Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Sometimes, being too cute can be a dangerous weapon. Chen Ji’s heart was pierced without hesitation, a soft, sweet sensation bubbling up within him. He lowered his head and planted several fervent kisses on the white tiger’s head. "Alright, Xiangxiang, you’re such a good boy…"

The white tiger struggled a bit in his arms, not daring to truly fling Chen Ji miles away, yet unwilling to let him continue kissing. With a swift roll, it pinned Chen Ji firmly, employing a clever trick to trap both of Chen Ji’s hands beneath its body.

"…Hiss." Chen Ji gasped, feeling as if all the air had been squeezed from his chest. Seeing his distress, the white tiger flustered slightly and lifted its body, allowing Chen Ji to breathe properly again.

After all that commotion, Chen Ji was no longer in the mood to play. The rock they had been lying on was warm from their body heat, and Chen Ji was in no rush to get up. He looked around and asked, "Where are we?"

He reached for his phone to check his location. His phone was in his coat pocket, so he reached into the tiger’s soft belly to retrieve it. The plush fur and flesh brushed against the back of his hand. He turned his palm over and rubbed the tiger’s belly with it, instantly earning a white tiger that leaped three feet into the air.

How amusing.

Chen Ji took out his phone to check his location, but his mind was elsewhere: *Has it gained a little weight?*

Based on the feel just now, there was definitely some extra padding on its belly. He recalled the human form of Xiangxiang and mischievously wondered if, should Xiangxiang transform into human form now, those abdominal muscles would still be there. Would they have become soft and chubby?

The white tiger’s fur bristled all over. It shivered instinctively, trembling with a chill.

Chen Ji noticed this, an irrepressible smile playing on his lips. He carefully checked his location: he was currently to the east of Little Green Mountain, about twenty kilometers in a straight line from Mountain Lord Temple. If he had to walk back on foot, it might take from morning till night, and he might still not make it to Mountain Lord Temple.

Chen Ji rarely ventured into this area because it was truly undeveloped—deep mountains and dense, remote forests. Even though his phone had been secretly enhanced by System Cat, the signal here was only one bar.

Even the villagers from Shangyang Village wouldn’t come this deep into the mountains.

While there was at least a dirt road from Shangyang Village to Mountain Lord Temple that could be navigated by motorcycle, this area had not even a trail. Whether climbing or walking, one had to rely entirely on themselves. Anyone familiar with mountain trekking knew that being in such a place was pretty much like extreme survival.

"Oh? Is that beautiful stone this far away?" Chen Ji asked curiously.

The white tiger, which had kept its distance, turned its head upon hearing the question and nodded silently.

[Chen Ji, your signal is too weak right now.] System Cat’s voice echoed in his mind. [To avoid accidents, I recommend you take a screenshot of the route now and mark the spot… I’m not with you, so be careful.]

According to the system rules, taskers seeking help from the system must provide equivalent exchange. If the conditions aren’t met, the minimum value (one point) is applied by default.

System Cat had always exploited a loophole: the rules prohibited systems from directly assisting taskers, but they didn’t say systems couldn’t help themselves. As long as it stayed by Chen Ji’s side in its carbon-based life form, tasks like reading maps or checking data could be considered things the system did for itself, unrelated to Chen Ji.

Taking advice to heart, Chen Ji immediately took a screenshot of the map and saved it. He pulled out a tag notebook from his bamboo basket and, using the weak signal to confirm the direction, firmly stuck a tag onto a tree trunk.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Ji also took out a disposable firework (signal flare). He had modified it with an additional component, allowing him to ignite it remotely as long as his phone had a signal… Even though there might be no signal further down, it was better to be safe than sorry.

After finishing all this, he said to the white tiger, "Let’s go."

The white tiger emitted a soft purr, stood up, and walked to Chen Ji’s side. Just as Chen Ji was about to follow it, his waist was suddenly gripped, and a sense of weightlessness overwhelmed him. In the blink of an eye, he was pressed onto the tiger’s back. Instinctively, Chen Ji grabbed the fur on the tiger’s back, his heart still racing. "Xiangxiang, you scared me to death!"

