Chapter 236: Encountering a Clear Day Chapter 213: The Tiger's Pupil

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

The girl's words were straight as a line, like a verdict passed by heaven, earth, mountains, and wilderness.

Rui Ze's body trembled from blood loss, his soul crumbled from terror, and his consciousness, unwilling to accept it, tried to find an outlet for answers.

It was too cold; he subconsciously wanted to wrap himself in something.

It should be power, yes, power could block out all hunger and cold...

But now it was so cold—had his power vanished? No, his guards were dead, but he was still Marquis Rui, his sister was the Empress, his nephew was the Crown Prince...

Then how dare she kill him? How on earth did she dare?

—He knew too well the uses of power!

As a child, while saving his sister, he was swept away by a great flood; the flood did not take his life but carried him into a greater torrent. In the chaotic times' flood, he was sold several times, enslaved, living worse than pigs and dogs.

His father had fine looks, and he and his sister had been more handsome than the children around them since childhood. Without their mother's fierce protection, as a slave he suffered endless bullying, ridicule, and humiliation. He hated this lowly status, but did not know how to resist; as a slave, he had no time for anything else—only staying alive mattered most.

Until he followed his master's household to Chang'an, where he unexpectedly reunited with his sister. His sister had actually become someone in the Emperor's palace—that was the Emperor, the Emperor!

In a single night, the whole world changed. He reclaimed his original name and became Rui Ji's elder brother. Many people flocked to him, and his former masters became dogs squinting their eyes and tucking their tails.

This change was truly miraculous—all because he had power. Once you had power, you could make everyone under its sway become dogs wagging or tucking their tails. Those who refused to bow could be beaten; if they wouldn't submit, they could even be killed!

If there were some that could not be tamed nor killed, that simply meant the power was not great enough!

He slowly came to understand and feel this, pouring out all his sufferings without reservation to his soft-hearted sister again and again—and the reason he had endured all this was because, back then, he had saved his sister.

He tightly grasped the gratitude and guilt his sister ought to feel, demanding, encroaching, bit by bit placing himself and his nephew above her.

He ate many things, his body gradually becoming sturdy and imposing, his features growing heavy and arrogant, covering past shame, enough to seize more power.

—He was about to reach the greatest power!

Rui Ze's bleeding body spasmed; his hands grasped urgently and futilely, but all he could clutch were grass scraps and dirt. These dust motes and crumbs, long beneath his notice, still existed. By comparison, power seemed merely an illusion.

An illusion cannot be grasped. He became an animal with empty hands, even naked, about to be slaughtered.

In his view, that little witch who could only stir up trouble by playing tricks had today pushed aside her mask, revealing a truer face more fierce and terrible than ghosts and gods, to kill him.

That bowl of poison, blindly believing power could manipulate everything, was poured back into his body a hundredfold, surging out as blood.

The girl picked up the short knife he had dropped—the knife with gems set in its hilt, also a symbol of power in his eyes. Now it became the most direct backlash, poised to stab him.

No, cannot...

Rui Ze, one leg fixed by an iron rod, still tried to rise. He should not die in this wild mountain hollow no matter what. The sun still shone, the wind blew as usual, someone ate fruit, someone wiped blood from their hands with leaves. No one or anything paused or glanced aside because of his impending death... Such an absurd, wretched death was a slave's death. Even if he had to die, he should die in a grand and spectacular fashion!

His lower body could not move. His attempt to lift his upper body only brought him closer to the short knife being held up. Rui Ze lost strength and fell back, gritting his teeth, turning on his side, trying to crawl away.

Shaowei did not see his struggle. She gripped the knife, preparing to take the sacrifice with one throat-slitting stroke. She still had to go back and dance.

"What a big 'li'."

Mo Li suddenly widened his eyes and spoke. He held a half-eaten wild fruit in one hand and pointed into the grass bush with the other.

Zhao Qie'an looked and corrected: "Tiger."

Shaowei's knife-holding hand hovered in midair, and she turned her head.

The dying man's last gasps and the wind once drowned out the sounds of this visitor belonging to the mountain forest itself.

A mottled, huge beast hid behind a grass bush half a person's height, revealing a pair of watching tiger eyes.

The injured tigress, after escaping, did not hide but weaved among mountain stones, forests, and grass, rushing along to seek the enemy, watching a bloody massacre and revenge.

The house slave crouching in the blood pool had already corrected this thing's true name, then nocked a bow and three arrows.

The threat of the crossbow, the girl's dangerous gaze, made the tiger bare its sharp fangs and emit its first low growl.

Shaowei's crouching stance beneath her feet changed subtly. The dagger shifted to a defensive horizontal grip. Her animal nature was unmistakable in her eyes, and the stubborn, fierce spirit of meeting strength with strength was about to burst forth.

During the standoff, the house slave's gaze swept between the two locked in eye contact, feeling that these two, both 'li', were fierce gods and evil spirits—two great 'li', meeting on a narrow road.

One was a beast body, yet seemed to understand some human nature.

One was a human body, but still retained beastly nature.

