Chapter 3: Uncle Niu!

The tiger demon moved with such extreme speed that Li Mu had no time to react. The stench of blood filled his nose and mouth as the massive form lunged toward him—he could clearly see the creature’s razor-sharp claws. The enormous tiger paw was larger than half of Li Mu’s body; if it landed, he feared he’d be sliced into several pieces.

Time seemed to slow in that instant. Li Mu’s mind went blank, his body frozen—he couldn’t even attempt to dodge. In the next moment, he was certain his life would end.

Bang!

A deep, muffled sound rang out. In the next instant, the tiger demon, as if struck by some immense force, was sent flying, landing heavily with a muffled groan. Its huge form crashed into the ground.

Li Mu, mind still blank, was stunned for a moment. Then, as he returned to his senses, his eyes widened in disbelief.

“Uncle Niu?”

Another giant figure stood protectively before him—it was none other than his family’s old ox.

Old Ox had just rammed the tiger demon?

While Li Mu stared in astonishment, a deep, steady voice sounded in his ear.

“Mu boy, run.”

Old Ox had spoken in a human tongue!

Li Mu’s heart tightened, his pupils contracted. Was it really Uncle Niu? Uncle Niu was a demon too?

But before he could think further, the tiger demon had already leapt up from the ground. Uncle Niu’s blow had sent it flying over ten meters and seemed to have wounded it badly—a trail of blood flowed from its mouth and nose. Its yellow eyes were aflame with rage as it fixed its murderous gaze on Old Ox.

“Well, I didn’t expect another demon in this village. Eating you will heal my wounds nicely!”

With that, the tiger demon let out a thunderous roar and pounced toward Old Ox.

Old Ox, unable to spare a glance for Li Mu behind him, bellowed furiously. Head lowered, his two great horns—curved like blades—charged straight for the tiger demon.

Boom!

The terrifying crash of flesh and bone echoed as the two beasts collided.

Yet the tiger demon was clearly more agile than Old Ox. At the point of impact, it kicked off with its hind legs, spun through the air, and landed on Old Ox’s back. Its sharp claws instantly sank into Old Ox’s flesh.

Blood gushed forth. Old Ox howled in pain, thrashing wildly in an attempt to shake the tiger demon off.

The tiger demon opened its bloody jaws and lunged for Old Ox’s neck.

Sensing the mortal threat, Old Ox reacted instantly—he leapt suddenly, twisting his body so the tiger demon became a cushion between him and the wooden house.

Crash!

With a thunderous impact, the house was smashed open, the two demons crashing inside. The sounds of violent collisions and bestial roars followed one after another.

The dreadful scene left Li Mu stupefied.

Cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

Uncle Niu was a demon—this was utterly beyond his expectations.

But now was not the time to dwell on that.

That tiger demon was clearly extraordinary. Even with such a simple comparison—a tiger versus an ox—Li Mu could guess the tiger demon was likely the stronger of the two.

At this moment, Li Mu’s mind was a blank. His mother was dead, obviously devoured by the tiger demon—her bloody head still lay on the ground. Grief was still raw, but the battle between the two demons left his heart pounding with terror.

He had always thought himself calm, but now, no matter how steady or even if he was a transmigrator, facing such a sudden catastrophe for the first time, he was utterly at a loss, helpless and panicking.

Do something—what could he do? What could he possibly do now?

Sweat dripped from his brow as he tried desperately to steady himself, to think of any way he might help Old Ox.

But what could he do? He was just a weak youth. The stench from the tiger’s maw still made him dizzy, his head aching as if it would split.

How could he possibly get involved in such a battle?

Suddenly, an image flashed in his mind.

“Ninth Uncle!”

A tremor ran through his body. He looked toward the house, where the chaos continued. He shouted loudly, “Uncle Niu, just hold on a bit longer—I’m going to get help!”

Ninth Uncle was the only person he could think of. The memory of Ninth Uncle tossing a two- or three-hundred-pound stone like a balloon was seared into his mind.

He turned and ran.

But suddenly, he skidded to a halt.

Ninth Uncle... could he really defeat this tiger demon? If not, wouldn’t bringing him here just put him in danger?

The thought surfaced unbidden.

But after only a moment, Li Mu gritted his teeth and dashed out of the courtyard.

He couldn’t afford to hesitate!

“I’ll just tell him everything as it is. If Ninth Uncle can defeat it, he’ll come. If not... at least he can warn everyone in the village to flee!”

He recalled what the gossiping women at the north end of the village had been saying earlier.

“Monsters in Wugong County.”

“The whole Liang family in Liangjia Village next door was wiped out…”

Were they speaking of this very tiger demon?

Li Mu’s head was a mess as he rushed out of the yard. Suddenly, a crashing sound erupted behind him.

He turned instinctively and saw the old wooden house, battered by the two demons, collapse in a heap of beams and tiles.

In the next instant, two massive figures burst from the ruins—it was the two demons.

Li Mu’s eyes went wide as he looked again.

“Uncle Niu!”

Uncle Niu was covered in wounds, blood streaming down his once-glossy coat.

The tiger demon was faring little better—its belly had been gashed open, blood pouring out, its innards faintly visible. The wound had clearly been ripped open by Old Ox’s horns.

The two demons were locked in a deadly struggle. The tiger demon was more agile and stronger; each strike of its giant paws sent Old Ox staggering. But Old Ox was no easy foe—though his body was drenched in blood, he fought fiercely with his sharp horns and brute strength, sometimes rearing up to trample the tiger demon, causing it to spit blood again and again.

Roars and bellows shook the air, making even the trees tremble with fear.

Outside the yard, Li Mu was transfixed.

Both demons were powerful, fast, and terrifyingly strong—the shockwaves from their clashes seemed to fill the sky.

Then—

“Damn stupid ox! If I weren’t injured, I’d have eaten you already!”

The tiger demon suddenly roared in fury.

Li Mu snapped out of his daze and looked over.

Then he froze.

He noticed that, besides rage, there was a trace of... fear in the tiger demon’s yellow eyes.

Fear?

The tiger demon was afraid?

Li Mu was taken aback, then realization dawned.

Of course! Tigers might be kings of beasts, but they are still wild animals. And wild animals share a trait: when faced with a threat to their survival, their first instinct is not to fight to the death, but to flee.

It’s not cowardice—it’s simply that, for wild creatures, survival is always the top priority.

In the wild, an injury often means death.

So “bullying the weak and fearing the strong” is truly ingrained in their bones.

If you meet a bear in the forest or a lion on the plains—if you run, you’re doomed. But if you stand your ground, spread your arms, and roar, making yourself seem formidable, you might just survive.

That’s why “cornered beasts” are the most dangerous—because when all escape routes are cut off, they have no choice but to fight desperately.

From this perspective, cattle are actually more terrifying than tigers.

Once a bull is enraged, it truly won’t stop until death.

Wild boars are similar—once provoked, they become relentless, indifferent to anything but the fight.

That’s why tigers are reluctant to mess with wild boars.

Could it be that, even after becoming demons, these animals still retain their instincts?

Judging by the current scene, Old Ox’s strength had made the tiger demon realize that this was not an opponent it could easily subdue.

So...

The tiger demon wanted to flee?

Li Mu’s eyes lit up, but his heart leapt into his throat.

Would the tiger demon really run?