"Roar~"
In the eastern forest.
An old man and a young boy were in the crevice between two huge rocks.
Outside the crevice was a black and white striped tiger, about three meters long.
Its sword-like teeth opened and closed, and its thick tiger claws were reaching into the crevice.
Clatter—
As it scratched, its sharp claws touched the rock surfaces on both sides of the crevice, slowly scraping away layers.
The crevice was gradually widening.
These two rocks were originally one, but had broken apart years ago and were eroded by rain, so they were no longer sturdy.
"Help me..."
Now.
In the crevice, the sweet scent of blood wafted.
The old man's thigh had been gashed open, and blood soaked his patched, faded grey shirt.
This happened when he was cut by sharp rocks inside the crevice while fleeing.
"Grandpa..." Behind the old man was an eight-year-old child.
His eyes were full of tears.
Because he heard his Grandson's cries growing weaker and weaker.
"Someone save my Grandpa..."
The child was very scared, and in the narrow crevice, he subconsciously clutched the old man's withered palm.
"Roar!"
The tiger heard their weak voices and smelled the sweet scent of blood, and it widened the crevice even faster.
But just then.
"Roar!"
The nearby ground seemed to tremble slightly.
Rumble—
And to the side of the crevice between the two rocks.
A huge Black Bear, truly like a high-headed carriage in motion, slammed violently into the tiger outside the crevice!
"Roar!"
The tiger, seeing such a massive Black Bear, was instinctively startled.
Immediately, it abandoned the two people in the crevice, and with a powerful leap from its hind legs, it tried to avoid Chen Guan's charge.
Chen Guan saw the tiger's backward leap and pressed his advantage, going all out.
When he was one meter away from it, Chen Guan also used the momentum of his charge to suddenly leap, and before it could adjust its posture, he brought a bear paw down onto its torso!
Thud!
A dull thud.
The huge bear paw struck, and even the three-meter-long white-browed tiger had its spine instantly broken.
Hiss—
The agility of felines was indeed formidable.
The moment its spine was broken, its sharp tiger claws also left deep scratches on Chen Guan's left arm, tearing through his flesh.
'Damn you!'
Chen Guan felt his arm injured, and although he didn't immediately feel pain, his eyes widened, and his primal beast nature was ignited.
The next second.
Chen Guan's uninjured paw, after breaking its spine and with his beast nature ignited, easily grabbed the nearly six-hundred-pound creature and slammed it violently onto the rocky ground!
Thump!
A strange sound of bones mixed with crushed flesh.
The tiger, which could have struggled for a long time, was slammed with such force that its head and entire body deformed, and its breath instantly fell silent.
And at the tiger's head, blood splattered outwards.
"Roar!"
After killing the tiger.
Chen Guan's breathing calmed down a bit, and he looked towards the old man and the child.
They now looked at this large Black Bear with even greater fear.
Chen Guan ignored their fear and, with his uninjured paw, gave a few powerful swipes, completely opening the crevice that the tiger had already widened considerably.
"Run..." The old man had lost too much blood and was now too weak to move.
He used his last strength to tell his Grandson to run.
Chen Guan didn't have time to say more, nor did he have time to bother with the Grandson who wouldn't leave, but instead reached for the vine at his waist with his bear paw.
A small bottle hung on the left side, containing powdered herbal medicine for healing and stopping bleeding.
It was a spoil of war from a Daoist.
Plop—
He painstakingly removed the cork with his fingertip.
Chen Guan poured some onto the old man's wound, then easily tore off a corner of the old man's upper garment, and then somewhat awkwardly tied a knot for him.
"Bear..."
The child had initially looked at Chen Guan with wariness and fear, but now, seeing that this large Black Bear seemed to be saving his Grandson, he didn't know what to say.
Because everything was too magical, too bizarre.
"Roar."
After Chen Guan bandaged the old man's injuries, he saw that his own injuries were not severe, so he saved the medicine.
Then.
After seeing the old man resting as if in a coma, Chen Guan pointed to the bottle, then to his own vine, asking the child to help him tie it back on.
The vine now served as Chen Guan's 'storage belt'.
Besides the medicine, it also held an 'insect repellent sachet' and a small protective cloth ball his younger sister had made for him.
It was just a few pieces of pretty colored cloth sewn together.
But just then.
Clatter—
Footsteps came from the nearby forest.
At the same time, there was an angry shout!
"Black Bear Demon! Let go of that child!"
As the shout faded.
Detective Yan and a group of Xia Kes appeared one after another, holding full-drawn powerful bows.
And at this moment.
The child saw these people drawing their bowstrings, as if they were about to attack the Black Bear, and immediately ran a few steps in a panic, stumbling in front of Chen Guan.
But he quickly got up again, stood straight, spread his arms, and shielded Chen Guan.
"You..."
It was the child's action that made everyone's attacking movements pause, and they looked at the child in confusion, not understanding why.
But at this moment.
The child's figure, though exceptionally small in front of Chen Guan's massive body, gathered all his strength and shouted:
"Uncles and sirs, please don't hurt the Big Bear..."
The child cried out, his voice tinged with tears and pleading.
"What?"
"Don't hurt the Black Bear Demon?"
"He..."
"This child..."
Detective Yan and the others, hearing this, became even more confused, and their bowstrings subconsciously lowered.
But their gaze remained fixed on Chen Guan.
