Chapter 50 Tiger, Do You Want to Make a Bet?…

Chapter 50: Wanna Make a Bet, Lord Tiger?

A Chan hadn’t been in the house for long when she heard someone calling for her outside.

"Miss Ji, is Miss Ji here?" The voice was accompanied by the sound of knocking.

A Chan opened the door to find Granny Wang standing there, smiling warmly. "Miss Ji, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Come join us for a meal."

Feeling a bit hungry, A Chan didn’t refuse and cheerfully replied, "Thank you, Granny Wang."

"Oh, don't mention it."

Granny Wang invited A Chan into her home next door. Her husband had passed away long ago, and her two sons had already moved out. Now, she lived with her eldest son’s family.

Today, her eldest son was away working. His wife, a plump woman dressed in a blue cloth skirt with a floral headscarf, greeted A Chan with a smile. "Miss Ji, come and eat."

"Thank you, sister-in-law." A Chan was sweet-natured and wore a charming smile, making her quite likable. By the end of the meal, the daughter-in-law’s little girl had already cuddled up to A Chan.

Though they didn’t get to taste Granny Wang’s specialty fish dish, the small river fish fried by the daughter-in-law were delicious and fresh. A Chan’s compliments left the daughter-in-law blushing.

After the meal, everyone sat together and began discussing the Gao family.

It was here, at Granny Wang’s place, that A Chan finally heard the full story about Lin Sui.

When Granny Wang mentioned Lin Sui’s late grandmother, she sighed. "Old Madam Gao worked as a midwife in her younger years and delivered many babies for wealthy women. She was the one who delivered Lin Sui."

"Then why did Old Madam Gao take Lin Sui in to raise?" A Chan asked curiously.

Granny Wang sighed again. "Old Madam Gao told me that the lady had a difficult birth with Lin Sui and nearly died. After that, she never took to the child—didn’t even glance at her after she was born.

"One day, the lady’s sister-in-law from her maternal family brought a Daoist priestess to visit. The priestess immediately claimed the child would bring her bad luck and had to be fostered in another household until she came of age. Surprisingly, the lady actually believed it and sent the Steward to find a family right away."

"That’s so careless!" A Chan thought Lin Sui’s birth mother must not have been thinking straight.

"Exactly! They say her husband was always away at war, so she was the one making all decisions at home. And it wasn’t like this was her first time being a mother—how could she be so heartless?

"Later, Old Madam Gao took pity on the child and offered to raise her, saying her own son and daughter-in-law had been married for two years without children and were planning to adopt. That’s how Lin Sui ended up in Old Madam Gao’s home."

"Did Lin Sui’s birth mother ever regret it?"

"She did. About a month after giving the child away, the family had second thoughts. They sent the Steward to take her back, but then the plan was abandoned.

"When Old Madam Gao went to inquire, she heard that the lady’s sister-in-law had brought her own daughter for a visit, and the lady became so attached to her she insisted on keeping her. Once she had an adopted daughter, she never mentioned bringing her real daughter home again."

The daughter-in-law, never one to mince words, couldn’t help but interject, "How could someone else’s child suddenly become so precious? If you ask me, there’s definitely more to it."

Granny Wang gave her daughter-in-law a look. "Must you be so blunt?"

A Chan, however, nodded in agreement. "Sister-in-law has a point."

"See?" The daughter-in-law grinned at A Chan.

A Chan stayed at the Wang household for over an hour. Seeing the sky darken—perhaps rain was coming—she finally got up to leave.

Back in the Gao family’s courtyard, A Chan rested for a while in Lin Sui’s room. Feeling drowsy, she took off her shoes and socks and decided to nap for a bit.

She didn’t know how long she slept, but when she woke up, Hui Niang and Lin Sui still hadn’t returned. The sky outside was overcast, and a fog had rolled in.

Rubbing her eyes, A Chan considered stepping outside to check when she heard knocking again.

"Is Xiao Luo home?"

A Chan pushed open the window and listened carefully, finally realizing the visitor was asking after Lin Sui’s younger brother.

Without thinking, she hurriedly slipped on her embroidered shoes and headed out, calling back, "Gao Luo isn’t home today."

The person outside seemed surprised to hear a woman's voice and paused before asking, "Are you Gao’s Xiao Sui?"

"I’m a friend of Lin Sui’s, here to visit Gao Luo."

"Oh. Then could you open the door, miss? I’ve brought some hunted game for Xiao Luo—please accept it on his behalf."

