In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Wang Quan met the Tiger Race patriarch under the tigress's guidance.
The patriarch was a white tiger in the twilight of his years.
He lay behind a curtain, panting heavily as though he might breathe his last at any moment.
But the tigress privately told Wang Quan, "The old thing was already like this when I was little."
"Now I'm about to have cubs, and the old thing is still like this."
"They say he extends his life by eating his own kind!"
Wang Quan's mouth twitched. "Could it be that... his bloodline is powerful and his cultivation is high, so he has a long lifespan?"
The tigress blinked, her eyes clear and foolish.
She knew nothing about bloodlines or cultivation levels.
She only knew that this old patriarch had lived far, far too long-so long that the young tiger demons resented him.
Rustle!
Wang Quan stepped behind the curtain and sat upright opposite the white tiger patriarch.
The white tiger patriarch glanced at him, a flicker of delight flashing through his eyes. "A human?"
"To think I'd see a human in a place like this."
Wang Quan smiled. "How should I address you, fellow Daoist?"
The white tiger patriarch said with a smile, "You can call me White Tiger Number Thirteen."
Wang Quan said, "A fine name!"
White Tiger Number Thirteen gave a sheepish laugh. "There were twelve white tiger patriarchs before me. I'm the thirteenth."
Wang Quan smiled and gave his own name.
But the moment he said his name, the white tiger patriarch's expression turned strange.
Wang Quan blinked. "Have you heard my name before?"
The white tiger patriarch smiled without answering and instead exchanged pleasantries with him.
Before they knew it, their conversation