Chapter Thirty-Three: The Cunning White Tiger

Gu Weiyu walked slowly to the edge of the grassy field, retrieving a roast chicken she had prepared in advance from her storage ring. Using the Beast Taming Technique, she began to communicate, “Big White Tiger, would you like some meat?”

The moment the roast chicken emerged, it filled the air with a tantalizing aroma. It was, in fact, a seven-colored pheasant from her last mission. Not only was its meat particularly delicious, but it also contained a trace of spiritual energy—extremely beneficial to any mortal who consumed it. She had left most of it at Green Mountain Village, keeping only five in her storage ring. Were it not to entice this big white tiger, she would have been reluctant to part with even one.

The leisurely white tiger seemed momentarily stunned, as if surprised that this human intruder could actually communicate with it.

“Big White Tiger, do you want it? This roast chicken is truly delicious~” Seeing the tiger unresponsive, Gu Weiyu took a few steps closer and coaxed again.

The big tiger lazily swept its tail and rose from the grass, shaking off the clinging blades before stretching in a languid arc. It let out a low, musical growl. “The scent of this roast chicken is rather tempting.”

A deep voice echoed in Gu Weiyu’s mind. Her face lit up with delight; at last, she had met a creature she could converse with, even if it was only an ordinary tiger.

She cautiously moved closer, tossing the roast chicken onto the grass near the tiger. “Big White Tiger, here’s some roast chicken for you!”

The savory aroma was irresistible. The white tiger flicked its long tail, sniffed the chicken, and in one gulp, swallowed it whole.

“Hmm, not bad at all,” the tiger commented lazily, lying back on the grass and chewing contentedly. This must be seven-colored pheasant—who knew it would taste so good roasted? Next time, it would have to try for itself.

Sensing the tiger’s good mood, Gu Weiyu pressed her luck. “Big White Tiger, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?” The tiger’s clear eyes glinted with understanding. So, this human had come with a favor to ask—no wonder she brought roast chicken. Still, it licked its lips; another would be nice...

“Could you tell me why there was a beast tide here last month?” Gu Weiyu carefully phrased her question, watching the tiger nervously after she finished.

“Well...” The tiger’s eyes sparkled slyly, its tail swinging lazily. “I’d like another piece of roast chicken.”

Gu Weiyu paused. Was the tiger actually bargaining with her? Why did it suddenly remind her of her own great-grandfather?

Thinking of the four roast chickens left in her storage bag, she gritted her teeth and pulled out another. “I’ll give you more roast chicken—but you have to answer my question.”

“Easily done,” purred the tiger, rumbling with pleasure. Never had it met such a foolish human who’d bring it roast chicken to eat!

Gu Weiyu tossed the chicken near the tiger and watched as it devoured the offering, unconsciously swallowing her own saliva. She suddenly craved a taste herself.

Once the tiger finished, Gu Weiyu couldn’t wait any longer and pressed, “Big White Tiger, can you tell me now?”

“You mean the beast tide? Well, let me tell you—a rare treasure has appeared around here, and all the high-level demon beasts want to claim it for themselves. They don’t allow ordinary beasts near, driving them off at the slightest provocation,” the tiger said, a mocking glint in its eyes. “But so what if the common beasts flee? What does it matter?”

Gu Weiyu’s eyes sparkled. She had chosen well—there was so much information hidden in the tiger’s words. She felt closer than ever to the truth she sought.

A rare spiritual treasure had appeared in Qilin Mountain, guarded by high-level demon beasts, and ordinary ones were driven away if they approached. Ordinarily, with such guardianship, you’d expect lesser beasts to stay away—so why did beast tides still erupt periodically?

Unless... the treasure was so rare that, though ordinary beasts lacked intelligence, instinct compelled them to draw near!

“I know where the treasure is. Want me to take you to see it?” Warm breath brushed Gu Weiyu’s neck as a deep voice sounded in her mind, dragging her out of her reverie.

She looked up abruptly to find the white tiger now standing right beside her, its clear eyes shining with sincerity.

Should she go? An internal struggle began, and she instinctively ignored the oddity of the tiger’s knowledge.

“All right. If it’s really something good, I’ll give you more roast chicken!” Curiosity triumphed, and she gazed at the tiger in anticipation.

“Follow me, then!” The white tiger swung its tail and led the way toward the far side of the pool.

A bright smile spread across Gu Weiyu’s face. She hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly—she’d known she could handle this mission! The thousand contribution points would soon be hers. With a spring in her step, she followed behind the tiger.

Though the tiger seemed to stroll at leisure, its pace was shockingly quick. Gu Weiyu had to use her Thunderflash technique to keep up, marveling inwardly—though just an ordinary tiger, it was impressively fast.

“Is the treasure up in the mountains?” she asked as the tiger led her ever higher.

The tiger grunted a single affirmative sound, keeping its eyes on the path.

To Gu Weiyu’s surprise, their ascent was unimpeded—not a single ordinary or demon beast appeared along the way.

The mountain wind howled, and somewhere below, a stream babbled noisily. Gu Weiyu glanced around—surely they were near the cliff’s edge by now?

“Big White Tiger, are we there yet?” she called, eyeing the ever-steepening rock face and feeling a sudden unease.

“Almost. Just up ahead, on the cliff face.” The tiger halted, turning to look at her. “Do you still want to go?”

Gu Weiyu hesitated, then steeled herself. After all, it was only an ordinary beast—what was there to fear? With renewed determination, she followed.

At last, the tiger stopped atop a massive boulder beside the cliff, gazing down.

Gu Weiyu hurried to the stone and, imitating the tiger, looked below:

On a steep rock face, a small tree less than a meter tall held nine dazzling fruits—one each in red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet, every color of the rainbow.

“The roast chicken,” the tiger prompted, lazily flicking its tail.

Gu Weiyu kept her word, taking out the chicken. “Here you go.”

She blinked. The little tree looked utterly ordinary, and the fruits, apart from their varied hues, seemed unremarkable. If anything set them apart, it was their colors—so like the glowing motes she’d seen before, crystalline and lustrous.

“This is the treasure you spoke of?” Gu Weiyu sneered, about to turn away when a sudden gust whipped at her neck.

“Aah—!” Swept by a tremendous force, Gu Weiyu plunged headfirst down the cliff.