Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

When Liu Xiang steadied himself and withdrew his fist, a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his injuries throbbed slightly. But his eyes shone with an astonishing light, revealing an indomitable spirit.

Kang Honglei couldn't help but clap his hands, his voice booming, "Good! Excellent skills! Correct technique, powerful moves, much better than those fancy but ineffective techniques from before!"

In recent days, many actors have come to audition for the role of Wu Song. Some are formally trained, and some are minor stars who have acted in martial arts films. But either they are not skilled enough, or they are too timid. As soon as they hear that a real tiger is needed, they turn around and leave. Kang Honglei was very worried, but he never expected to find a gem in the hospital.

Kang Honglei stepped forward and patted Liu Xiang on the shoulder: "Liu Xiang, your skills and courage are practically tailor-made for Wu Song! Here's what we'll do: come with me to the zoo, touch a tiger, and test your courage. If you pass that test, I'll help you get the role of Wu Song!"

Liu Xiang was overjoyed and quickly nodded, "Okay! Director Kang, I'll do as you say!"

The next morning, Kang Honglei took Liu Xiang to the zoo. On the way, Kang Honglei told Liu Xiang a lot about the film crew, and Liu Xiang listened attentively. He knew this was the most important opportunity of his life, and he absolutely couldn't miss it.

Upon arriving at the zoo, the sky darkened, and a few snowflakes began to fall. Kang Honglei led Liu Xiang towards the predator enclosure, where they could hear the roars of tigers from afar—deep, majestic, and chilling to the bone.

As they approached the entrance to the predator enclosure, several zookeepers were bustling about. Zoo elder Li, seeing Kang Honglei, rushed over anxiously: "Guardian Kang, you're here again! We're preparing to move a Siberian tiger to check its teeth! Please wait a moment, and once we're done, I'll have the zookeeper arrange a gentler one for you."

Kang Honglei nodded: "Okay."

The elderly zookeeper glanced at Liu Xiang, frowned, and said, "Young man, you have to be careful. This Siberian tiger weighs over 300 pounds; it can crush a person's bones with a single slap. Don't be reckless."

Liu Xiang smiled and said, "Thank you for reminding me, sir. I know what I'm doing."

As the group was talking, they heard a commotion in the distance. A truck carrying a tiger cage passed by, its tires ran over a rock, the truck lurched violently, and the cage crashed heavily to the ground with a loud bang. The sturdy iron door was deformed by the impact and fell to the ground with a crash.

The Siberian tiger, which had just come to the dentist, leaped out of its cage with a deafening roar. The roar was like muffled thunder, making one's eardrums ache. Its fur was exceptionally glossy and smooth, the black and white stripes standing out conspicuously against the snow, and its large, bell-like eyes gleamed fiercely as it scanned the people around it.

Everyone around was terrified, screaming and backing away, wishing they had more legs. A young zookeeper didn't have time to dodge and was cornered by the tiger. He turned pale with fright, dropped the iron bar in his hand, and his legs went weak, unable to even stand up.

The tiger stared at the young keeper, a low growl emanating from its throat, and approached step by step. Its claws scratched at the snow, kicking up clouds of snowflakes, and its tail was held high—a signal that it was about to attack.

"Not good!" Kang Honglei's expression changed drastically, and he tried to back away.

At that critical moment, Liu Xiang suddenly rushed out. He was incredibly fast, like a gust of wind, and rushed to the young zookeeper's side, shoving him aside. The young zookeeper staggered back a few steps, fell to the ground, and stared at Liu Xiang in shock.

Liu Xiang picked up the iron rod from the ground, gripped it tightly, and stared intently at the Siberian tiger in front of him. He wasn't being reckless; he saw several uniformed personnel in the nearby bushes, holding tranquilizer guns and preparing to aim at the tiger. He knew he just needed to hold out for a little while; they would fire soon!

Moreover, he also wanted to show off his courage in front of Kang Honglei. To win the role of Wu Song, it wasn't enough to just have skills; one also needed extraordinary courage.

Enraged by Liu Xiang's actions, the tiger roared and pounced on her. Its massive body carried a gust of wind, stirring up the snowflakes on the ground, making it a sight to behold.

Liu Xiang took a deep breath, his body's instincts instantly surging to the surface. He knew that although a tiger's pounce was fierce, it would still have weaknesses. The moment its front paws left the ground was its most vulnerable moment.

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Xiang suddenly lowered her body, sliding in to narrowly avoid the tiger's pounce, but still slightly touched its body. The tiger missed its target and crashed heavily onto the snow with a thud. A large crater was created in the snow, instantly scattering snowflakes everywhere.

