Chapter 3, Grandma Tiger

Grandma Tiger

It is unknown how long the tiger's grandmother cried, but Yun Lang felt very warm lying on the tiger's back. He sincerely hoped that this creature could show a bit more humanity to deepen his trust in his own judgment.

The cave was filled with the smell of burnt pig hair, and even the scent on Yun Lang was not pleasant enough to mask it; he still felt disgusted and wanted to vomit

The tiger's grandmother was continuously striking two stones together, causing sparks to fly, the flames flickering momentarily. His expression was extremely serene, yet his face was hideously ugly

If a bird quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, and moves like a duck, then it is a duck

In fact, Yunlang felt very familiar with that hill; under the moonlight, he could not see its full appearance and could only suppress his doubts deep in his heart

A precious sword is also suspended from the jade belt, its scabbard made of crocodile skin, featuring an ancient design that fits seamlessly with the unique sword guard of the sword.

Yunlang had long been discarded by Grandma Hu on the pile of firewood by the wall

The shape of the oil lamp is simple, yet it can even be described as exquisite. The design resembling a crane is ingeniously crafted; the seemingly simple embellishments vividly showcase a lifelike crane.

A cliff suddenly appeared on the mountain path, and the tiger leaped onto the rocks in a single bound, then walked along a stone path into a dark cave

Tigers are not frightening; what is truly frightening is the tiger's grandmother. Tigers do not necessarily eat people, but the tiger's grandmother certainly will

It was not until noon, when the sun was at its most intense, that Grandma Tiger slowly stood up. He carefully washed his face in a stone trough filled with water, then adjusted his black cap, re-tied his jade belt, and strapped on his treasured sword. After giving Yunlang a lot of water, he set off with the tiger.

The sound is very unpleasant, akin to a spoon scraping the bottom of a pot

Grandma Hu cried for a long time, and Yunlang had already fallen asleep, yet he continued to weep

The wild boar nearby has developed an odor after a day and a half of commotion. Many times, Yun Lang finds himself pondering whether, in the eyes of Grandma Tiger, he is just like the wild boar, merely food for her and the tiger.

Despite considering himself not light in body, the tiger's grandmother easily picked him up with one hand and threw him onto the tiger's back

Before Yunlang could express his admiration, Grandma Hu lifted Yunlang's head, and with a slight pressure of her five fingers, the pear shattered into four or five pieces, ultimately turning into a puddle of pear juice in his palm

Until nightfall, the tiger kept walking, and Yun Lang did not know how many times he had fainted. When he woke up once again, the crescent moon hung coldly and desolately in the western sky

It was not until this moment that Yunlang realized that the high bun on Grandma Tiger's head was not actually a bun, but a black gauze crown, merely tied under her chin with a dirty strap. The crown was quite worn, and at first glance, it appeared to be a lofty hairstyle.

Yunlang's mouth was roughly pried open by Tiger Grandma, and a large lump of white grease with an indescribable taste was stuffed into his mouth

A hide of an unknown beast was thrown onto Yun Lang by his grandmother, the tiger, causing Yun Lang to involuntarily open his eyes and glance at her

The time that Grandma Tiger used to roast the pig leg was less than Yunlang had imagined, and it should not have been fully cooked

He first noticed that the tiger's eyes were yellow, perhaps due to the ample sunlight here, as the two black pupils transformed into two vertical slits.

The tiger's grandmother knelt before the earthen mound, her muffled cries sounding particularly mournful in the night.

A small cluster of flames ignited in the palm of Tiger Grandma's hand, and he carefully blew on it. Soon, the small cluster of flames transformed into a blazing fire pit.

As the tiger shook its body, Yun Lang fell off its back, and he could feel the wild boar's bristles, sharp as steel needles, piercing into his flesh

The tiger's grandmother is quite indiscriminate when it comes to eating, similar to a tiger; one tears with teeth, while the other slices with a sword

Yun Lang bit down on the wild ginseng tuber, which then slipped from his mouth. He stared blankly at the enormous tiger head floating above his head

During this process, Yunlang even felt a sense of solemnity, how should I put it? It was as if a great general was making the final preparations before the battle.

Tigers are not suitable for riding, as they are extremely bumpy, especially with their uneven leg bones constantly rubbing against Yunlang's fragile body. Clearly, horses would be a better choice. Yunlang does not understand why a master like Tiger's grandmother would choose to ride a tiger.

Yun Lang lay sideways by the fire pit, watching as the tiger tore at the carcass of the wild boar, yet he chose to close his eyes

The cave is actually very tidy and square-shaped, with the stone walls covered in marks from chiseling. Even though the original appearance is obscured by smoke and fire, every arrangement here can still be clearly discerned

Upon contemplating this, Yunlang's sense of fear gradually dissipated

"Quack, how fast you run!" The tiger's grandmother let out a dry laugh, using one foot to lift the dead wild boar from the ground. The wild boar flipped in the air and then landed precisely on the tiger's back, in the same position as Yun Lang.

If fortunate, he will be able to spend a truly unforgettable time in this cave

The fat from the pig's leg was forced out by the flames, occasionally causing a bright flash of fire in the fire pit.