There was a world of difference between expected and unexpected weightlessness.

Without a word, the white tiger carried him down from the warm rock and headed upward along the shallow shore. The forests on both sides grew lush in an instant, enveloping them under a dense canopy. Chen Ji carefully observed the direction the tiger was taking, memorizing the route.

[Approaching area with no signal.] System Cat reminded him. [Chen Ji, you dummy! Don’t just rely on your memory! Why not shoot a video?!]

[…You’re the dummy.] Chen Ji retorted with a laugh. [Xiangxiang is running so fast—what kind of video could I possibly film?]

Despite his words, Chen Ji stubbornly tapped the record button and held up his phone to film.

Soon, the white tiger led Chen Ji out of the forest. Before them was a cliff—unlike the small waterfall they visited yesterday, which was nothing compared to this, this cliff was at least fifty or sixty meters high, with no gradual slope, just a sheer drop. Falling from here would likely leave no whole pieces left.

Yet the white tiger leaped down without hesitation. The sensation of weightlessness struck again, and Chen Ji let out an uncontrollable yell. He watched as the tiger landed on a rocky ledge about seven or eight meters down, stabilizing itself before making a few more leaps, eventually bringing them to a cave.

Chen Ji was still rattled, gasping for breath even after the tail around his waist loosened. The white tiger patted his back with its tail, as if comforting him. Only then did Chen Ji push himself up, using the tiger’s back for support.

The cave before them was deep and narrow, its end unseen, leading to who knew where. Standing at the entrance, they could even feel a chilly, damp wind blowing from within.

Chen Ji was hesitant about going in—alright, he was just scared.

This place clearly didn’t look safe.

Chen Ji tugged at the tiger’s fur. "This place isn’t home to something sinister, is it?"

The white tiger shook its head.

Reassured by its response, Chen Ji stroked the tiger and whispered, "Will you take me in? I’m a little scared…"

The tiger nodded again, and only then did Chen Ji climb off—the deeper they went, the narrower the cave became. Riding on the tiger’s back would easily result in hitting stalactites overhead, leading to a head injury requiring medical attention, with costs starting at two thousand and going up.

Chen Ji looked around and found a branch that had somehow fallen there. He pulled out a lighter from his pocket, lit the branch, and after ensuring the flame was stable, tossed it inside. Seeing the flame flicker but remain lit, he followed the tiger inside.

The further they went, the darker it became. Chen Ji blinked, keeping one hand on the tiger, which made him feel secure. After walking a while longer, a faint, mournful wailing suddenly echoed from deep within the cave. Chen Ji’s hairs stood on end, but before he could react, the tiger pressed him against the cave wall.

Just as Chen Ji was about to ask what was wrong, the wailing grew louder, resembling cries and screams. The sound approached rapidly, as if rushing toward them. Chen Ji shuddered, and the tiger used its paw to pull him closer underneath itself. The next moment, a fierce gust of wind surged in, carrying sand and stones, wildly blowing toward the direction they had come from.

Protected by the tiger, Chen Ji emerged unscathed. He had seen clearly—it was just wind, nothing supernatural.

The tiger released him and shook its fur, dislodging the dust and sand with evident distaste. Chen Ji chuckled inwardly—looks like it’s bath time again when they got back.

Xiangxiang was truly a big cat that valued cleanliness.

"Quite a gust of demonic wind," Chen Ji remarked. "Does this happen often?"

The tiger purred in agreement. Chen Ji rubbed its head and said, "Then you’ll have to protect me, Xiangxiang."

The tiger nudged Chen Ji’s palm with its head, agreeing.

They continued onward, and after about three minutes, the cave was shrouded in total darkness. For some reason, the tiger emitted a faint, glowing light, starkly visible in the dark. Thanks to it, Chen Ji could keep going.

Along the way, they encountered another wave of demonic wind. While hiding under the tiger, Chen Ji reached out and felt the cave wall. As expected, the rock felt smooth and polished, with very little dust… It seemed this place not only had an exit but also likely had underground water.