The human one had not been truly tamed or refined; throughout history, it preserved the purest awareness. In this dangerous standoff, Shaowei discerned this fierce beast's intentions.

The colorful, mighty tiger perfectly matched Shaowei's primal aesthetic, and those molten-gold tiger eyes—wild, majestic... angry.

Shaowei knew well there were no free-ranging tigers in Shanglin Park. This place could not be the tiger's territory. Since she had not intruded, why was the tiger angry?

If it were hunger, there were many ready-made foods scattered in the grass bush it could simply carry off; she would not be stingy in pursuing and seizing them.

Relying on excellent eyesight, and as if some kind of empathic connection, Shaowei's gaze shifted slightly downward and saw a straight, seemingly man-made weapon-inflicted bloody wound on the tiger's abdomen.

And because Shaowei's gaze moved, the eye contact was briefly interrupted. The tiger's gaze also shifted, looking toward the human figure writhing in the grass beside Shaowei.

The great tiger was angry and wanted to pounce, emitting another low growl.

After a moment, Rui Qi saw the shadow before him stand up and pull out the iron rod impaling his right leg.

The human rose; the tiger grew vigilant and hissed. Seeing that especially dangerous person holding an iron rod, it bared its teeth and retreated two steps into the grass bush, but its tiger eyes remained fixed without looking away.

Shaowei lifted the rod, yet walked toward a large tree. She thrust the rod into the soil beneath the tree, leapt up, grabbed the tree trunk, and pulled herself up into the tree.

Without need for exchange, the house slave grabbed Mo Li, who was still staring at the tiger nearby, and taught in a muffled voice, "Don't touch," carrying Mo Li as he leapt up onto another tree adjacent to Shaowei's.

Shaowei sat on a tall tree trunk with sparse leaves, her legs dangling. She slightly raised her chin at the great tiger that poked its head out again, her expression generous and magnanimous.

The mountain monarch never easily shares its prey.

Except for those of the same kind.

The Xuanhuang great tiger, seeing this, no longer hesitated. Like a giant arrow, it leapt out and pounced, erupting in a long cry that shook the mountain hollow.

Rui Ze exerted all his strength to prop up his upper body, but saw a massive thing pouncing swiftly, roaring as it knocked him down.

Immense fear enveloped him, an even more absurd death arrived, and Rui Ze let out a scream for help.

"Young Master—" Mo Li on the neighboring tree opened her mouth to shout, yet no sound truly came out, only the mouth shape; before the action, the Young Master had given instructions, she could not address him as Young Master.

Mo Li, who only made the mouth shape, tossed a fruit toward the Young Master.

Shaowei reached out to catch it, plucked a few golden wutong leaves to wipe the fruit, held it between the leaves, took a bite, and watched the fierce beast pounce and feed below.

Thick sharp claws tore out black intestines and rotten guts; as it shook its skull tearing and biting, the muscles on its back could be seen knotting and rolling under the skin, ferocious, violent, full of power.

Shaowei's thoughtful gaze moved downward, looking at the wound on the tiger's abdomen; the tiger, starved for several days, upon close inspection of this movement, had a slight bulge on its abdomen.

This should be a pregnant female tiger.

This tiger possessed some spirituality, not a reckless mad tiger that injures people; unknown how Rui Ze threatened and provoked it, or because it carried tiger cubs, it therefore erupted with a double hatred and counterattacked.

"Crack—"

The sound of bones shattering under the tree and the sound of fruit flesh being bitten off on the tree seemed to overlap.

Shaowei discarded the fruit pit and stood up on the tree trunk.

The tiger that had stopped pouncing and biting turned its head; the fine white fur under its mouth was stained red, a drop of blood fell from its whiskers like silver needles; it raised its head to look at the person on the tree, its expression still vigilant, but with no trace of attack.

Golden tiger pupils stared tightly at the girl on the tree, gazing, as if branding.

The girl leaped down from the tree, pulled down her mask to wear it properly, and threw down a sentence while drawing out the iron rod: "Zhao Shu, proceed according to plan, this place is left to you."

Having spoken, she did not run up the mountain path, but directly leaped toward the deeper mountain forest.

Vaulting across a narrow and deep ravine, she threw the murderous iron rod in her hand into the deep valley; the girl's figure became even more light and carefree, like a true mountain spirit, chasing after the huge setting sun slanting westward.

Under the crimson-gold slanting sun, all things seemed to melt into gold like burning fire.

The golden four-eyed mask was reflected by the golden sun; the gold lacquer painting the four eyes shone blazingly bright, bursting with a compelling divine light.

The person under the mask, however, truly seemed as if about to be scorched by the setting sun, anxious, apprehensive.

The Great Sacrifice would begin after nightfall; the witches waited here, needing the Great Witch God to calm her mind alone in the quiet chamber, yet she did not sit quietly, continuously gazing out the window at the mountain forest and sunlight.

The person under the mask was doing the stand-in thing for the first time, only feeling this quiet chamber turn into a chaotic chamber, heart in great chaos, unable to be calm.