A Chan didn’t think much of it and opened the door.

Outside stood a brawny middle-aged man in his forties, holding a rabbit. When he saw A Chan, he grinned and handed it over. "Here’s the rabbit. Sorry to trouble you."

A Chan reached out to take it. But the moment she lifted the rabbit by its ears, the stiffened creature suddenly twitched.

Startled, she let go, and the rabbit dropped to the ground and scampered off.

"Miss, how could you let the rabbit escape? That was a rabbit I worked hard to catch—you’ll have to compensate me." A sinister voice whispered in her ear, and the next moment, her arm was seized in an iron grip.

A Chan looked up in shock. The man, who had seemed perfectly normal moments ago, now wore a face twisted terrifyingly.

The fog around them had grown thicker unnoticed.

Instead of panicking, A Chan looked the man over carefully. After a moment, she confirmed her suspicion.

Though his appearance was human, the grip on her arm felt wrong—not like flesh, but like a band of cold iron.

Such a low temperature meant he was either a corpse monster or a ghost.

But corpses rarely mimicked humans so well—Hui Niang was unique.

So this had to be a ghost.

He wasn’t a powerful ghost, yet he could appear in daylight. As far as A Chan knew, the only ghosts capable of that were *chang* ghosts (tiger ghosts, spirits of those killed by tigers, who then serve the tiger).

If this man was from the village and had turned into a *chang* ghost, then the village likely had more than just one.

As A Chan pondered this, two more figures appeared at the door—a man and a woman, both dressed as villagers.

The female ghost led the way while the two male ghosts effortlessly lifted A Chan up. As they carried her out, A Chan looked over at Granny Wang’s house next door. She hesitated but ultimately didn’t call for help.

Even if she did, no one could save her—she didn’t want to involve Granny Wang’s family in this.

The *chang* ghosts seemed surprised by how cooperative their captive was—not screaming or struggling, just quietly letting herself be carried up the mountain.

As they passed through the village, A Chan spotted a few villagers in the fog. When their eyes met, they too joined the procession.

Well, more *chang* ghosts.

Swaying in the grip of her captors, A Chan mused about how bored the tiger demon in the mountains must be to take such pleasure in turning people into *chang* ghosts and creating this procession.

Once in the mountains, the ghosts moved noticeably faster. After about half an hour, A Chan suddenly heard a woman’s voice calling out from somewhere in the hills.

Her expression tightened. This was bad. Sure enough, the four *chang* ghosts at the back of the group veered toward the sound.

Unable to stop them, A Chan could only watch the direction of the voice with worry, hoping Lin Sui wouldn’t be caught.

After another quarter of an hour or so, the group of *chang* ghosts carried A Chan to a ravine. The area was lush with vegetation, but weathered stone pavers hinted at past visitors.

Further ahead stood a dilapidated mountain temple, its doors and windows long rotted away, leaving only three yawning black openings.

Listening carefully, A Chan could hear faint sobbing sounds from inside the temple—wavering voices, clearly multiple people.

The *chang* ghosts set A Chan down. During the journey up the mountain, both her shoes had been lost, leaving her barefoot. Though not cold, the pebbles dug into her soles.

Once released, the *chang* ghosts suddenly dissipated, but the mist surrounding her remained.

A Chan glanced around and slowly edged toward the mountain temple.

Just as she reached the entrance, she spotted several people cowering in a trembling cluster inside. Their gazes weren’t fixed on her but on something behind her.

Turning around, A Chan found herself face-to-face with an enormous tiger's head, its maw wide open, reeking of carrion and iron.

Disgusted, she covered her nose. "Lord Tiger, even as a demon, you should at least maintain some hygiene."

The black tiger-demon closed its mouth, its furry head tilting toward A Chan in surprise. "You’re not afraid of me?"

A Chan chuckled. "That's rich. Why would I fear one of our kind?"

She studied the black tiger-demon—its glossy black fur streaked with white patterns, its eyes bearing triple-layered pupils. To speak this coherently and with such intelligence, it had to be Third Realm at minimum.

"Kin, you don’t look like a demon," the black tiger-demon remarked, scrutinizing A Chan.

"Not in this form, but that doesn’t mean I never was."

The tiger suddenly roared at her. "Human, you’re lying to me!"

"Must you tigers always be so loud? It’s annoying," A Chan snapped back irritably.

