3: Chapter 3 Visiting Tiger Mom, Lu Hu's Heart is Broken

The wild boar's fur was tough and pricked the mouth, making it a hassle to eat. The piglet was too small and not enough to fill him up.

Lu Hu didn't particularly enjoy eating wild boar, even those that had been deliberately castrated to deal with the smell.

Under the fierce gaze of the Wild Boar King, Lu Hu leisurely finished the wild boar.

"Aow~"

Feeling about seventy percent full and having settled his hunger, Lu Hu felt sleepy. He lay on a tree and had a wonderful nap.

After waking up, he jumped down from the tree and stretched.

"Ang~"

A blast of air surged from the side—it was the Wild Boar King. It actually hadn't left; driven by its hatred for Lu Hu, it had stubbornly waited in ambush until now.

Lu Hu's eyes sharpened, and his body suddenly retracted, retreating more than a meter in distance.

The Wild Boar King's charge missed its mark. Just as it was about to turn back and continue the attack, Lu Hu instinctively leaped up and pressed his tiger paws onto the Wild Boar King's back.

"Roar~"

Lu Hu roared and violently pushed the Wild Boar King away. Before the Wild Boar King could start a new round of charging, Lu Hu quickly stood up on his hind legs, and his two massive tiger paws swiftly slapped toward the Wild Boar King's head.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lu Hu's tiger paws carried the wind, striking with majestic power; every blow landed with a heavy impact.

Fast and fierce!

The Wild Boar King was instantly left dazed and disoriented, its head buzzing incessantly.

Slash!

After several consecutive slaps, Lu Hu's sharp tiger claws suddenly popped out.

He managed to gouge deep red blood grooves into the Wild Boar King's hard and thick hide.

"Ang——!!"

The Wild Boar King let out a loud cry in pain, its ferocity ignited as it began to charge recklessly.

Lu Hu quickly retreated to distance himself from the Wild Boar King; he didn't want to be gored by the Wild Boar King's tusks.

"Aow roar~~"

Once the distance was established, Lu Hu's serious expression suddenly shifted.

That was pretty underhanded!

Lu Hu cursed inwardly. He hadn't expected the Wild Boar King to wait until now.

He had been asleep for so long while it waited; this Wild Boar King was truly persistent.

Fortunately, his bodily instincts were sensitive enough.

However, should the Breeding Male of this wild boar herd be replaced?

Lu Hu pondered as he looked at the Wild Boar King. When he saw the blood grooves on the Wild Boar King's face that were constantly bleeding, Lu Hu was amused.

"Roar roar~~"

Lu Hu extended his claws and waved them in front of the Wild Boar King.

"You've got no skill, little brother!"

"Even with a sneak attack, you still got countered by me."

"Huff~ huff~"

The Wild Boar King panted heavily, fuming with rage, but the pain on its face kept its reason clear.

Lu Hu had dealt with the Wild Boar King many times, but in every previous encounter, Lu Hu had mainly focused on intimidating it. As soon as the Wild Boar King charged, Lu Hu would run away without a second thought.

Those repeated experiences had made the Wild Boar King instinctively believe that this tiger didn't dare to clash head-on with it.

It had some misconceptions about its own strength, but this clash had sobered it up.

Lu Hu also felt that if they truly fought, they would have to grapple for a while.

He hadn't expected his brute force to suppress the Wild Boar King, nor that his claws could tear through the Wild Boar King's armored hide to wound the tender flesh beneath the thick fat. Moreover, he hadn't used much strength. This meant he didn't need to go for the neck; just showing his claws could scratch the Wild Boar King to death.

Knowing that the opponent had the strength to kill it, the Wild Boar King no longer dared to charge brainlessly.

As for Lu Hu, he was considering whether or not to replace the Breeding Male he had personally selected.

The Wild Boar King remained vigilant for a long time. Finally, Lu Hu grinned.

"Aow roar~" (Impotent Pig, this Great King has business right now. I'll come find you to play next time!)

Lu Hu's speed and agility were far superior to the Wild Boar King's. He could fight if he wanted to, and if he didn't, he could simply leave.

Lu Hu had grown accustomed to eating this Breeding Male's offspring, so he decided not to replace him after all.