The divine mask covered the face, voluminous robes concealed the body; as long as she did not speak, only devout ones who drew near could detect something amiss, however the devout ones were excessively devout, though unaware of the situation, they still willingly became accomplices at all times and places.

The devout accomplice Yu Si Wu kept guard outside the quiet chamber door.

Another obedient accomplice lay sleeping soundly on the small desk in the quiet chamber.

The figure pretending to be the Great Witch God still craned her neck staring out the window.

Just as the golden setting sun completely slipped into the mountains, a flying shadow swept over, like a raccoon finally returning home before dark, silently pouncing in from outside the window.

Qing Wu immediately pushed the mask up, revealing an expression of a heart finally settled; she did not speak of her unease the whole day, nor had she time to truly breathe a sigh of relief in fortune, but upon seeing Shaowei's torn robes and bloodstains, she nearly cried out in alarm.

"Shaowei... where exactly did you go? How so much blood!" Forcibly lowering her voice, Qing Wu asked with a trembling voice and tears.

Like a house raccoon going out for a trip, yet looking terrifyingly pitiful as if it had fought a vicious brawl with who knows how many bad raccoons outside — only said going out to handle some matters, but didn't say she would shed so much blood!

"A Jie don't be afraid, only a tiny bit is my blood." Shaowei's expression held some pride, much satisfaction.

Qing Wu slightly breathed in relief, checked repeatedly, confirmed Shaowei wasn't lying, then hurriedly pulled Shaowei to the copper basin to wash hands and face.

Shaowei reached out to undo her robe belt: "A Jie, let's quickly switch back."

Qing Wu busily took off the Great Witch God's clothing, herself only draping an outer garment, first helping Shaowei put on that layer upon layer complex wide-sleeved witchcraft attire.

After Shaowei finished dressing, Qing Wu carefully tidied up, finally held Shaowei's waist, letting her turn a circle to check for any omissions.

Wide sleeves brushed up, layered robes fluttered, pearls and jade before her body and witch bells at her waist swayed along; the dim quiet chamber had turned into a tall altar surrounded by mountain forests, countless sacrificial fires burning in the dark night, one after another Choose Zhu colored banners fluttered loudly in the night wind.

Emperor and Empress with the Heir Apparent led princes and ministers kneeling to participate in the sacrifice; around the vast sacrificial plaza the Imperial Guard stood solemnly on guard.

Countless gazes looked up at the altar; over a hundred witch shadows and the sound of drums and music chanting surrounded the altar into another heaven and earth, above people, below heaven, as envoys between heaven and man.

The Great Witch in the very center sometimes leaned forward in a driving-back posture, sometimes raised her head, spun, stepped; the rumbling drum sound seemed not struck by drumsticks, but emitted from under her feet as she trod; the ancient altar was awakened by her, grew a heart, and in step with her pace, moved in rhythm with heaven and earth.

Below, Liu Qi kneeling in sacrificial robes had a smile surface in his eyes.

It is her.

She truly made it back, truly pulled it off.

Only she could dance such a witch dance; she always says she is perpetrating a fraud, but in his view, this Mountain Lord of unknown origin, mysterious yet sincere, stubborn yet spiritual, has long become the most competent witch in this world.

And watching her dance this time, it was different from before; she was not dancing, but scattering.

She killed the evil-doers blocking the path, crushed the symbol of arrogance, she was celebrating and scattering freedom.

This freedom stemmed from gradual control; she did not fear blood, personally opened this cruel sacrifice defined by her, she is the shaper of the situation, the re-arranger of the Qi mechanism; heaven and earth ought to connect with her.

The golden four eyes on the god mask seemed like tiger pupils; where her tiger pupils saw, she did not ignore, did not look down; after completing herself and her will, she calmly scattered the chivalry ruled by her self.

The mountain forest behind the altar seemed a giant beast; on the beast's body dwelt countless living beings, spirits, mountain demons and wood spirits; the wind sound like living beings surging, crawling out, watching this witch dance.

With this dance she summoned all things, strongly ordering heaven and earth to celebrate together, to witness her Great Sacrifice.

The wind sound urged the drumbeats faster and faster, Shaowei also danced faster and faster; the little witches bowed and scattered, then gathered toward her; the countless gazes below the altar also moved with the witches; no one's heart and spirit were not pulled along.

The Emperor also watched entranced; Liu Cheng's expression was hidden under the crown's shadow; Rui Huanghou's expression was fascinated yet anxious, unconsciously gripping tight the fingers overlapping under her wide sleeves.

Her elder brother entered the mountain to inspect during the day, for some reason, has not returned to this day... Elder brother brought many people with bows and crossbows, even fierce beasts could be dealt with, the people around her all said she need not worry.

But ultimately missing the Great Sacrifice, would there be an ill omen?

Sensing the Empress's unease ahead, Liu Qi still only watched the altar; the smile in his eyes was reflected by the firelight, with a kind of brilliant mischievousness.

Rui Ze would not miss this Great Sacrifice, merely his way of participating would be determined by ghosts and gods.

The true Great Sacrifice has only just begun.

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