Chapter Sixty-One: The Tale of Becoming a Tiger

Seeing the eager expressions on Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi’s faces, Xu Kang didn’t bother with suspense; he directly invoked the Druid’s transformation spell.

“Transform into a fierce tiger!”

He uttered a low command and leaped forward.

As a burst of white light flashed, upon landing, he had already turned into a magnificent tiger over three meters long.

Witnessing this, both Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi couldn’t help but widen their eyes, drawing sharp breaths.

“—!”

Especially Huangfu Song, who was closest to Xu Kang—just a few paces away. At such proximity, he could even see the slight tremble of the tiger’s whiskers by his mouth.

Years of commanding troops had honed his sixth sense, which now sounded urgent alarms in his heart, warning him of the extreme danger posed by this colossal creature.

In truth, even though he had just seen Xu Kang transform before his eyes, Huangfu Song still felt as though before him stood a genuine fierce tiger—a true king of beasts.

Suppressing the instinct to immediately call for soldiers, Huangfu Song managed to swallow nervously, then tentatively asked,

“Yide… is—is that you?”

Thanks to the transformation spell, even as a tiger Xu Kang could still speak, so he nodded at Huangfu Song’s question.

“Yes, Uncle, it’s me!”

Upon hearing his reply, Huangfu Song finally exhaled in relief, wiping the cold sweat from his brow with his sleeve.

“Ah… so it is you. Your skill at transformation is so realistic; for a moment, I truly thought I’d encountered a wild tiger. I broke out in a cold sweat from fright.”

“Uh…”

Seeing Huangfu Song still shaken, Xu Kang didn’t quite know what to say and could only respond helplessly,

“Uncle, forgive me for startling you. It was my fault—I’ll change back right away!”

He was about to revert to his human form, but as he arched his back to begin the transformation, Huangfu Song quickly raised a hand to stop him.

“Wait, Yide!”

“Hm?” Xu Kang paused and looked back at him.

Huangfu Song hurried over with a grin, saying, “Hehe, Yide, I didn’t get a clear look from afar just now—I’d like to come closer and examine you carefully!”

“Yizhen speaks my very thoughts!” Lu Zhi chimed in.

---

As soon as Huangfu Song finished, Lu Zhi nodded.

“In truth, I have always wanted to paint a scene of a tiger roaring in the forest, but lacked the opportunity. Now that I have witnessed Yide’s transformation, it is a rare chance indeed. Allow me a thorough look!”

“Uh… very well!” Seeing both insist, Xu Kang couldn’t refuse and nodded again.

“I have no objections—Uncle and Master, please examine me as you wish.”

He straightened his limbs and stood motionless like a statue, so Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi could observe him closely.

Lu Zhi was more reserved, observing from a few meters away, stroking his beard and nodding in admiration.

Huangfu Song, however, circled Xu Kang’s tiger form, left and right, occasionally reaching out to stroke the fur, clicking his tongue as if admiring fine pelts.

Xu Kang wouldn’t have minded if it stopped there, but Huangfu Song grew increasingly bold.

He touched the tiger’s back, then the head, then the tail, then finally the haunches. When he bent down, about to inspect the tiger’s nether regions, Xu Kang quickly lay flat on the ground, covering himself securely.

He thought this would deter Huangfu Song, but unexpectedly, the man mounted his back, calling excitedly to Lu Zhi,

“Zigan, Zigan—fetch paper and brush! Paint for me a portrait of the valiant general riding a tiger, quickly!”

Xu Kang: “…”

A portrait of a general riding a tiger? Are you kidding me!

It was supposed to be a simple inspection, yet you got handsy, then climbed on, and now you want to paint a ‘Valiant General Riding a Tiger’? This is outrageous!

At that, Xu Kang rolled sideways, tossing Huangfu Song to the ground and, without a word, mounted his back.

He waved his furry paw at the stunned Lu Zhi.

“Master, Master—bring paper and brush! Paint for me a portrait of the fierce tiger riding the general, quickly!”

“Pfft…”

Lu Zhi, who had been dumbfounded, burst into laughter at Xu Kang’s words, and when he saw the bewildered face of Huangfu Song beneath the tiger, he laughed even harder.

“Hahaha! A general riding a tiger is nothing special—a tiger riding a general is a marvel for the ages! I’ll fetch the paper and brush right away, hahaha…”

“Huh?”

Hearing Lu Zhi, and seeing him about to fetch the supplies, Huangfu Song grew anxious and cried out.

---

“Wait, Zigan… Ah, Zigan, don’t do it! Yide… Yide, Uncle was only joking with you—let me go, and I’ll give you my prized jade pendant with the dragon motif, all right?”

“No!” Xu Kang was unmoved. “I much prefer Master’s painting of the fierce tiger riding the general. Uncle, don’t move!”

“What? Don’t move? Oh, no, no, no… This painting cannot be made!”

As this uncle and nephew clowned around, Lu Zhi was laughing so hard he could barely stand.

“Hahahahahaha…”

For a moment, the little courtyard turned into a sea of joy.

Meanwhile, Zhu Jun, who had just stepped out, hadn’t gone far. Hearing Lu Zhi’s laughter from the courtyard, his face turned bright red.

“Damn Lu Zigan! Seeing me driven away by the youngsters, he laughs so rudely—this is outrageous… No, I won’t leave it at that; I must return and argue with him!”

With that thought, he turned around and strode purposefully toward Lu Zhi’s courtyard.

But when he arrived, before he could speak, the sight before him left him stunned.

Somehow, a tiger over three meters long had appeared in the courtyard!

Its massive body, powerful limbs, and fearsome face filled him with dread.

Most terrifying of all, Huangfu Song had been knocked to the ground by the tiger, in imminent peril, while Lu Zhi was laughing hysterically, as if he’d lost his mind.

Seeing this, Zhu Jun’s heart sank.

“This is bad!”

Zhu Jun had seen tigers devour men before; to kill one such beast, he remembered losing over a dozen elite soldiers to its claws and fangs.

And that tiger was only half the size of the one before him!

“What a ferocious monster this is!” The thought made his legs tremble uncontrollably.

But seeing Huangfu Song pinned by the tiger and Lu Zhi seemingly mad with fright, he knew he couldn’t hesitate.

He gritted his teeth, drew his sword with a ringing sound, and charged forward.

“Monster, prepare to die!”