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Published at 2nd of June 2023 02:21:17 PM


Chapter 95

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When Grown-ups are Busy, Good Kids Play Patiently in the Sand

Tiger is a tiger, or so everyone says.

At least, that’s what everyone says.

Because in his memory, he has never seen another tiger.

In truth, if you were to ask, he would probably prefer to be a horse or a bird soaring in the sky.

There’s no way around it, because tigers can’t just stroll around the city streets.

Although Tiger doesn’t have a taste for humans, whenever others see him, they scream in terror, making him scratch his head in annoyance. It’s really disheartening for someone as acutely attuned to sound as himself.

Can you believe that some people actually faint upon seeing him? Is it really that exaggerated?

Clearly, with his graceful posture and beautiful fur, there’s no need for such fear of him, he wonders.

Tiger is puzzled, Tiger just can’t understand humans.

So every other day, in the dead of night, Ming Qin would secretly take the restless tiger, confined within the house, outside, allowing him to run and roll in the expansive forest.

Sitting on a rock, waiting, Ming Qin would prop up her chin, deep in thought.

“Hey, Tiger,” she began, earnestly asking, “do you want to go back to the forest where you used to live?”

Tiger, who was in the midst of chasing a butterfly, froze and looked at his master. He wasn’t entirely clear on what the dear human before him was saying, but his tiger instincts were buzzing with a continuous alarm.

Ignoring the fluttering blue butterfly, Tiger, all dirty and unkempt, lowered his tail and affectionately nudged Ming Qin’s hand with his head, revealing his soft belly like a large, playful cat, seemingly trying to be endearing.

His master’s expression is very strange!

Although Tiger couldn’t fully understand what she was saying, it’s better to show vulnerability first!

“Meow…” Ming Qin gently stroked the tiger’s soft belly, sighed, and wore a face of distress. “But now you’ve been pampered with lavish food and gotten all chubby. I reckon even if you were to return to the forest, you’d be quite picky and might not even catch a single rabbit.”

Tiger still couldn’t comprehend.

Tiger felt that his master wasn’t saying kind words.

Yet he dared not anger, nor utter a word.

In the distance, the sun was slowly rising, and Ming Qin stood up, brushing off the dust from her knees, signaling Tiger to get ready to leave. Side by side, they walked towards the first rays of morning light.

The mighty tiger, returning from its outing, lazily lay in the shade of the veranda, enjoying the gentle breeze of early summer.

Observing his master, who swung a curved blade in the yard, with each rise and fall of the sharp edge, the air was sliced open, emitting a swooshing sound.

Many people praised Tiger as a magnificent tiger.

But Tiger himself didn’t feel that way.

Twitching his ears, Tiger tilted his large head, deep in thought.

The woman before him, with pursed lips and focused eyes, was a human who could easily evoke a primal instinct within him, causing him to tremble and submit.

Although she always smiled and didn’t mind being playfully restrained by the sharp claws of a beast, as soon as he made a fundamental mistake, her face would abruptly darken, emanating an unparalleled aura of power.

Fortunately, the five-year-old Tiger had already figured out his master’s boundaries through continuous trial and error, and her boundary was that white-haired woman.

Murong Yan, holding a cane, walked out of the house and waved at the shadow guard wielding a blade in the yard. The latter promptly sheathed the weapon and joyfully rushed towards the beloved woman.

“Yan Yan, are you awake? Did you sleep well? Are you hungry? I just bought some steamed buns, want to eat?” Ming Qin asked as she opened her mouth, intending to lift Murong Yan in her arms but remembered she had a thin layer of sweat on her body, so she stopped in her tracks.

“I slept very well.” Without any aversion, Murong Yan approached and took out a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe the sweat off Ming Qin’s brow, who was bending over. “I’m not very hungry. Let’s eat together.”

She discarded her cane and embraced the person in front of her.

Their foreheads touched, followed by a tender kiss.

Tiger, watching the intimate interaction between the two in the yard, had long grown accustomed to it and silently let out a big yawn on the side.