Guided by the tiger’s light, Chen Ji could see the path clearly. They seemed to have reached the end—the passage no longer extended horizontally but opened into a downward hole about four to five meters wide.

If he had taken a couple more steps, he would have fallen straight down and could have been reincarnated on the spot.

At that thought, Chen Ji instinctively tightened his grip on the tiger’s tail.

The next moment, the tail slipped from his grasp and gave his hand a gentle tap before wrapping around his waist again, lifting him back onto the tiger’s back.

The tiger purred, as if reminding Chen Ji to be ready. Chen Ji gripped its fur tightly and said, "I’m ready."

The tiger leaped into the hole with sudden force. Just then, the demonic wind struck again, the mournful wailing filling Chen Ji’s ears. Ignoring it, the tiger landed on the cave floor within seconds, using rocky outcrops as stepping stones. The next moment, it covered him with its body as a loud wind roar echoed around them. Within a few breaths, the demonic wind had passed.

The tiger’s head rested heavily on top of Chen Ji’s. Struggling to lift his head, Chen Ji said, "Sweetheart… you’re crushing me…"

Hearing this, the tiger pressed its head down even harder, smushing Chen Ji’s face against its front paw before finally relenting. Chen Ji turned over in its embrace and, guided by instinct, cupped the tiger’s face. "Learning to play tricks now? How mean!"

He vigorously rubbed the tiger’s cheeks. The tiger’s blue-green eyes looked down at him with an imposing, authoritative air.

Anyone else might have been too intimidated to continue, worried for their life. But not Chen Ji. Seeing this, he pinched the flesh on either side of the tiger’s face and pulled outward, forcing the tiger’s teeth to show in an awkward yet polite smile.

"Pfft," Chen Ji couldn't help but let out a laugh, pulling out his phone to snap a photo of the white tiger.

Coincidentally, the tiger itself provided enough lighting, so he didn't even need to use the flash.

The white tiger: "…"

After laughing his fill, Chen Ji finally stood up. He stroked his bamboo basket and pulled something out from inside—with a click, the cave lit up.

The white tiger was still processing what had happened, staring blankly at Chen Ji, who returned the gaze with feigned solemnity. "…My friend, times have changed."

Who needs deep mountains and dense forests? What dark and winding caves? In the face of 100,000 lumens, everything becomes as bright as day!

Chen Ji had even swapped in higher-capacity batteries for his flashlight. Fully charged, it could last up to two hours, and he had brought two spare batteries. Unless the white tiger abandoned him here and refused to take him back up, it was more than enough!

The white tiger made a grumbling noise and turned its head away. Chen Ji chuckled and rubbed its head before finally taking a moment to look around.

Compared to the narrow, low passage above, this cavern was surprisingly spacious, with a height of at least seven or eight meters. As for the area, it was even more impressive. The entire cavern resembled terraced pools, each layer filled with water of unknown depth, reflecting a translucent blue under Chen Ji’s flashlight.

This blue wasn’t the kind that comes from deep green waters but rather a clear, light blue, as if deliberately mixed by a painter. In reality, it was nature's incredible handiwork.

[The water is rich in calcium carbonate, which is why it appears blue to the naked eye,] System Cat explained, though Chen Ji could hear the sound of "click, click" in the background, likely from System Cat taking screenshots like crazy. It continued, [Check if there are any broken stones to collect later. They might count as minerals.]

Hearing this, Chen Ji bent down and picked up a piece of broken stone. The system automatically initiated detection. [Host 'Chen Ji' has discovered a mineral…]

Before the system announcement could finish, the white tiger’s tail swept over and swatted the stone out of Chen Ji’s hand. Startled, Chen Ji reached out to stroke the tiger. "Xiangxiang, what’s wrong? Can’t I pick up this stone?"

The white tiger gave him a puzzled look, looking rather disdainful as it sidestepped away.

