"You can turn back into your original form before eating. We won't mind." An Yang shrugged. "Xiao Qian might even like how you look in your original form. Hmm, actually, I think it'd be pretty nice too. All furry and fluffy, right?"
"...Daoist An Yang."
"What?"
"I'll say it again! I'm a felid! But I'm not a cat! Do you know the difference between the Felinae and Pantherinae subfamilies?" Huang Lan ground her teeth. "You're showing contempt for the dignity of the King of Beasts! The consequences will be severe! I mean it!"
"Pantherinae? So you're saying you're not actually a tiger, but... a leopard?" An Yang examined Huang Lan suspiciously. "I can't really tell from looking at you. As it happens, I don't think I've ever seen you transform into your true form. Why don't you turn into your original form and let me study whether you're a tiger or a leopard?"
"Do you know anything about science at all? You're a modern person!" Huang Lan was nearly frantic. "A tiger is a tiger! How could it be a leopard? It's just that tigers belong to the Pantherinae subfamily of the felids. Are you stupid? Besides, you've seen the phantom image of my true form and the Chasing Ghost. Have you ever seen a leopard that looked like that? Where have you ever heard of a leopard being able to control a Chasing Ghost?"
"Ah! So that was your true form! It looked... not very cute." An Yang said.
"I'll say it again! I'm a tiger! A fierce tiger, the kind that eats people! And I'm not some despicable zoo specimen. I'm the genuine King of Ten Thousand Beasts!" Huang Lan exhaled slowly. "I won't even pursue the matter of you comparing me to a leopard, an inferior felid,