Starving Tiger Painting

"You child, you were careless even getting dressed. You tore such a long gash in it."

Zhou You's mother worked her needle and thread, grumbling nonstop. "This fabric is really nice. Did the martial arts school issue it?"

This set of clothes had been gifted by a senior disciple from the Inner Court. The fabric was excellent, and the workmanship was extraordinary as well.

"Stop calling him a child. The streets aren't safe these days. Yesterday, Old Li's family got robbed."

Old Man Zhou took a puff from his pipe. "There are still fried crisp cakes in the pot. Serve them up and eat."

"After the fried crisp cakes, there's a chicken stewing in the pot too. You use up a lot practicing martial arts now, so you need to eat your fill when you come home."

Zhou You lifted the pot lid, and a wave of rich fried fragrance washed over him.

He picked up a piece of golden, crispy fried dough and bit into it, his mouth filling with the taste of contentment.

Fried crisp cakes were a kind of deep-fried pastry, crispy upon entry and overflowing with oil fragrance. The family could only enjoy them as a treat during holidays and festivals.

They required fine white flour and consumed plenty of oil, so they could only be made during the holidays.

It wasn't a holiday or festival, so why had they made fried crisp cakes?

"A while ago, a young oil seller came by our door. His oil was very cheap, and he even gave us an extra half scoop."

"He said he was your friend."

The moment Zhou You heard that, he knew it was Song Fugui. That guy was truly loyal.

"Yes, he's my friend. We met at the martial arts school."

His mother added, "That oil seller had such a sweet mouth, calling me Auntie with every other word. It's just that his health didn't seem very good. He limped when he walked."

Zhou You silently ate his fried crisp cakes. He knew the reason behind it.

After Song Fugui left the martial arts school, he had returned the Wooden Talisman to Senior Disciple Brother.

Those who had once feared the martial arts school's name swarmed in like flies that had smelled blood, extorting him even more viciously than before.

To protect his family business, Song Fugui had fought several fierce battles and driven those hooligans back.

During this time, wounds large and small had constantly appeared on his body, yet he still had to wander the streets selling oil.

"It isn't easy. That oil seller looked about the same age as you, You'er."

His mother spoke quietly.

"In times like these, whose family has it easy?"

Old Man Zhou sighed amid curling smoke. "In another two months, if You'er can't become a full disciple, our family will face a Cataclysmic Disaster too."

Tu Laosan had remained silent until now. It was not because he had suddenly become a good man, but because he was waiting for an opportunity.

Once Zhou You was expelled from the martial arts school, the Zhou Family's Cataclysmic Disaster would not be far away.

"His father, don't tell me this fabric and stitching are what young masters wear."

After mending the clothes, his mother could not help asking Zhou You, "Where did they come from?"

"A senior disciple from the Inner Court. His family does business and runs a trading house. I heard his surname is Shen."

Old Man Zhou slapped his thigh. "Our boss's surname is Shen too. His third young master entered the martial arts school to learn fist arts. Isn't that a coincidence?"

So the Inner Court senior disciple who had been so generous was actually the young master of Old Man Zhou's employer.

"You'er, our family doesn't accept favors for nothing. Find a chance to thank him in person."

Zhou You nodded in agreement, but inwardly, he thought.

With the potential Zhou You would have in the future, what was wrong with accepting a few sets of clothes from him?

If an opportunity arose in the future, he would repay him a hundredfold, a thousandfold.

The family ate fried crisp cakes and spoke of the recent storms gathering across the city.

Su City had suffered famine and then been plagued by bandits. After its fall, countless refugees had left their homes behind and fled to Gongliang City.

What Zhou You had seen on his way home earlier had merely been the tip of the iceberg.

"The second shopkeeper at our trading house took advantage of the chaos to force down the price. He bought a young maiden for five taels of silver to make her his concubine."

"The second shopkeeper is nearly fifty. Isn't that ruining that girl's life?"

"What do you know? At least she'll have food to eat and won't starve to death."

As Old Man Zhou said this, he suddenly thought of something. "You'er, how about we buy you a wife too?"

Zhou You nearly choked. He pounded his chest and hurriedly shook his head. "No rush."

