As one of the top predators in the natural world, the tiger is basically the most perfect creature in nature—except for the fact that it can’t use tools and doesn’t eat grass, that is.
It fears neither bitter cold nor scorching heat. Its muscle density is extremely high, and a single swipe of its paw can deliver over a thousand pounds of force. And yet, none of this comes at the cost of its agility. With a single leap, it can easily clear three to four meters in height and cross a distance of six meters. When running, its speed can reach an astonishing 60 to 80 kilometers per hour!
Just think about what that means. That’s twenty meters per second!
In other words, if you ever spot a tiger in the wild and it’s less than fifty meters away from you, it could be right in front of you and launching an attack in the blink of an eye.
And right now, Jiang Nian was only thirty meters away from it.
Barely a second had passed before the tigress had already closed the distance and was right in his face. Her movements were lightning-fast, but to Jiang Nian, they might as well have been moving in slow motion.
His foot slid across the ground.
Whoosh—
The tigress brushed past his ear, narrowly missing him.
Seeing that her first strike had failed, the tigress proved she was no pushover. She spun around on the spot, whipping her tail—about as thick as three or four fingers—straight at him. It cut through the air like an iron flail, snapping with a sharp crack as it hurtled toward his face.
Smack!
Thud!
That tail swipe, which conservatively packed seven or eight hundred pounds of force, was casually caught by Jiang Nian’s outstretched hand.
But this was exactly what the tigress had been waiting for.
Even though her tail was caught, it had tied up one of Jiang Nian’s hands. She immediately pivoted, rose up on her hind legs, and propped herself up with her forelimbs, almost like a human. Claws and fangs alike came at him in a savage pounce.
Seeing this, Jiang Nian let out a surprised “Huh?” and grinned.
She really was a top-tier predator. Her combat instincts were absolutely impeccable. Every move she made was practical, adaptable, and unpredictable. At first glance, her current attack seemed full of holes—her forelimbs were doing all the work, leaving her lower body exposed. All he’d have to do was yank hard on her tail, and she’d lose her balance, giving him an easy win.
But if you looked closely at the direction her paws were pointing, you’d realize: this was actually a trap set by the tigress!
If Jiang Nian pulled on her tail like that, she’d use the momentum to launch herself straight at his face. And because he’d be the one applying the force, she’d come at him even faster, leaving him no chance to escape.
“No wonder the ancients held you in such high regard,” Jiang Nian chuckled. “Little one, you really do delight this old eunuch.”
He was genuinely amused by this layered, chain-like assault. It was something fresh.
He no longer felt the urge to finish her off quickly. Instead, he released her tail, channeled his inner energy, and took a step back. Then, watching the oncoming tiger claws, he gave his whole body a shake, and thunder seemed to rumble within him. His inner energy crackled through him like electricity, surging through every inch of his being.
Both the Shaolin Boy’s Art and his peerless martial skills activated at once. His pores tightened, and his exposed skin shifted from pale to red. Jiang Nian reached out, his hand forming a claw.
Thud!
His palms met the tigress’s paws solidly, his fingers locking tightly into her fleshy pads.
In an instant, an overwhelming force transmitted through his hands. How powerful was it? A thousand pounds? Two thousand?
Jiang Nian couldn’t tell. All he knew was that the force traveling up his arms made them feel a bit sore. So he summoned more inner energy and stomped his foot down.
Boom!
With a dull crash, the force bearing down on him was channeled straight into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that billowed outward in all directions.
Watching from the side, Chen Qiao’en, who had only just managed to struggle back to her feet, was utterly stunned. She blinked in disbelief.
What just happened?
How, in the blink of an eye, had Jiang Nian ended up locking palms with that tiger?
And why did his stomp come with special effects?
What was going on?
Chen Qiao’en was completely baffled, unable to make sense of any of it. But she didn’t have much time to dwell on it, because soon she noticed the tigress swinging her tail at Jiang Nian again.
“Look out!” she screamed.
Jiang Nian paid her no mind—he’d already noticed the tigress’s move before Chen Qiao’en even opened her mouth. He immediately put more power into his hands.
Bam!
Feeling the sudden surge of terrifying force from his grip, the tigress’s pupils contracted sharply. She wanted to counterattack, but she quickly realized she was no match for this man. She was thrown off balance instantly, and her tail—aimed at Jiang Nian’s calf—whiffed through empty air.
All she could do was watch helplessly as she toppled backward.
Crash!
“Did any of you hear something?”
Walking through the forest, the head of the security team—holding a riot shield in his left hand and an air rifle in his right—suddenly perked up his ears and turned to ask the guards around him.
The guards all froze for a moment. Then a chill ran down their spines, making them grip their air rifles and shields tighter. “Captain, did you see the tiger?”
