I Can Strengthen Infinitely-Chapter 39 - 38: The Qin Family Young Master Raises a Tiger
Bang! Bang!
The two massive heads of the human bears fell to the ground, their bodies collapsing as well.
Human bears seem dangerous, but in reality, as long as you keep your distance and target their weak spots, they can be easily killed. Not to mention that Qin Yuesheng’s Sea One Slash can even unleash a blade energy from afar.
For martial artists, as long as they are skilled at maneuvering, it’s not too troublesome.
With a deft move, Qin Yuesheng flicked the fresh blood off the Evil-Subduing Saber and couldn’t help but feel eager.
The human bear’s front paws are relatively small, well-defined, gelatinous, with a wide and flavorful surface, their scent not foul. The rear paws are longer, less noticeable, have a narrower surface, and a slightly foul scent, much inferior in quality to the front paws.
Qin Yuesheng then only took the front paws—eight in total from four human bears—as well as four bear gallbladders, perfect to bring back for the Qin Mansion chef to prepare for dinner.
And then there’s the dead tiger, even better, with its large bones to be brought back for brewing wine.
Taking off his outer robe, Qin Yuesheng directly used the Evil-Subduing Saber to chop off the bear paws of the four human bears and dug out their bear gallbladders.
Although bear paws and gallbladders can be bought with money, those are from ordinary bears and can’t be fresh. Their effects naturally don’t compare to those from human bears.
Packing things up tightly, Qin Yuesheng finally walked toward the tiger carcass.
The tiger was covered in scars, its fur severely damaged, so even stripping it off would be useless, and its head was completely smashed by the human bears, unbearably tragic.
Picking up the knife, Qin Yuesheng raised it to insert into the tiger carcass’s spine, about to cut open a slit.
"Awoo~" Suddenly, a chubby bundle ran over from the side, pressing itself against Qin Yuesheng’s shoes, and cried out loudly.
Qin Yuesheng looked down to find a bloody tiger cub.
"Awoo~ Awoo~" The beast’s two black round eyes were filled with tears as it clung to Qin Yuesheng’s ankle, seemingly begging him not to harm its mother.
"How can there be one still alive..." Qin Yuesheng bent over and grabbed its scruff, lifting it up.
This tiger cub was at most a few months old, with incomplete fur, all chubby and tender, looking quite adorable in its desperate expression.
As Qin Yuesheng held it, its limbs flailed in the air, attempting to escape Qin Yuesheng’s grip, but it was far from easy.
"Your mom is already dead, you as a milk-drinking tiger cub surviving in Meteor Mountain is harder than reaching the heavens."
Qin Yuesheng, amused, pinched the tiger cub’s cheeks, saying, "In Cyan Yang City, those noble sons raise either vicious dogs or fine horses, nothing new. If I raise a tiger, wouldn’t that be uniquely majestic."
As a martial artist at the Outer Skin and Bone Forging stage, Qin Yuesheng felt confident to face even an adult fierce tiger, naturally not worrying about raising a tiger and being bitten back.
Tigers, however ferocious, are merely beasts. By the time this tiger cub grows, Qin Yuesheng’s skills might even reach Outer Forging Perfection, reigning it in would be no problem.
After a moment’s thought, Qin Yuesheng immediately made up his mind.
Raise it.
Ignoring the tiger cub’s resistance, Qin Yuesheng tore off a piece of his clothing to tie the little tiger to his chest.
"Stay still." Qin Yuesheng lightly tapped the tiger cub on the head, "I’ll leave your mother’s tiger bone, let it rest here in Meteor Mountain."
Turning around, grabbing his packed bear paws and bear gallbladders, Qin Yuesheng quickly departed, heading eastward. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
...
Three-cone Peak is not very famous within Meteor Mountain. If not for Jiang Kang explaining to Qin Yuesheng that it resembles a trident, Qin Yuesheng might not have found it.
After wandering around the eastern forest of Meteor Mountain for a large circle, Qin Yuesheng finally located the Three-cone Peak.
"The location is so hidden, no wonder Hulao Stronghold has been committing evil along the capital road for years, yet no one has managed to eradicate them." Qin Yuesheng mused atop a tall tree branch.
Glancing at Three-cone Peak, one could vaguely see an outpost’s outline. With high walls and five watchtowers built along the mountain, Jiang Kang’s mountain stronghold was nothing compared to this.
"Now that I’ve grasped the location and gauged the power of Hulao Stronghold, my purpose in coming to Meteor Mountain is fulfilled. I’ll return now and prepare for a surprise assault tonight," Qin Yuesheng thought inwardly.
Hulao Stronghold contains several Outer Forging experts, along with Xu San, the one-eyed tiger, an Outer Skin and Bone Forging martial artist. Relying solely on the Evil-Subduing Saber, Qin Yuesheng felt slightly unsure.
I’ll bring out the Celestial Demon Evil Blade tonight; with its assistance, I’ll be better equipped.
After observing Hulao Stronghold a while longer, Qin Yuesheng jumped down the tree and swiftly disappeared into the forest.
...
Upon Qin Yuesheng’s return to the Qin Mansion, all the servants were taken aback.
Seeing their young master come back in tatters, his clothes torn like after a scuffle with market women.
