Chapter 6 Sister Zhong, Sister Zhong, wait for me to go take a bath in the river, then I'll be back...
"I'm fine, senior, there's no need to worry. Can you eat on your own?" Bai asked cautiously.
She was afraid that Zhong Jiuli would find her dirty, and last time she fed her meat with her paws, she was disgusted by it.
Zhong Jiuli refused, saying, "This honey syrup is more useful to you; you should keep it for yourself!"
Bai opened his mouth as if to say that he had eaten his fill and had also consumed royal jelly.
But after thinking it over carefully, she swallowed her words. Since she had done a good deed, she should definitely let the other party owe her this favor.
A powerful cultivator like Zhong Jiuli must have many valuable items. Once she recovers, you can easily give her some magic treasures, spirit stones, or cultivation manuals; she won't be picky at all.
"This was specially found for you, senior, and is specifically for healing your injuries."
Zhong Jiuli glanced down at her, her voice softening slightly: "I told you before, you don't need to call me senior."
"Oh... Aunt Zhong, I..." Bai Ye hadn't finished speaking when he saw Zhong Jiuli's expression change.
Bai instantly realized she had made a grave mistake; how could she call a young and beautiful woman "auntie"?
She's so used to being called "auntie" by the women in the tribe that she now just blurts out "auntie" without thinking.
"No, no, I called the wrong person. Sister Zhong, Sister Zhong, wait for me. I'm going to take a bath in the river and then I'll come back to feed you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Ye's figure flashed and disappeared into the tree hole as if he were fleeing.
Zhong Jiuli stared intently at the little tiger's hasty retreat, a hint of a smile appearing in her eyes. This little thing seems to have gotten much faster.
Bai ran all the way to the riverbank, plunged into the water, and busily scrubbed the dirt off his body with his paws.
Suddenly, the calm river surface began to bubble and gurgle, and an undercurrent surged beneath the surface, with a powerful suction force coming from below.
Caught off guard, Bai was carried by the current towards the center of the river.
With a "splash," the water broke open, revealing a dragon turtle, its head as large as a small mountain, as if cast in gold.
Bai felt a sudden dizziness as he was swept away by the water and thrown into Long Jiao's wide-open, blood-red mouth.
"Jiaojiao, what are you doing? I'm taking a shower!" Bai Ye stood up abruptly, shook off her wet fur, and said angrily.
Long Jiao let out a giggle that seemed out of place with her size from deep in her throat. With a gentle flick of her tongue, Bai Ye tumbled over in her mouth once again.
"Silly Ah Ye!" Long Jiao's voice was tinged with affection. "Didn't Jiao Jiao tell you that you, a little one, are not allowed to play in the water alone!"
"A tiger of your size would be too big to be a fish food in the water."
As soon as she finished speaking, she flicked her tongue, and the little tiger was lightly tossed away, landing back on the riverbank.
Bai was completely exasperated by her; this big tortoise just loved teasing her.
"Okay, I'll wash by the river, don't bother me," Bai shouted at Long Jiao in the middle of the river.
Long Jiao didn't leave either, but squatted in the middle of the river, watching Bai Ye wash the blood off his body by the river.
"Where have you been? Why are you covered in blood?" Long Jiao asked with concern.
Bai recounted what had happened that day, and Long Jiao's brows furrowed into a deep frown, her voice filled with lingering fear and worry: "Don't be so reckless next time."
"Okay, okay, I'm done washing, I'm off!" Bai didn't bother listening to her nagging, jumped ashore to shake off the water, and dashed into the woods.
Long Jiao floated quietly on the water, her gaze following the little tiger's figure until the last white shadow in the forest disappeared into the twilight.
She then slowly sank into the water and disappeared.
......
Bai returned to the tree hole soaking wet, leaving a small watermark on the ground with each step. She thought being a tiger was great in every way, except for this fur.
It takes a long time for me to dry completely after each shower.
Inside the tree hollow, Zhong Jiuli remained in her original spot. When Bai Ye approached, her bright black eyes shifted slightly, her gaze following the little tiger's steps.
Bai sat down in front of her, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far, so as not to wet the place where she was sleeping.
Zhong Jiuli looked at the wet little tiger. Its fluffy fur made it appear smaller, almost like a baby animal that hadn't been weaned.
But how could she venture into the Demon King's Hive alone and retrieve so much honey? Could she have a special bloodline?
"Come closer." Zhong Jiuli's voice came from above.
Bai also held a bowl of honey, his large amber eyes staring blankly at her. Their gazes met in the dim tree hollow, their reflections mirroring each other in their eyes.
"What are your instructions, Sister Zhong?" Bai asked, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot, and he didn't move an inch.
She was a little worried that the other person was still holding a grudge about what happened earlier and was trying to choke her if she asked them to come over.
"Come closer," Zhong Jiuli repeated.
Bai had no choice but to move closer to her.
