Tiger wife

Final Chapter

Twenty-two years ago

The rain continued to fall, with no sign of stopping, washing the steep mountain walls on both sides to a sheen.

It extended its large tongue, slowly l*****g the face of the male cub, again and again, with the gentle, affectionate force of an animal, wiping away all the tears and raindrops from its flushed cheeks.

The crying was faint, intermittent, and finally quieted. The male cub never opened its eyes, its small head bowed slightly, its lips slightly parted, making no further sound…

It suddenly raised its massive head, its golden-brown eyes gazing at him calmly. After a moment of observation, it extended a forepaw and turned the male cub's head. A river of crimson blood flowed out, mingled with the pouring rain, splashing together with the blood.

The young woman had protected him with her body, but it was all in vain.

The wound was on the back of the cub's head, seemingly caused by a powerful impact. Life had vanished like a shooting star.

It raised its head and surveyed its surroundings. All it saw were dead bodies; all it heard was the sound of the rain.

When the scenery is monotonous, and the sounds are monotonous, it turns out to be so quiet. It feels more desolate than the vastness of heaven and earth, a state of silent oblivion, and it touches something deep within one's heart.

So, what was there in its heart?!

On the path of cultivation, it had always, always asked itself, who is he?! Who is he?!

What it strove for was only to achieve immortality and be listed among the immortals. And then what? What was its value? Where should it go?

Then, it broke away from its clan, exiled itself, and wandered between heaven and earth.

Silence…

Confusion…

Searching… tirelessly, endlessly searching…

It wanted to determine a direction.

"Hurry up and continue searching ahead. You must find the Second Mistress and the Young Master."

"The rain is so heavy. The Young Master is still a child. He's been in the rain for several hours; he'll surely get sick."

"Let's find them first."

Human voices broke the mysterious silence, rising and falling in different pitches amidst the monotonous sound of the rain. It stood on a protruding rock face, pricking up its ears, listening to the approaching sounds of hurried footsteps and the shouts and conversations of men.

"Second Mistress Tianci Young Master!"

"Second Mistress Tianci Young Master!"

They were looking for this group of people who had become corpses.

A strange thought instantly struck its mind. Its bell-shaped eyes slowly turned towards the already ice-cold male cub, a thoughtful expression appearing.

To the human world?! Was that its direction?

"Second Mistress Tianci Young Master!" The voices grew closer.

It narrowed its eyes, shook its brilliant golden fur, and shook off the raindrops, making a decision that took shape in its mind.

It lowered its head, took the male cub from the young woman's embrace in its mouth, and in a few leaps, it arrived in the grass. It extended its forepaws, its sharp claws digging into the soil, and buried the cub's body in the hole.

"Here! Quickly!"

"My God! Ah Zhong! Ah Yi! My God... they're all dead, all fallen to their deaths..."

"Where is the Second Mistress?! Search quickly!"

"The Second Mistress is here! She... she's stuck between the rocks... she's already lost her breath..."

The atmosphere was heavy to the point of being unbearable.

"Young Master... we still haven't found Tianci Young Master." The voice was weak, clearly no longer holding out hope, having prepared for the worst.

At this moment, the faint cries of a child could be heard, like heavenly music to them.

"It's Tianci Young Master! In... in the grass! Quickly!"

Footsteps rushed over. Several large hands simultaneously pushed aside the grass that reached waist-high, and they saw the cub.

They had found him.

The illusory realm transformed, the mist dispersed, and the scene abruptly shifted, from the Chang family's house into a misty realm, and from the vast white mist back to the deep forest of Changbai Mountain.

The bright moon in the sky illuminated the white snow on the ground, silver light flowing, clarifying the outline of that person.

"Tianci..." Hu Wa called out uncertainly, as the man looked like Chang Tianci, but not entirely. His clothes and attire were like Chang Tianci's, his features similar, but his demeanor was vastly different.

Tianci was elegant and gentle, handsome and refined; he was not as deep and stern as this man, but... those eyes... the light flickering within them was exactly the same, not off by even a hair.

"You, you, you—" Hu Wa gasped, her large eyes filled with bewilderment.

He said he was Benlei of the Tiger Clan.

Benlei did not look at Hu Wa. His eyes were fixed on the person restraining her. He spoke again, his voice calm but filled with immense power, "Release my wife."

Hei Lingxiao's face contorted. His mind raced, quickly deducing the entire situation. He tightened his grip on Hu Wa's wrists, heard the woman's suppressed gasp of pain, and smiled grimly.

