Little White Tiger Jianbing

Chapter 22: Little White Tiger Jianbing

When Meow Meow returned to the Clear Radiance Pavilion, the sky was nearly light.

Qian Renxue hadn't slept yet.

She sat by the table, White Dew curled on her lap, looking as though she had been waiting for some time.

Seeing Meow Meow leap in through the window, White Dew immediately lifted her head and let out a soft "mew."

Qian Renxue also looked over.

"Back?"

"Mm."

Meow Meow landed on the table and first tossed out the Black Eagle bronze buckle.

Then he set the iron plate inscribed with [White Tiger Sample, Third Batch] beside it.

After Qian Renxue read it, her gaze turned cold.

"The Black Eagle Family."

"And a White Tiger Sample."

Meow Meow nodded.

"I snatched a box of goods."

"Someone came to transfer it from Black Water Marsh—five soul masters: one Soul King, two Soul Ancestors, two Soul Elders."

"They knew the Crown Prince had returned to the city and that there were too many eyes in Heavenly Dou City lately."

Qian Renxue's eyes darkened slightly.

"So the Black Eagle Family is just handling transport."

"There's someone behind them."

"And that someone has considerable nerve."

As Meow Meow spoke, he took out the small wooden box from the Calming Bell.

The box was sealed with Holy Fire.

Inside were seven more bottles of red-black liquid.

Qian Renxue leaned in for a look, and her brow immediately furrowed.

"This thing has a filthy aura."

"It's used to corrupt soul beasts."

Meow Meow flicked his tail.

"I saw several soul beasts in Black Water Marsh affected by it."

"Some were hundred-year, some thousand-year, and it even stirred up a Ten-Thousand-Year Swamp Wyrm."

"Lucky I didn't let that thing go completely berserk, or the outskirts of Sunset Forest would have gotten lively."

When Qian Renxue heard "Ten-Thousand-Year Swamp Wyrm," her gaze paused.

"You handled it alone?"

"Didn't fight head-on."

Meow Meow was honest.

"I used the Golden Feather you gave me to suppress it, then burned the source of corruption with Holy Fire."

"If I'd actually gone toe-to-toe, I'm not that suicidal yet."

Qian Renxue nodded.

That was more like it.

She knew Meow Meow had plenty of tricks, but a three-thousand-year soul beast going head-to-head with a Ten-Thousand-Year Swamp Wyrm still sounded too absurd.

Meow Meow glanced down at the Calming Bell again.

"But the real trouble isn't these black bottles."

Qian Renxue asked:

"What else?"

Meow Meow was silent for two breaths.

Then he lifted a paw and gently nudged it.

From the Calming Bell, a wisp of faint Holy Fire emerged.

Within the flames, a small white tiger's phantom slowly revealed itself.

It wasn't big.

Even smaller than White Dew.

Its four paws were tucked beneath its body, its gaze wary, the white light on its fur faint, as if it could scatter at any moment.

The moment White Dew saw it, her fur bristled.

"Mew!"

The little white tiger also flinched back.

"Don't eat me!"

Meow Meow: "..."

Qian Renxue's expression shifted as she looked at this phantom of a little white tiger.

"Is this a soul beast remnant soul?"

"I thought so at first."

Meow Meow shook his head.

"But it's not like an ordinary remnant soul."

"It awakened from that batch of White Tiger Samples."

Qian Renxue turned to the little white tiger.

"What's your name?"

The little white tiger shrank its neck.

"Jianbing."

"Jianbing?"

Qian Renxue frowned slightly, clearly unfamiliar with the name.

Meow Meow glanced at it again.

That name didn't sound like an ordinary soul beast's at all.

Especially tied to the White Tiger—it made him feel there was something deeper here.

But this was the Douluo Continent.

Not the mythological tales of his past life.

So he didn't rush to judgment.

"You say your name is Jianbing."

Meow Meow asked.

"Do you know where you came from?"

The little white tiger lowered its head, thinking.

"From White Tiger blood."

"When I woke up, I was in a bottle."

"There was a lot of blood."

"It hurt a lot."

As it spoke, its form trembled.

The Calming Bell chimed softly, settling it down.

Qian Renxue's gaze turned colder.

"They're extracting White Tiger bloodline."

"It's very likely connected to the Star Luo Royal Family."

The Star Luo Royal Family, the Dai Family.

The White Tiger Martial Soul.

Linking these together wasn't hard to guess.

Meow Meow nodded.

"That's what I think too."

"But it might not be the Star Luo Royal Family acting directly."

"Someone could have obtained bloodline from a White Tiger branch, or acquired soul bones or soul beast materials containing White Tiger origin from somewhere."

"Still, this thread is definitely tied to Star Luo."

Qian Renxue looked at the iron tag reading "White Tiger Sample, Third Batch."

"Third batch."

"That means at least two batches came before."

"And now they've moved near Heaven Dou, likely testing something else."

Meow Meow asked the little white tiger.

"What do you remember?"

Little White Tiger thought for a long time.

"Black Water."

"Bottle."

"A lot of soul beasts howling."

"And... the scent of Hell."