Zhong Jiuli raised her uninjured arm and placed it on Bai Ye's head. Her slender, jade-like fingertips gently traced Bai Ye's spine, not missing a single detail.
Bai's body stiffened, barely resisting the instinct to escape. Wherever those slender fingers touched, a tingling, trembling sensation spread through him.
Strands of spiritual energy seeped into Bai Ye's body through Zhong Jiuli's fingertips, circulating and probing between his meridians.
When the fingertips slid to the tailbone, Bai finally couldn't help but let out a "woof," and its tail uncontrollably rose high.
Zhong Jiuli withdrew her hand at the right moment, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.
This little tiger is really quite strange.
"Sister Zhong... what's wrong?" Bai asked, her voice trembling.
Zhong Jiuli shook her head. "It's nothing!"
"Okay, let's eat something then." Bai scooped up a spoonful of honey and held it to her lips.
Zhong Jiuli opened her lips and ate it. The honey entered her mouth and transformed into extremely pure spiritual energy, which surged towards her wounds and slowly repaired her damaged foundation.
Although the effect is slight, it is indeed slowly repairing the damage.
After being fed most of the bowl of honey, Zhong Jiuli's complexion visibly improved, no longer as pale as before.
Bai put away the wooden bowl, slung his basket over his shoulder, and said goodbye: "Then, Sister Zhong, please rest well. I have to go home now. I'll come to see you again tomorrow."
"Okay!" Zhong Jiuli responded, then added with concern, "You don't need to risk your life in the deep mountains for me again."
The white tiger cub was so young that she worried it wouldn't be as lucky as it was today when it went into the mountains again and managed to escape unscathed.
Bai also heard her words and paused slightly. She didn't want to waste good things on healing the other party, but this was what the system required!
She gave a mumbled reply, leaped out of the tree hole, and disappeared before Zhong Jiuli's eyes, the setting sun enveloping her figure.
...
Smoke curls from chimneys in the village, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere, while the aroma of food and roasted meat fills the air.
In the distance, on an open field, a group of teenagers chased after a ball made of animal hide. They were barefoot, dressed in coarse cloth, and their flushed faces were covered in sweat.
"The young clan leader is back!" A sharp-eyed child spotted Bai Ye and jumped up to wave at her.
"Young clan leader, come play football!" another child shouted.
Just then, the ball reached Ayu's feet. She smiled slyly and shouted, "Ayu, catch!"
The animal-hide ball flew through the air, leaving afterimages, and flew straight into the distance.
Ayu's little foot was still raised high in the air when the ball was already close to Bai Ye's eyes.
In a flash, the little white tiger leaped into the air, spinning 180 degrees, and with only a fraction of its strength, lightly kicked the speeding animal skin ball.
With a "whoosh," the animal skin ball changed direction in mid-air, moving as fast as lightning, and passed straight through the eye of the wind that was hanging in mid-air.
"Wow, the young chieftain is amazing!" the children shouted happily.
Ayu's eyes also sparkled as she watched Bai Ye land steadily and smugly, a cute smile appearing on her lips.
As dusk settled, a loud call rang out from afar: "Kids, time to eat!"
The call seemed to have flipped a switch, and shouts rang out one after another. The playing children made a pact to play again the next day and then went home one by one.
In the blink of an eye, only A-Yu, clutching the animal skin ball, and Feng Liuyan, hanging alone on the treetop, remained on the open ground.
Holding the ball, Ayu walked up to Baiye and took her paw. "Let's go home for dinner. The clan leader is at my house."
"Why are we having dinner at your house?" Bai asked.
Ayu didn't answer her question. Smelling the sweet fragrance in the air, she kept glancing at Bai Ye's basket out of the corner of her eye. She finally noticed something.
"Idiot! Ah! Ye!" Ah Yu emphasized each word, reaching out to pinch Bai Ye's little ear and scolding, "You've already forgotten how Da Yue was stung by wild bees last year so badly that even her own mother didn't recognize her?"
Bai was pinched so hard she was grimacing. If she told the other person that she hadn't dug up a wild beehive, but rather the nest of a demon bee, this friend would probably jump up and down on the spot.
"Let go, let go! You're not my mother, you're not allowed to twist my ear." Bai also broke free from her little hand, and the moment the words fell, the little tiger's agile body had already darted dozens of meters away.
Looking at the snow-white tiger's tail sticking up high in the distance, Ayu stomped her feet in anger and took off chasing after it. The little girl ran like a whirlwind.
"My mother said long ago that she would make us get married when I come of age! Then I'll twist your ears every day!" She grabbed a dry blade of grass from the roadside and threw it forward with force.
Upon hearing her words, Bai stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.
She turned her head in surprise, looking at the little boy chasing after her, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Aunt Wu must be drunk and talking nonsense, right? She's a tiger! Who would let their daughter marry a tiger!