The tiger turned angrily and pounced on Liu Xiang again. Its eyes were bloodshot, and its roar was even more ferocious. Liu Xiang raised his iron rod, intending to strike the tiger's head, but just as the rod was about to touch the tiger's body, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his mind, cold and clear:

[Ding! System awakened! Host unlocks the Tiger-Fighting Advance skill! You can borrow the skill first and repay it later!]

[Host, would you like to unlock?]

Liu Xiang was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. As a writer who had spent half his life writing rebirth-themed novels, he was all too familiar with the kind of cheat system that allowed him to have a cheat system. He had known all along that he would definitely have a cheat system after being reborn, but he didn't expect it to come so timely!

"Unlock!" Liu Xiang silently chanted in her mind.

In an instant, a massive flood of information rushed into Liu Xiang's mind. The tiger's preferences, habits, and body language were all crystal clear: tigers like to have their chins stroked but dislike having their tails touched; a tiger flicking its tail is a warning, while snoring indicates friendliness; tigers have poor eyesight but extremely keen senses of smell and hearing; a tiger's weak points are its belly and eyes…

Liu Xiang stopped what she was doing and looked at the Siberian tiger before her. The tiger was enormous, muscular, and its claws were as sharp as knives. It also paused its attack, staring at Liu Xiang. The growls in its throat gradually subsided, and the ferocity in its eyes faded somewhat. It seemed to be sizing up this strange human, wondering why it wasn't afraid of it.

Everyone around was too frightened to breathe. Kang Honglei's palms were sweating with tension as he whispered, "Liu Xiang, come back quickly! It's dangerous!"

Liu Xiang didn't turn around. Following the information in his mind, he slowly squatted down, spreading his hands to indicate that he meant no harm. He knew that tigers were highly territorial animals, and squatting down would reduce his height and lessen the threat he posed to them.

He walked slowly towards the tiger, his steps light, as if afraid of startling it. He made low growling sounds, a friendly sound between tigers.

The tiger froze, stopping its pawing and tilting its head to look at Liu Xiang, as if sizing up this strange human. Its previously tense body gradually relaxed, and the roar in its throat turned into a low snort.

Liu Xiang's heart was in his throat. He continued walking until he reached the tiger. He could smell the strong stench of blood and the stench of a wild beast emanating from the tiger, and feel its hot breath.

He slowly reached out and gently touched the tiger's chin.

The tiger comfortably squinted its eyes, nuzzled its head against Liu Xiang's hand, and gently swung its tail. The thick, powerful tail swung against Liu Xiang's arm, carrying a warm sensation.

This scene left everyone present speechless.

Kang Honglei stood rooted to the spot, trembling not with fear, but with excitement. He stared intently at Liu Xiang, muttering to himself, "Genius! This kid is a genius! A born Wu Song! I've found Wu Song!"

The old zookeeper was so astonished his jaw almost dropped to the floor, muttering, "I've lived half my life, and this is the first time I've ever seen anyone pet a tiger like that... This kid must have a special connection with tigers!"

Looking at the docile tiger in his arms, Liu Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that he had made the right gamble.

He quickly raised his head, looked at Kang Honglei, and smiled.

Kang Honglei realized what was happening and rushed over, excitedly grabbing Liu Xiang's arm, his voice trembling: "Liu Xiang! Good lad! The role of Wu Song is yours! No one can take it away from you!"

Liu Xiang stroked the tiger's head, overjoyed, when the system spoke again.

[You need to fight tigers 100 more times before you can unlock the next pre-paid skill!]

At that moment, he felt that doing it 100 times didn't seem so difficult after all.

While Liu Xiang was stroking the tiger's chin, Kang Honglei quickly arrived at the zoo's gatehouse. By the time Liu Xiang had managed to turn the majestic Siberian tiger into a squinting, affectionate cat, and Old Yang was still muttering "I've never seen anything like this before," Kang Honglei had already made a long-distance call to Zhang Shaolin, the chief director of "Water Margin," who was far away in Wuxi.

"Shaolin! Shaolin! I found it! I've finally found it!" Kang Honglei's voice was so loud it could make the tiger's cage vibrate. "Let me tell you, this kid is 1.85 meters tall, trained at the Songshan Martial Arts School, and most importantly, he's got guts! Just now at the zoo, he not only fought the tiger to a standstill, but he also reached out and touched it. The tiger acted like it was his own father, so docile it was unbelievable!"

Zhang Shaolin on the other end of the phone clearly didn't take it seriously; his voice, even through the static, carried a hint of disdain: "Old Kang, don't give me that crap. I need actors who can carry a show, not security guards you poached from the duty room. Don't waste my time."