The black tiger-demon’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Not a flicker of fear had crossed the woman’s face—she wasn’t pretending.

"Last I checked, demons can’t turn into humans."

A Chan rolled her eyes. "Spoken like someone who's never traveled. How many demons have you even met?"

"So you’ve met many? What kind were you before?"

"Fox demon. Ever heard of Qingyu Mountain? I grew up there." She inched closer, reaching out to touch the tiger’s scruff. The texture was bristly—typical bachelor hygiene.

The tiger recoiled in distaste. "Qingyu Mountain? The one with the Fifth Realm Fox King?"

"Indeed. That Fox King is my grandmother."

The black tiger-demon was beginning to buy her story. Qingyu Mountain was way out past Great Xia—not a place an ordinary woman would know. Even as a Third Realm tiger-demon, he’d only heard of it from other powerful demons.

"So what happened to you?"

"I was betrayed, so I..." A Chan glanced toward the temple. "Shall we speak privately?"

The tiger-demon blew a sleep spell at the people inside, instantly knocking them unconscious. "Go on."

A Chan plowed ahead, unfazed. "I hijacked this meat suit."

The tiger-demon’s eyes widened. "Possession? You actually succeeded?"

"Hell no. Can’t you see I’m powerless now? I couldn’t even break free from your *chang* ghosts."

She rubbed her stiff neck—getting schlepped up here like luggage had been exhausting.

The tiger-demon smirked. "Well ain't that convenient. I just wanted to catch a woman for sport, but I got one of my own kind."

Though convinced A Chan was once a demon, it had no intention of letting her go. If she truly was from Qingyu Mountain...

Eyes glinting with calculation, the tiger circled her slowly. "Even if you were once a demon, you’re not now. Dead foxes tell no tales."

A Chan wasn’t surprised. Demons lived by the rule of the strong.

"So, I’ve already thought of a bargain chip for my life."

"Oh? What?" The tiger-demon was intrigued.

"A Fourth Realm fox core. Interested?"

Humans couldn’t easily absorb demon cores, but demons could devour each other’s. No matter how shrewd this tiger was, it wouldn't sniff at such an opportunity.

"Your core?" it probed.

"Mine went kaboom ages back. I’m talking about my uncle’s." Under the tiger’s gaze, A Chan remained calm. "I had thirteen uncles. Three have died over the years. My sixth uncle bought it in Great Xia, and I happen to know where his core is."

"Where?"

"Xiling. I can show you the way, but you must help me with something."

"What?" Now, the tiger-demon had her pegged—this was indeed a fox spirit. That Qingyu fox trivia checked out; only a true Qingyu Mountain fox would know the Fox King had fourteen sons.

"I want to return to being a demon, but Shangjing's no place for second acts. I need you to take me back to Qingyu Mountain."

The tiger's ears flicked uncertainly.

Reading its expression, A Chan asked, "Did you offend some powerful demon and haul tail to Great Xia with your... tail between your legs?"

The tiger-demon's hackles rose. "No! I'm strategically avoiding... certain parties."

"Understood. But if you’re worried about being hunted, I can suggest a sweet setup."

"Where?"

A Chan smiled mysteriously, leaning close. "You know the White Peak Mountain’s white tiger clan, right? Their third princess has a real taste for your... ebony aesthetic. Win her favor, and no one would dare challenge you."

The tiger-demon’s eyes lit up. "Really? What’s she like?"

A Chan feigned distaste. "Built like a siege engine with the temper to match. Quite annoying."

The tiger-demon grew even more excited—this set its tail twitching!

Seeing its pupils dilate, A Chan pressed, "So, do we have a deal?"

"Fine. Once you lead me to the core, I’ll take you to Qingyu Mountain—and the third princess..."

"Once my grandmother restores my demon form, I’ll take you to White Peak Mountain."

"Deal." The tiger raised a massive paw, gingerly booping A Chan’s slender hand.

Just then, mist swirled nearby as four *chang* ghosts emerged, manhandling a flailing captive. A Chan glanced over—it was Lin Sui.

She sighed inwardly but didn’t approach. Instead, she turned to the tiger-demon. "Lord Tiger, what's with the takeout order?"

The Black Tiger Demon lifted its large head: "The guy inside mentioned his sister was at the foot of the mountain and asked me to capture her. Who knew I'd grab you instead? Is this his sister?"

"Yes."

"You know her?"

"Of course, I’ve seen everyone here." A Chan turned to the Black Tiger Demon. "In my current role, I’m somewhat considered a noblewoman."

