“Your father and I raised you as the apple of our eye, and after all the effort it took to get you this far, we almost lost you again.”
Chen Jingui checked Nan Zhi over as if she were a little piglet, her eyes filled with both tears and relief.
“Good, good. Your arms are still there, and both your legs are fine. Does it hurt? Are you hungry?
“No, that won't do. Your wounds are still bleeding. We’re going to the clinic first.
“Just you wait until I get back; I’m going to break that brat Nan Yi’s legs!
“He knows he’s a useless brat without an ounce of muscle, yet he dared to follow Constable Zhang to catch a tiger. He has no regard for his own life, and he even dragged his eldest sister into it.
“At such a critical moment, he actually fainted from fright and left you all alone in the mountains?”
As she spoke, Chen Jingui began to cry bitterly again, holding Nan Zhi tightly and refusing to let go.
To the side, Zhang Long’s expression was subtle. He said nothing, silently rubbing his nose.
——It was best not to provoke a woman protecting her young, especially when she was in a state of fury.
The only thing he could do now was keep his mouth shut.
“Mom, I’m really fine. It just looks like a serious injury, but I’ll be better after a few days of rest.
“Besides, Nan Yi had no choice. The tiger of Wenshan was cunning; it had already demonized. It usually controlled tiger-changs to make people think the creature causing trouble in the mountains was just an ordinary tiger.
“This really isn't Constable Zhang’s fault. They had orders from above; how could they, as yamen runners, refuse?
“Furthermore, if Nan Yi had stayed, he would have only hindered me and kept me from going all out.”
Seeing Chen Jingui’s expression, Nan Zhi felt a strange sense of pity for Nan Yi.
——Don’t be fooled by how much Chen Jingui usually doted on her children; at critical moments, her word was law, and even Nan Dazhuang didn't dare to talk back to her.
This time, Nan Yi’s backside was likely going to suffer.
Indeed, although the Nan couple didn't usually hit their children, Nan Yi had been beaten several times while growing up.
Once was for playing with firecrackers and setting someone’s woodpile on fire.
Another time was for taking Nan Zhi out and losing his eldest sister.
This would likely be the third time.
“He’s a man, and he’s lived a dozen years longer than you. He should have stood in front of you. Since you were dragged into this because of him, he is in the wrong.”
Chen Jingui didn't dwell on that and instead kept feeling around Nan Zhi’s body.
“Does it still hurt? You lost so much blood from these wounds. Tomorrow, I’ll go to your maternal grandparents' house and bring back several fat yellow chickens. Don't you love eating those?
“I’ll stew soup for you every day. I’ll buy a ginseng root to nourish you. Oh, and your father knows a few hunters; I’ll have him buy some deer whip, bear paws, and snake gall...”
Nan Zhi felt that if she didn't interrupt soon, this conversation would head straight toward being censored.
“Mom, I’m just injured. Why would I eat all those things?”
Nan Zhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was about to say something when she saw a man who looked older than Chen Jingui kneel down before her and give three loud kowtows: thud, thud, thud.
“Benefactor! Please accept a bow from Niu Dadan!
“That demon tiger was incredibly powerful. For over ten years, we don't know how many people from our village it harmed.
“Hunters didn't dare go up the mountain to hunt, woodcutters didn't dare go up to chop wood, and even those gathering herbs had to be on guard against being eaten by the tiger.
“We people of Wenshan Village hated that tiger to our very bones!
“Now that you have killed that beast, you are the great benefactor of our entire Wenshan Village!
“In the future, we will certainly build a living shrine for you, chant sutras and pray for your blessings before the Bodhisattva every day, and offer incense and sacrifices to ensure you live a long life!”
Nan Zhi didn't know how to respond.
She was cultivating to become an immortal. If she really only lived for a hundred years, how would that be any different from dying young?
She dodged to the side, not accepting the gesture, and asked curiously:
“The demon tiger was rampaging and eating people since over ten years ago. Why didn't you report it to the Demon Suppression Division and have them send someone to handle it?”
“Those useless, corrupt officials... we don't know how many times we reported it or how many times we sent word up, but we never saw any yamen runners come up the mountain to catch the tiger.
“Not to mention a place like the Demon Suppression Division. How could common folk like us, who don't even know which way the yamen gates open, ever hope to invite them?”
Niu Dadan gritted his teeth, his face full of satisfaction.
“Now that the tiger is dead, and it was killed by someone from Dingyuan, I doubt our county magistrate will have the face to show himself!”
Although Nan Zhi wasn't entirely clear on the relationship between the Demon Suppression Division and the local yamen, she understood that each county had its own jurisdiction.
Wenshan had a tiger problem. If the county yamen couldn't handle it, they should have reported it to their superiors to have it dealt with.
But the white tiger had been lingering here for over a decade. Even with tiger-changs to deceive people, the people of the Demon Suppression Division couldn't have been completely ignorant.
There must be something fishy going on.
Before Nan Zhi could figure it out, she saw people bringing sedans and flatbeds up the mountain. The massive procession formed a long line, looking like a colony of ants moving house from a distance.