Qian Renxue's gaze shifted.

"Hell?"

Meow Meow was also taken aback.

White Tiger and Hell.

Those two words placed together on the Douluo Continent made it nearly impossible not to think of the Star Luo Dai Family and the Zhu Family.

The White Tiger Martial Soul and the Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul fusion skill, the Hell White Tiger.

This was one of the most important inheritances of the Star Luo Royal Family.

"Are you sure it was Hell?"

Little White Tiger nodded.

"Very cold."

"Like a shadow."

"I... should have seen it before."

Having said that, it lowered its head again.

"But I can't remember clearly."

Meow Meow looked at its frail state and didn't press further.

This little one had clearly been through a lot.

If he kept questioning it, he might not get anything out of it, and it might collapse first.

He used Holy Fire to circle around Little White Tiger, first suppressing the residual black energy on its body.

Little White Tiger visibly relaxed.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet."

Meow Meow looked at it.

"Can you tell me, why were those people messing with you?"

Little White Tiger was silent for a moment.

"They said they wanted to make a new White Tiger."

"A new one?"

"Mm."

Little White Tiger nodded.

"They thought the original White Tiger wasn't obedient enough."

"And that Hell was too hard to control."

"They wanted an obedient White Tiger."

Meow Meow and Qian Renxue both fell silent at the same time.

This statement was a huge problem.

If it were just polluting soul beasts, it could be dismissed as a fallen soul master researching evil arts.

But if it involved modifying the White Tiger bloodline, and even touched on Hell, then this was no ordinary Evil Soul Master's doing.

There had to be a more complete goal behind this.

"An obedient White Tiger..."

Meow Meow murmured.

"Someone wants to create a controllable White Tiger soul master, or soul beast?"

Qian Renxue said:

"It could also be to destroy the bloodline inheritance of the Star Luo Royal Family."

"Star Luo is different from Heaven Dou."

"The struggle for the Star Luo throne is brutal. The stronger the White Tiger bloodline, the easier it is to get dragged in."

"If someone has mastered this kind of pollution method, they could completely destroy a branch of the White Tiger lineage from within."

Meow Meow nodded.

"Or maybe they want both."

"Someone in Heavenly Dou takes over, someone in Star Luo provides the materials."

"The Black Eagle Family handles transport."

"Prince Xue Xing at least has contact."

Qian Renxue didn't deny it.

But she didn't nail things down right away either.

"We still need evidence."

"Mm."

Meow Meow looked at Little White Tiger.

"It's one piece of evidence."

Hearing this, Little White Tiger tensed up immediately.

"Are you going to hand me over?"

"Not for now."

Meow Meow said.

"But you'll have to cooperate with my investigation."

"Those black bottles might still hold things like you."

Little White Tiger's eyes lit up.

"There are more?"

"Maybe."

Meow Meow didn't commit.

"Can you sense them?"

Little White Tiger shook his head.

"Not now."

"I'm too weak."

"If I get close, I might be able to smell them."

Meow Meow thought it over.

That was enough for now.

At least if they ran into similar White Tiger bloodline materials later, it could help identify them.

Qian Renxue looked at Meow Meow.

"You plan to keep it in the Calming Bell?"

"For now, that's the only way."

Meow Meow said.

"It's too weak right now. Leave the Calming Bell and Holy Fire, and it'll dissipate soon."

"Besides, it can't show itself."

"Too many people in Heavenly Dou City recognize the White Tiger bloodline. If someone notices, we'll have bigger trouble."

Qian Renxue nodded.

White Dew quietly crept closer, carefully sniffing Little White Tiger.

Little White Tiger looked back at White Dew.

The two little creatures stared at each other for a moment.

White Dew let out a soft mew.

Little White Tiger visibly relaxed a bit.

Watching this, Meow Meow suddenly found it a little amusing.

"Don't be afraid of it."

"Its name is White Dew."

"It's a cat too."

Little White Tiger whispered:

"I know."

"She feels warm."

White Dew caught some of that, her tail gently swaying.

Qian Renxue looked at them, and her expression softened slightly.

The oppressive atmosphere that had hung over the Clear Radiance Pavilion eased a little.

But Meow Meow quickly turned his attention back to business.

"Qinghe."

"Hm?"

"We can't leave the Black Water Marsh as it is anymore."

"Those people will find the thing missing tomorrow, and they'll definitely investigate."

"The Soul King saw me. Even if he might not recognize that I slipped into the Crown Prince's residence, they'll know for sure that a white cat messed things up."

Qian Renxue said:

"I'll have people keep an eye on the Black Eagle Family."

"No."

Meow Meow shook his head.

"If your people watch them, it'll alert the enemy."

"You've just returned to Heavenly Dou City. Prince Xue Xing is already watching you."

"If the Black Eagle Family suddenly gets tailed by the Crown Prince's people, it'll make them suspicious instead."

Qian Renxue frowned.

"Then what do you plan to do?"

Meow Meow flicked his tail.

"Let cats do the watching."

"There are plenty of cats in Heavenly Dou City."

"No one will suspect a cat passing by on the eaves."