As she spoke, the Black Tiger Demon exhaled again, and the previously unconscious people began to wake up.

Lin Sui was shoved into the mountain temple by the *chang* ghosts. She glanced at A Chan as she passed but said nothing.

Once inside, Lin Sui immediately spotted Lin Heng. She lunged at him, grabbing his collar and snarling, "Lin Heng, where’s Xiao Luo? What have you done with him?"

Lin Heng shoved her away forcefully. "Lin Sui, have you lost your mind? How would I know where he is?"

Ignoring him, Lin Sui looked around, picked up a stone from the entrance, and hurled it at Lin Heng’s head.

Watching the two fight, A Chan chuckled coyly. "So, Lord Tiger, you enjoy this kind of spectacle—siblings turning on each other?"

"It’s alright. It’s too dull staying here. Occasionally, I come across one or two interesting humans, but sadly, they don't know when to quit, so I end up eating them."

A Chan scoffed. "Eating humans is so boring—they’re just common folk. I have a better suggestion. Would you like to hear it?"

"Go on."

"These people love hunting. What if we turned them into the prey?"

"And who hunts them?"

A Chan tilted her chin toward the frenzied Lin Sui. "She’d be a perfect pick. The strong becoming prey while the weak turn into hunters—that’s way more fun. Later, you can find her a suitable weapon, and then we can have front-row seats from the ridge."

"Hmm… you foxes sure know how to have fun." The Black Tiger Demon nodded. "That’s a good idea."

Following A Chan’s suggestion, the Black Tiger Demon entered the mountain temple and roared. Lin Sui, who had lost her senses earlier, came to her senses and realized she was facing a demon.

But seeing A Chan standing beside the demon, she calmed slightly. The A Chan before her seemed unfamiliar—she appeared quite close to the tiger demon—but Lin Sui chose to trust her anyway.

"This Lord intends to play a game with you. I’ll let you leave here, and you can run as far as you want. Whoever escapes, I’ll let them go."

The previously despairing group suddenly felt hope and quickly agreed, "Lord Tiger, we accept!"

"As for you," the Black Tiger Demon turned to Lin Sui, "your job is to hunt them. If you catch even one and leave them behind, this Lord will spare you."

Lin Sui glanced at Lin Heng but said nothing.

Soon, the group was released by the Black Tiger Demon. Hesitantly, they emerged from the temple. Seeing no obstruction or rising mist, they fled desperately into the mountains.

A Chan watched their fleeing figures, she smiled slyly. Watching prey flee in terror and die—that was the true joy of hunting. They would enjoy this game.

Lin Sui was the last one left. A Chan looked around but found nothing suitable, so she directed the lingering *chang* ghosts to fetch a sturdy branch. She then brought it to the Black Tiger Demon. "Lord Tiger, a puff of demon qi, please."

"Tch." The Black Tiger Demon exhaled demon qi onto the stick, instantly turning it steel-hard yet keeping it light.

A Chan placed the stick in Lin Sui’s hand and gave her hand a pat once she took it. "Go on."

"Which way did Lin Heng go?" Still frantic about news of her brother, Lin Sui refused to give up.

Earlier, she and Chen Hui had found large bloodstains in the mountains, but before they could investigate further, she was captured. She feared something terrible had happened to Xiao Luo. Given Lin Heng’s cruel nature, they wouldn’t just let him go.

A Chan pointed in the direction Lin Heng had fled. "Go. Watch your back."

"You want to let this human go?" Once Lin Sui had left, the Black Tiger Demon’s head suddenly appeared over A Chan’s shoulder.

"I just want to see—when backed into a corner, will siblings turn on each other? Aren’t you curious, Lord Tiger?"

"I doubt it. Humans care too much about all that sentimental crap."

A Chan smiled. "But I think they will. Care to make a bet, Lord Tiger?"

After about fifteen minutes, the Black Tiger Demon moved swiftly through the mountain forest, with A Chan riding on its back, her long hair flying in the wind.

"Lord Tiger, slow down! The wind’s too strong—my hair’s a mess!"

"Roar, why are you so demanding?"

"Clearly, you tigers live too roughly!"

"Foxes are just fussy."

The Black Tiger Demon slowed its pace and leaped onto a massive boulder atop the mountain. From there, they had a clear view of Lin Heng stumbling blindly through the woods—and Lin Sui, who had just caught up to him.