Chapter Thirty: The Tiger’s Lackey
Li Jingyi’s entire body was shrouded in swirling mist. He let out a cold, sinister laugh. “A reckless brute and a half-baked Daoist—you dare to cross Jingyang Ridge? Truly, you overestimate yourselves.”
Wu Song paid him no heed. He leapt forward, following the traces left by the great tiger and Chen Jiu as they rolled down the slope.
At this moment, the dense mountain forest was awash in a blue, eerie moonlight. The air was filled with the ceaseless chirping of insects, and the occasional terrifying cry of a night owl echoed through the darkness. The demonic wind that was Li Jingyi swept up once more and vanished from sight.
…
Now, let us turn to Chen Jiu.
When the great tiger knocked him down, he rolled with the momentum, tumbling to the base of the slope. Ordinarily, even a robust man would suffer grave injuries or death, crushed beneath such a colossal beast. Yet, as the tiger pinned Chen Jiu and bit fiercely into his shoulder, he astonishingly raised his fist and smashed it against the tiger’s enormous head.
Looking up from the ground, the fall seemed at least several dozen yards high! When Chen Jiu and the tiger landed, he was pinned beneath the beast, and by all rights, he should have had no chance of survival.
But Chen Jiu was no ordinary man.
His blood surged violently within him. Though he had been slammed hard, his soft armor had saved him, absorbing much of the impact. Not only that, even as the tiger clamped its jaws around his shoulder and most of his upper body, the glowing armor dispersed the tremendous force, so that the tiger felt as though it were biting into a stone—no matter how it tried, it couldn’t break through.
Frustrated, the beast released its grip, then aimed its maw at Chen Jiu’s neck and head. Its gaping jaws could easily swallow his entire upper body.
The stench of blood filled the air. Chen Jiu’s chest heaved, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
Now!
His spiritual power shifted entirely from his Niwan Palace to the “Celestial Eye.”
The tiger lunged, its jaws snapping down without hesitation.
A flash of gold—an upright eye appeared.
“Spiritual Light!”
Just as the tiger’s long, sharp teeth were about to pierce Chen Jiu, a thin golden beam shot from the back of the tiger’s skull, passing through and out the other side!
The golden ray contained immense spiritual force, destroying the tiger’s brain in an instant.
Its blood-soaked maw halted at Chen Jiu’s neck. Blood trickled from its mouth as the light faded from its eyes, its pupils dilating rapidly.
The tiger was slain in a single stroke, its massive body collapsing atop Chen Jiu.
He grew anxious, unable to move with the weight pinning him down. He twisted his head as best he could, trying to avoid being completely buried beneath the corpse.
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“Little brother Chen! Are you all right?” Suddenly, Wu Song’s anxious call rang out from above.
Chen Jiu’s heart stirred. He quickly withdrew the “Celestial Eye” and responded with effort, “Brother Wu! I’m here!”
Wu Song heard Chen Jiu’s voice and the stone in his heart finally dropped. He smiled sincerely, “You’re one lucky fellow!”
Like an agile monkey, Wu Song darted through the dense woods and soon reached Chen Jiu’s side.
But upon seeing the scene, Wu Song was stunned for a long time.
He had expected the tiger and Chen Jiu to tumble down together, the tiger injured and fleeing, and Chen Jiu surviving by luck. Never had he imagined that Chen Jiu would be capable of slaying the beast!
Now, Chen Jiu grinned at him, while the tiger’s head hung limply, blood still gushing from a hole in its skull—a clear sign it had been pierced through.
“Brother Wu, I’m nearly suffocated here!” Chen Jiu reminded.
Wu Song snapped out of his daze, chuckled awkwardly, “Let me get you out!” He braced the tiger’s body with his back, planted his feet firmly, and pushed, rolling the beast aside.
Freed from the tiger’s weight, Chen Jiu took several deep breaths, feeling light as a feather.
“You’re remarkable, little brother! To slay such a tiger—tell me, how did you do it? Was it some immortal’s spell?” Wu Song asked eagerly.
Chen Jiu stood and scratched the back of his head, “It’s a secret technique my master taught me, but I can’t reveal it…”
Wu Song nodded with understanding, “Very well, I won’t pry. But to kill this tiger—well done! You’re a true hero, and worthy of the three bowls of Jingyang Divine Wine I shared with you!”