The system announcement stuttered briefly before continuing: [Task read failed. The detected mineral is identified as coprolite (fossilized dung) and does not meet task requirements. Please try again, tasker Chen Ji.]

Chen Ji: "…"

Chen Ji had a swear word on the tip of his tongue but held back. Since he was the one who picked up the stone, he could only silently go wash his hands in the pool.

Though he wasn’t sure if the water here was clean, it certainly looked pristine. When Chen Ji reached in, he felt as if he were messing up the environment.

However, the moment he spotted clearly visible white bones at the bottom of the pool, he suddenly felt better about it.

…So it wasn’t all that clean after all.

Thankfully, the bones appeared to belong to small or medium-sized animals. If they had been human bones, Chen Ji wouldn’t have felt relieved at all—he’d probably regret it until his dying day, recalling this incident and angrily pounding his bed in frustration.

The white tiger politely sat nearby, waiting for him to finish washing his hands before showing any intention of moving. Without a hint of guilt, Chen Ji wiped his hands on the tiger’s neck—genuine leather worked wonders for drying hands.

The white tiger paused, about to move away, but Chen Ji held it firmly, refusing to let go. "I’ll give you a bath when we get home anyway. Let me wipe my hands on you… good boy…"

An awkward silence followed.

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow. "Don’t like it when I bathe you?"

The white tiger nodded vigorously.

Chen Ji reached out with mischievous fingers and pinched its cheeks. "No way. How can a little kitten clean itself properly? We don’t have a pool big enough for you to soak in at home… Besides, the water here isn’t clean either, Xiangxiang. If you don’t wash properly, fleas and all sorts of little bugs will grow in your fur. Over time, your fur will lose its shine, and it’ll get itchy… What if you pass them on to me?"

"Xiangxiang, just let me bathe you. You’ll feel comfortable, and I’ll feel at ease. Isn’t that right?"

What nonsense!

The white tiger let out a series of grumbles, wrapped its tail around Chen Ji, and placed him back on its back before leaping into the pool with him.

As the water splashed up, a single thought crossed Chen Ji’s mind: his hands were clean for nothing.

If they were going to jump in anyway, why did Xiangxiang let him wash his hands for so long in the first place?!

The "terraces" weren’t deep, reaching only about the height of the white tiger’s legs. Chen Ji’s calves were fully submerged in the water. The glowing blue groundwater was noticeably colder than ordinary water, causing Chen Ji to instinctively tighten his grip on the tiger. "Hurry up."

The white tiger quickened its pace before suddenly lunging into the water. Before Chen Ji could react, he was drenched from head to toe. The white tiger turned back and let out a questioning noise. Chen Ji wiped the water from his face, squinting. "What is it?"

The white tiger made another sound.

It was only then that Chen Ji noticed the tiger’s mouth wasn’t open. "What’s wrong? Is there something in your mouth?"

The white tiger nodded. Chen Ji shone his flashlight over and saw that the tiger was holding a shrimp about the size of its palm by its antennae, which was flailing wildly near its mouth. The shrimp was almost transparent, with even its vein clearly visible. Chen Ji quickly took it, curious. "Blind shrimp can grow this big?"

"Is this for me?" Chen Ji asked again.

Animals that live permanently in groundwater often lose their eyesight, making them rare and precious species…

[Alright, stop thinking about it. It’s a protected animal,] System Cat interjected. [Even though no one would know if you ate it here, everyone has a responsibility to protect animals!]

Regretfully, Chen Ji stuffed the shrimp back into the white tiger’s mouth. "Obediently, you eat it."

Caught off guard, the white tiger found its mouth full. It tilted its head slightly, as if curious why Chen Ji wasn’t eating it—this shrimp was particularly hard to catch. Especially since Chen Ji was picky about cleanliness; when catching it, the tiger had to ensure it didn’t bite it to death and could only hold it by the antennae or tail. Otherwise, Chen Ji probably wouldn’t eat something that had been in another creature’s mouth.

Seeing its confusion, Chen Ji explained, "You can eat it, but I can’t."