The well-fed tiger lay by the fire pit, emitting a snoring sound akin to that of a contented cat in deep slumber, while the tiger's grandmother similarly leaned against the cave wall, dozing off repeatedly

When the Morning Star appeared on the horizon, Grandma Tiger straightened her back, let out a low growl towards the tiger, and then continued on her way

Grandma Hu walked swiftly along the rugged mountain path, and Yunlang witnessed her body rise a full ten feet off the ground, reaching out to pluck a pear from a wild tree.

The fears of childhood transform into despair after encountering real-life examples

Yunlang desperately wanted to speak, but it felt as though a piece of burning coal was lodged in his throat, preventing any sound from escaping.

The tiger is very obedient, walking slowly along a narrow path, occasionally roaring, causing a momentary panic in the forest.

In these eyes, no emotions can be seen, only endless indifference

Yunlang wanted to find something familiar here, but unfortunately, he did not find anything at all, not even the raincoat hanging on the wall, which looked completely different from the raincoat he knew

The juice extracted from the pear dripped onto Yun Lang's charred black lips, and Yun Lang, who had just been worried about life and death, immediately greedily sucked on the pear juice, a sweetness he had never tasted before

The speed of eating remains equally fast

The tiger's head was violently kicked aside, revealing the wrinkled face of an old woman above Yun Lang's head

Suddenly, I recalled the terrifying story my grandmother told when she was young, and I fainted with my eyes rolled back.

Grandma Hu was very curious about Yunlang's body, chattering away at a rapid pace in words that Yunlang could not understand, while continuously poking at his charred skin with her fingers. It seemed she was also puzzled as to why, despite being nearly cooked through, he still had a pair of lively eyes.

A gust of mountain wind swept by, and the leopard suddenly dropped the carcass of the wild boar, darting up the tree like an arrow, leaping three times and two bounds to reach the heights of the tree.

This emotion is quite strange; the tiger's mouth is right above its head, yet one feels regret for a healing remedy that has not been consumed.

For a long time, he regarded this place as the realm of the dead

As I traversed the narrow mountain path, the view suddenly opened up before me. Below the mountains lay an endless plain, lush and verdant as far as the eye could see. Dense vegetation spread from the mountain peak down to the foot of the hill. A magnificent waterfall cascaded in front, with torrents of water crashing against the hard rocks, sending splashes in all directions and creating a rising mist. A colorful rainbow arched gracefully between the two mountains, resembling a beautiful bridge.

The wild three-seven rhizome, which took a great deal of effort to obtain, fell beside his ear, and Yun Lang felt a sense of regret

Yun Lang has always believed this; Grandma Hu's stories were told to him by Grandma Yun for a full ten years, accompanying him through countless sleepless nights.

If one disregards that peculiar face, this is undoubtedly an adornment belonging to a human; even his shadow in the sunlight resembles that of a person

The fat melts in the mouth, and this should be the most exquisite part of this pork leg

Is a person alive

As he descended along the mountain road, the undulating shoulder blades of the tiger inflicted great torment on Yunlang. At that moment, he felt as if he were a flayed person, with every gust of wind causing unbearable pain

The stone table, stone stools, and stone bed are all present, and there is even an oil lamp in the groove on the stone wall

After the torment of last night, he is now very certain that neither the tiger's grandmother nor the tiger has any intention of eating him

The sight of a tiger eating is certainly not pleasing to the eye

The tiger appears to be very large, but in reality, it is quite short. Yunlang's two hands hang down to the ground, and his two feet also drag along the ground, stirring up a lot of dry leaves

In front is a tall earthen mound

It is said that the long whiskers near the tiger's mouth are very important to him, serving as a crucial gauge for measuring width. Now, this fellow is recklessly rubbing his whiskers back and forth on the dark face of Yunlang.

Yun Lang had long since become numb to everything before him. Ever since he discovered that he had not died even after being nearly cooked by fire, he felt that no matter how bizarre things appeared before him, there was nothing he could not accept.

Similarly, this fellow, who is like a tiger grandmother, should also be a talented individual

Could it be that this fellow is measuring Yunlang's head size to see if he can swallow it in one bite

The tiger's grandmother used a sword to chop off a pig's leg, the sword was extremely sharp, and the pig's leg fell to the ground. The tiger's grandmother casually placed it on the fire to grill.

Yun Lang first glanced at the tiger lying beside him, then looked at the wrinkled face that appeared to lack a chin due to the absence of teeth

A tattered fur coat hung loosely on the body, cinched at the waist with a black leather belt, on which was embedded a piece of lustrous white jade. Even someone like Yun Lang, who was not particularly knowledgeable about jade, could tell that this jade belt was quite valuable

The tiger's grandmother gave a strange smile to the leopard hidden in the tree, and the leopard on the tree let out a howl and jumped to another tree. After a few leaps, it disappeared into the dense forest

In fact, at this moment, the daylight had already brightened. Taking advantage of the residual light from the morning sun that filtered into the cave, Yun Lang re-examined the cave once again

The mountain is dark and seems to be covered with trees, although the trees are not very tall. At least under the dim moonlight, Yunlang did not see the towering ancient trees of Mount Li.