The Winged Divine Tiger

"Disciple, I sent you to gather some firewood. How did you end up sleeping here?"

A voice sounded beside Lu Chuan's ear.

"Huh?"

Lu Chuan was lying on the ground, clutching his head and groaning. At the sound of the voice, he froze and looked over. Shen Gongbao stood by his feet, smiling at him.

He'd read the story of the Investiture of the Gods and knew Shen Gongbao as a petty troublemaker who went around stirring up strife, so he'd never thought much of him.

But now, Shen Gongbao looked so tall and imposing in his eyes, shining like the sun...

The moment he saw Shen Gongbao, the tension in Lu Chuan's nerves and muscles melted away.

He knew he was safe now. He'd managed to escape with his life.

Lu Chuan closed his eyes and let out a long breath. Suddenly, he wanted to throw his arms around Shen Gongbao and weep with relief.

Damn, that trip out to gather firewood had been a wild ride. He'd run into a monster and nearly become its meal. He might never have made it back.

No one knew how much pressure he'd been under while chatting and laughing with that demoness just now.

Of course, he'd been lucky that she'd taken the form of a beautiful woman instead of changing into her terrifying true form.

Otherwise, he'd have been lucky not to have his teeth chattering. There was no way he'd have kept a straight face and chatted with her.

"M-Master..."

Looking at Shen Gongbao smiling by his feet, Lu Chuan suddenly laughed to himself.

"Disciple, get up. The ground's cold." Shen Gongbao stepped forward and reached out, nearly pulling him to his feet in one go.

Lu Chuan stood and brushed himself off. Then his expression changed, and he pointed behind him. "Master, this is bad! There's... there's something behind us..."

"What is it?"

"A mon—"

"A monster, right?"

At that, Lu Chuan looked up at Shen Gongbao suspiciously. "Master, since you knew, why didn't you come rescue me? You just left me to be terrified!"

If he'd known Lu Chuan had run into a monster, why hadn't he hurried over to save him? Had he been waiting to laugh at him?

The tall, radiant image of Shen Gongbao in his eyes slowly lost its glow, and seemed to shrink before him.

"Silly disciple..."

Shen Gongbao patted Lu Chuan on the head and laughed. "If I hadn't stepped in to save you, how would you have had the chance to escape?"

"No, I was caught up in a strange gust of wind..." Lu Chuan protested.

But halfway through his sentence, he seemed to realize something. He hurriedly asked Shen Gongbao, "Could that strange gust of wind have been your doing, Master...?"

"Precisely!"

Shen Gongbao laughed and took two steps toward him. He was just about to say something when a heart-rattling dragon's roar and tiger's growl rang out nearby.

Two streaks of light shot into the sky, taking the shapes of a dragon and a tiger as they battled fiercely. Their radiance blazed across the heavens.

"Wretched beast! You've been squatting here for years and taken so many lives. Since we've crossed paths today, I won't let you leave alive."

Shen Gongbao flew into a rage at the sight. He clenched his right hand, and a flash of light revealed a gleaming sword. Then he struck the back of its hilt with his left palm.

Whoosh!

The sword blazed with light as soon as it appeared. With that single slap, it shot out like an arrow from a bowstring and, in an instant, pierced the head of the enormous, vicious dragon.

"Ah!"

The dragon-shaped phantom let out a woman's scream and crashed from the sky with a thunderous boom, plummeting into the forest below.

"Roar!"

The yellow light fighting her immediately let out a mighty tiger's roar.

A moment later, a huge, striped tiger over three meters long burst forth. It had wings sprouting from its flanks and a pair of saber teeth. It swooped down and plunged into the forest.

"Master, so that huge tiger was..."

Lu Chuan looked at Shen Gongbao in excitement. His master was incredible!

He'd thought Shen Gongbao had let his disciple fend for himself, but it turned out that even the Winged Divine Tiger had been sent by him.

Looks like I misunderstood him. Lu Chuan felt a little guilty.

"That's my mount," said Shen Gongbao.

"That's amazing, Master. I want one too."

Lu Chuan felt as though little stars were twinkling in his eyes again, though this time it wasn't from getting hit.

A Winged Divine Tiger!

He remembered there was an idiom for this... Right, "a tiger with wings."

It meant that something already powerful became even more powerful after gaining a great advantage.

He'd never expected to actually see a tiger with wings. What a sight, what a sight...

"You want my Divine Tiger?" Shen Gongbao asked with a smile.

Lu Chuan nodded again and again. Who wouldn't want a majestic, mighty tiger with wings?

On top of that, the Divine Tiger could fight monsters. It would make the perfect bodyguard, and taking it out would be quite the boast.

Thump!

Shen Gongbao smacked Lu Chuan on the head again and chided with a laugh, "You little brat. You've barely been my disciple half a day, and you're already coveting my Divine Tiger."

Lu Chuan looked at Shen Gongbao with a woebegone expression.

Damn, he hadn't even noticed Shen Gongbao had played him so neatly.

Shen Gongbao had never said he'd give it to him, and yet there he was, nodding away like a fool. But...

That Divine Tiger was more tempting than a sports car had been in his previous life!

"Go bring back the firewood you gathered earlier. I'll wait here," said Shen Gongbao.

Lu Chuan nodded. With Shen Gongbao here to back him up, what did he have to fear from demons and monsters?

He retraced his steps and soon returned with the bundle of firewood he'd gathered earlier.

Shen Gongbao nodded, then turned and set off. "Come on, let's go back."

Lu Chuan hurried after him, firewood on his back.

Soon, they were back at the ruined temple where they'd taken shelter earlier. Shen Gongbao told Lu Chuan to arrange the wood.

Hiss!

Lu Chuan did as he was told. Shen Gongbao lifted a finger, and a small flame appeared at its tip.

He flicked his finger, and the flame flew off with a whoosh, landing on the firewood and quickly spreading. Before long, a campfire had sprung to life.

Lu Chuan gazed at him enviously. "Master, your magic is amazing."

"This is the Five Elements Daoist Art, the foundation of the Mystic Gate's arts. Every disciple of the Mystic Gate knows it. What's so amazing about that?"

Shen Gongbao shook his head with a laugh. "Also, 'magic' is magic, and cultivation is cultivation. Arts—Daoist arts, demonic arts—are all arts. Don't confuse them."

"I'll remember that, Master."

Whoosh!

As they were speaking, a powerful gust swept into the ruined temple, sending its thatch flying. Lu Chuan hurriedly raised an arm to shield his face.

When the wind died down, a majestic Winged Divine Tiger stood in the temple.

And it was a... saber-toothed tiger!

Lu Chuan eyed the two long fangs in its mouth, sharp as swords, and silently added that thought.

The Divine Tiger stood meekly before Shen Gongbao, a sword clenched in its jaws—the very one Shen Gongbao had used earlier.

Shen Gongbao nodded. He raised his left arm and pushed up his sleeve with his right hand. The Divine Tiger became a streak of yellow light and flew into his sleeve.

"Master, that monster..."

Seeing that the Divine Tiger had returned, Lu Chuan cautiously asked.

"The Divine Tiger ate it," Shen Gongbao replied.

"Oh," said Lu Chuan. Then Shen Gongbao asked him, "Do you know who this little ruined temple we're staying in is dedicated to?"

"Just don't tell me it's that demoness from earlier," Lu Chuan said casually.

Shen Gongbao glanced at Lu Chuan. "It is."

"What?" Lu Chuan's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He stared at Shen Gongbao in astonishment. "Isn't this... a Divine Temple? Why is it dedicated to a demon?"