Wangcai got to his feet reluctantly, dragging his paws so much they nearly gouged into the ground. He inched toward the stone platform, taking three steps for every one.
His enormous body clumsily turned around, then came to a stop in front of Zhu Zhuqing.
After hesitating for a long while, he finally flopped onto his back with a thud, all four legs in the air. He exposed his dark belly and let out a thin, aggrieved whimper from his throat.
His tail swept lightly across the ground.
Hearing the noise, Zhu Zhuqing lifted her head from the animal hide and froze.
Was this fierce beast, lying belly-up like an affectionate big dog, really the same Dark Demon Evil God Tiger that had chased her until she had nowhere to flee, in the sky or on the ground?
Her fear from moments ago was instantly replaced by overwhelming confusion.
When Zhu Zhuqing didn't react, Wangcai secretly glanced at Gu Chensha.
The latter stood nearby with his arms crossed, his gaze growing more and more terrifying.
Wangcai's heart lurched. He hurriedly scrambled to his feet and cautiously edged closer, trying to rub his huge head gently against her hand.
Zhu Zhuqing instinctively pulled her hand back.
"He's apologizing to you."
Gu Chensha took the opportunity to approach, his tone coaxing.
"Want to smack him a few times to vent? Go ahead. He won't dare fight back."
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Wangcai's dewy eyes, as big as a kitten's, then at Gu Chensha, who stood beside him with an expression that said, "I'm really good at comforting people." The feelings she had bottled up for so long finally began to loosen.
She hesitantly reached out her still-trembling hand and gently touched Wangcai's nose.
Wangcai immediately narrowed his eyes in contentment and let out a low rumble, like thunder, making the stone platform tremble faintly.
Looking at the fierce-looking giant tiger, now as docile as a cat, Zhu Zhuqing remembered all the fear and grievances she had borne alone these past few days. Her nose stung.
She raised her hand and gently thumped Wangcai on the head a few times.
Her blows were as soft as cotton. They weren't even enough to tickle him.
"Awwooo!"
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger immediately played along, letting out an utterly pitiful wail.
All four legs shot straight out, his tongue lolled long from his mouth, and he lay stiffly on the ground, pretending to be dead. His tail even twitched twice for good measure.
"Pfft."
Zhu Zhuqing finally couldn't hold back her laughter.
Seeing the smile on her face, Gu Chensha quietly breathed a sigh of relief. The heart that had been hanging in suspense all the way here finally settled.
Looks like this trick worked pretty well.
If he'd known comforting someone was so simple, he wouldn't have spent all night racking his brains.
As if realizing he'd done a great job, Wangcai immediately rolled over and squeezed toward Gu Chensha's arms, angling for praise.
"Good dog, good dog... No, good kitty, good kitty."
Gu Chensha patted his head, then turned to introduce him to Zhu Zhuqing. "This is my pet, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger."
"But from now on, you can call him Wangcai, just like I do."
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger!
Zhu Zhuqing froze.
Of course she had heard that name.
Among the records of tiger-type Soul Beasts in her family's ancient texts, it had the shortest entry, yet every word was chilling.
The Dai Family of the Star Luo Empire and the Zhu Family had intermarried for generations. Their bond rested on the Hell White Tiger Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Both families hunted Soul Beasts for spirit rings and studied the development of their Martial Souls, spending their entire lives dealing with these great cat-like beasts.
And among all the records, the most forbidden and untouchable of them all was the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
It wasn't merely a creature of ordinary darkness. It carried the ultimate evil power left behind by the Evil God, a power no human Martial Soul could bear.
No one in history had ever possessed it as a Martial Soul.
It wielded multiple attributes, including evil, wind, and thunder, and its intelligence was no less than a human's.
It didn't cultivate its strength on its own. Instead, it rapidly grew by devouring the Soul Power of other Soul Beasts and Soul Masters, and its body was as tough as forged steel.
Because of its domineering nature, wherever it appeared, all the surrounding Soul Beasts would swarm to attack it.
A Dark Demon Evil God Tiger of the ten-thousand-year level could even challenge an ordinary Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. If it cultivated to the extreme, it might even become an Evil God.
She...
Had actually fought such a Soul Beast and survived?
No, no, no. Even more unbelievable was that this top-tier Ferocious Beast, famed across the continent for intelligence comparable to a human's and a terrifying reputation, was actually acting cute and apologizing to her?
"He... He really is the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger?"
Zhu Zhuqing's voice trembled.
"Mm."
Gu Chensha nodded casually. "I practically raised him from a baby, feeding him and cleaning up after him."
Wangcai, who had been rubbing against his trouser leg, suddenly paused. A distinctly disdainful look even appeared on his face.
Feeding him and cleaning up after him...
Why did that sound so strange?
But just before Gu Chensha looked over, he immediately lowered his head and continued rubbing against him obediently, as if that look of disdain had only been an illusion.
"When I found him, he was only about the size of my palm, with barely any fur, but he was already a nasty little thing."
Gu Chensha smiled as he recalled it. "He bit everything he saw. Back then, I hadn't evolved into the Primordial Demon Spider Emperor yet; I was just a Man Faced Demon Spider. It took me three whole months to subdue the little brat."
"I got bitten plenty of times."
"After that, he kept trying to devour my Soul Power and kill me."
"I beat him up more than a hundred times, then used a few special methods before I finally managed to smooth out his temper a little."
Zhu Zhuqing stared at him, dumbfounded.
She was silent for a moment, then couldn't help asking.
"Then... why call him Wangcai?"
Gu Chensha rubbed his nose, his gaze wandering.
"I just came up with it on the spot."
"When I first found him, I thought a lowly name would help him thrive. Wangcai sounds auspicious—like it'll bring wealth and good fortune."
At that, Wangcai immediately let out a deeply aggrieved growl and rammed his huge head against Gu Chensha's leg.
He didn't know exactly what "Wangcai" meant, but every time he heard the name, Gu Chensha's suppressed grin told him it definitely wasn't some mighty, imposing title.
Gu Chensha patted Wangcai's head to soothe him.
Wangcai was also good at reading the room. He immediately turned and padded to the stone bed, gently nudging Zhu Zhuqing's arm with his head, softening his posture to win her over, as if trying his best to ease the tension.
Once the mood had eased, Gu Chensha finally spoke.
"All right, introductions are over. Time to keep applying the medicine."
Zhu Zhuqing froze, then instinctively looked down.
The next moment, her whole body stiffened. Her cheeks flushed scarlet, and her mind went completely blank.
All her clothes had been changed. Even her undergarments were gone.
Only soft animal hides covered her chest and lower abdomen.
Shame and panic swept over her.
Though her teacher had cared for her injuries before, back then he had only been in a spirit form, possessing her and controlling her body directly.
At the time, she could still delude herself into thinking she hadn't really been "seen."
But this was different.
Her teacher now had a solid human form, with warmth and a body just like any other person's.
Which meant that while she'd been unconscious, this living, grown man had personally taken off... all her clothes and tended to her wounds.
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