At the village entrance stood a massive stone, about two zhang high, engraved with the words "Black River Village" in a grand, elegant script, unlike what you would expect in a rural village.

"Uncle Fu."

"We're back!"

A man shouted loudly, drawing in his breath.

Soon, an elder pushed open the door and glanced over, his soul trembling with fear. He turned towards the village and cried, "Quick, quick, grab your weapons, a tiger is coming!"

There was a burst of commotion.

Dozens of men brandishing iron rakes, wooden sticks, and iron nets gathered nervously and headed in that direction.

As they got closer, they saw it wasn't a tiger at all, but a young man carrying a tiger.

"Nursing home..."

"The madam has sent nursing home again!"

Uncle Fu beamed with joy, and the villagers all cheered.

This Uncle Fu, named Fu Changshou, was the village chief of Black River Village, seventy-seven years old, considered a long-lived elder.

At first meeting, they exchanged names and brief information. Uncle Fu said, "Master Nursing home, please follow me. I'll arrange your accommodations."

They walked along the country path, where the snow had been cleared. After a while, Uncle Fu curiously asked, "Aren't you tired carrying that big tiger? Shall I have someone help you carry it?"

"No need." Li Xian jumped forcefully, rising half a foot off the ground. "It's not easy, but it's not tiring either. Just lead the way."

"Master, you're much stronger than the previous ones," Uncle Fu said with a flattering smile.

There were about a hundred households in the village. The houses were built of yellow mud, wood, and straw, isolated from the world, and quite chilly.

Turning a corner, at the village's western edge, over a hundred zhang further west, there was an abandoned wooden house.

It was purely built of wood, surrounded by a fence.

Long uninhabited, weeds grew wildly, but in wintertime after snow, the snow covered everything, and the weeds withered away.

The snow reached the knees.

"Hehe, Master, please wait a moment. I'll call someone to clean it up," Uncle Fu said, supporting himself with his cane as he left.

Soon, he returned with five young men, who nodded respectfully to Li Xian and began clearing the snow.

Li Xian put down the massive tiger but didn't stay idle. He grabbed the eaves and leaped onto the roof. He stomped a little to test its sturdiness and found the wooden house quite solid.

Using the "Clear Wind Leg," he swept a leg horizontally, and the roof snow was blown off by the leg's wind, falling outside the courtyard with a clatter.

"Great!"

"Impressive!"

Uncle Fu and the others clapped in praise. Li Xian ignored them and kicked in another direction. With several more kicks, the roof was free of snow.

The wooden house wasn't big, but it was much better than the village's dwellings.

"Living here alone is so much more comfortable than in the village!"

Li Xian felt a burst of joy and entered the house, which had a bedroom, a living room, and a kitchen. The kitchen was made of yellow mud and not prone to catching fire.

But there was nothing inside.

There were no beddings, no stove or pot, no tables or chairs in the house. It seemed that the villagers had taken everything away.

"Why are you still standing there?"

"Beddings, stove, pots, why aren't they being sent quickly?"

Uncle Fu reprimanded.

After much hustle and bustle for half an hour, the house was fully equipped, enough to live in without discomfort.

"Thank you, Uncle Fu."

Li Xian cupped his hands in respect.

"Not at all, not at all. I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it," Uncle Fu replied. "Master, since it's your first time here and night is falling, why don't you come to my house for dinner?"

"I've hunted a mountain tiger. I'll cook it myself. Besides, your household probably doesn't have much food left. Feeding another mouth might be a pain for quite a while."

Li Xian laughed heartily.

"Oh my!"

"Master, you have a Buddha's heart, a Buddha's heart," Uncle Fu exclaimed.

"What Buddha's heart? You all can go back now," Li Xian said as he saw the sky growing dark. The village was in mountainous wilderness, where darkness was pitch black and hard to navigate.

"Yes, yes, please forgive us for the poor reception." Uncle Fu left with the five men.

Li Xian rubbed his shoulders. He lit an oil lamp, brightening the room. It was already evening, and in the distance, the setting sun could be seen split into two by a dangerous peak.