He swept his gaze over the Wild Boar King's lower body, gave it a look of contempt, and then turned to leave swaggeringly.

"Huff huff~"

The Wild Boar King was beyond furious, but it didn't chase after him brainlessly like before.

After fiercely rooting at the ground twice, the Wild Boar King also grunted and returned to its herd.

...

"Aow roar~"

Lu Hu quickly crossed over one mountain peak after another; he wanted to go visit his old mother.

The prey in Mother Tiger's territory wasn't as abundant as in Tiger Dad's. Lu Hu wondered if he could bring Mother Tiger to Tiger Dad's habitat.

Although Mother Tiger's hunting skills were a bit subpar, as long as she was diligent and avoided big guys like the Wild Boar King, there would certainly be no problem for the two of them to eat their fill.

Actually, Tiger Dad's territory was rich in resources, making it easier to improve hunting skills and expand survival space.

"Aow~"

Lu Hu made up his mind; once he saw Mother Tiger, he had to find a way to bring her to Tiger Dad's territory.

Lu Hu continued to run through the mountains. He was very fast, but every now and then, he would stop because of some curious things, so his progress wasn't considered quick.

Strictly speaking, Mother Tiger's territory was also within the range of Tiger Dad's territory. Tiger Dad's territory was quite vast, but Tiger Dad didn't have that much time to patrol, usually living in a small core habitat.

Mother Tiger was the same; their respective habitats were separated by about three or four hundred li.

Lu Hu ran for two days and finally arrived at Mother Tiger's territory.

But as soon as he stepped into Mother Tiger's territory, Lu Hu was dumbfounded.

Simply because there was no scent of Mother Tiger here at all, which meant Mother Tiger had left her territory long ago.

In this territory, there were new predators. Based on the scent, Lu Hu guessed it was a Wolf Pack.

Lu Hu followed the scent of the wolves all the way, seeing traces they had left behind. It seemed they had already been here for some time.

Finally, Lu Hu discovered the Wolf Pack. It was a pack of over twenty wolves, and within the group, there were six half-grown pups playing and frolicking.

These pups looked to be about six or seven months old. Adding in the mother wolf's pregnancy time, this pack had been living here for at least a year.

In other words, a year and a half ago, after Mother Tiger dumped him on Tiger Dad, she had moved away with Tiger Brother and Tiger Sister!

What does this mean?

"Roar~" (No!)

A tiger's roar echoed through the mountain forest, birds and beasts scattered, and the wolves of the pack were filled with unease and panic.

The magnificent tiger looked up at the sky with a hint of sadness.

Lu Hu's heart was broken. It turned out that a year and a half ago, Mother Tiger had completely abandoned him!

And to think he had firmly believed Mother Tiger had dumped him on Tiger Dad so he could live a good life.

"My old mother!"

"How could you be so heartless?"

"Even if you didn't want to raise me, there was no need to hide from me!"

"How can my tiger life be so... difficult~~"

Lu Hu roared and shouted in the mountain forest. Only after venting his frustration did he gradually quiet down.

Both Tiger Dad and Mother Tiger had abandoned him.

"Should he go visit Tiger Brother and Tiger Sister?"

Lu Hu hesitated. Over two months ago, while wandering, he had accidentally encountered the roaming Tiger Brother and Tiger Sister. They were looking for territory at the time, seemingly having just been driven out by Mother Tiger to live independently.

Lu Hu still remembered the direction they had left in. After more than two months, they should have found a territory by now.

If he followed that direction now, he should be able to find Tiger Brother and Tiger Sister.

To cultivate Tiger Brother and Tiger Sister's survival experience...

"Aow~" (Forget it.)

Lu Hu sighed and abandoned the idea. Tiger Brother and Tiger Sister were only two and a half years old like him and had just started living independently. This was the best time for them to master self-reliance. If he went and they developed a dependency, it would be bad.

No, he couldn't go!

"Aow roar~"

Lu Hu let out another tiger's roar. After the roar, he swept away his dejection and looked radiant with spirit.

So what if they didn't want to raise him anymore?

From this day forward, he, Lu Hu,

Would be self-reliant!

...