The midday streets bustled with color and noise, hawkers shouting their wares beneath fluttering awnings, the air rich with spices and roasted meats. Han Jie and Xiu Mei walked on either side of Shi Yang, their appearances now carefully subdued by his hand—less curve to their hips, less allure in their figures. To the passersby, they seemed like ordinary companions to a modest practitioner.
Shi Yang was content with the illusion. His gaze roamed lazily across the crowd, noting details out of a new habit, brought about by his near encounter with the female enforcer: which cultivators kept their weapons close, which merchants had hidden guards, which consorts carried talismans tucked in their sleeves. He was in no hurry. Lunch awaited, and so did the quiet satisfaction of seeing his women eat at his side without worry.
Then, chaos split the air.
A crashing sound rang out as a heavy cart overturned in the street ahead. Crates burst apart, spilling rice and cloth into the dust. But it was the iron cage, bent and shattered, that drew every eye. From it leapt a striped shadow no larger than a hound—yet its presence carried the unmistakable aura of a Qi Refinement Realm spirit beast.
A tiger cub.
The creature landed hard on its paws, its fur bristling with black-and-gold sheen. A guttural snarl rumbled from its throat as it bared tiny but razor-sharp fangs. Panic rippled through the crowd—merchants shrieked, lovers pulled each other close, and cultivators scattered rather than be mauled.
The cub's eyes glowed faintly, Qi flickering around its form like sparks. Despite its size, its aura was wild and untamed. With a sudden leap, it struck, claws slashing across a man's leg. The victim screamed, falling into the dust, blood splattering the street.
Its aura flared; despite its size, the creature was already at the late stage of its realm. It bared its fangs, fighting the drugs and fatigue in its body, as it staggered and growled.
"Help! Someone stop it!"
The beast turned, swiping at another merchant who had stumbled too close. The man barely dodged, his sleeve shredded into ribbons. The cub's growl deepened, each lunge more vicious than its small body should have allowed.
Han Jie instinctively pressed close to Shi Yang's side, eyes sharp but wary. Xiu Mei held her sword, ready to step in if needed.
Shi Yang's expression hardly changed. If anything, the corner of his lips curved faintly upward.
"Fortune favors us today," he muttered, stepping forward.
The crowd parted instinctively, terrified eyes turning to him as if he were mad. Who in their right mind would approach a feral spirit beast barehanded?
The cub noticed him at once, its head snapping up. The glow in its eyes sharpened, and with a burst of speed it lunged straight for Shi Yang's throat.
He raised his forearm, the beast's fangs clamping down on the iron guard with a metallic clang. Its jaws strained, Qi coursing through its teeth as they tried to pierce through.
"Featherless Palm."
Shi Yang's right arm surged with Qi, his palm snapping forward into the cub's chest.
!?
The little beast wheezed as the breath was forced from its lungs. Its bite slackened, giving Shi Yang the chance to rip his arm free. Without hesitation, his left palm struck again, this time knocking the cub across the street. It slammed into the overturned cart, the wood cracking beneath its weight.
"Aren't you a resilient one," Shi Yang murmured, rolling his wrists. Its pelt had felt like striking solid iron.
"Roooaarr!"
The cub's cry shook the street. Qi swirled around its fur, stirring the dust into a gale. Its body bristled with wind Dao, the air itself gathering beneath its paws. The beast lowered its snout, muscles coiling tight—then sprang forward. The wind carried it, propelling the cub with terrifying speed.
Shi Yang's eyes narrowed. So fast.
He shifted, dodging by a hair's breadth as the cub streaked past his skull. His hand shot out like a whip, catching its tail mid-flight. The cub thrashed wildly, twisting like an enraged housecat, claws raking the air in fury.
Shi Yang held firm, turning his head toward the shaken merchants scrambling near the cart.
"This is your cargo, isn't it?" His voice was calm, steady despite the beast snapping at him. "I'll buy it from you."
