four walked forward step by careful step the One-eyed Tiger didn’t move or show any sign of aggression. Apparently it really did know the Elder Wolf.

The Elder Wolf set the jerky on a rock then lifted its head and sniffed noses with the tiger.

Through all this the One-eyed Tiger’s yellow eyes never left Xia Qing—keen and wary as ever. Even after sniffing the jerky it made no move to tear open the package or eat it.

“Number Four, talk to it about the medicinal herbs.” The tiger was vigilant to the extreme, so Xia Qing didn’t want to push it. She handed off the tough negotiations to Number Four.

As soon as Xia Qing stepped back for safety Er, ever protective, retreated with her.

When she’d withdrawn some fifty meters the One-eyed Tiger finally broke its gaze off her and looked down at the familiar bag at its feet.

The Elder Wolf’s stomach was empty and hunger gnawed at him. When the tiger didn’t eat he pinned the bag with a paw, ripped it open, and started chomping down the spilled jerky.

The familiar scent drifted up to the One-eyed Tiger. It lowered its head, swiped its barbed tongue, and swallowed several pieces of jerky in one go.

Seeing the tiger actually eat the jerky reassured Xia Qing. In the Evolved Forest the wild beasts were always hyper-alert—if it dared to eat food she brought it meant she was no threat in its eyes.

It seemed One-eyed Tiger did remember her after all. This time she’d finally gained some goodwill up front.

After finishing the jerky the tiger pawed at the empty bag and let out a disgruntled roar. The Elder Wolf trotted back to Xia Qing for another pack and carried it straight to the Evolved Tiger.

This time, it didn’t need the Elder Wolf’s help—One-eyed Tiger pressed down on the bag with its powerful claws, ripped it open, and polished off the jerky in a few bites.

Every bite of jerky and freeze-dried meat was made from Green Lantern meat. Xia Qing hated to part with any. But she took out an egg tray from her backpack. “One-eyed, do you eat eggs? These are Green Lantern Eggs—delicious and only 150 credits each, cheaper than jerky.”

The Elder Wolf hadn’t tasted those tasty eggs since leaving Xia Qing’s territory—his eyes lit up when she mentioned them. Xia Qing didn’t hold back, cracking one open into a folding paper bowl for Number Four, then fed another to Er.

The One-eyed Tiger didn’t come closer but didn’t leave either. It just stared at Xia Qing from its spot, massive body motionless and tail swaying gently, coiled as if gathering energy.

Was it planning to steal their food?

After Xia Qing cracked two more eggs Er picked up the bowl and carried it to the One-eyed Tiger. The tiger sniffed, then, just like the wolves, gulped down the egg shell and all.

Watching Er win over the tiger too made Xia Qing relax further. She took out a photo of the purple-flowered herb and showed it to this clever tiger, trying to get her point across.

But before she could even finish her explanation, the One-eyed Tiger turned around and walked off.

Xia Qing shot a puzzled look at Er and Number Four, unsure what the Evolved Tiger was thinking. Number Four chose a different path than the tiger, while Er nudged Xia Qing, hinting she should follow.

Up ahead—that was probably the tiger’s territory. Xia Qing’s whole body tensed, her eyes and ears on high alert, afraid the tiger might suddenly leap out at her.

She followed Number Four for more than half an hour until the two wolves and one human stopped at a sunlit hillside.

A few tall, broadleaf trees grew there. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering spots of light across the grass, illuminating clusters of delicate purple-blue flowers.

Those… those were Purple-flower Groundwort!

Was it really that easy to find? Could it be possible?

Xia Qing bent down to inspect the dense leaves clustered close to the ground, each plant growing in a rosette. This wild grass could be found all over the Evolved Forest and her own territory.

It looked so ordinary—was this really the evolved Purple-flower Groundwort she’d been searching for?

Scanning her surroundings Xia Qing quickly spotted claw marks on the nearby tree trunks—signs left by the Evolved Tiger sharpening its claws and marking its turf. There were even more claw marks and clumps of tiger hair on a dead log near a smooth boulder.

These marks told her this was a spot the One-eyed Tiger frequented—essentially the heart of its territory. As for whether this was the evolved herb she needed, she’d just have to dig up a few samples and take them back to Territory Seven for Idol to analyze.

The Purple-flower Groundwort’s peak blooming season was from March to May, and its seeds matured in late summer to early autumn. Now it was early September; most seeds had already fallen, leaving just a few plants still flowering and setting seed.

With a practiced hand Xia Qing took out her sample box and dug up several plants—blooming ones, seeding ones, and ones that had already dropped their seeds, roots and all, along with some soil. She packed them away carefully.

While Xia Qing gathered herb samples, Wolfdog Number Two stood at her side, never taking his eyes off the Evolved Tiger on the hillside hundreds of meters away. Number Four had wandered off to handle some business and came back sniffing around for food in Xia Qing’s backpack.

After storing the herb samples Xia Qing pulled out a bag of freeze-dried meat, cracked open three eggs for Number Four, and left another two eggs and a bag of freeze-dried meat for the One-eyed Tiger—finally leading both wolves away from the tiger’s territory.