288. Tiger

Qu Zijin looked at Xie Wenling's guarantor-like demeanor, and then at the little dumpling's expectant expression. He finally sighed, gritted his teeth, and slowly walked forward with his medicine box: "Alright, alright, for the sake of my teacher and for your guarantee, I'll give it a try. But you all have to be careful and absolutely must not disturb it."

"Thank you, Grand Tutor!" The little dumpling immediately smiled, revealing her white, tiny teeth and chubby cheeks, looking incredibly cute.

Qu Zijin opened the medicine box, inside which were neatly arranged silver needles, wound medicine, gauze, and a bottle of strong liquor.

These are the supplies that Qin Fengsong and his team brought.

He first picked up the liquor, took a deep breath, slowly climbed over the fence, and squatted down. The tiger seemed to sense his intention, slightly raised its head, and looked at the little dumpling.

The little dumpling immediately whispered, "Big cat, be good. The Grand Tutor will put some medicine on you. It won't hurt anymore after the medicine is applied. Don't bite him, okay?"

The tiger seemed to understand, gently swaying the tip of its tail before lying down again and offering its injured hind leg towards Qu Zijin.

Qu Zijin breathed a sigh of relief, gently pressing down on the tiger's hind legs with extreme caution: "This beast is surprisingly intelligent. Xie Wenling, please hold it down so it doesn't move around. Miss Lin, please pass me some wound medicine, and be careful."

He now harbors some resentment towards Xie Wenling and doesn't even want to call him "Lord Xie" anymore.

“Okay!” Lin Fuman immediately agreed.

Xie Wenling then walked to the tiger's side and gently placed one hand on the tiger's back.

The tiger had thick, soft fur and a sturdy build; when he pressed down, the tiger didn't move at all.

He looked down at Qu Zijin treating his wounds.

"Bear with it, it'll be over soon." Qu Zijin first wiped the tiger's wound with strong liquor. The tiger trembled in pain and let out a low roar.

The little dumpling immediately came over and gently patted the tiger's head with its tiny hand, its voice as soft as cotton: "Big cat, don't be afraid, just bear with it, just bear with it, Yue'er will blow on it for you."

While listening to the little dumpling's ramblings, Qu Zijin deftly applied medicine and bandaged the tiger.

He quickly treated the wound.

He stood up, wiped the sweat from his brow, and breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright, the wound has been treated properly."

The tiger slowly stood up, carefully moved its bandaged hind leg, and then slowly walked to the little ball of fur. Its massive body appeared exceptionally docile in front of her.

It lowered its head and gently rubbed its fluffy head against the little ball's arm, its movements soft and gentle.

The little dumpling giggled as it was rubbed against the tiger's head, its tiny hands clutching the tiger's head, its soft voice full of joy: "Big kitty, does it hurt anymore?"

The tiger gently swished its tail again.

Xie Wenling spoke up, watching the tiger rubbing against the little dumpling, and said, "Princess, could you communicate with this tiger? I'd like it to come with us."

"What?" Qu Zijin was shocked.

Although this tiger seems quite docile now, with so many of them, who can guarantee that it will be docile to everyone?

What if someone accidentally provokes it and gets attacked by it?

Moreover, they were going down the mountain, and after that they would return to the capital, passing through many towns along the way.

What if the tiger suddenly becomes ferocious and attacks innocent people?

Qu Zijin firmly disagreed, feeling that Xie Wenling had been acting strangely lately: "Xie Wenling, are you crazy? Letting a tiger follow us? If others find out, wouldn't that be a huge problem? Besides, it's a wild beast. What if it goes berserk and hurts the teacher or someone else? Who can take responsibility for that? What exactly are you trying to do?"

He was usually gentle and refined, but now he was so shocked that he was incoherent, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes were full of confusion as he looked at Xie Wenling.

Lin Fuman was also taken aback, and looked at Xie Wenling: "Lord Xie, isn't this... too dangerous?"

The little dumpling didn't understand Qu Zijin's worries, but upon hearing that the big cat could come with them, it immediately clapped its hands happily: "Great! That way, Yue'er can play with the big cat every day and feed it meat!"

Xie Wenling did not answer Qu Zijin's question, but instead looked down at the little dumpling's happy appearance and then at the gentle tiger beside him.

After a moment, he slowly spoke: "I know what I'm doing. I'm letting it follow me just in case. I won't let it disturb others, much less harm the county princess."