“N-no, not yet. I just heard some noises,” the captain shook his head, not elaborating.
Seeing this, one of the guards stepped up, patted him on the shoulder, and asked with concern, “Captain, are you just too stressed out?”
As a national 5A-level scenic area, Jinyun Xiandu boasted a pristine environment. Venture a bit deeper into the mountains, and you’d find untouched wilderness with incredibly dense vegetation. But that very lushness was what made their current trek through the forest so unnerving. They couldn’t shake the feeling that the tiger might burst out from some hidden nook at any moment and catch them completely off guard.
They knew the scenic area had their backs—whatever happened, they wouldn’t be left to fend for themselves. But humans are wired to avoid danger, and no one wanted to be the one to suffer if things went south. So every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig, had them on high alert, constantly looking over their shoulders.
For a short while, it was manageable. But under such prolonged pressure, it was only natural for nerves to fray and paranoia to set in.
They figured their captain was a prime example.
Hearing the comment, the captain sighed and rubbed his brow. “Maybe so. Anyway, you’ve been searching for a while now—have you gotten a general fix on the tiger’s location?”
One of the team members replied, “We’re just about there. Based on the tracks on the ground, we’ve pretty much confirmed the direction it went.”
The captain nodded. “Good. Let’s move out, then. One casualty is already one too many. If a second one happens, we won’t be able to bear the responsibility.”
“Yes, sir!” The team members chorused in unison. Then, following the traces on the ground, they trudged forward with heavy steps toward the lakeshore.
——-
Meanwhile, at the lake.
Thud!
Jiang Nian sent the tigress tumbling to the ground once again. He was starting to lose interest.
Sure, the tigress had managed to pique his curiosity earlier with her clever tricks, but as time went on, he realized her repertoire consisted of nothing more than three moves: pouncing, biting, and tail-whipping. It got old fast.
Without exaggeration, if you blindfolded Jiang Nian right now, he could still easily dodge every single attack she threw at him.
“Little kitty, you sure have a lot of energy,” he said. “We’ve been at this for a while now. Aren’t you tired? Because this old eunuch is starting to get bored.”
“Still not convinced?”
He walked up to the tigress, who was struggling to get back on her feet, and looked down at her.
The tiger didn’t make a sound. She just quietly rose and stared back at him warily.
Seeing her stubbornness, Jiang Nian felt a bit exasperated.
But he couldn’t just leave her be. If she ran off and showed up at the film set again, what then?
Granted, whether this drama got made or not didn’t really matter much to Jiang Nian in the grand scheme of things. But it would ruin his reputation!
His last movie, Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, still hadn’t gotten a release date because of that whole mess in Spring City. If this drama he was in—The Smiling, Proud Wanderer—also fell through, he’d become the entertainment industry’s pariah. After all, if everything he touched tanked, who would ever dare hire him again?
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Nian decided to knock the tigress out, take her back to the set, and hand her over to the police.
So he put away his playful mood and channeled his inner energy.
In an instant, his entire aura shifted.
The tigress could clearly sense a terrifying power, unlike anything she’d ever felt, building in this man’s hands. Her fur stood on end.
Roar—
Roar—
She kept roaring, her ears flattening against the back of her head as she paced back and forth uneasily. But it was all in vain.
“Take a deep breath. Don’t be scared. It’s normal for it to hurt—it’ll be over soon,” Jiang Nian said, as if soothing a child.
Then his palm came crashing down.
Boom!
There was no contest. The tigress tried to resist, but she was utterly outmatched—like the Monkey King facing the Buddha’s Five-Finger Mountain. As Jiang Nian’s massive palm descended, she had nowhere to dodge, nowhere to flee. She couldn’t even let out a roar.
Just a dull thud.
And then, a cloud of dust billowed into the air.
Feeling the overwhelming force pressing down on her from that giant hand, the tigress—queen of beasts, ruler of the jungle—was pinned to the ground, completely immobilized!
“Beast, do you yield?”
Jiang Nian looked down at her.
Under that cold, arrogant gaze, the tigress—who had stood atop the food chain since birth and had never known fear—finally experienced what it felt like to be hunted. She had no doubt that if she kept resisting, this man would show her no mercy.
And so, under Chen Qiao’en’s incredulous stare, the tigress—who had been so invincible and unstoppable just moments ago—slowly lowered her head before Jiang Nian, like a wronged little cat.
“Mmm—”
She let out a soft sound, offering him her submission.
Seeing how sensible she was, Jiang Nian burst out laughing.
A sensible tiger is a good tiger!
Without hesitation, he swung himself onto the tigress’s back.
Running his hand over her sleek, soft fur, he looked toward the utterly dumbfounded Chen Qiao’en and waved. “Come on, Sect Leader, let’s take you home!”
