Chapter 6: The Big Kitty

[Fu Shuxing: .]

Ji Xun stared at the period, feeling completely overwhelmed.

He didn't actually want the hundred thousand. He didn't even know why he had accepted the money at the time; perhaps it was because Fu Shuxing had acted so nonchalant, and Stone had spoken so lightly, making the sum seem trivial.

That was why, in a haze and as if possessed, he had left the Fu residence.

It wasn't until his father scolded him that he suddenly snapped back to reality—how much was a hundred thousand? It was the amount of pocket money he would need four years to save up!

Although that bastard Fu Shuxing was a jerk, his money didn't just fall from the sky. Didn't his own behavior make him no different from a swindler?

If he returned the money now, Fu Shuxing would surely look down on him even more.

Ji Xun choked back a sob, gripping his communicator, on the verge of tears again.

*Ding-dong.* The communicator rang. After the first chime, it rang two more times in quick succession.

Ji Xun felt a prick of fear. He had done something wrong, and he didn't want to know what Fu Shuxing had said, so he dared not look at the device.

Only after the communicator went silent for a long while did he carefully pick it up.

[Fu Shuxing: Ten thousand isn't enough to hire young master Ji.]
[Fu Shuxing: Remember to come feed the fish at eight tomorrow. Going to sleep.]

At the same time, there was a system notification: The recipient has declined the transfer; 90,000 star coins have been returned.

Time passed quietly. In the dead of night, the world was silent, yet Ji Xun still could not sleep. The 90,000 coins Fu Shuxing had returned kept him tossing and turning.

Beyond the initial shame of having done something wrong, he gradually calmed down and began to suspect that the matter wasn't so simple.

Why would Fu Shuxing be so kind? He had clearly only held up one finger at the time; how could Fu Shuxing have misinterpreted it as a hundred thousand? And after realizing he had only been swindled out of ten thousand, why had he insisted on giving the money anyway?

Just as his father said, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Fu Shuxing definitely had other motives!

"You don't need to come in."

Hearing the movement outside his bedroom, Ji Xun feigned sleep and remained still. After whispering to his wife, Father Ji gently opened the door and stepped into his son's room.

The bedroom lights were off, plunged in darkness. In the shadows, Father Ji's eyes suddenly glowed with a faint, beastly green light. He walked quietly to the bedside, looking down at his son, who was fast asleep with tear stains still on his face.

Father Ji sighed inwardly, feeling a pang of regret. He placed something by Ji Xun's pillow, tucked him in, and left as silently as he had arrived.

As the door clicked shut, Mother Ji, who was waiting outside, scolded her husband. "He cried so bitterly last night, and it took so much effort to get him to calm down, only for you to yell him to tears again today. Can't you be less difficult?"

Father Ji knew he was in the wrong, but he remained stubborn. "He's not a child anymore. I'm just teaching him to know his place."

Hu Yuebai immediately arched her eyebrows and hissed, "Know his place? What place is there to know! You're teaching a twelve-year-old about 'knowing his place'—why don't you teach him to fly to the moon while you're at it?!"

Ji Xun quietly opened his eyes. Hearing his mother lecture his father, he pursed his lips, feeling a touch of schadenfreude. Even though tonight’s mess was his fault, his father had been so fierce, and all for Fu Shuxing's sake...

See? Even a sentinel as formidable as his father was completely submissive in front of his mother. It seemed guides were simply more powerful than sentinels. Uncle Fu was the same; despite being the awe-inspiring, decisive White Bear Marshal out in the world, once he was home, wasn't he still bustling about after Uncle Gao?

Therefore, he would definitely be more powerful than Fu Shuxing in the future!

Father Ji had plenty to say in response to his wife's comment—*Fly to the moon? I'd love to, but is your son capable of it? Other people's Shuxing was flying fighter jets for two hours at age seven, while your son crashed into a ravine in three minutes. Do you really think I'd dare let him fly?*

But that was only in his head. Even if he didn't say it... Hu Yuebai knew exactly what he was thinking, down to the hidden cigarettes in the deepest corners of his mental sea. She couldn't be bothered to stay angry. She simply waved her hand. "Take a pillow and go sleep in the study."

"Hey, don't be like that! Honey, honey, I was wrong. I'll definitely talk properly next time, okay? It's my fault tonight; I shouldn't have been so harsh on our son..."

The voices in the hallway drifted away, and amidst the soft bickering of his parents, Ji Xun eventually drifted into a deep sleep.

"Xunxun, why are you up so early on your day off?"

"I have things to do. I'm going to Brother Hang's house after I eat." Ji Xun rubbed his eyes, still drowsy from the late night.

Mother Ji asked, "What are you doing that requires such an early start?"

Ji Xun couldn't admit he was going to work, so he gave a vague answer. "Oh, by the way, Mom, I saw a stack of money by my pillow when I woke up!"

"That's your pocket money from your dad."

Ji Xun realized his father must have felt guilty after scolding him last night. He chuckled to himself and said nothing.

After breakfast, Ji Xun tucked two steamed buns into his pocket and headed to the Fu residence. Although he hadn't figured out Fu Shuxing's conspiracy, it didn't matter. Today, he would nip all potential troubles in the bud!

