Chapter 74: Yu Luo, Did You Just Insult My Mother!
The more Yu Zhengqing spoke, the graver everyone’s expressions became.
Sure enough, the road to the frontier was not easy at all.
Yu Luo’s family quickly boiled some hot water, ate a little, and prepared to sleep. After all, in the mountains, you couldn’t count on getting a full night’s rest.
No one dared to waste time preparing a proper meal. They simply drank hot water and ate some of the leftover flatbread to get by.
The cold wind howled. When they looked up, they could see snow-laden branches bent under the weight, and through the gaps between the treetops, a crescent moon appeared.
Yu Zhengqing took a sip of wine he had taken from Liang Chao and sighed.
Without the oppression of the guards, they now faced all sorts of external threats. He couldn’t afford to relax for a second.
It was New Year’s Eve, and yet they were spending it in a place where they could lose their lives at any moment, trembling with fear.
“Huh? Your Yi Jia Beast has grown quite a bit!”
Recently, Yu Luo had been keeping the Armor-Clad Beast in her system space. As she lay under the covers, she released it to let it get some fresh air.
The Armor-Clad Beast, which was once no bigger than a palm, was now nearly twenty centimeters long. Upon seeing it, Ye Jiamei was surprised.
“I’ve been raising it for over a month, so it’s not surprising. But its appetite is getting big—it eats two whole radishes a day. I wonder how long our stored vegetables will last once we reach the frontier.”
“Eats that much? Might as well release it and let it fend for itself. The frontier is still covered in snow—where would we find greenery for it to eat? Besides, what’s the point of keeping a creature like that around? The system didn’t even say what it’s for.”
“Let’s keep it for now. I’ve raised it for so long, and even though it stays in the system most of the time, I’ve grown a bit attached. If we really can’t feed it anymore, then I’ll have to release it and let it find food on its own.”
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
Before Yu Luo could finish, a series of roars came from outside the tent. The sound was eerily familiar, causing everyone lying down to sit up in alarm. In the dim light, their faces were full of terror.
Now that each tent only housed about forty to fifty people, they were relatively spacious. In the center of the tent, several charcoal stoves glowed faintly, providing a bit of light.
Yu Haojie was in the first group assigned to keep watch. When Yu Luo heard the roars, her face changed instantly—she knew what it was!
“A tiger!”
Yu Luo blurted out, quickly storing the Armor-Clad Beast back into the system. She threw on her coat and prepared to rush outside.
“What are you doing? Don’t go out there and cause trouble!”
This tent was occupied entirely by the Yu family. Seeing the mother and daughter about to leave, Wang Ying from the third branch rushed forward to stop them, her voice full of fear and concern.
“Yeah, Lady Ye, don’t go out there! That… that really sounds like a tiger! Back in the village, we once heard a tiger on the mountain. It’s terrifying—no one can take down a tiger!”
Zhang Fen from the second branch, seeing the mother and daughter insist on leaving, also climbed out from under her blankets and joined Wang Ying in blocking their path.
“We have arrows, so we might be able to deal with it. But if we leave it to them, they’ll have to fight it up close—there’s even less chance of winning. Let us go! Even if you trust them, I don’t!”
Yu Luo didn’t hesitate. She shoved Wang Ying aside and rushed out!
Seeing this, Ye Jiamei struggled free and followed.
As soon as they stepped outside, the wind sliced at their faces like icy blades.
By now, the ten men keeping watch had already raised their torches with one hand and gripped the sabers they had taken from the guards with the other, scanning their surroundings warily.
The men from the other tent, hastily throwing on their clothes, emerged one after another, all with fear written on their faces.
“I think I heard a tiger’s roar! I’ve seen a tiger before—those things are terrifying!”
Bai You, the former governor, though in his thirties, looked weak and frail. Standing in the freezing wind, he couldn’t stop trembling as he turned to Yu Zhengqing.
It seemed that, in this situation, only Yu Zhengqing could give him a sense of security.
“Yu Luo, can I borrow your bow for a moment?”
Unexpectedly, Yu Zhengqing ignored Bai You and instead turned to Yu Luo, who had rushed out in a hurry.
Given his skills, Yu Luo felt he might use the opportunity to shoot her back in revenge for what she had done to Chen Shi.
“No.”
“You damn death star! How can you be so petty at a time like this? Typical woman—long hair, short sense!”
Hearing Yu Luo’s refusal, Yu Xiaoxuan, who had just rushed out of the tent, exploded in anger, roaring at her.
Yu Luo frowned and glanced at him coldly. “Your mother is a woman, so are your grandmother and your maternal grandmother!”
“Damn it! Yu Luo, are you insulting my mother?”
“Enough! Stop fighting!”
Yu Xiaoxuan was the same age as Yu Luo—sixteen. Spoiled by Old Madam Chen, his young master temper hadn’t lessened one bit despite over a month of exile.
Yu Zhengqing, already irritated, snapped coldly to stop the bickering.
“You few, come with me to check out that direction. The rest of you stay here and protect the others.”
Ignoring Yu Luo’s refusal, Yu Zhengqing called his two sons and a few other men who could fight and led the way towards the back of the camp.
Based on the earlier roar, the tiger seemed to be behind them.
[Ding! Mission Alert: A tiger has died on the slope a hundred meters to the left of the host’s position. Please proceed to adopt its cub. Successful adoption will reward 500 system points.]
Yu Luo blinked.
So the roars just now were from a tiger that had just died?
The thought of earning 500 points so easily had Yu Luo quickly dragging her parents towards the left!
Seeing the three rush off in another direction, no one else reacted much. In fact, many now viewed Yu Luo negatively for refusing to lend her bow.
Holding a torch, they made their way down the slope, only to be stunned.
The tiger was indeed dead—but three leopards were feasting on its corpse.
And there was no sign of any tiger cub at all!