"Hu Wa is your wife?! Hahahaha— Benlei, I didn't expect you to have been missing for a hundred years, only to have fallen into the human world, become a human's son, and even married?! A tiger wife. Hahahaha... " A hundred years ago, they were both elites of the Tiger Clan. But a mountain cannot accommodate two tigers; there could only be one leader. The clan elders had chosen Benlei, and he, Hei Lingxiao, was unwilling, so unwillingly.

"Grand Auntie was also involved, wasn't she?" Hei Lingxiao said hatefully. "She actually had Hu Wa marry you!"

Benlei was unwilling to say more. He formed hand seals, and a sharp ray of light shot out ferociously.

Hei Lingxiao dodged it. His footing was unstable, and he saw four more rays of light attack him from front, back, left, and right. If he insisted on holding Hu Wa, he would not be able to counterattack. And he could not tolerate being in a defensive posture.

He roared and released his grip, leaping up. His dark figure instantly shifted. The four rays of light continued their attack. Hu Wa was left behind, stunned, unable to react. She saw the rays of light about to strike—

At the critical moment, the man arrived beside her, embraced her, and with a flick of his blue-sleeved robe, the rays of light, with a "hiss," were all absorbed into his palm.

"Tianci..." Hu Wa murmured. His embrace was still the same, his scent was still the same. He was Tianci...

This was not the time for tenderness. Hei Lingxiao was not to be outdone. Seeing that Hu Wa had been taken back by him, his resentment intensified. He let out a clear whistle from his throat, shaking the mountain. Dark rays of light flew out, heading straight for Benlei's forehead.

"Dangerous!" Hu Wa cried out anxiously, wanting to shield his head. Suddenly, her waist was tightly clasped, and her vision blurred. He instantly moved with her in his arms, confronting Hei Lingxiao.

Under the moonlight and snow, tree shadows were eerie, and the wind howled.

"I've been looking for you for a hundred years," Hei Lingxiao said heavily. "You left voluntarily back then. The Tiger Clan still hasn't chosen a leader. If I defeat you, I can rightfully claim this position, and then—" His gaze shot towards Hu Wa, and he spat coldly, "I will take her away."

Hu Wa trembled all over, her hair standing on end. She felt the man's arms holding her tighter, a sense of security surrounding her. This was her man... In an instant, her fear dissipated, and she bravely looked up.

"Hei Lingxiao, you don't truly love me in your heart. You only see me as an object. You asked Grand Auntie, and she refused. I clearly told you from the beginning that I don't like you. How can you not tolerate such an answer? This ignited your temper, which is why you can't let me go..." She panted, her small hands tightly gripping the man's blue robe, drawing courage from him. "I want to tell you, Hei Lingxiao. First, you can't defeat Benlei. Second, even if you win, you can't take me away." Whether alive or dead, she wanted to be by her man's side.

Her words ignited Hei Lingxiao's even fiercer rage.

Without further ado, black rays of light flew out again, carrying the force of thunder and lightning. They coalesced into a greater power midway and struck with a "boom."

Benlei formed hand seals, drawing a circular barrier that safely protected them both. The black rays of light had just arrived but burst into brilliant particles, blocked by an invisible wall.

Hei Lingxiao was undeterred. Hate and perversity controlled him. He continuously mobilized his inner spiritual energy. Today, unless they fought to the death and determined a winner, he would not stop.

"Benlei, you've been a turtle in a shell for a hundred years, haven't you had enough?! Come out and fight me!"

"I promised Grand Auntie that I would not fight you unless absolutely necessary." The man inside the barrier spoke quietly, his eyes deep, his coldness gradually intensifying. "If you want to be the leader of the Tiger Clan, then be it. But if you want to take my wife, that is absolutely not allowed." With that, he stepped out of the barrier, standing proudly.

"Tianci!" Hu Wa cried out in alarm, wanting to jump out with him. But her outstretched hand touched an invisible wall. Her palm felt hard. She pushed with all her might but could not budge it. She tried to use her spiritual energy to help, only to discover that in this barrier, she was like a mortal, her spiritual power completely lost.

This barrier protected her, but it also trapped her.

"Tianci—" she called, but the man didn't even look back, completely ignoring her.

"I don't need you to yield!" Hei Lingxiao shouted wildly, the wind gusting, inflating his sleeves as if he were about to fly.

This battle was unavoidable.

