“Prove it?”
Nan Zhi sneered, putting on quite the airs as if the tiger had just told a hilarious joke:
“My Qingyun Sect venerates the ancient Tushan Clan as our ancestor; over six millennia have passed since our sect’s founding.
“Our sect is brimming with talent, with millions of Daoist peers. Any patriarch who ascended is an enfeoffed god of the Heavenly Court, and every single elder guarding the sect is a mighty powerhouse at the deity transformation stage.
“Do I really need to prove anything to a barbaric little demon like you?
“The only reason I came up the mountain today and had these mortals scout the path first was out of fear that you'd cower before the aura of a Golden Core cultivator and hide away without showing your face.
“Once my senior sister arrives, you will witness her Jinghong Sword with your own eyes and learn what it means when they say, ‘A single sword frosts fourteen provinces; even a half-step Nascent Soul struggles in vain’!”
Talk of cultivation sects and thousand-year lineages...
Talk of venerating the ancient Tushan Clan and ascended patriarchs being enfeoffed gods...
Anyone who was truly ignorant would likely feel their blood run cold just listening to it.
Everyone knew that when fighting in the cultivation world, one would rather offend an evil cultivator than provoke a disciple of a major sect.
Offend the former, and you could just dig a hole somewhere, bury the corpse, and with only heaven and earth knowing, the odds of retaliation were minuscule.
Offend the latter, and ghost knew what life-bound treasures or escape arts they had on them.
If not handled properly, beat the small one and the big one comes; beat the big one and the old monster appears.
If you were lucky enough, you might even attract an immortal big shot capable of moving mountains and draining seas, who would flatten your entire mountaintop.
Nan Zhi’s words sounded exceptionally intimidating at first glance.
Yet upon careful scrutiny, there were actually quite a few plot holes.
Still, there was no helping it; this was an improvisation born of quick wit, so it naturally couldn't be flawless.
Fortunately, the white tiger in front of her seemed to buy it.
“Tushan, demon. You, human.”
The massive white tiger head shook, a sliver of suspicion flickering in its golden pupils:
“How, cultivate?”
Hooked.
“There is no difference between humans and demons. In ancient days, Lady Nüwa was a saint of the Demon race before she molded clay to create humankind, allowing humanity to thrive endlessly.”
Nan Zhi secretly rejoiced in her heart, but didn't show it in the slightest. Instead, she put on an impatient tone:
“Humans can venerate a saint of the Demon race as the Mother of Humanity, so why can't we cultivate using the methods of demons?
“Our Qingyun Sect honors the ancient Tushan Clan as our founding ancestor, and our disciples all practice the 《Moon-Worshiping Breathing Method》. Assuming animalistic postures in human form, we channel the Moon Essence to circulate through our heavenly cycles and nourish our bodies...”
During the first couple of sentences, the white tiger still showed some disdain, tilting its head as it listened.
But the moment Nan Zhi mentioned the names of mighty powerhouses like Wahuang the Mother of Humanity and the Tushan Clan, it immediately sat upright, feeling a chill run down its spine.
One had to know that this white tiger was born after its mother consumed spirit-swallowing grass; it was extraordinary from birth.
Having gained spiritual awareness and enlightenment on Wenshan, all the demons in the mountain honored it as their king under the title of “Mountain Lord.”
Born in the wilderness, although it was full of spirituality, it suffered from a lack of cultivation methods and often sighed beneath the moon:
Why did heaven and earth favor humans so much, making their cultivation and attainment of the Dao seem as effortless as eating and drinking?
Looking at itself, survival was arduous enough. Not only was its cultivation progress agonizingly slow, but it also had to be constantly vigilant against human hunters.
Even worse, it constantly feared that immortal cultivators would come to subdue demons.
Especially recently, it had noticed that the more humans it consumed, the more sluggish and exhausted its body felt. Yet it had neither elders to guide it nor a cultivation technique to resolve the issue.
Yet just now, listening to these mere few sentences from this dark and sturdy human, it felt as though the clouds had parted to reveal the sun, granting it boundless inspiration.
—In its mind, it was as if a thin film had been draped over something, impenetrable and unbreakable, stubbornly keeping it stuck.
Subconsciously, the white tiger yearned to hear more.
“I, demon.”
Taking several urgent steps forward, longing practically spilled from its eyes as it stared eagerly at Nan Zhi:
“Ancient, method... I, can practice?”
