Chapter 25: Disdained

Bai Xi, however, felt nothing in particular. When she descended the mountain and saw the little spirit tiger lying in wait in the roadside grass, once again holding a flower in its mouth, she paused in surprise, but said nothing. It was Xiao Shunzi and the others who were astonished.

“Huh, young mistress, that wild cat’s come here.”

“It’s even faster than us!”

“Young mistress, it looks like this wild cat has been trying to follow you.”

The little tiger, mistaken for a stray, was thoroughly disgruntled, but dared not show it. After all, this was Bai Xi’s conclusion, and it hadn’t firmly attached itself to her yet—how could it dare to be rebellious? It could only play the part of a well-behaved, harmless creature.

Bai Xi stopped, watching as the little spirit tiger took one unsteady step after another toward her. Its fur was even more disheveled now, as if it had rushed here; it panted slightly, and its legs trembled, yet it stubbornly held itself upright.

Standing before Bai Xi, the little spirit tiger raised its head with great effort, trying to offer her the flower it carried, letting out a soft, pleading whine.

I’ll be obedient, I won’t hurt anyone, I eat very little, I’ll grow up quickly, and when I do, I can catch game for you. There’s no path in these mountains that I don’t know—I’ll become handsome, you won’t be embarrassed to take me with you...

Bai Xi gazed at the little spirit tiger for several seconds before finally reaching out her hand.

Chen Rui, standing nearby, tried to intervene, “Young mistress, that wild cat…” She still didn’t want her young mistress to take in this strange animal. Several families in the village kept cats—diligent ones, too, good at catching mice.

“I know what I’m doing.” The childish voice was calm and resolute. Seeing the serious look on Bai Xi’s small face, Chen Rui knew further protest was pointless, so she fell silent.

“Pick it up, then,” Bai Xi said, accepting the flower and glancing at the spirit tiger, who gazed back at her with hopeful eyes.

At her words, the group’s reactions varied. Xiao Shunzi and the others were delighted, while Chen Rui was worried. But the happiest of all was the little spirit tiger, who grinned from ear to ear.

Chen Rui, with a bamboo basket strapped to her back, couldn’t carry the little tiger herself. If anyone else tried, the tiger resisted. So, it simply followed Bai Xi, step by step, all the way to the treehouse.

It wanted Bai Xi to see that, though small and weak, it was no burden.

But when it reached the foot of the treehouse stairs, the little spirit tiger looked up—if not for the fur covering its face, one could have seen its despair and shame.

Xiao Shanzi, seeing this, eagerly volunteered, “Young mistress, shall I carry it up for you?”

Bai Xi nodded and led the way upstairs.

“You’re too little to climb up yourself—the young mistress told me to help you,” Xiao Shanzi said, cheerfully setting down his things and reaching to pick up the little tiger. Though the little beast usually scorned him, having watched it display such wit along the way made him wish he could keep it himself. Unfortunately, every time he got close, it would either dodge away or snarl at him.

Now, with the young mistress’ permission, he could finally hold it openly.

The little spirit tiger tried to squirm away, but just then Bai Xi turned to speak to Chen Rui and cast a glance over. Instantly, the little tiger became docile.

With the tiger in his arms, Xiao Shanzi grinned with delight, causing the other children to envy him. They, too, had wanted to hold it, but since the young mistress had decided to keep it, they didn’t dare insist. Besides, the wild cat only recognized Bai Xi; the rest of them could barely touch it.

Though Xiao Shanzi managed to hold the little tiger, it turned its head away stubbornly, refusing to get close to him, its disdain plain as day.

Though a bit disheartened by the rejection, Xiao Shanzi quickly cheered up at the thought that at least he’d gotten to hold it. “Don’t worry, I won’t drop you,” he promised.

The little spirit tiger thought, Why does that sound like a threat?

“So filthy—you’ll need a bath,” Bai Xi said suddenly, halfway up the stairs, turning to address Xiao Shanzi.

He looked up at Bai Xi, then down at the little tiger in his arms, surprised. “Young mistress, you want to bathe it?”

“Yes,” Bai Xi replied, eyeing Xiao Shanzi. She figured that if she left the job to him, he’d probably lose half his life in the process. Whether it was Xiao Shanzi or the little tiger who’d be the worse for wear was anyone’s guess.

“Chen Rui, come help Xiao Shanzi bathe the little one. Dry it off before bringing it up to me.”

Chen Rui didn’t object. She nodded obediently, and Bai Xi continued upstairs.

So Xiao Shanzi had no choice but to wait beneath the treehouse with the tiger in his arms.

The little spirit tiger sniffed itself, a bit embarrassed—I don’t smell bad at all.

With Bai Xi out of sight, the tiger would no longer submit to being held. It quickly wriggled free from Xiao Shanzi’s grasp.

Just then, he was surrounded by Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Shitou, all eager to see the little tiger. Xiao Shanzi was feeling quite pleased with himself, but as the tiger broke free and ran off, he suddenly felt embarrassed.

“Young mist—” He started to call out, but after just two syllables, he swallowed the rest.

The little spirit tiger bared its teeth at him in warning.

A childish cough rang out from above—though soft, everyone heard it. The moment the little tiger heard Bai Xi cough, it immediately dropped the fierce expression.

The tiger looked up at the treehouse, and, hearing no further sound, breathed a sigh of relief.

Turning to eye Xiao Shanzi and the others, it snorted disdainfully as if to say it wouldn’t stoop to squatting with mere human children. The tiger circled beneath the stairs, then with a gathering of strength leapt up, hopping from step to step and perching on the stairs.

Hmph, for the sake of my master, I won’t bicker with you little humans.

Indeed, having presented its offering and been accepted, the little spirit tiger had already decided to serve Bai Xi as its master.

Let others say what they will about a spiritual beast lowering itself to be a human’s pet—its master was no ordinary person. She was powerful—how powerful, it didn’t know, but its instincts said clinging to this strength was wise.

Its parents had died when it was born; only its keen intuition had kept it alive this long.

Its almost human-like behavior only made Xiao Shanzi and the others fonder of it. They didn’t mind its disdain at all; instead, they crowded around.

“I want to pet it,” Xiao Shitou said eagerly.

The little spirit tiger bared its teeth at him—just try!

“I want to hold it too!” Xiao Shunzi chimed in.

I’ll bite you! The tiger glared at him.

If they hadn’t known by now that the little tiger belonged to Bai Xi, the boys would have already disregarded its snarling and rushed to pet it without a care.