Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Luring the Tiger from Its Mountain
Li Kainan didn't decline the kind gesture and immediately reached out to take it, intending to drape it over his back as a cape.
But Branny's frame was small and petite—her cloak was far too short to serve as a cape for Li Kainan.
Maybe use it as a scarf instead?
Seeing this, Branny's grandmother quickly took out her magic wand and recited an incantation, causing the velvet cloak to grow larger until it became a perfectly fitting cape!
It had to be said—magic truly was quite something……
Li Kainan's gaze shifted, falling on Branny beside him.
With the red cloak gone from the little girl, it was as if something about her was suddenly missing!
Without a second thought, Li Kainan gave her his own original red cape.
As a wealthy second-generation heir with no parents and no particular ambitions, Li Kainan had no hobbies beyond studying combat techniques and collecting armor and weapons.
On those things, he was truly willing to spend without restraint!
So even as a mere accessory to his set of armor, this cape was no cheap purchase picked up on a whim.
The red cape was made of silk—smooth and delicate to the touch, with intricate patterns embroidered in golden thread across its surface, making it look incredibly luxurious and beautiful!
Judged purely on material and craftsmanship, trading one red velvet cloak for one magnificent red silk cape was no bad deal……
Faced with Li Kainan's gift, Branny quickly tried to refuse:
"Mr. Kainan, I can't accept this……"
But Li Kainan paid no heed, and simply wrapped the red silk cape around her directly before calling out to the old hunter to set off.
The old hunter instinctively fell in step with Li Kainan, but after walking a couple of paces he suddenly turned back.
He rummaged through his travel pack and eventually produced a length of vivid, pristine red fox fur.
Old hunter Balen's face flushed, and with a somewhat bashful air he said:
"Bona, this—this is something I specifically prepared for you……well, if you don't need it, Branny can have it!"
Worried that Branny's grandmother might also refuse, he simply did as Li Kainan had done moments before and pressed it directly into Branny's grandmother's hands, then turned and followed Li Kainan away.
In truth, Branny's grandmother had no intention of refusing at all—she examined the fur the old hunter had pushed into her hands with a rather pleased look, though her lips muttered:
"Red is too vibrant—it doesn't suit me……"
Then she turned to look at her beloved granddaughter and said with a smile:
"This fox fur is exactly the color you like. I can use the fox fur and this silk cape to make you an even more beautiful cloak……"
Branny, for her part, wasn't particularly concerned about any fox fur—her thoughts right now were entirely fixed on the silk cape in her hands.
The inexplicable thought suddenly crossed her mind that this cape had just been worn on Li Kainan's body, and Branny's brain misfired entirely—she actually instinctively leaned in and took a deep breath……
……
Old hunter Balen had brought 6 hounds with him this time, and it was plain at a glance that they were well-trained.
He left one behind to guard the house, and took the remaining 5 along with him.
At the spot where Li Kainan had wounded the werewolf earlier, the old hunter crouched down and spotted the large dark stain of dried black blood on the ground, breaking into a grin:
"Looks like this beast took a serious beating from you, my lord!"
"Can you find it?" Li Kainan asked directly.
"Of course!"
Old hunter Balen said with complete confidence, then called his 5 hounds over and issued the command to track.
The 5 hounds immediately began sniffing at the scent left behind by the werewolf and set off deeper into the forest.
The old hunter followed with a hunting knife in hand, cutting through weeds, thorns, and branches along the way to clear the path for Li Kainan behind him.
Throughout the journey, the old hunter kept urging Li Kainan to stop and rest if he got tired.
In the old hunter's mind, trekking through the forest in full armor would surely drain anyone's stamina in no time.
In reality, for the current Li Kainan with his fully maxed Combat Power, wearing this 30-kilogram set of armor was essentially no different from wearing a pair of pajamas……
As they pressed deeper and deeper into the forest in pursuit, it was eventually the old hunter himself who started panting first.
Having fully witnessed the terrifying stamina of Li Kainan, the old hunter couldn't help but quietly click his tongue in amazement.
To possess physical stamina this far beyond ordinary men would surely require an enormous investment of resources poured into cultivation from childhood.
Dedicated staff to manage his diet and ensure adequate nutrition, trained physicians to condition his body and treat hidden injuries, powerful knights to teach him combat techniques……
No—that alone wouldn't be enough!
To possess this degree of transcendent physical strength couldn't possibly be the result of ordinary training alone.
Most likely, at the very moment of Li Kainan's birth, his family had spent a tremendous price to invite extraordinary beings—elves, dwarves, or powerful witches—to bestow a blessing upon him!
And the price of a powerful blessing was no small thing. Ordinary minor and mid-tier nobles and lord-level families had neither the standing nor the means to invite such transcendent beings to bestow blessings upon their heirs.
With these thoughts turning in his mind, in the old hunter's eyes Li Kainan's identity grew increasingly mysterious and august……
……
The hounds led Li Kainan and the old hunter in their search through the forest for a long while.
It wasn't until late in the evening, with the sun on the verge of setting, that the old hunter's hounds finally came to a halt before a mountain hollow and began circling and sniffing every which way.
Most likely because the werewolf's scent here was too thick and too jumbled, throwing them into momentary uncertainty over which direction to pursue.
And it was right at this moment that, from the forest not far away, a startled flock of magpies suddenly took to the sky.
Vaguely, a dark shadow could be seen flickering past, fleeing in a wild panic toward the distance.
In an instant, all 5 hounds broke into furious barking simultaneously, then surged forward in a pack to give chase.
Li Kainan and the old hunter needed no words—without a second's hesitation they charged after it as well.
The crack-crack of snapping dry branches rang out in quick succession as the old hunter's body shot into the dense forest like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Seeing that the trees ahead were sparse and offered little obstruction, the old hunter raised his bow and loosed a shot at the dark shadow in the distance.
It was a hurried shot, yet the hunting archery the old hunter had honed over the better part of his life in the forest was anything but ordinary.
The arrow's tail feathers trembled, leaving nothing but a fleeting afterimage in its wake.
The dark shadow sensed the hissing rush of the arrow cutting through the air behind it—a fierce survival instinct made it instinctively curl its body into a ball and roll sideways into a nearby shrub, barely—dodging the old hunter's arrow!
But before the dark shadow could feel any relief at having escaped, the fur all over its body stood on end unbidden.
An incomparably dominant and terrifying presence had already locked onto it completely!
A towering figure clad in magnificent armor—like an unstoppable heavy tank—came crashing through the undergrowth with an aura of supreme, invincible might and devastating force……