Hu Wa clenched her fists, unable to do anything but stare intently at the man's back. Thousands upon thousands of sharp rays of light crisscrossed, attacking and flowing. The brilliant, dazzling flames almost blinded her eyes. She could only watch him like this, with no sound in her ears. It was quiet and silent. All movements seemed to slow down, and then, she remembered the distant figure from a hundred years ago, full of power, overlapping with the one before her.

Perhaps for a moment, perhaps for a long time, she was stunned, dazed, until—

Hei Lingxiao let out a huge roar. He was struck somewhere unknown, and his body flew backward, breaking more than ten giant ancient trees. He fell heavily to the ground but remained stubbornly resilient, forcing himself to stand upright, blood already flowing from his mouth.

"You... you have divine powers... complete... complete..." He spat out more blood. In his eyes, besides ferocity, there was also deep doubt. He looked at Benlei, whose eyes were closed. Benlei, as his spiritual energy surged, was enveloped in smoke and light, his face ashen.

Hei Lingxiao asked again, "Your spiritual energy... clearly could have gone towards the immortal path... why didn't you..." His chest and brow ached intensely. He could no longer support himself and knelt on one knee. The gap was too vast. He and Benlei, were they truly worlds apart? And he had boasted of defeating him.

Still unwilling, he was so unwilling... but what could he do?!

Recalling his divine powers, Benlei slowly opened his eyes and looked at the other person calmly. "I walk the path I have chosen." Wandering in the human world, experiencing true emotions, was better than becoming an immortal.

"Hei Lingxiao, are you still deluded?" The sigh was long and drawn out, echoing through the forest. The moonlight illuminated the figure of the beautiful woman, who was shifting from ethereal to solid, with faint light inlaid on her robes.

"Grand Auntie—" Hei Lingxiao looked at her in a daze. His primordial spirit had been severely wounded, and he continuously coughed up blood. This battle had exhausted centuries of spiritual cultivation, making it difficult to maintain his human form. He collapsed softly.

The beautiful woman sighed again. She raised her sleeve, and a light enveloped his fading body. His human form receded, returning to his true form: a black tiger.

"You were too heavy-handed. You've destroyed all his cultivation," the beautiful woman said to Benlei.

"He wanted to take my wife. I could not yield."

Rarely, the beautiful woman burst into laughter. She glanced behind him and said slowly, "Your heart is only with her. The Tiger Clan no longer has Benlei, but the human world has gained a Chang Tianci... Hurry to your wife's side. She seems unable to adapt to your identity and has fainted from fright."

His heart leaped in alarm. He turned back abruptly and saw the woman in the barrier lying on the ground. Her usually rosy face was devoid of color; she had truly fainted.

"Hu Wa..."

That voice was incredibly familiar, so gentle it was almost dripping with sweetness.

Her eyelids trembled slightly. In the dim light, she vaguely saw many figures. They were saying something around her, their voices like waves, gently crashing against her.

"Oh, Doctor Liu, can you do it?! What's wrong with my daughter-in-law? You've been examining her back and forth, do you have any idea what's going on?!"

It was Mother. She smelled the familiar scent of her.

"Doctor Liu, why has my Hu Wa been sleeping for two days? Have you figured anything out?"

It was Father. The man she once thought of as a great villain, who treated her with sincerity and kindness... and she actually had a home, in the human world.

"Father, Auntie, Hu Wa is fine. She'll wake up when she's slept enough. Why bother inviting Doctor Liu? Sigh... she's really fine." The man's voice was filled with helplessness but also powerlessness to stop them.

Her heart fluttered. She knew it was Tianci, her man.

Madam Chang, waving her handkerchief, glared at Tianci and scolded him, "You, you! Your own wife is so sick, and you say she's fine?! Letting her sleep and sleep. What if she really doesn't wake up?! You, have you no conscience—"

"Ah, so that's what it is," Doctor Liu suddenly exclaimed softly, drawing everyone's attention. Elder Chang and his wife hurried over, waiting for him to announce the diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

As a result, Doctor Liu stood up and cupped his hands with a smile towards the elders and Chang Tianci, "Congratulations, congratulations! Mr. Chang, Madam Chang, your daughter-in-law is pregnant."

"What?!" The person who spoke suddenly sat up from the bed.

"Hu Wa, my good daughter-in-law, you, you're pregnant! Hahaha—" Madam Chang laughed and jumped. The joy of seeing her wake up was completely replaced by the new happy news. Her demeanor as the matriarch vanished instantly.