Ji Xun pushed open the gate of the Fu residence and walked in. Just as he was about to call for Fu Shuxing, he sensed something. He only had time to turn his head and shout, "Wait—!"

The words were cut short.

*ROAR!*

With a tiger's roar, Ji Xun was tackled onto the grass by a massive white tiger.

He saw stars, and when he finally reacted, he tried to push away the absurdly heavy, warm mass of muscle on top of him, but the creature didn't budge.

Ji Xun: "..."

This terrible, familiar experience. When would General ever realize it wasn't the same cub it used to be?

Crushed beneath over four hundred pounds, Ji Xun used his experience to free one hand and patted the white tiger. "General, thanks for the warm welcome, but please, get up first. You're crushing me..."

The white tiger licked Ji Xun with its usual enthusiasm, though there was a hint of grievance in its manner, a silent plea for comfort. Ji Xun didn't understand this emotion; he blocked the massive tongue with his arm and, faced with the disobedient tiger, tried to crawl out on his own.

Unsurprisingly, he failed.

To the white tiger, a guide's meager strength was nothing more than a tickle. After it finished licking him, it let out a resentful huff, emitting a low, rumbling growl in its throat. It was clearly accusing him of playing with other mental constructs yesterday and tattling about being scolded by its master last night.

Ji Xun couldn't understand a word, but he felt that the General's state was highly unusual. Suddenly, he remembered last night's events.

General had swiped at Zhao Zhanlei! And it had drawn blood!!

With Uncle Gao having set up new barriers in the house, General, whose senses were affected, was in a very irritable mood!!

Ji Xun looked at the General cautiously. He saw the white tiger irritably lick its nose; its majestic, amber eyes were narrowed into slits, and its throat kept emitting a low, unhappy rumble.

Ji Xun's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't like Zhao Zhanlei. Zhao Zhanlei was a sentinel; taking a swipe could be called a minor incident, but if he took a swipe... he would probably die on the spot :).

Shouting now was ill-advised; it would only startle the big cat. Ji Xun immediately abandoned the idea of calling Fu Shuxing to save him. He stroked the tiger's back, then its large head, and flattered it with a fake smile. "Oh my, haven't seen you in a few days. Look at this clean, smooth fur, this majestic head, these beautiful eyes, and these muscles! Which king of beasts is this handsome and charming? Wow, it’s our handsome General!"

The white tiger was mollified. It nudged Ji Xun with its large head, encouraging him to continue.

While coaxing the big cat, Ji Xun cursed Fu Shuxing in his heart. *Good one, so that's the plan! Because the General is in a bad mood, you found someone to smooth its fur... The pay is high because it's a life-threatening job!*

"Alright, alright, hahaha..." Ji Xun couldn't handle the head-butting. Although the tiger's fur was glossy, it felt like a grass brush against his skin. Only because he was used to it since childhood could he still laugh.

After the white tiger finished its affectionate rubbing, it twisted its massive, sturdy body and rolled over, exposing its white belly to Ji Xun.

Ji Xun was saved. He took a deep breath and sat up to look at the General. The white tiger lay on the grass, its strong front paws tucked in, eyes wide and amber, looking incredibly innocent. It was clearly just a cat that was... a few hundred sizes too big.

Ji Xun reached out to scratch its belly. The white tiger let out a comfortable purr, its amber eyes squinting in delight. Seeing this, Ji Xun took the chance to lobby for his cause. "General, you can be temperamental, but take it out on Brother Hang. This is a family matter; you two should resolve it behind closed doors. Don't drag innocent Stone into this, okay?"

The white tiger licked its lips and let out a "Meow-woof." Ji Xun didn't understand, but he took it as an agreement.

Having successfully negotiated, Ji Xun was happy. He gave one last pat and cheered, "Good boy! Let's go, General!"

Passing by the fountain, Ji Xun didn't forget his real task. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the steamed buns—now completely flattened—and broke them into small pieces to throw into the pool. The carp in the pool immediately swarmed to eat!

The white tiger watched him focus on feeding the fish while ignoring it despite having food. Feeling left out, it trotted over to Ji Xun to demand attention. Seeing the little guide still ignoring it, it leaned in, opened its mouth, and swept its tongue across the hand holding the remaining bun, snatching it away.

Ji Xun: "..."

Ji Xun: "AAAAAAH!! You're a tiger, why are you eating a steamed bun!!!"

The shout was loud enough that Fu Shuxing opened his bedroom window and saw Ji Xun holding his wet hand and screaming, while the white tiger before him licked its paws and tilted its head, looking innocent and bewildered. It circled Ji Xun twice and rubbed its head against him.

It gave a light nudge.

But Ji Xun was off-balance and tumbled over from the force. However, the white tiger’s reflexes were fast. As Ji Xun fell, it turned and lunged, sprawling onto the ground to act as a human cushion for the little guide, preventing him from hitting the stone path.

It looked quite pleased with itself, twisting its head to lick the Ji Xun who was trying to get up.

Fu Shuxing: "General."

The white tiger lying on the ground heard him, looked up at its master, and lazily swiped its large paw over its own head, unwilling to pay him any mind.

Fu Shuxing said coldly, "Do you want to be locked up?"