Chapter 92: Who Is The Tiger?
After I went downstairs, I drank another eighteen bowls, bringing my total to twenty-six bowls of Drunken Immortal’s Slumber.
I walked out unhurriedly, using my drunkenness as a guise.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper quickly stopped me,
“Hero, hero, you mustn’t. Please, don’t get enraged over this. If anything were to happen to you, how could I possibly face anyone?”
I smiled and patted his shoulder, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon. Besides, there’s nothing in heaven or on earth that I, Big Brother, would fear.”
Unable to stop me, the shopkeeper rushed to the back room and handed me a heavy club, saying it was used by a strong man back then and that it would be a handy tool for me.
I smiled without a word, thinking, “Who am I afraid of? When I’m not drinking, I’m the kind of person who can punch the Southern Mountain Orphanage and kick the Northern Sea Kindergarten.”
Can I fear fighting a fierce tiger with my bare hands?
However, I couldn’t refuse the shopkeeper’s kindness, so I symbolically accepted the heavy club.
I walked halfway up the mountain and casually tossed the heavy club aside,
“Cough, cough, cough. What need do I, Laozi, have for this, someone so tough?”
Cough cough cough.
Upon reaching the mountain peak, I loudly bellowed; “Damn! Tiger? Tiger, show yourself! Your father’s a tiger’s ass! The one who killed you back then was Wu Er, today I’ll beat you and your Chan Xin. You, you damn well come out!”
“Roar~!”
Before long, a giant tiger, five to six meters tall and eight to nine meters long, covered in black and yellow stripes, slowly walked towards me. Its eyes were filled with amusement, looking at me as if I were an idiot.
Seeing this, I was angered, “Your father, you, are you that tiger spirit?”
At this moment, the alcohol was somewhat taking effect, and Big Brother’s mouth was a bit out of control, even his speech was starting to slur.
The tiger spoke human words; “Who are you? Are you another one who’s been force-fed horse urine by that youngster and has come to seek revenge on me?”
Huh? What does that mean?
“Don’t spout nonsense. What do you mean by being force-fed horse urine to seek revenge on you? Wasn’t it you who wouldn’t stop bullying them? Why should I say more to you? Prepare to be beaten!”
I didn’t deeply consider what the tiger meant, Big Brother could still listen to its babbling? Just beat it.
I leaped up, gathered spiritual power in my fist, and swung it towards the tiger’s head.
“Oh ho~!” The tiger was enraged and bared its fangs to meet the attack.
“Bang bang~!”
“Boom!”
Fists and feet collided with tiger claws, spiritual power raging between us, instantly blasting several craters into the mountaintop.
We both retreated,
“Whoosh~!” I gasped for air, but I wasn’t tired at all. I must say, this alcohol was really worth drinking.
The tiger also panted, its gaze towards me somewhat baffling, neither hate nor ferocity could be described.
There was confusion, helplessness, and even a hint of unwillingness.
It shouldn’t be like this, right? Shouldn’t its eyes be filled with fierce hatred and its body with resentment?
But why, from beginning to end, did I not see any resentment emanating from it? What was that about?
Just as I was puzzled, the tiger lunged forward and pinned me beneath it.
Enraged, I rained punches down; “I’ll beat your mother! Get off! Get down! Fuck!”
Unlike me, the tiger didn’t try to bite my head but instead tried its best to dodge my punches.
Although I was very confused, being pinned by the tiger didn’t allow me to think too much. I had to get it off me first.
“Thump, thump, thump~!” Dozens of punches landed on the tiger’s head. Contrary to my imagination, the tiger didn’t get angry or roar.
Huh? What’s going on? Normally, wouldn’t it bite me? And directly for my head, intending to bite me to death?
But? What was its intention with this?
I tentatively stopped, but was ready to strike again at any moment.
Seeing me stop, the tiger looked at me with a helpless gaze,
And said; “Are you done hitting? If you’re done, can you listen to me speak?”
Hearing this, Big Brother was stunned. What was going on? It not only didn’t bite me but wanted to talk to me?
For a moment, Big Brother was completely dumbfounded. In my impression, shouldn’t this be a life-and-death struggle between the tiger and me? Why, with my attacks, did it endure and want to chat with me?
Filled with doubt and confusion, I didn’t attack again.
Seeing this, the tiger got off me and sat to the side.
I sat up, looking at it with a slight sense of defensiveness.
“Did you drink at the tavern below the mountain, and the shopkeeper told you I was an extremely evil tiger spirit that exclusively ate people who came up the mountain?”
Huh? What kind of nonsense is this? How did this tiger know about this? Could it be that it gained comprehension from all the people it ate?
Seeing that I didn’t reply, the tiger continued to speak;
“I was originally a person, the owner of a tavern. One day, a strong man came to my shop to drink. After getting drunk, he killed a tiger on the hill behind the tavern. The tiger’s soul harbored resentment and refused to leave, then it began to invade my dreams every night. Since I was just a mortal, I couldn’t fight it. It occupied my body, transformed into my appearance, and turned my soul into its own image, keeping me captive in the mountains. Later, it achieved cultivation and ascended to the Heavenly Realm. I thought it would leave me alone then, but who knew it would descend to the lower realm, capture me, and bring me to the Heavenly Realm, keeping me trapped here. It even sells wine again, claiming it’s for me to experience what it suffered back then, alas…
I know you don’t believe me, so I won’t harm you. You can just leave. Don’t go back to the tavern, otherwise, that tiger will surely kill you and blame me.”
After hearing this, Big Brother was completely disoriented. Who was telling the truth?
However, upon hearing the latter part, I was greatly alarmed and couldn’t afford to ask more questions.
I immediately got up and ran down the mountain. Damn it, my brothers are still at the tavern! What if what this tiger said is true?
I dared not think about what would happen next. The only thing I could do was hurry back to the tavern to check. Dammit. If that boss dares to touch my brothers, I’ll send him to the Underworld to be suppressed for eternity!
Sweating profusely, I didn’t dare to linger for a moment.
Upon returning to the tavern, the shopkeeper came out with a joyous expression to greet me,
“Hero, hero, I’m glad you’re alright. This has truly frightened me.”
Just as I was about to get angry, seeing the shopkeeper like this, I froze in place!
What’s going on? Shouldn’t he have killed my brothers and then waited for me to return to kill me? Why? Why was he worried about me? His expression didn’t seem fake either.
This? For a moment, I truly couldn’t tell if the shopkeeper was the tiger or the tiger was the shopkeeper. Big Brother was bewildered; I couldn’t tell who was lying.
So, I quickly went upstairs to check on my brothers. One room, two rooms, three rooms. They were all lying on their beds, sleeping soundly. Little Bodhisattva was blowing snot bubbles, his toes stuck in Xiong Shan’s nostrils, while Xiong Shan held Little Bodhisattva’s other foot, muttering about his younger sister in his dreams.
What? My brothers are all fine? However, for safety’s sake, after checking each room, I set up a restrictive barrier in every one.