In such a short time, some were beating gongs and others were playing drums as they climbed the mountain path. When they saw the fierce tiger on the ground, there was another round of exclamations and weeping.
A group of people consulted Nan Zhi, then used hemp ropes to bind the tiger's corpse and thick wooden poles to carry it. It took eight sturdy men working together just to barely lift the headless tiger.
“What are they doing?”
Nan Zhi was a bit confused.
She could have clearly put the tiger into her inventory and carried it down easily, but everyone insisted on carrying it down by hand.
Zhang Long laughed and stroked his beard as he explained to her:
“The people around Wenshan have long hated this demon tiger to the bone. They can't wait to skin it, pull out its tendons, and grind its bones just to vent their anger!
“Now that you’ve killed the tiger, Sister Nan, you naturally can't return home in secret. You must be carried down the mountain in glory so all the people of Wen County can see!”
After he spoke, several families who had brought horse-drawn carriages to meet them rushed forward to pull at Nan Zhi, who was surrounded by the crowd.
“Sister Nan! Quick, get on!”
“Hero who slew the tiger! Quick, get on our family's carriage!”
“Bah! Your ox cart is full of manure; how could you even ask her to sit on it?”
“It’s better to take our carriage! Our horse is steady!”
The group argued incessantly, nearly coming to blows over the two issues of “whose carriage Nan Zhi should ride” and “who would drive the carriage for the tiger-slaying hero.”
In the end, Niu Dadan took the job.
He was beaming with pride, looking as if he shared in the glory.
“Boom, boom, boom! Boom, boom, boom!”
“Clang, clang, clang! Clang, clang! Clang, clang, clang!”
“Boom, boom, boom!”
“Clang, clang, clang!”
The group descended the mountain with great fanfare. In front, people beat gongs and drums, while others ran ahead to clear the way.
Following them were eight sturdy men with bare chests, carrying a headless tiger corpse that looked like a mountain of meat.
At the very back was Nan Zhi, sitting on a carriage with its cabin removed, calmly holding the hideous tiger head.
Her wounds had been bandaged and treated with medicine. The white bandages were covered by a large red silk ball, hidden from view.
——She really didn't know how they had managed to gather all this equipment in such a short time.
The procession of the tiger slaying descended the mountain and circled the main streets of Wen County three full times.
That hideous, terrifying tiger head and the massive, extraordinary body made people both awed and afraid.
Many people called their friends to come out and see the tiger-slaying hero, and others who heard the news rushed over to watch the spectacle.
For a time, the small Wen County saw its streets deserted as everyone crowded the parade route. It was a sea of people, like wave after wave of a black tide.
Everyone was cheering.
Men, women, the elderly, children, village women, fishermen, scholars, and beggars.
Every face bore the same look of joy.
Countless silk kerchiefs and scented pouches were thrown onto the carriage, hitting Nan Zhi right on the head.
Staring at the exquisitely embroidered pouches, Nan Zhi couldn't help but think seriously:
Her body was a bit dark, but surely she didn't look so much like a man that people couldn't tell the difference?
Looking up, she saw groups of young women with eyes full of admiration and affection.
Seeing Nan Zhi look over, the girls covered their faces and laughed, waving to her.
It had nothing to do with gender; it was pure excitement and appreciation.
Some even threw vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices onto the carriage. Nan Zhi and the tiger head were nearly marinated.
Nan Zhi dodged.
An eggplant landed on the carriage.
She dodged again.
This time it was a handful of Sichuan peppercorns.
She kept dodging.
Someone even took advantage of the chaos to throw red ropes and fertility charms.
Nan Zhi: ???
What was wrong with them? They’d worship anything they saw.
“What a massive demon tiger! It must have had hundreds of years of cultivation!”
“No, no, I heard this tiger could speak and was very hard to deal with. A constable from Dingyuan even died.”
“Oh, it’s truly terrifying!”
“Whoa! It’s a monster! Someone killed a monster!”
“Isn't that the butcher Nan’s silly daughter? How did she become a tiger-slaying hero?”
“Don't talk nonsense! She learned immortal skills in a dream and killed a fierce tiger all by herself!”
“I heard this tiger was thirty feet long, with a head like a hill and a mouth like a doorway!”
“I also heard that this tiger became a spirit and tricked people into becoming ghosts just so it could eat them!”
“What a powerful girl... it’s just that she looks a bit...”
“She looks like a living Zhong Kui!”
“I heard touching the tiger’s head brings wealth. Did you touch it?”
“No, but I managed to touch the Nan family’s eldest daughter. I bet no ghost will ever dare come near me again!”
Everyone was discussing the demon tiger.
Every person present remembered that dark, sturdy, female warrior holding the tiger head and draped in red silk.
But unfortunately, the procession did not stay in Wen County. Instead, with the sound of pipes and drums, they headed straight for Dingyuan.
The excitement followed the procession toward Dingyuan.
Now, the people of both Dingyuan and Wen County were completely buzzing.
Rate on N.U.