Inhaling the mountain forest air.

Li Xian enjoyed a moment of tranquility. He had an untamed nature; sometimes he preferred a bit more danger for the sake of more freedom. But of course, his life was always paramount.

"Now that my little brother has gone to Prefecture City."

"It should be going well. Since Zheng Xuezhang came looking for me, he couldn't have gone after my brother."

Li Xiaofan was frail but very clever. And the further he went toward larger places, the harder it became for those local forces to reach him.

Now that Zheng Xuezhang is seriously injured and lacking resources, my little brother is actually safer.

"I specifically instructed Aunt Liu and her husband. They should not have been implicated. Now that I am unburdened, I can plunge into the mountains and forests..."

"After all, peace when it comes is still peace."

"It's time to try some tiger meat!"

Li Xian's eyes gleamed as he carried the tiger beast into the yard, patting the tiger's rump. This tiger beast was indeed a pure yang beast, and even long dead, it felt like a warm stove.

"Previously, I hunted beasts for the madam."

"Now in these remote mountains, this tiger beast belongs to me."

The feeling was entirely different.

It was a pity that it was too late to draw water, otherwise, he could have had a tiger soup today.

Li Xian cut open the tiger's neck to drain its blood first. This blood would not go to waste and was stored in a jar.

Tiger blood was fiery, and drinking it raw was not good, it would make one irritable. But after boiling it thoroughly, consuming it became a rare nourishment.

"If I could eat tiger beasts daily, my muscles and bones might be much stronger than others!"

Once the blood was drained, it was time to peel the tiger's skin and extract the tiger's teeth. The tiger skin was relatively easy to peel, but the teeth were difficult, as they were solid as rock and hard to grasp.

The huge tiger corpse was quickly partitioned into various parts.

The tiger's lungs, spleen, and stomach still emitted warmth.

"I've heard that these organs can be refined into Tiger Red Pills."

"But I don't know the magic skill, and these things are toxic, so it's better to throw them into the snow to freeze them first."

Li Xian started a fire.

The pot boiled hot, and Li Xian sliced the tiger meat into pieces, tossing them into the boiler. "Sizzle," steam rose, quickly cooking the tiger meat.

Eaten while hot, it masked the gamy smell of the tiger beast's flesh.

[Consume dry roast tiger meat, skill Consumption, Skill Level +5]

[Consume dry roast tiger meat, skill Consumption, Skill Level +4]

...

Li Xian had an incredible appetite.

When food was limited, he wouldn't feel hungry, but when he could eat freely, he could consume an amount that left others speechless.

Thanks to the mystery of [Consumption].

Wave after wave of warmth flowed from his abdomen to his limbs and bones.

Tiger meat is an incredible supplement!

[Skill: Consumption]

[Skill Level: 197/1000 Mastery]

[Description: Heaven as seasoning, earth as food, sampled the sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy, experienced worldly flavors, the greater the stomach, the greater the achievement. Eating tiger today, perhaps tasting dragon tomorrow. All things consumed amplify effects by over thirty percent.]

Feasting without constraint.

Li Xian radiated heat all over, his eyes were bright, his body like a furnace. Feeling uncomfortably hot, he stepped out of the kitchen to cool off in the cold wind.

The ground beneath his feet quickly melted the ice and snow.

The abundance of yang energy was visible to the naked eye.

The tiger beast was a pure yang entity, but few could digest this yang energy. Consumed, it would just dissipate, like trying to hold water in a sieve.

But with the aid of "Consumption," Li Xian naturally absorbed yang energy until it overflowed.

However, this was also a characteristic of a clay embryo, unable to retain beneficial properties.

If Li Xian could achieve "Blood Solidification and Aperture Closure," to retain the yang energy within, and practice some vigorous martial arts...

He would surely accomplish much with half the effort.

After resting for a moment, Li Xian prepared more tiger meat and continued to eat dry roasted tiger meat!

With Inner Qi ever more filling.

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