"Is it because she's pregnant that she's so sleepy? But she's slept for too long. Oh, no, no, no, no matter the reason, you must take good care of yourself... Yes, yes, I must tell the kitchen to buy some top-quality ingredients and have the chef cook something to nourish you. Yes, yes, I'll go now—" Madam Chang's face flushed. She muttered to herself, her mind racing, pacing back and forth, and finally stepped out of the room, running away with a thud.

"Hu Wa, my good daughter-in-law, hahahaha... you're pregnant, our Chang family's golden grandson... You, you rest well, sleep, sleep some more. Father won't disturb you. I'll tell Tianci to stay with you." Elder Chang's face was a mass of wrinkles. He dragged Doctor Liu out, leaving a couple behind.

The man and woman stared at each other blankly, digesting this unexpected good news.

Chang Tianci's face softened, a radiant smile spreading across his lips. He walked towards her and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hu Wa, we're going to have a baby."

No longer lost, because someone would always point the way for him. His heart was now complete.

Her gaze swept over his face, examining him. For a long time, she couldn't speak. She watched him extend his large hand and gently stroke her cheek, again and again, with ineffable emotion.

"I'm so happy," he said.

She knew she was crying again. She took a deep breath and managed to speak, "Are you my Tianci?"

"Hu Wa..." he called out, his heart aching. "Are you angry about my deception?"

"You, you're truly terrible. All these years, I've wanted to see you, but you disappeared without a trace. Many clan members said you were dead, but I, I didn't believe them... Later, later, Grand Auntie insisted I marry a mortal—" At this point, her eyes widened again, and she suddenly realized.

"You, you, you clearly colluded with Grand Auntie. You knew, and she knew. How could you, how could you play such a trick on me?!" She pushed him. Seeing his arms reach out to embrace her, she couldn't help but scream and swing her fists at him.

"You, you didn't take me seriously at all. You tricked me into circles, coughing your lungs out one moment, then collapsing with heartache the next. Where were you sick?! You were clearly very strong."

"Hu Wa, calm down, you'll hurt yourself. Listen to me," he said, letting her hit him, his voice tense. "I had a reason for pretending to be sick." Back then, they had brought him back from the brink. He had imagined the whole situation from a human perspective, pretended to be in a coma, and then heard many doctors tell Elder Chang that even if his son's life was saved, he would never fully recover and would always have lingering health problems.

"I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it! No matter how much I hear, it's all lies—"

Seeing her so unrestrained, his heart leaped to his throat. He finally found a good opportunity to act. He first grasped her wrist, then embraced her fragrant body. He dared not use too much force, nor did he want to relax, holding her completely.

"I swear, I will never deceive you again. Whatever you ask, I will answer. If there is a single false word, let me be struck by lightning and vanish into nothingness."

"Tianci," she hit him again, her voice choked with sobs, "Who wants you to make such a poisonous oath?!"

He sighed deeply. Seeing her soften, his heart settled slightly.

"Hu Wa, I heard what you said to Grand Auntie." His hand habitually caressed the woman's soft hair, like plucking strings, or plucking heartstrings. His gentle tone hid intense affection. "You told Grand Auntie that you would not leave me, that you would accompany me forever. If this life ends, you would seek me in the next life and become husband and wife again... Hu Wa, how my heart ached, how shocked I was when I heard it... I am truly happy." He turned his face and kissed her temple.

The girl in his arms mused silently, her face lowered, her body trembling slightly.

He continued, "Ten years ago, you abducted me on the official road and took me to a mountain cabin. At the time, I found it very amusing. The way you looked when you were angry was both charming and cute, so adorable."

"Did you heal my leg injury?" she asked in a muffled voice, a hint of a sob in her tone.

Chang Tianci said, "Yes. You were mumbling the name 'Benlei' in a daze. My heart was shocked. I didn't want any more entanglement, so I quietly left. I never expected to meet again after so many years... I saw you trapped at Guangji Hall, and I couldn't help but intervene. You were badly injured then. It was also in the mountain cabin that you clutched my clothes, looking at me with your beautiful, dazed eyes. My heart lost control."

Hu Wa suddenly looked up, biting her lip, then pursing her lips. Her beautiful, dazed eyes looked at him again.

"You knew everything, but you didn't say a word, just quietly laughed at me."

"I didn't," he said, startled, and quickly added, "I absolutely did not mean to mock you. Heaven and earth can bear witness to this heart."

His face was serious and pale. Hu Wa's heart trembled, and her anger subsided slightly, but she was still stubborn on the outside.

"I am not heaven, not earth. How would I know what you're thinking?! How many twists and turns did you take?! You, you—" She glared at him, then saw the melancholy in his eyes. Alas... her anger had mostly subsided. "Give me back my Yuán Xū silver pearl!"