"Gotcha, you stinky Ah Ye!" Ah Yu caught up with Bai Ye, panting, and grabbed her ear again.
Bai was stunned as she dragged him home by the ear.
When Aunt Wu saw the two little ones enter the house, she smiled and said, "Not bad, they know to run home when the food is ready."
Bai Shu came out of the kitchen carrying a large basin of silver-bellied pheasant soup. Her gaze fell on Bai Ye's basket, and her expression changed drastically. She hurriedly put the chicken soup on the wooden table and picked Bai Ye up.
After carefully examining her entire body and confirming that she was not injured, he asked, "Where did you go today?"
Bai was still preoccupied with the fact that she had a childhood betrothal, and couldn't quite come to her senses.
With a "smack," a dull pain shot through Bai's bottom, and Bai looked up blankly at Bai Shu, who was holding up a raised hand.
"I'm asking you a question, you brat, where did you get this Demon Bee honey from?" Bai Shu asked coldly again.
Aunt Wu and her daughter were initially unaware of what had happened, but upon hearing about the honey from the Demon King Bee, their expressions changed drastically, and they joined the tiger-hunting team.
Bai Ye's little bottom was immediately slapped five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten times!
"You little rascal, you've got some nerve! How dare you venture into the hive of the Demon King Bees!" Aunt Wu scolded.
Ayu nodded in agreement, her little face full of reproach!
"Ouch!" Bai cried out in pain, "Don't spank me! I just got stung by a demon bee today!"
Upon hearing that she had been pricked by a poisoned needle, Bai Shu anxiously lifted her little bottom to check. On her hairy, round buttocks, there wasn't even a needle mark to be found.
She was instantly enraged and slapped Bai Ye's little bottom twice more.
"You have no conscience at all! I was even thinking of bringing the honey back so you could have a taste, and this is how you treat me," Bai muttered softly, pouting.
The little white tiger's amber eyes were slightly moist. She looked up at you with a wronged expression. Even the most hard-hearted person would not be able to bear to scold her when they saw her cute appearance.
But Bai Shu was determined to teach him a lesson. “No matter what you say, it’s no use. You have to be taught a lesson today. Otherwise, if you dare to break into the Demon King’s Hive today, you’ll dare to go deep into the Wild Mountains tomorrow and seek trouble with that ancient demon.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand as if to hit him.
Aunt Wu, who was standing nearby, stepped forward to stop them, saying, "Oh dear, clan chief, there's no rush to beat the child. She's still hungry. Let her eat first, otherwise the chicken soup will get cold."
"Hmph!" Bai Shu snorted lightly, "I'll let you off this time for Aunt Wu's sake. Do you know what you did wrong?"
Bai lowered her head quietly, afraid that she would laugh in front of the two of them and then she would really get a beating. "I know I was wrong, Mother, thank you Aunt Wu."
"Alright, it's good that you know you were wrong. Let's eat!" Bai Shu took off the basket from her back and put her next to A Yu. The two little ones sat on a stool.
Bai also subtly shifted her position, distancing herself from Ayu. She didn't want any romantic entanglements with her friend, so it was better to keep her distance.
Bai Zhu took some honey out of his basket and put it on the dining table. The four of them sat down around the table.
The pot of chicken soup on the table glowed with a faint rosy light, and its aroma was irresistible. The chicken meat was so tender that it fell off the bone, and there were also a few old ginseng roots as thick as a baby's wrist soaking in the soup. It looked extremely nourishing.
Aunt Wu waved her hand and tore two huge chicken legs off the basin. The chicken legs were enormous, and when placed in front of the two little ones, they were even larger than their small heads.
"Eat quickly! The clan chief and I went to great lengths to catch this silver-bellied pheasant today. You two little ones are in for a treat!"
Bai was already tempted by the fragrant chicken soup. She grabbed a chicken leg and stuffed it into her mouth. With one bite, the scalding hot juices burst in her mouth.
Immediately following, an astonishing surge of spiritual energy rushed into her throat, flowing through her meridians to her limbs and bones. The spiritual energy was so powerful that Bai didn't have time to absorb it, and it directly seeped out through the pores of her body.
"Wow, this is so delicious!" Bai Ye was almost stunned by the aroma. As she opened her mouth to speak, her mouth also emitted spiritual light.
She held up a chicken leg, dipped it in honey, and put it in her mouth. The aroma made even the little mustache on her lips tremble.
"Eat slowly, this is all for you and Ayu. Eat more and get better." Aunt Wu said with a smile.
Ayu imitated her, holding up a chicken leg, dipping it in honey, and eating it, her little face almost buried in the big chicken leg.
Bai paused for a moment as she gnawed on her chicken leg. She seemed to understand why Bai Shu had been leading people into the mountains to hunt lately.
It must be that the time for the immortal sect to accept disciples is approaching, and the adults are making preparations.
A note from the author:
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