Whenever she saw her beloved person getting hurt, the previously tranquil air around his master would instantly be shattered by a burst of murderous intent, stirring up raging waves, even if the thing causing harm to the woman wasn’t human.

Once, the big tiger saw through the window that the white-haired woman, who had never cooked before, accidentally cut her hand while attempting to prepare dinner. The next day, that not-so-sharp knife disappeared overnight, melted down by his master into a horseshoe, never to be seen in the house again.

Even when Tiger playfully got a little too excited and accidentally knocked the bamboo staff out of the white-haired woman’s hand, the always cheerful master would grab him by the scruff of the neck, furrowing her brow and sternly reprimanding him to calm down.

But even in Ming Qin’s absence, Tiger never dared to misbehave in front of Murong Yan alone.

Why is that?

Apart from Ming Qin’s solemn instructions, the main reason is that Murong Yan holds the biggest lifeline of the mighty tiger.

And that lifeline is food.

Meow… in a certain sense, Tiger might be even more afraid of this woman who lacks martial skills.

The beast, lying prostrate on the ground, rose up and leisurely approached the two, affectionately nudging the white-haired woman’s palm with the tip of his nose. Him throat emitted a purring sound of seeking affection.

“Are you hungry?” Murong Yan asked, lowering her head and looking at her beloved pet. She took the cane picked up by Ming Qin and made her way to the kitchen in the inner courtyard.

Although this courtyard couldn’t compare to any of the places the princess resided in the capital, it still retained an exquisite charm.

As Murong Yan disliked being approached by strangers, and the grown-up Tiger easily evoked fear in people, the outer courtyard only had two maids and a cook. They only entered the inner courtyard for scheduled cleaning and meal delivery, never casually stepping inside.

In the kitchen, under the bamboo cover, there were bowls of congee cooked to a soft and tender texture, various side dishes, and the steamed buns Ming Qin had just bought. In the corner, there was a whole chicken prepared specifically for Tiger.

Ming Qin swiftly removed the cover and prepared the utensils, while Tiger anxiously paced outside, repeatedly licking his lips and nose.

Murong Yan carried a hook and approached Tiger.

“Sit.”

A brief command.

The wild beast obediently sat down.

“Good.” She handed the food to Tiger’s mouth, allowing him to take it and leave. Then, she returned to the kitchen to have breakfast with Ming Qin.

Although Tiger preferred lamb legs, he still happily finished devouring the entire plump chicken.

He approached the edge of the fish pond, lowered his head to drink water. The warm sunlight and gentle breeze made him irresistibly sleepy.

When he lazily opened his eyes, he realized that an unknown amount of time had passed, and the sun had already set.

Tiger rolled around in the yard, then shook off the dust from his body, searching for his master.

Could these two humans have gone out to play without him again?

Tiger lifted his head, his moist nose sniffing the air, and he circled around the fish pond to reach the veranda.

He twitched his ears and heard a woman’s exclamation coming from inside the room. “Ah Qin, you can’t.”

“Can’t I? But the book says you’ll be happy,” replied Ming Qin, her voice muffled. “Did I do it wrong?”

“It’s not…,” murmured Murong Yan through gritted teeth, suppressing her voice. “Ah Qin, you did well, it’s just too dirty.”

“It’s not dirty,” responded Ming Qin, her voice once again muffled by something. “We’ve done it before.”

“When?” the woman exclaimed in disbelief, her voice raised.

“During the carriage ride. It’s not dirty, and it doesn’t taste bad,” Ming Qin’s voice was only reduced to a muffled grunt in the latter part.

Are these two humans secretly eating something delicious behind my back?

Could it be they’re having a big leg of lamb?

Tiger paced back and forth on the veranda, then anxiously scratched at the door, wanting to go inside and take a look.

Hesitant to extend his claws, Tiger instead used his thick paw to push open the door. After much effort, a narrow crack appeared, and Tiger eagerly squeezed his snout inside.

But as he finally managed to wedge his large head through the door, he saw no trace of exotic delicacies. Apart from an inexplicable sweet and greasy scent in the air, there was not even a hint of the aroma of lamb.

