Chapter 36: Extreme Heat, White Tiger

Despite its massive size, the white tiger moved as fast as lightning. As Jiang Si rushed to the attic, she came face to face with it.

Up close, the sheer size of the white tiger was even more striking. It was twice as large as an ordinary adult white tiger. Its striped fur was as white as snow, with long whiskers, a sweeping tail, round eyes and ears, and a thick fluffy coat. Its massive paws looked like they could crush her with a single swipe.

Without hesitation, Jiang Si pulled the trigger.
“Bang—!”

The white tiger sprang aside with agility, dodging the bullet, then lunged at her with its jaws wide open.

Jiang Si tried to fire again—but she was too late.

The tiger was almost upon her, moving with a speed that felt like teleportation.

She considered escaping into her space, but just then, Jiang Linhai and the others heard the gunshot and rushed to the rooftop with guns in hand.

The door to the attic wasn’t locked.

If she escaped now, they would be in danger!

She blamed herself for being too confident, thinking she could take down the white tiger so easily.

Gritting her teeth, Jiang Si drew a dagger, ready to fight to the death.

“Si-si—!”

As Jiang Linhai burst through the attic door, the white tiger tackled Jiang Si, knocking her to the ground. It bit the dagger from her hand and disdainfully flung it into a corner with a loud clang.

Jiang Si summoned another dagger from her space and tried to strike again, but the tiger’s enormous weight pinned her down completely.

It felt like dozens of iron cauldrons were pressing against her chest.

What kind of fat tiger was this? If it didn’t bite her to death, it was going to crush her alive.

Shen Baoying saw the scene and screamed—her heart rate spiked, and she fainted on the spot.

Jiang Linhai caught her while Jiang Chengwu fired a shot,
“Bang!” — the bullet hit the white tiger in the neck.

He thought it was a kill shot.

But the white tiger simply turned to glare at them, then opened its mouth and let out a furious roar that sounded like a hurricane. The force of it seemed to shake the air.

Then—Bang!
The bullet, now drenched in blood, was ejected from its neck, whizzing right past Jiang Chengwu and slamming into the wall.

Crack! A one-meter-long fissure split open in the wall.

This wasn’t just a white tiger—

It was a monster.

The white tiger lowered its head toward Jiang Si.

Jiang Chengwu cursed that he wasn’t holding a machine gun. He panicked and tried to fire again.

But just then, a strangled voice came from under the tiger:

“Stop! Don’t make it mad!”

It was Jiang Si.

Jiang Chengwu froze. And then, he saw it:

The tiger hadn’t attacked her—instead, it was… licking her like a giant lollipop.

Jiang Si was drenched in tiger slobber. She tried to push it away in disgust, but the tiger only licked her more enthusiastically.

The barbs on its tongue felt like a coarse shoehorn scraping her face over and over—painful and rough.

She weakly struggled and kicked at its plush belly with what little strength she had left.

“Get off! You’re going to crush me to death!”

But the tiger wouldn’t budge. She couldn’t push it off either, and the lack of oxygen turned her face bright red.

Sensing her life force fading, the white tiger quietly rose and curled her into its belly, continuing to lick.

Jiang Si gasped for breath like a drowning fish finally surfacing.

Shen Baoying, who had just been revived with smelling salts, saw this sight—her eyes rolled back, and she fainted again.

Jiang Linhai shouted her name while trembling, and asked nervously:

“Si-si, what do we do now?”

Jiang Si wiped the drool from her face, eyes barely open, and shoved the tiger’s head away with effort:

“Stop licking me, big guy! I’m not a piece of pork belly!”

“Slllurp~”

The white tiger ignored her protest, giving her another generous, slimy lick. Her face burned—it probably scraped her skin raw.

It wasn’t attacking her—it just saw her as a walking lollipop. Or maybe it sensed the energy stone in her body?

But if it realized licking wasn’t as satisfying as chewing… would it bite down?

Jiang Si’s eyes darted around as she quietly summoned a syringe of tranquilizer. But the moment she lifted her arm, the white tiger pinned it down with a massive paw—gently, but firmly.

It knew.

This tiger… was smart.

The others were frantic.

Jiang Si could feel the blood seeping from her scraped face. She couldn’t take it anymore. In desperation, she spat into its mouth:

“Peh! Peh! Peh—!”

The tiger froze.

Its crimson eyes slowly faded into a deep obsidian black. Its brows furrowed—just like a person showing disdain. It stared at her with… visible distaste.

And finally… it stopped licking.

It worked.

But Jiang Si fumed. She hadn’t even started hating on the tiger—and it was already judging her?

As she tried to sit up, the tiger swished its fluffy tail and refused to let her go. It stretched out a big paw and pulled her down, pressing her face against its soft, white neck.

The fur was incredibly warm and plush, like the world’s best towel. Her raw face actually started to feel… better.

The energy stone in her body pulsed with warmth. Her whole body surged with strength.

Snuggling felt amazing!

The white tiger also seemed to enjoy pressing against her more than licking. Its fierce expression softened.

Jiang Si raised her head for a breath of air and locked eyes with its gemstone-like black pupils. She hesitantly reached out a hand.

The white tiger snorted, looking proud and distant—like a god who disdains ants.

God or not, it had licked her and judged her. Time to teach it a lesson about how cruel society can be.

With a bold heart, Jiang Si pressed both hands into its fluffy cheeks and gave them a hard rub.

It felt like massaging a marshmallow—bouncy and soft. So satisfying.

The tiger twitched its head, clearly annoyed, but didn’t retaliate.

Getting bolder, Jiang Si rose on tiptoe and grabbed its two round ears.

The ears reflexively curled like little propellers—“airplane ears!”

Jiang Si gasped in wonder:

“Even tigers do airplane ears?!”

The tiger snorted coldly, but it still couldn’t control its ears.

The rest of the family held their breath, watching Jiang Si’s every move, their hearts rising and falling with each one.

Eventually, Jiang Si confirmed it:
It wasn’t hostile.
It just wanted cuddles.
It hated saliva more than she did.

She took a deep breath and reached for the bullet wound on its neck, speaking gently:

“Let me take care of this, okay?”

The tiger glanced at her and… seemed to agree.

Jiang Si summoned a medical kit. The tiger’s eyes flickered briefly, then returned to normal.

Its fur was extremely thick, and the bullet had only pierced the surface.

She cleaned and disinfected the wound, then wrapped it in gauze. Afterward, she nervously offered it a bowl of dog food:

“You hungry? Want something to eat?”

This beast was intelligent. If she could tame it to guard the house, it’d be perfect.

But the white tiger’s eyes stared at her coldly—with a clear look of disdain, like a pig staring into a demon-slaying mirror.

Jiang Si scratched her nose awkwardly.

“Not this, huh? …Then what do you want to eat?”