Chapter 16: Brothers, arm yourselves!

"Little White, Little White..." Chen Yi He called out in the pitch-black cave using the new nickname he had given the white-furred giant tiger.

Unlike usual, Chen Yi He heard no response. He wondered, "What's wrong? Why is the white-furred giant tiger making no movement?"

Vigilance must not be lacking, Chen Yi He lit a torch and tiptoed into the cave's depths; upon approaching, he saw the white-furred giant tiger lying on a huge rock, its massive tiger body curled up, looking from afar like a giant snowball...

"Hey! What's wrong with you?" Chen Yi He asked.

The white-furred giant tiger turned its head, glanced at Chen Yi He with its bright, snow-white eyes, then turned its head back and continued posing as a "snowball"...

"You're ignoring me?" Chen Yi He stepped closer, patting the cloth bag in his hand, "I didn't come today to fight you! I brought you something good!"

The white-furred giant tiger remained utterly still, as if it had resolved never to get angry at this foolish human again...

Chen Yi He stood just one meter in front of the white-furred giant tiger; such a close distance had previously only occurred when he was about to be caught by the tiger...

"It seems you're angry with me; earlier I provoked you, that was my fault. Today I brought you the best steak! Look!" Chen Yi He opened the bag, took out the steak piece by piece, and laid it before the white-furred giant tiger, "It's fragrant! I made it myself."

Whether or not as the Dragon King said, this white-furred giant tiger is spiritually perceptive, understands human speech; it looked at the steak on the ground, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, yet remained unmoved.

"Why won't you eat any of this?" Chen Yi He asked.

"Or do you just want to eat me?" Chen Yi He asked again, since they were parting and they wouldn't meet again for at least ten years, he felt reluctant and reached out to stroke the white fur on the tiger's head.

The white-furred giant tiger moved like thunder! It opened its bloody maw! It would swallow Chen Yi He in one bite! At such close range, see if you can still escape!

Chen Yi He paled with shock, he retreated backward at his fastest speed, faster than the tiger's biting speed!

"Bang!" The white-furred giant tiger bit empty; its upper and lower teeth clashed violently, a deafening sound... nearly breaking its fangs... showing how much force and speed it used!

Chen Yi He felt the lingering fear of escaping death, never expecting that on his last day he would almost fall into the opponent's mouth...

The white-furred giant tiger also became indifferent, having failed to eat Chen Yi He, it now had no interest in him at all; it stuck out its tongue and tentatively licked the steak, which seemed to taste not bad...

However, a bag of steak was nothing to the white-furred giant tiger; it couldn't even fill the gaps between its teeth...

Chen Yi He sat on the ground, watching the white-furred giant tiger savor his food, feeling greatly relieved; this could be considered a small compensation for it!

Chen Yi He circulated the Withering and Flourishing Heart Sutra once more in place; specks of white light appeared in the cave, unlike last night, they now resembled fireflies fluttering everywhere, illuminating this empty cave.

Having finished the steak, the white-furred giant tiger was attracted to these magical "fireflies"; it chased them, and with a swipe of its paw, a firefly would land in its palm, making it clap happily...

Tigers like to pounce on butterflies; this cave only has fireflies, yet the white-furred giant tiger also enjoyed playing with them.

"All right, I have to say goodbye to you, see you later... When I return from my studies at the Thousandfold Gate, I will surely come back to see you, wait for me!" Chen Yi He stood before the cave and waved farewell to his old rival.

"Howl..." The long tiger roar was the white-furred giant tiger's farewell gift to Chen Yi He, wishing him lifelong safety and hoping for his early return...

The evening sunset shone upon this riverside area.

The verdant grass banks, verdant streams, verdant mountains were all tinged with the dusky yellow from the heavens at this moment, revealing a pale, vast green... After this parting, who knows when we'll be able to drink that pure sweet stream water again...

The Dragon King had already sent his subordinates to prepare wine and fine dishes at Tiger's Mouth.

"Bottoms up!"

"Bottoms up!"

Upon Chen Yi He and the Dragon King's return to Tiger's Mouth, there was good wine and meat to eat.

After drinking a large cup, Chen Yi He felt his heart moistened, "Fine wine!"

"Yi He, tonight we'll drink our fill; tomorrow we set out for the remote southern borders, vast and sparsely populated—wanting to drink such fine wine again will be doubly hard!" the Dragon King said.

"Raise the cup to invite the bright moon, with our shadows we become three." Chen Yi He raised his wine bowl again, facing the moon, and recited a poem.

"Good poem, good poem!" the Dragon King clapped and praised, speaking from the heart, "Yi He, do you know why I regard you as a brother? Because you're talented, your words flow like literature! That day you stepped off the carriage and uttered something like 'leading the wind draws,' truly brilliant talent!"

"All mountains and valleys draw the long wind..." Chen Yi He said embarrassedly, "These are just lines I had to memorize for the college entrance exam; it's not talent, just borrowed stuff... I never expected the Dragon King to value me so highly."

However, speaking of "shadows making three," Chen Yi He suddenly thought of Xu Jia and asked, "By the way, we're setting out first—what about Brother Xu?"

"I've already sent my subordinates to spread the word; tomorrow I'll depart for the southern borders. Brother Xu always has far-sighted eyes and wind-sensitive ears, receiving news promptly; once he gets the message, he'll surely divert his route to meet us in the southern borders! He's a sharp fellow—I've known him for years and know he won't make a mistake."

"Then that's settled!"

"Come, have another drink!" the Dragon King urged.

"Good! I won't stop until I'm drunk." The beautiful scenery of Tiger's Mouth is only visible tonight; how could Chen Yi He miss the chance to drink fine wine and enjoy the moonlight?

Just then, a subordinate ran up to Tiger's Mouth, shouting, "Report! Dragon King, something serious has happened!"

"What's wrong? You're all flustered?" The Dragon King, who loves wine, had a somewhat slowed reaction after drinking...

"Xu Jia, Xu Jia has met with trouble!"

"What?!" the Dragon King exclaimed in shock.

"What happened?" Chen Yi He's wine bowl shattered.

"He was seized by the people of Everjoy Gate!"

"Get the horses ready! Tell the brothers to arm themselves!!!"

"Yes!"

"……"

Although Xu Jia had never formally joined the Dragon Tiger Gate of Tiger Mountain, in the Dragon King's heart he was a true brother, a brother of the Dragon Tiger Gate!

"Damn, someone actually dared to seize a brother of my Dragon Tiger Gate! Giddyap!" the Dragon King on horseback was furious beyond restraint.

A dragon has reverse scales.

"We must rescue Brother Xu!" Chen Yi He felt anxious; Xu Jia had left Tiger Mountain to earn his tuition, and if anything happened, he would feel guilty for life.

The Dragon King led all the brothers of the Dragon Tiger Gate, pouring out of their nest, each mounted on a swift horse and armed with a broadsword, racing through the night...

"Isn't Brother Xu bound by a sect? Why are we heading into the city?" Chen Yi He asked, noting that most sects lie in wilderness or deep mountains, rarely establishing themselves in cities.

"It's Everjoy Gate; strictly speaking, it's not a sect but a gambling house!" the Dragon King replied.

"A gambling house? No wonder it's located in the city."

"Yes, Everjoy Gate is the largest gambling house of the Great Zhou Dynasty, headquartered in the imperial capital; this Everjoy Gate in the mountain city is its subordinate branch. I don't know why Brother Xu would appear in such a gambling house." the Dragon King, turning on his horse to face Chen Yi He behind him, said.

The night was deep, yet the brothers rushing to rescue showed no slack...