Tiger saw the woman with white hair sitting on a high chair, while his master knelt before her with both knees on the ground, burying her head.

“Ming Qin… Take it slowly,” Murong Yan weakly pushed the person beneath her, gripping her neck. “Tiger, Tiger is outside.”

Ming Qin, with her head lowered, raised her gaze, her brows furrowed in dissatisfaction. She turned her head towards the beast that interrupted her, using a hoarse voice to speak, “Tiger.”

Her own territory invaded, the shadow guard, with her eyes obscured by stray hair, rarely displayed such coldness. The water reflected off her chin.

“Leave this place.”

Without thinking, Ming Qin picked up the scattered belt that belonged to Murong Yan and swung the front part, landing it on Tiger’s poking face.

Startled by the hit, Tiger quickly took a few steps back. Although it didn’t hurt at all, he felt incredibly wronged.

How infuriating!

Master must be excluding me from their playtime again! They always do this!

With his nose tingling from the hit, Tiger sat in the corridor, sneezing uncontrollably.

Feeling pushed aside, the mighty Tiger made his way to the wooden trellis next to the courtyard gate, covered in tangled vines. He meticulously sharpened his claws, one by one.

A faint sound.

The once lazy Tiger suddenly became alert, his gaze sharpening as he looked up at the courtyard wall.

Tiger crouched low, alert and ready to pounce, prepared to teach the unwelcome intruder a lesson.

“No, no, no!” As a shadow fell upon the wall, Song Shu Qing hurriedly waved her hands towards the fierce beast with his tail raised, “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me.”

“I haven’t even crossed the wall yet, and you’ve already spotted me. My agility skills definitely need improvement,” she descended and gently stroked Tiger’s cautious head, “This place is still as secure as ever, like a fortress.”

In the courtyard where Murong Yan resided, there were no guards, yet it could be considered the safest place in the entire Shu region.

Apart from the local authorities who patrolled the surroundings regularly, there was also a fierce beast stationed in the inner courtyard at all times.

The most important of all was the constant, 365 days a year, 24/7, unwavering protection from the former capital’s strongest and everlasting shadow guard.

In Song Shu Qing’s eyes, even if the world was plagued by the zombie virus and every county and city had fallen, this relatively small courtyard would still be the last stronghold of humanity. It would withstand the relentless siege of hundreds and thousands of twisted-necked, legless zombies.

Yes, if such a day ever came, she would definitely bring her beloved wife here as the first priority.

“Tiger, where is your master?” Forcing herself to stop the wandering thoughts in her mind, Song Shu Qing lowered her head and asked.

With an annoyed flick of his tail, Tiger still wore a look of resentment as he nudged the woman’s feet, urging her to walk towards the corridor.

Before reaching halfway, Song Shu Qing, who had excellent hearing, stopped in her tracks.

“Oh no, we can’t go any further.”

Supporting her forehead, Song Shu Qing looked at the wild beast circling around her feet. “Are you so grumpy because you were just kicked out?”

With a purring sound from his throat, seemingly expressing affirmation, the shadow guard spoke to the tiger in that manner, “Don’t be rude, little Tiger. When grown-ups are busy, good kids play patiently in the sand.” Patting his furry head, Song Shu Qing sighed, “Forget it, forget it. Do you want to come with me to find my dear Zi Yan to play?”

Zi Yan?

Tiger recognized that name—it was the woman who bit her lip and restrained herself from screaming the first time they met. As they grew acquainted, although she still stiffened her body when Tiger approached, she would also tremble while feeding him bits of meat during her cooking sessions.

He liked Zi Yan!

Pushing open the courtyard gate, Song Shu Qing quietly ventured out with the big tiger, whispering, “You wait patiently at the teahouse, be a good boy, and then Zi Yan will let you come and play again.” Then she muttered to herself, “Strange… why do I feel like a neighbor taking care of someone else’s child on a honeymoon trip?”

Watching the eager beast trotting ahead, the woman could only quicken her pace to keep up.

“Damn it, I’m sacrificing so much. The princess should really give me a big red envelope.”




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