Mo Hua watched with curiosity.
This Big Tiger actually didn’t eat humans?
Was it because it found the fat cultivator unpalatable, or did it scorn him because a wicked heart made his meat unclean?
After pondering for a moment and unable to figure it out, Mo Hua decided not to bother with it; there were more important things at hand.
He concealed his presence, walked over to the fat cultivator’s body, rifled through his storage bag, and took out the Jade Pendant that Kong Sheng had given him.
Mo Hua didn’t take the other items, to avoid being noticed.
But only Kong Sheng and the chubby cultivator knew about this Jade Pendant, so even if Mo Hua took it, no one would know.
Mo Hua tucked the Jade Pendant into his storage bag.
Worth a fortune, the pendant, according to Kong Sheng, was worth over five hundred Spirit Stones.
But Mo Hua didn’t plan to trade it for Spirit Stones.
It was a personal item of Kong Sheng with the “Kong” character on it, belonging to the direct line of the Kong Family, and Mo Hua intended to keep it, as it might be useful in the future.
After securing the Jade Pendant, Mo Hua noticed that the Tiger Demon was watching him.
Perhaps not watching per se.
The Tiger Demon couldn’t see through Mo Hua’s Concealment Technique but was merely sensing Mo Hua’s presence and thus staring in his direction.
And it seemed to bear no ill will.
Mo Hua found it strange.
Could it be grateful for the food I gave it?
This wasn’t typical behavior for Monster Beasts, was it?
According to what the older generation of Monster Hunters said, Monster Beasts naturally despise humans, and even if they don’t eat people, they still think about killing them.
Mo Hua stared back into the beast’s gaze and suddenly paused.
“Could it be that it recognizes me?”
Mo Hua released his Divine Sense and, seeing that no one was around, briefly revealed his figure.
Upon seeing this, the Tiger Demon’s eyes brightened, and it let out a low growl.
The growl sounded like both a “roar” and a “meow,” resembling both a tiger and a cat.
A cat?
Mo Hua was startled and took another look at the Tiger Demon, feeling an increasing sense of familiarity, and then it dawned on him:
“Could it be that Little Demon Cat…”
Uncle Chu had once caught a young Cat Monster with a trap, Mo Hua had fed it dried fish and even used it to practice his movement techniques, then released it back into Big Black Mountain, reminding it “not to eat people.”
He had not expected that the Cat Monster from back then was actually a Tiger Demon?
And it had grown so much, it now appeared to be a Big Tiger.
It was unclear what breed of Tiger Demon it was, its appearance was peculiar, like a mix between a tiger and a cat, something Mo Hua had never seen in Big Black Mountain before.
Mo Hua wanted to reminisce but suddenly remembered that this was a Monster Beast, which probably couldn’t understand him.
And given the unpredictable nature of Monster Beasts, though it appeared docile now, who knew when it might turn and eat him.
Mo Hua sighed, thought for a moment, took out a few pieces of dried meat from the storage bag, and tossed them to the Tiger Demon as a “greeting gift.”
The Tiger Demon held the dried meat and gnawed on it eagerly.
Monster Beasts presumably couldn’t understand human language. Now it wasn’t eating human flesh, it wasn’t clear if it remembered Mo Hua’s “advice” or if its habits were unique and naturally so.
Mo Hua wanted to say more but suddenly sensed that someone was approaching.
The chubby cultivator had died, but the noise from the struggle with the Tiger Demon seemed to have caught the attention of the Evil Cultivators.
Several Evil Cultivators were headed this way.
Mo Hua quickly used the Concealment Technique and scaled the wall in a few steps, then quietly lay on a roof beam.
The Tiger Demon also sensed the commotion, quickly swallowed the dried meat, and returned to its original spot, even putting its paws back into the shackles.
Afterward, it lowered its head and lay on the ground, looking listless.
Mo Hua watched, shocked.
This tiger must have become clever! How was it so astute? Better at acting than even he was?
Before long, two Evil Cultivators, one tall and one short, walked in.
Upon entering, they saw the blood stains on the ground and the chubby cultivator’s corpse nearby.
The shorter Evil Cultivator said, “No big deal, just a dead person.”
The taller Evil Cultivator stepped forward, kicked the corpse of the chubby cultivator, and wondered, “How could he have been killed by a tiger?”
“New guy, probably careless.”
“What a waste.”
The tall Evil Cultivator looked around and expressed doubt, “Something’s not right here. The Tiger Demon is locked up and can’t move; how did this fatty die so far away?”
“Probably got bitten during feeding, then crawled out here, bleeding all over the place.”
“Damn, can’t even die properly, leaving us to clean up all this blood,” the tall Evil Cultivator cursed and then asked, “What do we do now? Should we slaughter this Monster Beast?”
The shorter Evil Cultivator scoffed, “You dare to slaughter it?”
“What? Can’t this Monster Beast be killed?” The tall Evil Cultivator was surprised.
The shorter Evil Cultivator glanced at him and said flatly:
“This Monster Beast has a special bloodline. The fourth Householder keeps it for blood drinking. If you dare slaughter it, the fourth Householder will be the one to slaughter you.”