"And no one will notice three stray cats crouching at the alley entrance."

"I'll first use White Dew to pull in a batch of peripheral cats, slowly mapping out the area around the Black Eagle Family."

Qian Renxue thought it over and found the plan feasible.

Still, she asked one more question:

"Can ordinary cats obey your commands?"

"Not entirely."

Meow Meow was honest.

"But I can guide them with the Holy Fire's aura."

"Start with food."

"Cats, you know—if they can eat, they're easy to talk to."

Qian Renxue: "..."

That didn't sound like a serious strategy.

But she had already seen the feeding list from the East Side Courtyard.

Maybe it would actually work.

Meow Meow added:

"Also, it's best not to touch the Black Water Marsh for now."

"Let them think the thing was destroyed by a soul beast, or intercepted by some other force."

"Wait for them to show their next move."

"You just act like a normal crown prince. Don't rush."

Qian Renxue looked at him.

"You're starting to sound more and more like you're handling my covert operations."

Meow Meow paused.

Then he said with righteous confidence:

"You're not a knot—no, I mean, you're one of my people, aren't you?"

"Helping you out a bit is only natural."

When Qian Renxue heard the words "one of my people," her eyes flickered slightly.

She didn't argue.

Meow Meow also realized the phrasing was a bit awkward, so he lowered his head and licked his paw, pretending nothing had happened.

Little White Tiger Jianbing watched the two of them from the side.

Though weak, it could still sense that the atmosphere between the two was strange.

One was a young girl disguised as a crown prince.

The other was a talking cat.

Yet the two of them discussed the Heavenly Dou underground network, the Star Luo White Tiger, and soul beast contamination as if they were already well acquainted.

Little White Tiger asked quietly:

"Are you two friends?"

Meow Meow's tail paused.

Qian Renxue also fell silent for a moment.

White Dew looked up at one, then the other.

In the end, Meow Meow spoke first.

"You could say that."

Qian Renxue glanced at him.

"Mm."

Little White Tiger nodded.

"That's good."

"I used to have friends too."

Meow Meow asked:

"Who?"

Little White Tiger lowered his head and thought for a long time.

"I can't remember."

"Only that there was a black cat."

"She ran very fast."

Meow Meow and Qian Renxue exchanged a glance.

Black cat.

Nether.

The trail was getting clearer.

The Zhu Family.

They were likely involved too.

Meow Meow sighed.

"This whole mess is layer upon layer."

"This Cat just came to Heavenly Dou City for a few stable meals."

"But before I even got to eat, I picked up a White Tiger Remnant Spirit."

Qian Renxue said:

"If you don't want to deal with it, you can hand it over to me."

"No."

Meow Meow immediately tucked Little White Tiger back into the Calming Bell.

"It's still too weak right now. It wouldn't be easy for you to raise it either."

"Besides."

He paused.

"The cat... tiger I picked up—I'll take care of it for now."

A hint of amusement flickered in Qian Renxue's eyes.

"You really don't mind trouble."

"I do."

Meow Meow sighed.

"But the trouble's already lying in my bell. I can't just throw it out."

Little White Tiger whispered from inside the Calming Bell:

"I can be very good."

Meow Meow: "..."

Hearing that made it even harder to abandon it.

He could only carve out a clean space for Little White Tiger, dilute a bit of Holy Spring Dew, and drip a single drop for it.

The little white tiger's body steadied slightly.

The system prompt chimed in at that moment.

[Ding, special remnant spirit detected: Jianbing.]

[Side quest triggered: White Tiger Sample.]

[Objective: Investigate the connection between the Black Water Marsh pollution source and the White Tiger bloodline experiment.]

[Reward: Determined by completion level.]

Meow Meow looked at the prompt, his heart unsurprised.

This little white tiger wasn't just picked up at random.

"Alright."

"A side quest's open."

"Guess we're investigating."

Qian Renxue didn't see the system prompt; she only noticed Meow Meow suddenly go quiet.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Meow Meow looked up.

"Just think this White Tiger Sample might be more trouble than we imagined."

Qian Renxue nodded.

"Then we'll take it slow."

"I'll keep things steady in Heaven Dou."

"Don't alert the Black Eagle Family yet."

"I'll keep watching Prince Xue Xing too."

Meow Meow looked at her.

"Don't try to shoulder everything alone."

Qian Renxue paused slightly.

Meow Meow continued.

"I'm in Heaven Dou now."

"White Dew's here too."

"And the Cat Net can spread slowly."

"You don't have to carry it all yourself."

Qian Renxue was silent for a moment.

Finally, she nodded gently.

"Alright."

The Clear Radiance Pavilion fell quiet again.

Dawn was approaching.

Meow Meow was finally getting sleepy.

He flopped onto the cushion, tail curling around him.

White Dew lay across Qian Renxue's lap.

Inside the Calming Bell, the little white tiger Jianbing curled up and gradually stilled.

Before closing his eyes, Meow Meow took one last look at the side quest in his system.

Star Luo White Tiger and Nether.

This thread was probably just beginning.

"Forget it."

"Sleep first."

"Even if the sky falls, it can wait until this cat wakes up."