Starting with the titmouse, seventy-two transformations

Chapter 28 A Different Kind of Tiger (Please continue reading)

"In that case, your teacher will—"

"Ow~"

Liu Sheng was muttering to himself when a childish, tiger-like roar came from beside him…

He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw something bulging in his master's arms, then a small head peeked out—

White downy fur, yellow and black in color, with a "king" character pattern on its forehead...

She stared at him timidly with her amber eyes.

A tiger cub that's only a few days old and has just opened its eyes!
Very thin, almost skin and bones.

It could be blown away by a gust of wind.

Liu Sheng instinctively glanced at the tiger corpse at his feet, and a vague guess formed in his mind.

"Could this be... the will of Heaven?"

Wu Song looked up at the sky, took the tiger cub out of his arms, and held it in his palm.

"Ouch~~"

The little tiger cub barked twice, licked his palm, then jumped to the ground and ran towards the tiger spirit's corpse...

I stumbled and fell several times.

"Ow~"

A moment later, the little tiger came to the tiger corpse, its cries becoming more urgent, and it even nudged the tiger spirit with its little head, trying to make it stand up again.

"When I came out, I found it in a crevice in the rocks. It was quiet and didn't make a sound."

At that time, a lynx spirit the size of a calf was nearby and had already spotted it.

Wu Song seemed to have forgotten about taking on disciples. Looking at the little tiger cub howling and circling the tiger carcass, he spoke in a flat tone:

"Inside the lynx demon's belly was the remains of a young tiger, and the tiger's den was twenty feet away..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Liu Sheng, his expression meaningful.

what?
So, this tiger spirit and its wife gave birth to triplets in one litter?
But what does this have to do with me?
It's not my child...

Liu Sheng was bewildered and couldn't figure it out.

"A tigress usually gives birth to two cubs at a time. Occasionally, she may have a third cub, but most of the time, due to insufficient milk and the cub's congenital weakness, she will carry it away from the den to fend for itself."

Wu Song glanced at the little tiger cub, which was leaning against the tiger corpse and howling mournfully, its eyes filled with tears.

"Abandoned tiger cubs, if they survive, become even more ferocious, their claws even sharper; they are the legendary..."

"Biao".

Liu Sheng took over the conversation, his face showing shock.

He remembered a sentence his tutor had taught him when he was a student...

If a tiger gives birth to three cubs, one of them will be a tiger cub.

The book "Miscellaneous Records of the Xinyou Year" states: "The 'biao' is fierce and vicious, and can eat tiger cubs."

This refers to the "Biao," a unique species of tiger, born ferocious and capable of devouring its own brothers and sisters.

Therefore, after giving birth to a tigress, the mother tiger usually abandons it in the wilderness to fend for itself.

This little tiger cub is so thin it's practically skin and bones; it seems it hasn't had a single day of breast milk since it was born.

I don't know how it survived...

Moreover, it even remembered the tiger spirit's scent?
Crying and wailing for the father's death...

There is no trace of the ferocity and eccentricity described in ancient books.

"Ow..."

Just then, the little tiger cub finished crying, its whole body convulsing and trembling, and slowly came to Liu Sheng's feet.

He wiped his hand on his trouser leg, then turned to look at the tiger corpse and gestured to him.

Amber eyes, sparkling brightly.

what?
Liu Sheng was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Wu Song:

"Master?"

"What's the matter?"

Wu Song turned his head away, showing him the back of his head.

But Liu Sheng possessed a talent for "sparrow-eye" vision, with a near 360-degree field of view, and clearly saw the corner of his master's mouth disappear in a flash...

envy!

Ah, this...

Liu Sheng looked down at the little tiger cub, and their eyes met.

It's all your fault, you little rascal! You're so cute, even my master is jealous!
"Ow~"

The little tiger cub's eyes gleamed, and it roared with all its might, then...

He plopped down on Liu Sheng's feet.

They're determined to stay.

"It made you bury the tiger's carcass."

In the end, Wu Song couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up to remind him.

"Ow~"

So you're putting on a show of selling yourself to bury your father?
Liu Sheng was both amused and annoyed, secretly marveling at how intelligent this little tiger cub was.

They were born as different species, and perhaps they would naturally become spirits when they grew up. A moment later, Liu Sheng dug a deep pit with his bare hands and buried the tiger spirit's corpse.

