The Fierce Tiger

"Master! Teach me!"

Contrary to Lin Chan's expectations, the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger did not fly into a rage and persist in evil. Instead, it knelt directly before him, as if performing a formal apprenticeship bow.

Seeing the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger kneel, Lin Chan realized this tiger could already mimic many human gestures—its cultivation was considerable.

Of course, this move also left Lin Chan utterly baffled.

Had it been won over by his philosophical musings?

"Tiger King! You flatter me. I'm nothing but a green youth—what could I possibly teach you?"

Lin Chan said modestly.

He had merely lived a few extra years in the information age of a later era, gaining a bit more experience.

Lin Chan had tossed out a few casual words. Wang Yunji could see clearly because he had always seen clearly; he had just been trapped as a Grief Ghost for too long, bound by self-imposed limits. He only needed the excuse Lin Chan gave him to break free.

"The learned one is the teacher. Master's words awakened Wang Yunji at once, revealing great insight. I too am troubled, and I beg Master to resolve my doubts."

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger spoke respectfully, not caring in the least that Lin Chan had no cultivation. It embodied the principle that among three, there must be a teacher, showing it had some learning—though it was a hodgepodge.

Lin Chan sat facing the fierce tiger, rubbed his chin, and looked at it with interest, pondering seriously how to handle this creature.

"Tiger King, do you still wish to invite me into your belly as a guest?"

Lin Chan asked calmly, betraying no emotion.

"No, no."

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger shook its head repeatedly.

"Master, my eating of evil men also has a reason. Decades ago, before I awakened my intelligence, I was merely a foolish fierce tiger in these mountains, and I did not eat humans. Then one winter, I could not catch prey for a long time. On the verge of death, I came upon this temple. In this Broken Temple, only an Old Monk lived, with no other meat to fill my stomach. So I swallowed the Old Monk and survived."

"Now that I recall, I had no strength left to hunt back then, lying limp on the ground. The Old Monk brought me vegetarian food, but I couldn't eat it. On the brink of starvation, the Old Monk cut his own flesh to feed me—and I swallowed him whole in one gulp."

"After devouring the Old Monk, I awakened my intelligence and quickly gained cultivation. I tasted the sweetness of eating humans and knew it boosted my power. But I dared not go near crowded places back then, so I never came down the mountain to eat a second person."

"'Playing the jackal to the tiger' was a divine ability I gained upon awakening my intelligence. The Old Monk was my first Grief Ghost. After becoming a Grief Ghost, he bore no resentment. Instead, he taught me good and evil every day and guided my cultivation. At that time, I was ignorant and naive. There was no other intelligent beast or human in the mountains to talk to, so I regarded the Old Monk as both teacher and friend, heeding his earnest advice to be kind to others and restrain myself in cultivation."

"But self-cultivation was far too slow. Swallowing humans greatly increased my power, and desire drove me to eat people. The Old Monk taught me patience, but I couldn't hold back. In the end, he had no choice and made a pact with me: if I must eat humans, I could only eat evil ones. I have kept that pact until now."

"Unfortunately, my cultivation was shallow back then, and my Grief Ghost art was crude. The Old Monk refused to devour other spirits. He only helped me identify two evil men before fading away completely. I don't know if he entered reincarnation. If he were here, I wouldn't be so Indiscriminate of Good and Evil now."

As the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger spoke, a trace of nostalgia surfaced in its eyes.

"So, you want me to help you distinguish good from evil from now on? Tiger King, you're gravely mistaken. Humans are far too complex to be divided merely by good and evil."

Lin Chan shook his head. He was heading to Shu Mountain; he couldn't follow this Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger around the area committing evil as its advisor.

"Master speaks truly. I admit my error."

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger confessed generously.

In truth, even if it had eaten a good person by mistake, it didn't stir much turmoil in the tiger's heart—it was merely a breach of the pact it had made with the Old Monk back then.

What truly troubled the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger was its cultivation.

Over the years, it had eaten more and more 'evil men,' yet its cultivation had hit a bottleneck, even regressing.

At first, it thought eating too many 'evil men' had caused an accumulation of all evils, creating a blockage. Perhaps eating some 'good people' would clear things up. But bound by the old pact, it had always held back.

Now, however, it knew that among the 'evil men' it had devoured were those like Wang Yunji, who could be called great benefactors. So the problem wasn't eating too many 'evil men.'

"Master! What I truly wish to ask is about cultivation."

"Tiger King, you've likely already seen that I have no cultivation. How can I guide yours?"

Lin Chan didn't expect to hide his lack of cultivation from the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger before him.

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger—stupid and wicked as it was—was undeniably powerful.

"Master, you are a man of insight. I am but a foolish beast. You will have views I cannot grasp."

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger kept its posture low.

From the moment Lin Chan saw through the four Grief Ghosts' illusions, the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger knew he harbored secrets.

Even it couldn't see through those secrets, so it didn't act rashly, fearing it might bring trouble upon itself.

Later, Lin Chan casually liberated Wang Yunji, which further impressed the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger.

Moreover, if it swallowed Lin Chan and turned him into a Grief Ghost, it might not get the answers it wanted.

Success wasn't guaranteed, and even if it worked, Lin Chan might not cooperate, like Wang Yunji.

Besides, most Grief Ghosts were steeped in resentment, unlike their former selves. If Lin Chan became a Grief Ghost, that version of him might not give good answers either.

"Then speak, Tiger King. I too seek immortality, so let us exchange insights together."

Lin Chan, seeing the Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger so deferential and knowing he wasn't entirely safe, indulged it.

"Thank you, Master!"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger was overjoyed and then poured out its troubles.

"At first, every time I ate an evil man, I made great progress. Now, the more evil men I eat, the more lost I become, feeling farther from Form Transformation. Master, what do you think the problem is? Could it be that I shouldn't eat humans at all? Not even evil ones?"

The Four-Eyed Fierce Tiger vaguely understood that eating humans was wrong, but its path of cultivation had originated from this very act, making it difficult to change.

Moreover, once it changed, it had no idea what else to do.

The Old Monk from before had also been low in cultivation and knew nothing about Form Transformation for demon beasts.

Within the surrounding hundreds of miles, it was the most advanced in cultivation, with no senior to consult.

If Lin Chan could provide a reasonable explanation, it would be willing to believe.

"Form Transformation?"

Lin Chan pondered these two words.

They reminded him of a theory.

Ever since he had acquired the [Eidetic Memory] talent, many memories from his past life were arranged like a memory palace in his mind, surfacing whenever needed.