The white tiger looked at the culprit who had caused it to become someone else's mount with some disdain, and glared at it fiercely, but still dared not disobey its master's orders and obediently followed behind.
The boy picked up the baskets scattered to the side, dusted them off, and began walking towards Qingquan Town.
After walking for a few minutes, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys ahead, and a dozen or so tiled houses stood together in a row. Not far away, on a broken stone tablet, three characters from another world were carved on it—Qingquan Town.
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Chapter Twenty-Six: A Sensation
Li Si picked up his hoe, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked at the lush green rice paddies in his field. His wrinkled face smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum.
Fortunately, his ancestors had left him a piece of fertile land, not large, but enough to support his family. Thinking of his wife, Li Si spat lightly, regretting marrying this shrew. With his own qualities, he could have found a better wife, but he couldn't resist. He was young and impetuous, and was seduced by this woman, so he slept with her. Now he could only suffer this humiliation.
"But at least he's better than that kid Yiming. It's a pity about his sister. She's so beautiful, but she's sickly. Otherwise, she could have easily married into a wealthy family."
Thinking of Yiming's sister, Li Si couldn't help but drool. If it weren't for Yiming, that reckless guy, protecting her so fiercely, she might have been defiled by the village thugs long ago.
Although he was just a refugee, Li Si still admired Yiming's courage. Shaking his head, he dismissed these unrealistic thoughts and slowly walked into the town.
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble slightly. Although the sound was not loud, Li Si had always had unusual hearing, so he turned around to look...
Clang!
The hoe fell to the ground, his face pale. As he ran back, he shouted, "It's terrible! A tiger is coming! A tiger from the mountains has come to the village! Everyone, come quick!"
...
Xu Le sat on the white tiger's back. Normally, sitting on a tiger without a saddle would be very uncomfortable, but this white tiger had a concave area on its back that made it exceptionally comfortable to sit on—it was practically a natural mount. Thinking of this, Xu Le patted the white tiger's head as a reward.
"From now on, I'll call you Shaohao." Shaohao is a western deity in ancient Chinese mythology, in charge of killing and warfare in the world. The white tiger, one of the four sacred beasts in mythology, belongs to the west and is associated with metal. This is both an expectation and an encouragement. After all, as Xu Le's mount, if it turns out to be useless in the future, he wouldn't mind changing it. In any case, there are countless rare and exotic beasts in the myriad worlds.
The white tiger was very satisfied with the name its master had given it, and roared excitedly, startling Yiming, who was leading the way, so much so that he broke out in a cold sweat. This is the law of the jungle in nature; the weak submit to the strong, which is only natural. Therefore, when the white tiger was weaker than Xu Le, it did not harbor any rebellious thoughts.
Looking at Qingquan Town so close at hand, Yiming couldn't wait to ask the immortal to heal his sister. He was willing to do anything, even be a slave, as long as the immortal agreed.
After all, his sister was his only family, and the meaning of his life was to ensure that she could grow up safely.
However, it's too early to say for sure. He can't be sure if the immortal agrees, so he can only try his best to demonstrate his value.
Yiming's ears twitched as he heard the clanging of metal. At the same time, he looked into the distance where flames flickered, as if something significant had happened.
Finally arriving at the entrance of Qingquan Town, Yiming saw a large number of villagers standing densely at the village entrance, their faces filled with unease.
As the white tiger approached, the villagers grabbed their weapons and aimed them at the tiger beneath Xu Le. Terrified screams erupted from the crowd, and chaos ensued. At that moment, the villagers also saw Yi Ming standing before the white tiger.
They originally wanted to call the government troops, but the soldiers thought they were lying and didn't care whether they lived or died.
From the crowd, a sallow-faced man dressed in burlap stepped forward. His eyes darted around slyly, giving him a lewd look. He started cursing at Yiming: "You little brat, how dare you bring a tiger to the village! The villagers have always treated you well, and you repay kindness with enmity. I should have beaten you to death earlier and sold your sister to a brothel."
