“Prove it?”
Nan Zhi let out a sneer, fully committing to her act as if the tiger had just told a hilarious joke.
“My Qingyun Sect honors the ancient Tushan Clan as our ancestor. The sect has existed for over six thousand years since its founding.”
“The sect is filled with talents and thousands upon thousands of fellow daoists. Any ascended ancestor is an enfeoffed god of the Heavenly Court, and any elder guarding the sect is a powerhouse of the deity transformation stage.”
“And I need to prove myself to a savage little demon like you?”
“I came up the mountain today only because I feared you would hide in terror of a Golden Core cultivator’s pressure. That is why I let these mortals scout the way first.”
“Once my senior sister arrives, you will see her Jinghong Sword with your own eyes and know the power of ‘one sword’s frost chills fourteen provinces; even a half-step nascent soul is in vain.’”
A cultivation sect with a thousand-year heritage.
Honoring the ancient Tushan Clan as ancestors, with ascended masters serving as enfeoffed gods.
If someone truly lacked worldly knowledge, they would likely feel a chill in their heart just listening to this.
It was well known that in the world of cultivation and combat, one would rather provoke an evil cultivator than a disciple of a great sect.
If you provoked the former, you could just dig a hole and bury the body; with only heaven and earth as witnesses, the chance of retaliation was minimal.
If you provoked the latter, ghost knows what kind of soul-bound treasures or escape methods they possessed.
If things weren't handled perfectly, you might end up hitting the junior only for the senior to show up, or hitting the senior only for the elder to appear.
If you were lucky enough, you might even attract a cultivation titan capable of moving mountains and filling seas, who would level your entire mountain peak.
Nan Zhi’s words sounded very intimidating at first glance.
However, if one scrutinized them, there were actually quite a few loopholes.
But there was no other way. This was a plan Nan Zhi had come up with in a moment of desperation, so it couldn't possibly be perfect.
Fortunately, the white tiger before her seemed to believe it.
“Tushan... demon... you... human,” the massive tiger head swayed, its golden eyes showing a hint of suspicion. “How... cultivate?”
It took the bait.
“There is no difference between demons and humans. In the past, Nüwa was a saint of the demon race, and she later fashioned humans from clay, allowing the human race to thrive.”
Nan Zhi was secretly delighted, but she didn't show it at all. Instead, she acted impatient.
“If humans can honor a demon saint as the ‘Mother of Humanity,’ why can't they cultivate according to the methods of demons?”
“My Qingyun Sect respects the ancient Tushan Clan as our founding ancestor. All disciples under our banner practice the Moon-Worshiping Breathing Method, adopting beast-like forms in human shape to draw in the moon essence, breathing in the cycle of the heavens to nourish ourselves...”
At the first few sentences, the white tiger was still somewhat dismissive, tilting its head as it listened.
But as soon as Nan Zhi mentioned the names of great beings like Wahuang and the Tushan Clan, it immediately stood up straight, feeling a chill run down its back.
It must be known that this white tiger was born because its mother had consumed spirit-swallowing grass, making it extraordinary from birth.
It had gained sapience and spiritual nature within Wenshan, and all the demons in the mountains honored it as king under the title of ‘Mountain Lord.’
Born in the wild, the white tiger was full of spiritual nature, but it suffered from a lack of cultivation methods. It often sighed to the moon:
Why did this world favor humans so much? For them, cultivating to attain the Dao was as simple as eating or drinking.
Look at itself—life was inherently difficult. Not only was its cultivation speed incredibly slow, but it also had to be careful at all times to avoid being hunted.
Furthermore, it often worried that cultivators would come to this place to subdue demons.
Especially recently, it found that the more humans it consumed, the more tired it felt. Yet, it had no elders to guide it and no techniques to resolve the issue.
But just now, hearing a few sentences from this dark, sturdy human, the white tiger felt as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun, filled with endless inspiration.
In its mind, there seemed to be a thin membrane covering something, a barrier it couldn't break or pierce, keeping it firmly stuck.
The white tiger instinctively wanted to hear more.
“I... demon.”
It urgently took a few steps forward, the longing in its eyes overflowing as it looked at Nan Zhi pleadingly. “Ancient... manual... I... can practice?”