"Hu Wa..." he hesitated, afraid that if she got the silver pearl, she would turn and leave, never to return.

"Give it back to me!" She had even worried about him and done so many ridiculous things. She, she, she... alas... still liked him, couldn't let him go...

Chang Tianci's face looked dejected, his lips drooping. He drew a line in the air with two fingers, and a shining silver pearl appeared. With a slight manipulation, the silver pearl slowly moved and settled perfectly into Hu Wa's forehead.

The difference in magical power was evident in one move. She looked at him worshipfully as he performed the technique, so effortlessly. Then she remembered she was still angry with him and didn't want to forgive him easily. Her small face immediately stiffened, and she pouted.

"Why did Grand Auntie want me to marry you?"

"Hu Wa, you... don't go, okay? You told Grand Auntie that you wouldn't go." His heart pounded heavily, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"What about going or staying?! I told Grand Auntie, not you." She secretly chuckled. Seeing his distraught expression, her heart tightened, and she couldn't utter any harsh words. "Answer my question first."

After a pause, he finally spoke—

"The second time I saved you, Grand Auntie found out my whereabouts. She entrusted you to me. Because Hei Lingxiao had asked her many times to marry you, and you refused, for the peace of the clan, she decided to let you come to the human world. That's one reason. And another..." He looked at her deeply, his voice like a murmured song, "I... alas... I don't know why either. Looking at your appearance, listening to you speak, I feel an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. I think I can't let you go anymore. Then, when Grand Auntie made this request, I agreed without hesitation, fulfilling my heart's desire to become husband and wife."

After a long while, Hu Wa looked dazed, her mind a whirlwind of a thousand thoughts. She remembered she had many questions to ask, but she had forgotten them all.

He sighed again, as if a heavy burden was pressing on his heart, making it difficult to breathe.

Then, his fingers stroking her long hair moved to the woman's rosy cheeks, his thumb gliding over her full, red lips.

"Hu Wa, from the very beginning, I sincerely wanted to be with you. Don't be angry with me anymore, okay? I truly love you, more than my life. Now that you're pregnant, I, I won't let you go."

He said he loved her more than his life. It turned out their hearts could be so alike.

"Tianci..." she whispered, her beautiful eyes tearful, shining like stars. She threw herself into his arms, embracing him actively.

Sensing her softening, their hearts surged together. He held her tightly, his heart aching. Confusion and uncertainty were once again driven away. His direction was within his arms, forever guiding him.

Hu Wa buried her face in his chest, listening to the strong, powerful beats of his heart. Her lips curved upward in satisfaction. She closed her eyes, immersed in the familiar warmth, wanting to be intoxicated and fall asleep, yet her mind still held many, many questions—

To ask him why he hadn't returned to the clan for a hundred years. Why he had transformed into Chang Tianci and lived in the human world. To ask him what happened to Hei Lingxiao at the end of their battle that day.

She knew these could all be addressed slowly, because she and her man...

For a very, very long time...

However, in the distant mountain forests, there were still countless cultivated spirits. They formed their own clans, walking on the long path of cultivation, waiting for the day they would achieve immortality.

She had once been one of them, gained a thousand years of cultivation, and fulfilled her heart's desire, her immortal name recorded in the Heavenly Court. They called her Grandma Hu.

Then, she accepted the Heavenly Emperor's commission and continued to stay among the Tiger Clan, maintaining the balance of relationships between the clans. She handled this task with ease, quietly letting the years pass, witnessing the migration of all things, her heart unstained, as calm as an ancient well of a thousand years.

Winter had not yet ended, and the snowscape was vast. She gazed out, with a black tiger circling around her. The tiger cub was innocent and playful, jumping incessantly on the snow, a mortal without spiritual cultivation.

She turned her gaze back to the black tiger, her voice like a gentle breeze, indifferent to whether it understood. "Aren't you very good like this? No more worries, why bother fighting? You can't win... She is destined to marry the man named Chang Tianci. It's a decree directly from the celestial court. Because the God of Marriage's thread has paired a tiger cub with a mortal, it's a mistake that led to a perfect match. You can't break it, so how can you fight?"

The black tiger licked her fingertips, whimpered for a while, its bell-shaped eyes showing an innocent expression, docile and cute.

"It's just that everyone in the heavens doesn't know that there's a secret..."

That Chang Tianci was no longer the original Chang Tianci.

Does heaven believe that all things follow their natural course?

Or, should there be one or two exceptions?