This sallow-faced man was named San Shun. Like Yi Ming, he was a commoner. He was idle and stole chickens and dogs. He had previously made a lewd remark to Yi Ming's sister and was beaten up by Yi Ming. He held a grudge, but since he couldn't beat Yi Ming, he could only bury his hatred in his heart.
At this moment, whispers and discussions arose among the crowd.
"I never expected this kid to be so ruthless. I even gave him a piece of clothing that my little one didn't want before."
"What's this? I even gave him a bowl of rice. Now that I think about it, I should have fed it to the dog."
"You can know a person's face but not their heart. He seemed like a good kid all day, but he turned out to be as venomous as a scorpion."
Hearing the villagers' discussion, Yiming's face turned pale. He loudly protested, "This white tiger is a mount tamed by an immortal. An immortal is sitting on it. You will disturb the immortal by doing this." After speaking, he glanced at Xu Le on the tiger's back with some concern.
To his disappointment, Xu Le seemed to be asleep and did not get up to respond to the villagers' questions.
Seeing Yiming spouting nonsense, San Shun seized the opportunity to settle both old and new grudges, continuing to mock, "You little beast, you're not only ruthless, but also brainless. Why would an immortal come to our remote little village? And with your abilities, you can only find a fake Taoist priest at best. Everyone, let's kill this guy first, then deal with this big worm."
Some of the other villagers were tempted. Although the tiger was huge and frightening, the village had experience fighting tigers before, so they weren't too afraid. They picked up shovels, hoes, and other farm tools and slowly surrounded it.
Yiming turned around anxiously and glanced back, only to see Xu Le seemingly asleep.
The white tiger watched the farce with amusement. It disliked Yiming and had no intention of helping him, since its master only called it a mount and had not asked it to help the kid.
Seeing that neither the immortal nor the white tiger intended to make a move, Yiming suppressed his fear and forced himself to remain calm, stopping the villagers who wanted to continue forward. He roared, "If you disturb the immortal, you will surely die a horrible death!"
But the crowd just scoffed, their faces showing disdain, while keeping an eye on the white tiger not far away and slowly surrounding Yiming.
Seeing no hope, Yiming clung tightly to the basket, nervously watching the villagers who resembled wolves. He couldn't help but sigh, unsure whether it was disappointment or regret.
Sam-soon picked up the hoe, looking at his former enemy who had brutally beaten him, feeling a surge of satisfaction. His grip seemed to tighten, and he brought the hoe down hard on I-ming's head. He wasn't faking it; if it hit, it would surely result in a gruesome scene of brains splattering everywhere.
"How interesting! Someone actually said I'm a fake Taoist priest. But you should know, loose lips sink ships!"
On the tiger's back, a figure sat up, and a rushing fire dragon flew out, enveloping Sam-soon who was about to kill him.
The wailing and the flames created a bizarre scene, clearly visible to everyone.
Sam-soon, struggling in the flames, screamed so desperately that the villagers nearby recoiled, dropping their weapons and kneeling on the ground. I-ming, watching this power of life and death, looked on with eyes filled with longing.
Not long after, the flames dissipated, and a charred, blackened corpse lay at Yiming's feet. The stench emanating from it made Yiming cover his nose.
At this moment, Xu Le stepped down from the void, as if an invisible staircase supported him. He was surrounded by lightning and flames, like a god descending to earth.
The surrounding villagers had never seen such a miraculous sign before, and they immediately knelt down and cried out, "Immortal, please forgive us!"
Xu Le glanced at the group of ignorant mountain people lying on the ground, his eyes showing neither joy nor sorrow, and then said to Yi Ming, "Take me to your home."
"I will obey the immortal's decree."
Yiming imitated the scenes he used to secretly watch at the stage, and tried to flatter Xu Le in a very convincing way. With his youthful spirit, he glanced triumphantly at the villagers on the ground, his previous resentment seemingly completely dissipated, and his self-esteem was greatly satisfied. He continued to lead the immortal.