Chapter 371
Adrenaline flooded her system. Her heart pumped and beat like it’s trying to escape. Lu Xinyi thought her heart would explode as her eyes continued to widen with fear. Her body wanted to run fast for safety, but she remained where she was instead.
Let’s face it, there was really only one thing she could do: pray no one kills her. Lu Xinyi wanted to take one great leap off the pressure plate and run to safety, but where could she be safe in this place?
Her adrenaline surged so fast she could feel her dizziness coming back at full speed, she could feel saliva thickening in her throat and beads of sweat trickling down her brow. At some point, she knew she had to move and survive.
Her hands trembled, making the light from her flashlight focus on what was in front of her. Slowly, the beast coming towards her stepped into the light to reveal itself. Lu Xinyi blinked twice, amazement replaced her fear. The majestic creature bared its white fangs, growled at her; but Lu Xinyi could only stare back blankly.
Its fur was white as snow. Its pair of blue eyes stared intently on Lu Xinyi’s face as if scrutinizing it. The creature strode forward, closing the space between them. Lu Xinyi didn’t know what kind of animal it was.
Could be a tiger? However, it was white and had no stripes at all. Even its glowing blue eyes were unheard of. She couldn’t think of anything closer than a tiger. It started rumbling which reminded Lu Xinyi of the baritone hum of a tiger. This tiger cub must have been stalking her, watching her for a while, and treading behind her as silent as a wraith.
Yes, a cub. It was almost as large as her Akita dogs back home. Surely, once it reached its adulthood, it would become an alpha animal in the wilderness. Though it might still be a cub, it moved with a fluid grace that no other animal could match. Padding silently, it could creep up on any creature and kill them with a single swipe of its paws.
Once one was ripped by those sharp claws, it’s all over. Lu Xinyi was mindful of the dangerousness of a tiger cub as well. Instincts on wild animals were high. When it found a good ambush site, it lurked in the shadows. Then, it would wait for prey to pass, observing everything with its glittering, feline eyes. Once the prey was vulnerable, the tiger would pounce with its coiled energy that was both fearsome and ruthless.
When Lu Xinyi’s eyes first landed on the cub, she was truly mesmerized. Its small, convex head poked through the darkness, revealing a pair of smoldering, chatoyant eyes. This pair of cold blue eyes scanned her entirety, trying to establish if she was prey or not. However, there was something else reflected on its eyes; it was like the cub was meeting an old friend.
The cub padded towards her with heightened curiosity. Lu Xinyi stayed on her ground not daring to move. Only the light coming from her flashlight answered its unwavering attention to her. It looked deep into her soul, whisked its tail, and sprang forward.
Lu Xinyi’s heart jumped up to her throat in surprise, completely breaking her trance. The moment its front paws touched the ground, the cub’s growling was replaced with a low whine. The cub stepped back and sat on its hind legs before licking its front leg paw.
“Eh?” Lu Xinyi was momentarily startled before her gaze caught the glimpse of a splinter stuck on its paw.
‘So that’s why it stopped?’ she thought.
With its focus on its paw, Lu Xinyi was able to give the cub a good look. She wondered how come there was a tiger cub inside this cave. Was it living here, or were there poachers hiding in this cave? She hoped not. This majestic creature should be protected.
Lu Xinyi unconsciously knelt and reached an arm to touch the cub but stopped midway. She didn’t know what came to her to do that. The cub also stopped licking its wound and stared back blankly to Lu Xinyi.
“It’s alright. I won’t hurt you,” Lu Xinyi said, keeping her guard up. She knew she should retreat and find a way to escape, but seeing this cub being in pain disturbed her heart.
She scolded herself. She was being naive again. Had it been the cause why she was in this predicament? If she only took notice of what Meng Jiao was planning, she wouldn’t have got lost in the mountains, encountered bandits, and found herself trapped in a cave.
Now, a stripeless white tiger cub was in front of her. With one swipe of its sharp claws on her throat, she would die instantly. Still, she couldn’t feel fear at that moment. Her bright round eyes fixated at the dangerously cute tiger cub in front of her.