“Our ancestor herself came from the Qingqiu Fox Clan. Presumably, this technique can also be practiced by the demon race.”
Nan Zhi frowned, looking the tiger up and down before shaking her head.
“Forget it, forget it. Why am I talking to a beast like you?”
“Even though my Qingyun Sect teaches all without discrimination—whether human or demon, all can join—you have eaten countless people in Wenshan and manipulated chang ghosts to take lives.”
“The killing karma you have accumulated is beyond count. Even if you could comprehend this profound technique, you are destined to be without it.”
“Forget joining my Qingyun Sect; you aren't even qualified to be my spirit beast mount.”
“Can... not... eat... humans... not eat!”
The white tiger was anxious, pacing in circles under the tree. Its thick tail lashed against the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Humans... not tasty... tiger eats... for... cultivation.”
Afraid that Nan Zhi wouldn't believe it, it opened its massive maw and spat out a short male ghost.
The male ghost landed on the ground. Nan Zhi looked closely and recognized him as Chunsheng, the hunter who had led the way for Constable Zhang and the others.
“Immortal, what the Mountain Lord says is true. It doesn't actually like eating humans; eating humans is only for the sake of cultivation.”
“It is the same logic as humans hunting rabbits, pheasants, and elk to fill their stomachs.”
Chunsheng seemed extremely fearful of the white tiger. After landing, he immediately began pleading on the tiger's behalf.
“Not eating... not eating humans.”
The white tiger gestured with its head toward the deputies controlled by the chang ghosts nearby and said craftily, “Manual... humans... exchange with you... manual. A few lines... a few lines is fine.”
To be willing to let go of prey already in its mouth showed just how much the white tiger wanted a cultivation technique.
It was good that it was interested in the Moon-Worshiping Breathing Method.
The only fear was that it wouldn't be interested.
“What do these deputies have to do with me? Whether you eat them or not, it is impossible for me to pass my sect’s technique to you.”
Nan Zhi did not agree. Instead, she sat cross-legged on the tree branch and asked curiously:
“A tiger eating humans is its nature. But since you have gained sapience and spiritual nature, you are different from ignorant, mindless beasts.”
“In that case, why do you still find pleasure in eating humans?”
By now, she had completely immersed herself in the identity of a ‘Qingyun Sect disciple.’
The highest realm of bluffing is to believe your own lies.
The white tiger circled the tree, its long tail curling around the trunk as it explained the reason in broken speech.
As it turned out, this white tiger originally didn't like eating humans either.
However, when it was young, it had seen its mother killed by a hunter and harbored deep resentment.
Once it grew up, the first thing it did was storm into the village and snatch away the old hunter’s son, Chunsheng.
To its surprise, after Chunsheng died, his soul was bound by the tiger. During the day, he was no different from a normal person.
But once night fell, he became a chang ghost who specialized in hunting for the tiger and luring people into the mountains.
Over the past decade or so, Chunsheng had lured no fewer than dozens of people into the mountains.
All of them had ended up in the tiger’s mouth.
Some, due to their resentment after death, became new chang ghosts to hunt for the tiger.
Others, who were unwilling to hunt for the tiger even as ghosts, had their souls crushed and swallowed along with their bodies by the white tiger.
Hearing this, Nan Zhi glanced at Chunsheng, who was bowing and scraping before the tiger, and thought to herself that it was no wonder Constable Zhang’s group had met with disaster.
With a chang ghost leading the way, it would be hard not to die.
“Humans... sour... stinking.”
The white tiger nodded its head, its bloody maw slightly open as it sucked Chunsheng back inside.
“Eat long time... tastes good... cultivation... good.”
Human flesh was sour and foul-smelling. Furthermore, because humans had many emotions and desires, their souls were mottled and unbearable, with a stench beyond description.
Originally, it only ate a woodcutter or a hunter when it was extremely hungry.
But later, after eating more human flesh, the white tiger actually began to distinguish the flavors.
Human brains were the best—smooth and white; swallowing them could increase wisdom.
Human hearts were second—tender and crisp; consuming them could increase agility.
Human meat was the lowest—sour and difficult to eat; consuming it could only add strength.
Rate on N.U.
