“Before I die, I still have one last wish.”
The white tiger had seen many dead people, and it had also seen many people's reactions before their deaths.
Some were calm and dignified, some wept bitter tears, some wailed and begged for mercy, and some were so terrified that they ended their own lives.
Yet it had never seen anyone who could actually smile in the face of imminent death.
Half of the dark, sturdy young woman's arm had been crushed and discarded carelessly to the side. Beneath her, a vast pool of crimson blood had spread, looking like a sheet of red gauze spread under her body.
Due to excessive blood loss, her dark skin had taken on a ghastly gray pallor, while flecks of blood spattered her cheeks, eyelids, and forehead.
“I’m going to die anyway.”
Enduring the agonizing pain, her lips trembled slightly:
“Why doesn't the Mountain Lord satisfy the curiosity of a dying person like me?
In exchange, I’ll give you the remaining chants of the 《Moon-Worshiping Breathing Method》.”
The chang ghosts hiding in the forest floated out, pointing and whispering at Nan Zhi:
“She’s about to die...”
“This person is so strange.”
“Do you think she’ll turn into a ghost after she dies?”
“Then the Mountain Lord will have a new chang ghost to command.”
Blood still trickled from the wound in its right eye. The white tiger cautiously circled around Nan Zhi, its fangs hovering just over her throat, ready to bite down at any moment.
The temptation of a cultivation method was simply too great for it.
If it obtained a cultivation technique, it would no longer have to live every day in constant fear.
What was more, that was a method passed down from the ancient great demon of the Tushan Clan.
If it had the fortune to cultivate it...
Even if it crossed paths with Daoists from the Demon Suppression Division, it could swallow them whole in a single gulp.
The white tiger slightly eased its fangs from Nan Zhi's neck.
It exhaled a puff of white mist, and an ash-gray shadow dropped to the ground like a wad of kneaded, softened white clay.
This wad of “white clay” landed on the ground, gradually morphing into human form.
Eyes.
Nose.
Limbs.
In the end, it turned back into the shape of Chunsheng.
With a flick of the white tiger's tail as a signal, Chunsheng immediately helped Nan Zhi up, propping her against the tree.
Nan Zhi coughed up another mouthful of blood, but she could tell.
The white tiger was clearly swayed by her proposal.
“You, ask. Lie again, die.”
Enduring its fury, the white tiger dug its two front paws into the dirt, gouging out several deep pits before roaring at her:
“Humans, cunning! Wicked!”
“Cough, cough, cough, cough...”
The dark, sturdy young woman coughed up another large mouthful of blood, her vision unfocused as she struggled to voice her question:
“My knife is extraordinarily sharp, and it has slain two Greater Ghosts; ordinary little demons can’t withstand a single blow from it. How could you possibly bite through and shatter it?”
“Tiger, cultivates, iron skin, very hard. Human knife, cannot hurt.”
The white tiger couldn't help feeling a bit smug, swishing its tail.
Its right eye had been blown to bits by Nan Zhi, the eyeball turned inside out. A mixture of yellowish-white fluid and blood smeared across its face, making it look even more hideous.
Lifting its head high, the white tiger exhaled a long trail of white mist and spoke in a tone full of disdain:
“Humans, weak, cannot hurt, tiger.
“Tiger, powerful. Only fears, hunter’s, arrow.”
It seemed to relish Nan Zhi’s mangled, broken state, excitedly licking the blood from her face as its barbed tongue scraped away a layer of skin:
“Hunter, died. Hunter’s child, chang ghost, chang ghost.”
The white tiger glanced at Chunsheng, seemingly boasting to Nan Zhi:
“Revenge! Revenge! Tiger, powerful! More powerful than humans! Tiger, not afraid!”
Chunsheng stood to the side with his head bowed, his expression conflicted.
The gaze he directed at the white tiger was mixed with far too many emotions.
Resentment, hatred, fear, and perhaps even a touch of reliance and worship that he himself failed to realize.
Nan Zhi suddenly understood.
She looked at Chunsheng standing to the side.
So Chunsheng had already become a chang ghost long before he led the way for Constable Zhang and the others.
His father was the hunter who had slain the mother tigress back then.
And he himself had become the white tiger’s first chang ghost over a dozen years ago.