The little tiger cub persevered to the end, watching the tiger spirit being buried, then sprawled out on all fours and fell asleep at Liu Sheng's feet.

It was born not long ago and was still sleepy.

"Master..."

Liu Sheng looked to Wu Song for help. Although he also liked the little tiger cub, but...

Master's knife is even more terrifying!
"I saved its life and brought it away from danger, yet it is so attached to you. It seems we are destined to be together..."

"You should keep it."

Wu Song hesitated for a moment, then refused, before finally guessing:
"Perhaps it's because you possess 'tiger bones' that it feels a sense of closeness to you?"

Almost like ten.

My "tiger bone" comes from its father.

So it is said that...

There is indeed this cause and effect.

Liu Sheng was surprised, reached out and picked up the little tiger cub, tucked it into his arms, and said meekly:
"Disciple, please obey your master's orders!"

"Walk."

Wu Song felt a surge of frustration, but he couldn't vent it.

His face darkened, and with a flick of his sleeve, he appeared more than twenty feet away. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished without a trace.

"Master, wait for me!"

Liu Sheng's lips curled up slightly, and he took two steps to catch up.

As he ran, he keenly sensed the difference—

It was as if his feet were equipped with springs; with the slightest effort, he sprang out.

The power originates from the bones, passes through the fascia, mobilizes every muscle, and is transmitted layer by layer, connecting joint by joint in a coordinated and unified manner…

Internal friction is virtually nonexistent!
Before he acquired the "Striped Giant Tiger" form, he had a serpentine form and was adept at maneuvering and turning in narrow spaces.

At this moment, regardless of whether it's a steep slope, a smooth road, woodland, shrubland, or stream...

He walked on it as if it were flat ground!

Running, jumping, turning, leaping, lunging forward, flipping backward...

omnipotent.

He didn't do it intentionally; it was entirely instinctive...

An instinct belonging to the king of the mountains!

It's been ten or even a hundred times easier than when I came here!
readily!

As he ran, Baishui Village came into view, and even his master's silhouette...

Still can't see it!
When he arrived at the old house, smelling of fresh grass and trees, he found Wu Song already waiting with a female dog in his arms.

The mother dog had just given birth and had plenty of milk. She was brought over in the middle of the night and didn't make a sound; she was very well-behaved.

Liu Sheng glanced at Wu Song's scarred face, then quickly bent down and handed the little tiger cub over...

In this world, as long as you are fierce and ruthless enough, even animals will try to reason with you.

However, feeding the tiger with dog milk is only a temporary measure. Tomorrow I'll go to the county to see if there are any hybrid animals that are currently producing milk for sale...

If that doesn't work, we'll have to look in the mountains.

You really know how to come up with questions!
Liu Sheng glanced at Wu Song with a resentful look, only to see him solemnly nursing the little tiger cub, looking dignified...

He was completely unaware of Liu Sheng's gaze.

Fortunately, they had previously swindled a large sum of money from the Tong family, and spent several hundred taels to buy a wet nurse for the little tiger cub…

It's also very luxurious.

I started taking care of kids even before I had a baby!

She's only sixteen, still at the age of being breastfed...

"My origins are... Jingyang Mountain, Black Tiger Zen Temple."

Back then, your grandmaster said that my worldly ties were not yet severed, so I only left home to become a monk but not ordained as a lay disciple in the temple, upholding the precepts for practitioners…”

Wu Song's voice was low and his eyes were unfocused, as if he were lost in past memories.

In the firelight, his monk's robe was stained with blood, and the white bone prayer beads on his chest shone brightly.

The night wind ruffled his disheveled hair, and faint bluish-black characters were visible on either side of his cheek at the end of the scar…

Tattooing!

One of the five punishments of the Great Yu Dynasty (tattooing, nose cutting, foot cutting, castration, and execution).

By tattooing characters and applying the juice of "bone-attaching maggots," the marks were permanently left on the skin, thus identifying the criminals and facilitating government investigation.

This mark is attached to the bone, and it will grow back even if the skin and flesh are removed. It can only be washed away with a special medicine.

Those who are branded must have committed heinous crimes.

Master, what "major thing" did you do back then that led to such treatment from the government?
Murder? Arson?

Or... a mass rebellion?

We are now severing our master-disciple relationship...

Is it still too late?
(End of this chapter)