Receiving praise from such a hero, Chen Jiu remained modest, simply nodding, “Since the tiger is dead, Brother Wu, go quickly and call the hunters to carry the beast away. I’ll stay here to guard it and restore my strength.”
Wu Song, seeing this, searched the area, and after confirming the tiger’s death, exchanged a few words with Chen Jiu before hurrying down the ridge in the moonlight.
Once Wu Song had left, Chen Jiu loosened his Daoist robe.
Under the bright moon, he saw the glowing soft armor beneath his robe.
It had saved his life.
Chen Jiu felt a sense of surviving great calamity, and believed blessings would follow.
Now, apart from the chirping insects, all was especially quiet.
Suddenly, a faint breeze brushed past the treetops, rustling the leaves.
Chen Jiu licked his parched lips, and a cold gleam grew in his eyes.
“Li Jingyi, do you truly think I can’t deal with you?”
As soon as he finished speaking, golden light flickered on his brow, and a vertical eye appeared.
“Ghost Sight!”
This was a spell that connected to the netherworld, able to pierce through the traces of demons and repel malevolent spirits.
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With his vision turned entirely golden, Chen Jiu swept his gaze across the surroundings.
Suddenly, beneath a tree ten yards away, a mass of black mist drifted, shrouded in sinister energy.
Chen Jiu walked toward it.
Li Jingyi, realizing his hiding place had been exposed, was terrified. He materialized, surrounded by howling winds, ready to flee.
But Chen Jiu gave him no chance. The “Celestial Eye” on his brow unleashed a broad golden beam, instantly pinning Li Jingyi in place!
Bathed in golden light, Li Jingyi’s expression twisted in agony. Within the light, he felt nothing but endless pain, his face contorted as he howled, “You vile Daoist! Dare you kill me?!”
Chen Jiu had cast the “Spirit Command”—a technique particularly effective against ghosts.
The golden light was dazzling. Li Jingyi lowered his head, not daring to meet Chen Jiu’s gaze.
“Tell me, how many people have you harmed?” Chen Jiu asked coldly.
Li Jingyi writhed in misery on the ground, shouting, “I haven’t killed anyone!”
Chen Jiu’s face remained icy. “Very well. Leaving you here is a calamity, so I shall deliver you to the next world!”
Li Jingyi had already feared death in life; now, as a ghost, he dreaded the day when his soul would be extinguished forever, never to be reborn.
He endured the intense pain, begging desperately, “Please, Master Daoist, spare me! I promise to be a good ghost, to repay—no, to thank you!”
Chen Jiu snorted, unmoved by his pleas. The divine light on his brow gathered, preparing to destroy Li Jingyi’s soul.
At the critical moment, even Li Jingyi, resigned to his fate, braced himself for death—when suddenly, Chen Jiu paused.
A bold idea sprang to his mind.
He said, “Li Jingyi, are you willing to repent?”
Li Jingyi’s eyes flickered with a strange light, but he quickly recovered, kowtowing repeatedly, “I wish to atone! Let me serve at your side, Master Daoist—just spare me!”
Chen Jiu nodded, “You are already dead—so what ‘life’ is there to spare?”
Li Jingyi, confused, asked, “What would you have me do?”
Chen Jiu glanced at the tiger’s motionless corpse, then said, “I will fuse you into the tiger’s soul, so you may follow me on my quest for immortality. When I achieve the Dao, I shall help you reincarnate as a human. What do you say?”
Li Jingyi’s expression shifted several times, then he replied timidly, “I—I—could I choose something else?”
Chen Jiu mocked him, “Yes, you may choose death. I’ll destroy your soul, and you’ll never be reborn.”
After all, Li Jingyi should have returned to the underworld after death, but his lingering resentment had turned him into a malicious ghost, haunting this place. Even if he reached the King of Hell, his fate would be grim.
After much inner turmoil, Li Jingyi gritted his teeth and said, “I am willing!”
Chen Jiu nodded in satisfaction, pondered for a moment, then said, “Very well. From now on, I’ll give you a new name—Tiger Minion. In future, you must work hard for me…”
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