Shao Yunan felt like he was about to leave the boundaries of Yongxiu County before Brother Tiger finally stopped and gestured for them to get off. Shao Yunan took out his watch and tightened his down jacket. “It’s almost 4 o’clock. We’ve been walking for a whole afternoon and almost the entire evening! Our family must be worried.”

Regardless of whether Wang Shijing was cold or not, Shao Yunan took out a down jacket. “Put this on. It’s damp and chilly here.” Wang Shijing didn’t refuse his wife’s concern and put on the down jacket, saying, “We said we were going up the mountain when we left. They shouldn’t be too worried since we followed Brother Tiger up the mountain.”

“Roar!” Urging the two to catch up, Brother Tiger led the way, with Big Gold and Little Gold walking behind the two, looking very cautious.

Shao Yunan’s icy-cold hand was placed in the pocket of Wang Shijing’s down jacket. Both of them were wearing traditional robes, but on the outside, they wore modern-looking down jackets which looked quite out of place on ancient dressed people. If someone didn’t know better, they would think they were filming a period drama. However, only the three tigers were there.

“Shijing, are we still in Xiushui Village or within the boundaries of Yongxiu County?”

“I don’t know. We should still be within the boundaries of Yongxiu County.” Shao Yunan thought they were almost there, but ended up following Brother Tiger for a long distance. The road was difficult and steep, so Brother Tiger asked him to get off.

The sun was about to go down before Brother Tiger finally stopped. Shao Yunan held up a flashlight and looked around. The first impression he got from the surroundings was that of a primeval forest. Even in modern times, he had never been deep into a forest like this. The trees here towered and the undergrowth reached up to his waist. Between the trees, vines intertwined, forming a complex network, and a cold, damp air rushed in.

There was the sound of water, rumbling. There might be a large river nearby. Brother Tiger seemed to be identifying the direction and stopped for about ten minutes before heading south. Following Brother Tiger, they crouched to avoid the hanging vines, stepped over fallen trees, and climbed over rugged rocks using their hands and feet. The sound of rushing water became deafening. When they stopped again, Shao Yunan almost exclaimed.

In front of them was a waterfall, a waterfall flowing down from a mountain that almost disappeared into the clouds. Shao Yunan had been to the Jiulong Waterfall before, but compared to this waterfall, the Jiulong Waterfall could only be considered a newborn baby.

“Roar!”

Letting out a roar towards the two, Brother Tiger shook his massive body and leaped into the pool beneath the waterfall. Big Gold and Little Gold also jumped in. Shao Yunan shouted: “We have to get in the water too? We’ll freeze to death.”

“Roar, roar!” Brother Tiger urged, and so did Big Gold and Little Gold.

“Shijing, you go to the space.”

“I can swim, I want to go with you.”

Wang Shijing’s attitude was firm. He even let go of Shao Yunan’s hand, afraid that the other party would send him to the space. The three tigers urged them impatiently. Shao Yunan gritted his teeth, there was no time to go into space to change his swimsuit. Wang Shijing also took off his down jacket. The two took off their cotton robes again, and after doing some warm-up, jumped into the water.

“Ah! It’s freezing! Shao Yunan shivered as he exclaimed. Wang Shijing was also cold as he swam to his wife’s side. Big Gold and Little Gold came over to protect the two of them, while Brother Tiger continued swimming forward.

Shao Yunan’s teeth were chattering from the cold. At this moment, Brother Tiger dived underwater, and Shao Yunan cursed silently and followed suit with his eyes closed. Something fuzzy floated in front of him and Shao Yunan grabbed it. He heard a cry, either from Big Gold or Little Gold, as if it had been hurt, so he quickly let go. 

Wang Shijing also grabbed a tail. The two of them followed the pulling force of Big Gold and Little Gold’s tails, swimming deeper and deeper. Just when Shao Yunan couldn’t hold his breath any longer, he felt his feet touch the ground. He quickly exerted force and straightened his body.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

“Wife!” Wang Shijing, in a disheveled state, walked to his wife’s side and hugged him. Wang Shijing’s face was pale from the cold. Shao Yunan took out a bottle containing spiritual milk and regardless of whether it was diluted or not, opened it and gave it to Wang Shijing.

“Howl, howl!”

“Roar, roar!”

The three tigers, who had all come forward, quickly ran back, howling. Wang Shijing took a drop and so did Shao Yunan. The three tigers approached and Shao Yunan stepped back, saying, “One drop per person, no more.”

“Roar!”

The three tigers stood still.

“Open your mouths.”

They opened their mouths.

Shao Yunan, who had already warmed up inside, dripped a drop of spiritual milk into each of the three tigers’ bloodthirsty mouths. Then he quickly withdrew the bottle. The tiger fur on their bodies stood up, then slowly fell down, and their eyes closed. After a while, they opened their eyes. Brother Tiger took a deep look at Shao Yunan, turned around, and continued leading the way.

“Howl, howl, howl~” After drinking the spiritual milk, Big Gold and Little Gold’s steps became erratic, as if they were intoxicated.

Taking out an emergency light, Shao Yunan quickly took off his soaking wet clothes and wrapped himself in a cotton robe. Wang Shijing also put on a robe. This was a cave hidden beneath the pool of water. The dampness in the air seemed to be mixed with large water droplets. However, it was strange that the smell in the cave was not unpleasant. There was also a faint scent of some fragrance.

“Shijing, there is a light ahead.” Shao Yunan whispered. Wang Shijing tightened his grip on his hand and said, “This might lead to the outside.”

“But there’s no wind.”

“We’ll know once we go there.”

Edited by: Jaisland

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