Lu Xinyi waited, the cub frozen on its spot like a statue. If it hadn’t blinked, Lu Xinyi would’ve thought she was dreaming and that none of it was real. Slowly, Lu Xinyi reached with an open hand, waiting for the cub to move. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Surprisingly, the tiger cub put its paw on her waiting hand and eyed the nasty splinter stuck in it. Lu Xinyi couldn’t stop a smile forming on her lips before she began checking its paw, removed the splinter, and rummage her backpack for her first aid kit.
It was only then she realized that it was almost empty. The wound ointment, gauzes, and bandages she bought with her had all run out. The only thing left was the hello kitty bandage strips that Tang Lilou mischievously added in her box.
Lu Xinyi laughed and took one bandage strip and covered the puncture wound with it. She found it interesting to see a white fluffy tiger with a pink hello kitty bandage strip on its paw. It was a good thing that it was waterproof so it wouldn’t be easily removed even if it got wet.
The tiger cub tilted its head on one side, waiting for Lu Xinyi’s next action. Lu Xinyi stood up and sneezed.
“Little Tiger, I’m sorry for trespassing your home, but could you show me the exit of this cave?” Lu Xinyi thought it was foolish to talk to a tiger cub, but she refused to believe that it couldn’t understand her with the way it looked at her.
“Little Tiger, I really need to go home. Can you spare me this once?” she asked again, but the cub chose to yawn and curled itself on the cold ground. It totally ignored Lu Xinyi’s questions making her speechless.
‘What a bummer,’ Lu Xinyi inwardly sighed and huffed. Somehow, this little tiger reminded her of her husband. Both were dangerous and cute in their own way and also irritating! Surely, this tiger cub knew the in and out of this cave.
Her thoughts came to a sudden halt. Wait! What if this cub wasn’t living alone in this cave? What if its mother was waiting for her somewhere, stalking behind her back ready to pounce? Sweat trickled down the side of her face. She was somewhat tempted to turn around to see if another tiger was waiting for her.
Hadn’t Jiao Jiao mentioned before that someone had attacked the treasure hunters who dared to enter the fox’s den? What if this little tiger was the guardian of this cave?
Her instincts were telling her that she was safe, but out of curiosity, Lu Xinyi used her flashlight and check her surroundings but found nothing.
Thinking about it, she really needed to find the exit soon. The faster she could get out from the cave, the higher the possibility of Shen Yi finding her. She sneezed once again. Her damp clothes were sticking to her skin, and she needed to get dry. However, she had no spare clothes with her.
“Little Tiger…” She attempted to call the tiger cub again but was still ignored. A vein started to pop on her head.
“Xiao Bai…” She didn’t know what came to her, but she gave the tiger cub a nickname. Surprisingly, the tiger cub’s ears perked up once it’s heard the nickname. Its cold blue eyes opened and stood up from the ground. The tiger’s tail wagged like a dog’s.
“Xiao Bai…” Lu Xinyi tested the nickname again and felt it rolled on her tongue. The tiger cub pounced on her leg and rubbed its head like a kitten.
A tiger cub acting like a domestic kitten…
If she showed a catcher toy or a catnip toy, would the tiger cub play with it?
Once again, Lu Xinyi found herself speechless from the sudden affection the cub gave her. She realized then it was a male cub. She was half-tempted to take home the tiger cub and raise it herself. Too bad, Silver Leaf Academy didn’t allow pets. She could only keep the cub if Shen Yi allowed it to stay with him or let the cub stay on her hidden villa on the outskirts of the city.
“Xiao Bai, can you show me the way out? I need to go home.” Lu Xinyi felt like she was treading on thin ice. One simple mistake, and the cub might change its mind and attack her.
The tiger cub stopped rubbing its head to her leg and looked up to her for a moment. Lu Xinyi held her breath, afraid to make a move under the cub’s gaze. It felt like a long time before the cub broke its gaze from her, yawned big, and strode to the direction where he came from.
Lu Xinyi laughed to herself. Ah, she must be going mad if she believed a tiger cub would really lead her outside and not bring her to another trap, only to be eaten by other beasts.