"You old fool! What good family's daughter couldn't our You'er find? Why should he look for a refugee?"

His mother got angry and continuously berated Old Man Zhou for his rotten idea.

Old Man Zhou muttered that many refugees had once come from respectable families. Quite a few women were literate and well-mannered; this was exactly a good chance to pick up a bargain.

And there would be no need to prepare Betrothal Gifts. They could simply hand over silver, bring her home, and consummate the marriage.

"Dad, I said there's no rush. Our martial arts school said that while we're young, we need to preserve our primal yang. You don't understand primal yang. Put simply, it means staying a virgin."

At the mention of virginity, his parents grew nervous again. Practicing martial arts was one thing, but why did it require ending the family line?

Zhou You sweated profusely as he spoke, but finally managed to smooth things over.

That night, when Zhou You returned to his room to sleep, he discovered that something had been added to it.

"Dad, Mom, why is there another painting on our wall?"

When Zhou You had first entered, he had been so frightened that he nearly turned and left.

It turned out to be a painting of a fierce tiger on the wall. At first glance, it looked lifelike, as though the hanging-eyed, white-browed tiger might leap down from the wall at any moment.

An invisible ferocity and Sha Qi rushed straight at him!

His mother's reply came from beside him.

"An old man passed by the day before yesterday. He didn't look like a refugee; he looked like a scholar."

"He was starving badly and came to our door begging for food."

"Your mother is too kind-hearted. She gave him two coarse-grain buns from the night before. The old gentleman had backbone and said he wasn't a beggar. He insisted on paying, but couldn't produce even half a coin."

"He took out the paper and brush he carried and painted a picture on the spot."

Old Man Zhou had worked as a clerk in a trading house for most of his life, so he had seen his share of things.

He pointed at the painting on the wall. "You'er, this painting is well done. If it were sold in a shop, it would be worth at least two taels of silver."

"Looks like we came out ahead."

Zhou You examined the painting. Jagged rocks rose in disorder, and withered grass stretched like sinews. A gaunt tiger lay dormant amid the rocks and wild grass, patiently waiting for prey.

The fierce tiger was starving. The fur on its body had lost its luster, and its bones stood out starkly.

Yet it lay patiently in wait, its eyes shadowy and deep, concealing terrifying explosive power.

Any prey that entered the tiger's sight would be met by its sudden leap and devoured until not even bones remained.

Worthy of being the king of beasts, the supreme powerhouse at the top of the food chain.

Zhou You was stunned by the force bearing down on him. Only after a long while did he exhale. "What a painting!"

This painting was called the Hungry Tiger Hibernation Diagram, and there was also a line of poetry written in the blank space.

"Just like a fierce tiger lying on a barren hill, hiding its claws and fangs, enduring in patience."

The Tiger Subduing Fist of Jianxiong Martial Arts School imitated the spirit, bearing, and posture of a tiger hunting and pouncing on prey—fierce and razor-sharp.

In cultivation, tiger bones were even used as Medicinal Materials to strengthen the body.

Zhou You had studied for only a month and used four applications of Tiger Bone Paste, yet his physical strength had already improved tremendously.

Tiger hide, tiger bones, and tiger sinews all possessed toughness far beyond the ordinary.

The blade from the refugee's sneak attack had only cut through the outer layer of skin on his undershirt. Such ability to take a blow and let it go had been unimaginable in the past.

Now, as he looked at the dormant tiger in the painting, a sense of resonance rose in Zhou You's heart.

Wasn't he just like the starving tiger in the painting? Though his fighting spirit soared to the heavens, he could only endure for now due to his circumstances.

Once the opportunity arrived, he would be able to unleash his strengths to his heart's content and become a king that stunned all beasts.

That night, after Zhou You fell asleep, he dreamed of that starving tiger hiding amid the rocks of a barren hill, its shadowy eyes watching him.

Zhou You was not afraid. He knew he was not the prey; that fierce tiger was himself.

At the same time he fell asleep...

Under the moonlight, the Hungry Tiger Hibernation Diagram hung quietly. The tiger's eyes gave off a faint, intermittent gleam.