The merchants froze, staring at the sight before them. A cultivator holding a wind-aspected spirit tiger cub by the tail as if it were a wayward dog—such strength was not something they could deny. One of them swallowed hard and nodded quickly.
"If—if you want it, sir, we won't stop you!"
But the cub chose that moment to twist violently, breaking free of Shi Yang's grasp. With a furious roar, it spun back toward him, claws outstretched. Shi Yang met its assault head-on, parrying each strike with precise, Qi-laced blows that deflected its wild power. His gaze never left the merchants.
"How much?" Shi Yang's voice cut through the chaos as his palm batted aside another furious swipe.
The lead merchant licked his lips nervously, glancing at his fellows. "T–ten middle-grade spirit stones!" he stammered, blurting out the figure as if hoping the sheer weight of it would drive Shi Yang away.
Shi Yang's brow arched faintly. His hand lashed forward, catching the cub by the scruff of its neck and slamming it into the ground hard enough to shake the stones beneath their feet. The beast snarled and struggled, but his grip held firm.
"Ten, you say?" His tone was light, almost amused, though his eyes were cold. "And if I don't happen to carry such a sum on me?"
The merchants exchanged uneasy glances. One of them opened his mouth, but before words could form, the cub twisted violently. With a sudden flare of wind Qi, it slipped free of Shi Yang's grasp and darted down the street in a blur of striped fur.
Gasps rose from the crowd. Shi Yang clicked his tongue, shaking his head with mock irritation. "Tch. What a pity." He dusted his hands as if the matter were beneath him, his expression calm despite the beast's escape. "Seems fate wasn't willing to let this trade go through."
The merchants groaned, some clutching their heads in despair at the loss of their profit. Shi Yang, however, tilted his head ever so slightly, his gaze flicking toward Xiu Mei at his side. His lips never moved, but the subtle twitch of his fingers toward the runaway cub—a simple signal—spoke volumes.
Xiu Mei's eyes lit with understanding. Without a word, she melted into the dispersing crowd, her presence vanishing as though she had never been there.
Han Jie stepped closer, brushing Shi Yang's arm with a knowing smile. "So you're letting it run wild?" she asked under her breath, her tone half-curious, half-teasing.
"Letting it?" Shi Yang's lips curved faintly, his eyes tracking the street where the cub had vanished. "No. I'm simply letting them think so."
Xiu Mei smiled as she broke through the crowd, grabbing a piece of fabric from a nearby stall and draping it over herself like a cloak. Let's see where you went. Her feet lifted off the ground as she leaped, gravity bending to her will as she soared above the market. Her eyes scanned the chaos below, quickly spotting the trail of panic left by the spirit beast.
She darted toward it and grabbed it firmly by the neck. The cub thrashed and tried to claw and bite her, but it failed to leave so much as a scratch. "Shh," she whispered, stroking its fur gently. "You'll be fine with us, little one."
Rising back into the air, she held the cub tightly. "Where should I take you?" she murmured, glancing around. "I can't return to Uncle Shi just yet… and I can't leave you out in the open either." Her eyes swept the streets before settling on a solution. "Well, there's only one way to make you easier to hide."
The spirit beast's instincts flared, but it barely had time to react before Xiu Mei lightly tapped its head. Its eyes dimmed, a few white sparks flickering before it slipped into unconsciousness.
Oh, was that too hard? she wondered, concerned she might have used too much strength. Seeing the cub still breathing, she nodded to herself. Good. I wouldn't want Uncle Shi to be mad that I killed his new pet, now would I?
She carefully tucked the cub under her cloak and weaved through the crowd as if nothing had happened. Once she found a safe spot nearby, she wrapped the cloak into a secure bundle to blanket the cub and hide it from view.
"Xiu Mei," Shi Yang's voice called out. His gaze fell on the bundle in her arms, and a faint smile curved his lips. "I knew I could count on you."