“Our founding ancestor herself hailed from the Qingqiu Fox Clan, so presumably, the Demon race can cultivate it too.”
Frowning, Nan Zhi looked the tiger up and down, then shook her head:
“Forget it, forget it. Why am I even talking to a beast like you?
“Although my Qingyun Sect teaches all without discrimination—allowing humans and demons alike to join our ranks...
“...you have devoured countless people on Wenshan and manipulated chang ghosts to claim human lives.
“The killing karma and evil consequences you have forged are beyond counting. Even if you could comprehend this profound technique, you are not fated for it.
“Never mind joining my Qingyun Sect, you aren't even qualified to serve as my spirit beast mount!”
“Can, not, eat, humans! No eat!”
Overcome with urgency, the white tiger paced in circles beneath the tree, its thick, heavy tail thrashing the ground and kicking up clouds of dust:
“Humans, not tasty. Tiger eats, to, cultivate.”
Terrified that Nan Zhi wouldn't believe it, it opened its gaping maw and spat out a short male ghost.
The male ghost tumbled to the ground. Taking a closer look, Nan Zhi recognized him as the hunter Chunsheng, who had guided Constable Zhang and the others.
“Immortal, the Mountain Lord speaks the truth. It never liked eating humans; consuming them was only for cultivation.
“It’s just like humans hunting rabbits, pheasants, and deer to fill their bellies—it’s the exact same principle.”
Seemingly terrified of the white tiger, Chunsheng immediately pleaded on the tiger’s behalf upon hitting the ground.
“No eat, no eat humans.”
The white tiger nudged its head toward the nearby yamen officers controlled by chang ghosts, bargaining cunningly:
“Method... Humans, trade with you, for method. Few sentences, few sentences okay.”
—Willing to release prey already in its jaws, one could see just how desperately this white tiger yearned for a cultivation method.
It was good that it was interested in the 《Moon-Worshiping Breathing Method》.
The only fear was that it wouldn't take the bait.
“What do these yamen officers have to do with me? Whether you eat them or not, there is no way I will impart my sect’s technique to you.”
Nan Zhi didn't agree. Instead, she sat cross-legged on the tree branch and asked curiously:
“A tiger eating humans is instinctual nature. But since you have gained spiritual awareness and enlightenment, you are distinct from ignorant wild beasts.
“If so, why do you still eat humans for pleasure?”
By now, she had completely immersed herself into the identity of a “Qingyun Sect disciple.”
The highest realm of bluffing is when even you yourself believe it without a shadow of doubt.
The white tiger paced another circle beneath the tree, wrapping its long tail around the trunk, and stammered out the reason.
As it turned out, the white tiger hadn't liked eating humans originally either.
It was just that in its youth, it harbored deep hatred after seeing its mother slain by a hunter.
Once grown, the first thing it did was raid the village and carry off Chunsheng, the son of that old hunter.
Who knew that after Chunsheng died, his soul was bound by the tiger; by day, he seemed no different from an ordinary person.
Yet whenever night fell, he became a chang ghost dedicated to hunting for the tiger and luring people into the mountains.
Over the past dozen or so years, Chunsheng had lured no fewer than dozens of people into the mountain.
All of them ended up in the tiger's maw.
Some, filled with unwillingness in death, transformed into new chang ghosts to hunt on the tiger’s behalf.
Others refused to hunt for the tiger even as ghosts, and were chewed to pieces along with their souls by the white tiger.
Hearing this, Nan Zhi glanced at Chunsheng, who bowed and scraped before the fierce tiger, thinking to herself that it was no wonder Constable Zhang and his men had met with disaster.
Finding a chang ghost to guide the way, it would be a miracle if they didn't die.
“Humans, sour, stinky.”
The white tiger nodded its head, parting its bloody maw slightly to suck Chunsheng back inside:
“Eat long, tasty. Cultivate, good.”
Human flesh was sour and foul. Moreover, humans harbored the seven emotions and six desires, making their souls intolerably impure and sickeningly rank.
Originally, it had only eaten one or two woodcutters or hunters when it was starving.
Later on, however, having consumed so much human flesh, the white tiger gradually began to savor the flavors within.
Human brain was the best: smooth and white, swallowing it increased wisdom.
Human heart came second: tender and delicious, consuming it boosted agility.
Human flesh was the lowest tier: sour, astringent, and hard to swallow, but eating it added strength.
Rate on N.U.