For a moment.
Chen Guan looked at the Constables and the others.
The Constables and the others also looked at Chen Guan warily.
But to be honest, Chen Guan was still very panicked facing the arrows of a group of experts.
In such an open area, Chen Guan was not confident he could survive.
'Is it time for the next life?'
Chen Guan glanced at the distant ruined temple, then at his vine; he hadn't even had time to say goodbye to his younger sister.
If he didn't go back tonight, she would probably be sad, wouldn't she?
She would think he didn't want her anymore, and that something had happened to him.
At the same time.
Detective Yan and the others faced this Black Bear Demon, and the deformed tiger on the ground in the distance.
They were also very panicked.
If not for the fear of accidentally injuring the child in front of Chen Guan with stray arrows.
And the fear that a few arrows wouldn't kill the Black Bear, thus igniting its beast nature.
They would have loosed their arrows from the start.
But now, they were more bewildered.
Especially Detective Yan.
He looked at the tiger, then at the injury on Chen Guan's arm.
Then he looked at the child protecting Chen Guan, the unconscious old man who had been bandaged, and the unstrapped medicine Chen Guan held.
The medicine was currently in Chen Guan's paw.
Chen Guan's paw also had cloth scraps and bloodstains.
'Could it be...' Detective Yan, as someone who frequently handled cases, quickly sorted out his thoughts and connected the events.
Even if this answer and line of reasoning sounded a bit incredible.
But this was clearly 'acting righteously!'
It was a bear, a Black Bear Demon that might be a monster, acting righteously!
'Could it be... could it be... that I was wrong?'
Detective Yan felt that his previous pursuit seemed to have been a mistake.
Perhaps the Black Bear had seen those bandits kill people, and then it had acted to kill the bandits.
Chen Guan, while observing the crowd, was trying to figure out how to withdraw or fight to the death.
Today, he could not die.
He still had many things left undone.
And while Chen Guan was trying to figure out a way.
Detective Yan calmed his mind a bit, and amidst the strange gazes of the crowd, he cupped his fists towards Chen Guan and said:
"Black... Bear... it... it was a misunderstanding by Yan, here... here..."
He spoke, not knowing if the Black Bear could understand.
But the next second, his right hand holding the saber turned, and he cut a large gash in his left arm.
Bright red blood quickly soaked his torn sleeve.
"Lord Yan!"
"Brother Yan!"
The Xia Kes were puzzled and wanted to step forward, first to bandage Detective Yan, and second to prevent the Black Bear from suddenly attacking.
"Everyone, there's no need..."
Detective Yan's right cheek twitched in pain, but he still endured the cut, held his treasured saber upside down with both hands, and cupped his fists again towards Chen Guan:
"Many days ago, Yan pursued... Senior Bear... it was Junior's mistake... Today... seeing Senior Bear perform such a righteous deed, Yan regrets it deeply, it was Yan's... narrow-minded prejudice..."
With that said.
Detective Yan bowed in apology, which was a great 禮 second only to kneeling before heaven, earth, sovereign, parents, and teachers.
'This is...'
Chen Guan looked at him, then at the nervous group of Jianghu heroes.
But he found that things seemed different from what he had imagined?
This day, it seemed there was no calamity.
All thanks to this little child.
"Roar."
The next second, Chen Guan, amidst the astonished and exclaiming gazes of the crowd, nodded in a human-like way, as if he had forgiven Detective Yan.
And Chen Guan also extended his bear paw, making a gesture similar to standing up.
Since they had apologized, and he might not be able to defeat them.
Then, Jianghu was not about fighting and killing, but about human relations.
However, Chen Guan's human-like actions caused huge waves of shock in everyone's hearts.
'My heavens! It... it can actually understand human speech?!'
'I thought Brother Yan's words were an exaggeration, I thought it was just a big Black Bear... but... but it's really a demon?!'
Seeing this, everyone was so shocked their scalps tingled, never expecting this to be a true Great Bear Demon!
Clatter—
At the same time, a Jianghu expert was so scared his hands trembled, and his treasured saber fell to the ground.
Only the child remained in front of Chen Guan, believing the Big Bear was good.
"Roar!"
Chen Guan, seeing that everyone was disoriented, was afraid that someone might accidentally release an arrow, and arrows had no eyes, so he put in less effort and pushed the child aside.
Once this little child, who had helped him avert disaster, was in a safe area.
Chen Guan looked again at the stunned Jianghu experts.
'Do you have any Secret Manuals?'
Now that it seemed hostilities had turned into friendship.
An apology was meaningless; something more substantial would be better.
Perhaps due to his experiences of Transmigration and reincarnation, Chen Guan, with his big-hearted experience after resolving a crisis, had a quickly moving mind.
The next second.
Chen Guan also very straightforwardly picked up a branch and wrote down his request for Secret Manuals, as well as some questions about Cultivation.
To see if they knew.
"This..."
"Secret Manual?"
'Can a demon Cultivate human martial arts Secret Manuals?'
'He not only understands human speech, but can also write human characters...'
However, this was truly the first time anyone had seen a demon.
And such a Great Demon that understood human speech and words!
Now, as they looked at Chen Guan, who was writing and making demands, their reactions could no longer be expressed solely by shock and panic.
Instead, it was as if they were witnessing the strange and wondrous tales from folk legends, unfolding clearly before their eyes, scene by scene.