Humans can’t eat protected animals, but protected animals can eat other protected animals. No one could argue with that logic—this blind shrimp had the worst luck. Living deep underground, it still managed to run into a tiger spirit that came all the way down just to eat it. Truly, it had no one to complain to.

With a crisp crunch, the white tiger chewed the palm-sized blind shrimp into pieces. The way it squinted its eyes suggested the shrimp was delicious.

Chen Ji could only look on enviously.

A faint blue-green light flashed, and Chen Ji was completely dry again. He let out a long sigh of relief.

Knowing Chen Ji couldn’t eat these, the white tiger lost interest in catching more. It quickened its pace, carrying Chen Ji across the terraced pools until they reached the deepest part of the cavern. Just as Chen Ji was about to say there was no path ahead, the white tiger turned a corner, revealing a crack about half as tall as a person at the base of the rock ahead.

The white tiger signaled for Chen Ji to dismount. Chen Ji asked, "Do we need to crawl through?"

The white tiger nodded. Chen Ji looked at it skeptically. "Xiangxiang, are you sure?"

The gap wouldn’t be difficult for Chen Ji—he just needed to bend over—but for the white tiger, it was another matter. Not to criticize, but the width of the fissure was only about half the tiger’s waist circumference.

Once Chen Ji was steady on his feet, the white tiger headed straight for the fissure. It pushed its head in, and half its body slipped through.

Chen Ji watched in amazement. So the saying that cats are made of water was true.

No sooner had he thought this than he was proven wrong. The white tiger’s lower half got stuck at the entrance. It kicked its legs a few times, trying to squeeze through. Chen Ji couldn’t hold back his laughter. He stepped forward and pushed it from behind. "I told you you wouldn’t fit… Are you scratched? Does it hurt?"

The white tiger’s hind legs kicked a few more times… but it still couldn’t get through.

Its ringed tail slapped against the rock in frustration.

Chen Ji laughed so hard he doubled over. "Wait, let me dig the opening a bit wider…"

Still chuckling, Chen Ji rummaged through his bamboo basket for a foldable shovel. Just as he was about to help the white tiger, he reached out and patted its rear. "Xiangxiang, I can’t dig through rock. Aren’t you a great immortal? Can’t you just make yourself smaller to get through?"

The ringed tail lifted and hooked around Chen Ji’s wrist. Chen Ji laughed and stroked its tail. "Alright, alright, I’ll help you…"

Chen Ji pushed the combat shovel against the white tiger's fur, testing the surrounding rocks with a few probes. He'd told the truth earlier—if the rocks were loose, the tiger could have widened the path itself, but if they were hard, Chen Ji would've needed explosives to make any real progress.

After testing a few spots, Chen Ji felt some give in the rock. He pulled the shovel out, its specialized design bringing out several fragments of rock. He continued digging around the edges of the crevice until he felt it was wide enough, then set the shovel aside and prepared to push the tiger through.

Chen Ji placed both hands on the tiger’s hind legs. "Ready? I'm going to push you now."

The tiger grunted in agreement. Just as Chen Ji was about to push, he paused, his gaze drifting unconsciously toward what was right in front of him.

…Well, Xiangxiang’s cat bell was rather large. It looked fluffy and quite touchable.

He’d never touched such a large cat bell before—his fingers itched to touch it.

But if he touched it, would she get angry?

Chen Ji chuckled softly. Best not to tease her too much. He pushed hard against the tiger, and suddenly, with one final push, the tiger slipped through the gap. Chen Ji’s hand brushed against the tiger’s leg as he pulled back. Just as he was about to follow, he heard an angry roar from the other side.

What was going on?

Chen Ji easily slipped through the crevice and found the white tiger glaring at him furiously. When she noticed him looking, she turned her face away. Puzzled, Chen Ji reached out to rub her neck. "What’s wrong, baby? Did I scratch you just now?"

The tiger shot him an indignant look, then turned and strode away.

Chen Ji watched her, baffled. He had a feeling Xiangxiang was angry… Was she really angry?