Taming The Wind Tiger Bear

"ROAR!"

Chen Zhiyu's heartbeat flared and increased its pounding at a rapid pace. His entire thought was about survival this time around.

But with the breath of the fiercely pursuing demonic beast lurking around, he had a hard time staying safe.

What should have been a session of rest became a marathon for survival. He happened to be on his last legs, out of breath with an irregular heartbeat. His entire movement eventually came to a momentary halt.

SCREE!!

His momentary halt caused a sort of miscalculation for the fiercely pursuing demonic beast. It skidded away as Chen Zhiyu seized the opportunity to take another turn to the west. He appeared more than determined to survive this ordeal.

He couldn't die like a nobody here even if he had lost all dignity. It would be a sad tale for him to die by means of cannibalism in a foreign location as this.

For half an incense stick's time, Chen Zhiyu ran without pausing again. But the demonic beast kept trail of him giving him an uneasy feeling about his survival.

"I don't want to die…" Chen Zhiyu began praying in his heart as he fled.

He was already nearing exhaustion, his breathing was getting faint as the chase dragged on and his muscles were also going through spasms.

But he gritted his teeth and fought against the feeling of fear in his heart by resorting to prayer. He steeled his heart to be ready for what was to come within the next few minutes.

"Uh?" Chen Zhiyu's eyes expressed a hint of surprise when he looked ahead, "Help me!"

He could see a figure, humanoid in the distance completely unhinged by the commotion caused by the demonic beast. He had a feeling that this person was the help he had prayed to the heavens to bring for him just moments earlier.

As he speedily approached, he began finding the figure a little too familiar. He could tell he had seen this figure somewhere before.

Frail, elderly, full of wisdom and grace from a person who lived with the ancients.

"Old Man Zhang!" Chen Zhiyu could not help but scream with excitement in his heart.

His pace rapidly grew and he leaped towards Old Man Zhang quickly hiding behind the latter's frail but assuring back.

"Hehe!" Old Man Zhang could not help smiling to himself because of Chen Zhiyu's actions that made him slightly adorable in his eyes.

The scene of Chen Zhiyu hiding behind his back was like a child who got into trouble but ran to his grandfather when it escalated beyond his control.

It was a bit emotional and Old Man Zhang who was secluded for a long time and didn't get to witness such most of the time chuckled in glee.

"Little Friend, take your time" Old Man Zhang cautioned but Chen Zhiyu nodded absently in response.

He was still concerned about the demonic beast that was pursuing earlier.

Old Man Zhang was about asking Chen Zhiyu why he was out here running around in 'high spirits' when he was interrupted.

ROAR!!

A fierce glint shimmered in the demonic beast's eyes that sent chills across Chen Zhiyu's spine who felt that the demonic beast's figure overlapped with the messenger of death.

Old Man Zhang on the other hand maintained a tranquil expression, not faltered a single bit by the beast's display of deterrence.

"It's actually a Wind Tiger Bear. Too bad it's only a cub, I would have to fatten it to make a good meal" Old Man Zhang spoke demeaningly with his tongue making strange clucking sounds.

"Fatten it? A good meal?" Chen Zhiyu was completely out of breath and short of words.

The two were facing the demonic beast from different viewpoints. He saw it as a looming threat capable of taking his life, but what about Old Man Zhang. To the old man, the demonic beast was only a cub that could not be enough for a good meal.

The Wind Tiger Bear observed Old Man Zhang for a while though it still made snarling sounds, it exuded a sense of caution within itself. However, Old Man Zhang's gaze was completely devoid of emotions, just indifferently looking forward while waiting for the demonic beast to loose control and attack wildly.

ROAR!!

As predicted, the demonic beast still obeyed its instinct and greedily pounced towards Old Man Zhang. The latter remained rooted, Chen Zhiyu's hands clawed behind him trying to hint for him to take action and at least step aside.

However, Old Man Zhang seemed to have grown as still as a thousand year old statue, not budging one bit.

"Move!!" Chen Zhiyu cawed out but he remained immobile.

The demonic beast misunderstood the old man's transfixed stance as a manifestation of fear and hence it speedily charged over in Old Man Zhang's direction.

"Hmph! Foolish kitten, you don't know what's good for you" Old Man Zhang's eyes suddenly revealed a fierce murderous glint.

The murderous intent in his body seeped out a little bit causing an illusion that space and time paused. It actually made the demonic beast halt its chase midair, at least, that was what Chen Zhiyu saw from his point of view.

The presence of Old Man Zhang became more mystifying. Just by staying still, his stance reassured Chen Zhiyu that he did not make a wrong move by choosing to hide behind him.

The demonic beast became transfixed in midair just like Old Man Zhang. However, it saw an illusion that Chen Zhiyu could not see.

A huge giant phantom was right behind Old Man Zhang and it had a fierce murderous aura that made its own ominous aura resemble a drop of water in the vast ocean.

It didn't utter a word anymore and just remained still allowing the newfound realization flow through its mind.

A few minutes later, it dropped down, becoming docile. It actually moved to Old Man Zhang, but rather than being the fierce demonic beast prowling over, it was like a stray kitten returning to its master's side.

"Good boy" Old Man Zhang blurted out naturally and patted the head of the Wind Tiger Bear without the latter revealing any sense of resistance towards his touch.

The scene left Chen Zhiyu awestruck and he couldn't bring himself to acknowledge that it was indeed a reality.