No sooner had Xie Wenling finished speaking than Qu Zijin shook his head immediately, his attitude resolute and leaving no room for negotiation: "No, this is absolutely impossible! Xie Wenling, what can you guarantee? Don't take advantage of your teacher's closeness to do whatever you want. Besides, the nature of a wild beast is unpredictable; its docility today doesn't mean it will be tomorrow. I absolutely cannot let my teacher take this risk!"

As he spoke, he reached out and pulled the little dumpling closer to him, clearly determined not to give in.

Xie Wenling looked at Qu Zijin's tense expression, then at the little dumpling who had been pulled to Qu Zijin's side and was looking at him with wide, blinking eyes, and remained silent for a moment.

Okay, Qu Zijin is right.

He really couldn't vouch for him.

The idea itself was risky; he was just thinking that since the tiger wouldn't attack the little dumpling, he could give it a try.

But now Qu Zijin is vehemently opposed...

He looked up at Qu Zijin, his tone softening, no longer as forceful as before: "Okay, I'll listen to you. I won't let it follow me. I'll lead it to the nearby mountains and forests."

Qu Zijin found it hard to believe that he had agreed so easily.

Qu Zijin carefully observed his expression and saw that there was no unusual look on his face.

After hesitating for a moment, I decided to trust him anyway.

Qu Zijin's expression gradually returned to normal, and he nodded: "That's more like it. It's getting late, and the teacher and Miss Lin are both young and can't stay up all night. Let's take them back to rest first."

As he spoke, he reached out to hug the little dumpling.

The little dumpling turned back to look at the tiger, waved its little hand, and said in a childish voice, "Big cat, you need to take good care of your injury. Yue'er is going to sleep now!"

The tiger flicked the tip of its tail, as if in agreement, before slowly turning around and walking into the woods.

Qu Zijin picked up the little dumpling and tried to pull Lin Fuman.

Lin Fuman took a step back, shook her head, and refused to leave: "Grand Tutor Qu, I'm not leaving."

Qu Zijin was taken aback: "Why?"

Lin Fu thought for a moment and said, "Lord Xie is going to deliver the tiger and needs to check if there are any other wild animals nearby. I'll stay here and wait for him. I can help pass things over, and if anything happens, I can call for help immediately."

Qu Zijin frowned: "Miss Lin, it's dangerous in the forest at night. I'm worried about leaving a child like you here. Besides, I can call someone else to help him. You don't need to help. You should come back with me and get some rest."

"Grand Tutor Qu, I'm not afraid!" Lin Fu puffed out her chest. "I'm not a child anymore, I can't help. Besides, if Lord Xie goes alone and something happens, he won't even have anyone to send a message. If I stay here, he'll feel more at ease. Don't worry, I'll stay here and won't go into the woods. When Lord Xie comes back, we'll go back together."

Qu Zijin looked at Lin Fuman's serious expression, then at Xie Wenling, who nodded in agreement.

He finally sighed and said helplessly, "Fine, then you must stay where you are and don't run around. If there's the slightest noise, call for help immediately, understand?"

"I understand! Thank you, Tutor Qu!" Lin Fuman smiled immediately, and even took a step back, leaning against a tree trunk, as if afraid of overstepping the boundary.

Qu Zijin was relieved and turned to walk into the room with the little dumpling in his arms.

The little dumpling nestled in Qu Zijin's arms, its tiny head resting on his shoulder, its chubby little hands clutching his clothes. It had already begun to doze off, its voice filled with drowsiness: "Grand Tutor Qu, big cat... will it be bullied by bad people?"

"No, it won't," Qu Zijin looked down at her, his voice gentle, and his fingers lightly brushed away the stray hairs on her forehead. "Xie Wenling will take good care of it. No one can bully it. Teacher, go to sleep quietly. When you wake up, you might hear that Big Cat is recovering well."

The little dumpling nodded as if it understood, its eyelids growing heavier and heavier. After a while, it leaned against Qu Zijin's chest and began to breathe softly.

Soon, Qu Zijin carried the little dumpling back to his residence.

He gently placed the little dumpling on the bed and saw that the little princess was fast asleep inside, with a few crumbs of pastry still stuck to the corner of her mouth, looking adorable.

The pastries were also brought by Qin Fengsong and his group. There weren't many, and they were all given to the children.

The little princess looks like she was half asleep and has woken up to have some snacks.

Qu Zijin moved gently, took another quilt, and covered the little girl with it. He then reached out to tuck the quilt in and looked at her little face.

With a round face, long eyelashes like two small fans, and a delicate nose, she opened her eyes again, still half asleep.