Chapter 101: The Blizzard Approaches

Hua Piaowu patted the spirit puppet beside her. "With him here, we can rest at ease." Xu Han nodded in agreement. After finishing their meal, everyone returned to their respective tents to rest. The spirit puppet sat outside, standing guard quietly and calmly. Dark clouds gradually gathered over the sky. Fluffy snowflakes drifted down like goose feathers. Soon, a thick layer of white snow covered the spirit puppet. At that moment, in the grass nearby, several people were lying in wait, observing the tents. The leader was that wretched man dressed in a swordsman's outfit. Beside him, a burly man clad in armor whispered, "Boss, why didn't we see that guy sitting outside the tent earlier?" "Could it be one of their companions?" The swordsman sneered coldly, "No matter who, just kill them all. After all, our target is those two women." The others nodded in agreement one by one. Imagining they could have their way with those two beauties, they itched to charge into the tent right then and there. The swordsman said softly, "Third Brother, sneak over and take care of that guy first. Then we can handle it together easily." "Understood!" The assassin-dressed man beside him nodded. His figure gradually turned transparent and vanished into thin air. The spirit puppet sat quietly outside the tent. A figure appeared silently behind it. The dagger was unsheathed and stabbed towards the spirit puppet's throat in an instant. Swish! The dagger slashed effortlessly across the spirit puppet's neck, slicing open a large gash. Yet, not a drop of blood flowed out. The spirit puppet rose slowly with difficulty, turning its head to gaze at the third man. The third man was stunned. What was going on? Cutting the neck, and this person didn't die? The spirit puppet raised its hand, and a blade materialized in it, about to chop down on the third man. The third man's face changed drastically as he tried to dodge. But he noticed the man's arm in front of him seemed frozen, unable to bring the blade down. This guy has been frozen! A smile crept onto the third man's lips. He reacted immediately. At night, the outside temperature had dropped to minus forty degrees. Without the Scarlet Flame Pearl, they would have been frozen into ice statues. His mouth curved slightly upward. Then, the dagger stabbed fiercely at the spirit puppet's chest, piercing through it with ease. The spirit puppet's body stiffened, and it crashed heavily onto the snowy ground. Solved! The third man turned to the group and gave an OK sign. The others quickly approached. The swordsman stared at the spirit puppet on the ground, frowning, and muttered, "This is a puppet." The third man suddenly realized, "No wonder he didn't react at all." The swordsman pointed toward Xu Han's tent. "Second Brother, deal with that lad. Third and Fourth, come with me to find those two women." Second Brother was the armored burly man. He said with some dissatisfaction, "You'd better leave me some scraps." The swordsman nodded. "Don't worry, it won't shortchange you." With that, he led the other two towards Hua Piaowu and Qin Xuanyi's tent. The armored burly man moved to the side of Xu Han's tent. He let out a sinister chuckle and raised his long sword, about to strike down on the tent. In the next instant, the tent was violently torn apart. A fierce tiger burst out from within, pouncing on the armored burly man and pinning him to the ground. Its claws swiped at his head. "Ah!" The burly man let out a wretched cry. His head was crushed into pulp by the little tiger's claw. The others heard the commotion and turned around. Upon seeing the fierce tiger, their faces changed dramatically. "What kind of beast is that? Is this an exotic beast? When did it appear?" "Quick, retreat! Retreat!" The group turned and tried to flee. But the little tiger wouldn't allow them even a moment to escape. It leaped forward, its massive body instantly appearing before them. Its golden tiger eyes gleamed with chilling murderous intent, staring fixedly at the men before it. The men were terrified, their faces pale with fear, weapons trembling in their grips as they stared at the little tiger. "Gentlemen, it's the dead of night. What brings you to our camp?" A cold voice rang out from behind. The crowd turned to look. A slender man strode forward slowly. It was Xu Han! Hua Piaowu and Qin Xuanyi had also emerged from their tents and stood beside him. The swordsman's expression darkened. "This exotic beast, did you summon it?" Xu Han replied casually, "Indeed. Seems like you planned to ambush us while we slept. I always repay grudges, and since you've set your sights on me, don't blame me for being ruthless." He prepared to summon the little tiger to act. But at that moment, the swordsman suddenly spoke up, "Hold it! Do you dare to attack us? Do you know who we are?" "We are members of the Snow Bear Hunter Group! If you dare to lay a hand on us, our leader will never forgive you!" Xu Han turned to Hua Piaowu. "Do you recognize them?" Hua Piaowu nodded slightly. "The Snow Bear Hunter Group is one of the three major exotic beast hunter groups in the northern snowy plains. It's said the leader is a fourth-rank powerhouse who acts like bandits, tyrannical and domineering." The swordsman sneered, "How's that? Scared now? Release us now, and we can let bygones be bygones. Otherwise..." Before he could finish, a massive tiger claw descended from above his head! Boom! With a thunderous crash, the swordsman was smashed into a pulp by the tiger claw. The others trembled in fear, staring at Xu Han with shock. Xu Han said lightly, "I hate threats the most. Therefore, you all must die." The hearts of the men turned icy. This time, they had no escape. Woo woo... The wind suddenly intensified. Countless snowflakes fell endlessly from the sky. Hua Piaowu's face paled slightly. "Not good, a blizzard is approaching!" Xu Han frowned. He had heard of blizzards in the snowy wilderness. In a blizzard, all creatures are equal. Even fourth-rank or fifth-rank experts must seek shelter immediately. Otherwise, being caught in the blizzard meant certain death. The third man seemed to sense the approaching blizzard. A gleam of joy appeared on his face. The blizzard was the perfect escape opportunity! He turned to the fourth man, a ruthless glint in his eyes. Before the fourth man could react, he shoved him hard. The fourth man staggered backward several steps without reacting in time. The little tiger pounced, its paw slamming down on the fourth man! "Ah!" A miserable scream echoed. The fourth man was instantly turned into minced meat by the little tiger's strike. The third man quickly used stealth technique. His body became translucent and vanished into the air. The little tiger let out a low roar, preparing to pursue. But Xu Han stopped it. "No need to chase. Come back first."