Even though he had been devoured by the fierce tiger, upon turning into a ghost, he had become the tiger's minion, turning around to harm his fellow humans.
Acting as a minion to the tiger.
“So that's how it is. Constable Zhang and the others didn't die without reason.”
Nan Zhi let out a breath and gave a self-deprecating smile:
“I underestimated the Mountain Lord’s power. Still, I imagine a spirit tiger like you doesn't have anything to fear, right?”
“Tiger, powerful! Weakness, nobody, knows.”
Flattered, the white tiger grew even more arrogant. Pulling its tongue away from Nan Zhi's flesh, it wagged its head complacently:
“Tiger, only fears, old hunter's bow and arrow. The arrow, has, mother's blood.
“Use arrow, stab tiger's left ear, behind, the third death point behind it, tiger, will die.”
Having said this, it seemed to realize something, abruptly stomping its front paw down onto Nan Zhi’s chest and growling fiercely:
“Trick! Method! Give me, or eat you!”
For it saw that the dark, sturdy young woman leaning against the tree was groping the ground with her left arm, gripping a broken shard of the blade in her hand.
Could it be that she still wanted to make a desperate final struggle?
A sneer appeared on the white tiger’s furry face.
Humans were always so foolishly overestimating themselves.
“In the past, I never understood why villains always like telling enemies their weaknesses.”
Nan Zhi looked up, offering a genuine smile:
“But now I get it. Mountain Lord, though I don’t know if you’ll remember me next time, keep your head safe and sound—I’ll come claim it personally—”
The moment the words left her mouth, the dark, sturdy young woman was utterly decisive, slicing her own throat with the blade shard.
“Awoo-roar!!”
The white tiger lunged violently forward, its sharp fangs tearing through the scene.
The world plunged into total darkness.
...
...
【Level 49 “Mountain Lord” has slain you】
【Cultivator deceased】
【Fortune is fickle as the waxing and waning moon; brave cultivator, fear no hardship!】
【Please keep up the good work, cultivator! Bravely forge ahead on the immortal path!】
【Cultivator resurrected. The game has automatically reloaded.】
“This Scholar Wang and the Ma family’s young mistress are truly a match made in heaven, a handsome scholar and a lovely maiden!”
“Today, all wine sold at the Wang Family Distillery is half off! Master Wang is truly generous!”
“Who doesn't know that Young Master Wang is the sole heir for several generations? Now that he’s getting married, of course they have to throw a grand celebration.”
“Everyone, let's go drink together, let's go drink!”
When Nan Zhi opened her eyes again, she found herself standing on the streets of Dingyuan County.
The somewhat familiar groom rode a reddish-brown horse, riding past the street in high spirits.
Beaming with a radiant smile, the matchmaker cheerfully distributed peanuts and candied fruits to the little children by the roadside.
Nan Ye stood beside her, whispering quietly in her ear:
“...This Young Master Wang had been betrothed to the daughter of the Qu family since childhood.
Why has the bride turned into the Ma family’s daughter now...?”
She was back.
Nan Zhi reflexively checked her inventory, and sure enough, the slaughtering knife floated inside her inventory slot completely intact.
Checking the map again, the location markers of Nan Yi and the rest of the unlucky bunch were still on Wenshan.
She immediately flashed the internationally recognized friendly gesture toward Wenshan.
Damned white tiger, didn't expect that, did you?
Sis can reload!
Just you wait, I’ll get ready and come chop you to pieces right away.
I'm a woman of my word—if I say I'll hack you to death today, I won't wait until tomorrow!
Though, she needed to make proper preparations first.
“Oh no! I just checked with a spell—Brother Yi and the others have been bewitched by chang ghosts and are trapped on Wenshan!
There are as many as seven or eight chang ghosts, backed by a white-browed tiger. I’m afraid they’ll be very tough to handle.”
Turning to the stunned Nan Ye, Nan Zhi said:
“Head home first and tell Father and Mother that I'm off to rescue people. Tell them not to worry, and just bring some food and blankets tomorrow to wait for me at the Wen County city gate.”
With that, Nan Zhi left Nan Ye behind, sprinting all the way in the direction of the City God Temple.
Rate on N.U.