Not only that, he held a package in his left hand, a person in his right, and had a loudly crying tiger cub strapped to his chest.
"This..." The household servants stood in the courtyard, unsure of what to do.
"Master, let me carry that for you?" A young maid courageously stepped forward to ask.
"Alright." Qin Yuesheng directly handed over the package containing the bear paw and gallbladder to the person opposite.
"Here are some ingredients. Go ask Hua Shique what herbal cuisine is the most nourishing to make from them, then take it to the kitchen and make it. Afterwards, deliver it to me."
"Also, this man is a bandit leader from within Meteor Mountain, whom I luckily captured. Find a few household servants and take him to the authorities to report the arrest."
Qin Yuesheng threw Jiang Kang onto the ground, and then strode directly towards the backyard.
After going out and engaging in both negotiations and fights, naturally, sweat had formed. Coupled with the tiger cub stuck to his chest, which had stained him with tiger blood, he needed to wash up quickly.
Qin Feng arranged for 28 personal servant girls for Qin Yuesheng, but he couldn’t remember the names of most of them. The only ones he distinctly remembered were the four little girls named with a character from the phrases Chunfeng (Spring Breeze), Xiayu (Summer Rain), Qiushuang (Autumn Frost), and Dongxue (Winter Snow).
Usually, these four were responsible for preparing things like washing and bathing for Qin Yuesheng.
"Chunfeng, Xiayu, Qiushuang, Dongxue, quickly go make preparations, I need a bath." As soon as he walked into the room and saw a group of beautiful and charming young girls cleaning, Qin Yuesheng spoke up.
"Yes." The four named, Chunfeng, Xiayu, Qiushuang, and Dongxue, all looked at Qin Yuesheng with curiosity, then put down their cleaning cloths and swiftly ran out of the room.
Ignoring the curious gazes of the young servant girls, Qin Yuesheng directly untied the little tiger from his chest and placed it on the table.
Having come to such an unfamiliar environment, the little tiger appeared both frightened and alert, its mouth constantly open, producing a low growling sound.
"Stop making noise. From now on, this is your home." Qin Yuesheng extended a hand to retrieve a piece of pork jerky from the table and held it out to the little tiger’s mouth.
Surprisingly, it only sniffed it and showed no intention of eating.
Qin Yuesheng was puzzled, then forced its mouth open only to see a few teeth in the tiger’s mouth, which were all molars and not sharp at all.
"Could it be you’re still nursing?" Qin Yuesheng pinched the little tiger’s nose, causing it to shake free in dissatisfaction.
Qin Yuesheng played with the little tiger, and soon the four servant girls, Chunfeng and the others, came in carrying a large wooden tub, with many household servants behind carrying buckets of water, both hot and cold.
"Young master, do you need any additives today?" Chunfeng asked.
"Nothing needs to be added, just warm water."
After a comfortable soak in the bath, Qin Yuesheng began practicing his martial stance, awaiting the arrival of nightfall.
After testing, it turned out the little tiger was indeed still nursing. So Qin Yuesheng instructed Chunfeng to fetch some goat’s milk to feed it and asked the four servant girls to take care of the tiger cub for him.
As the sun set, Cao Zhengchun finally returned with the items Qin Yuesheng needed.
It was a mask as thin as a cicada’s wing, with a bluish-purple skin tone, but an odd shape.
A flat nose, long eyes, a forehead with two horns, and a mouth full of sharp fangs.
It was a ghostly mask.
"Young master, I found this after searching through every treasure shop in the city. Once applied, it sticks firmly to the face and can’t be torn off, not even with force. If forcibly removed, it will peel off the skin along with it. The only way to take it off is to pour water on it; it loosens when it encounters water."
Qin Yuesheng took the mask, in the shape of a Rakshasa, from the wooden box Cao Zhengchun held. It was fierce and imposing, and anyone wearing it would naturally exude an aura of intimidation and evil qi.
Qin Yuesheng examined it thoroughly before handing it to the servant girl next to him: "Put it on and see."
"You-young master, this..."
"Don’t worry, it’s fine, I won’t harm you." Qin Yuesheng spoke with a calm demeanor, but his tone was firm and not open to refusal.
With no choice, under Qin Yuesheng’s watchful eyes, the servant girl took the Rakshasa mask and slowly put it on her face.
"How is it?" Qin Yuesheng asked.
"Very, very comfortable."
"Does it affect your breathing?"
"No, it doesn’t."
"Try taking it off."
With Qin Yuesheng’s permission, the servant girl immediately tried to remove the mask. But to her surprise, the mask seemed glued to her face, completely unmoving, unable to be taken off.
"You-young master, I can’t take it off."
Cao Zhengchun immediately acted. Taking a cup of tea from the table, he poured it over the girl’s head.
Upon contact with water, the mask began to loosen and fell off her face within moments.
Qin Yuesheng caught it in advance, nodding in satisfaction: "This is a good item, you did well this time."
Cao Zhengchun cupped his hands: "Serving the young master, I naturally strive to do my best."
Qin Yuesheng nodded. With this mask for disguise, he could change his attire tonight, take the Celestial Demon Evil-Subduing Saber, and no one would be able to recognize him as the young master of the Qin family.
"Hulao Stronghold, tonight I’ll see how formidable you are." Qin Yuesheng thought silently as he clutched the mask.
