Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Pact Required for Our Shared Existence

Lang Jiuchuan and the spiritual consciousness sat opposite each other around a round table.

"Speak, what kind of entity are you? And why have you seized this remnant body of mine?" Lang Jiuchuan’s expression was cold—or at least it would have been, had her eyes not been fixed on the aura of merit surrounding the entity with the same predatory hunger a dog shows for meat.

The spiritual consciousness sighed, "If I remembered, would I be so desperate for this opportunity as a turning point?"

Dishonest, she thought.

Lang Jiuchuan sneered. With a flick of her fingertips, the jade-boned talisman brush in her hand seemed to come alive, spinning with a dazzling, dizzying speed. She said nonchalantly, "Oh? And what sort of turning point makes you so desperate for this female frame of mine?"

The spirit was so distracted by the spinning brush that it blurted out without thinking: "Of course I'm desperate! I am the majestic White Tiger King; entering the body of a woman, wouldn't I become a female..."

It suddenly realized its mistake, leaped onto the table, and let out a howl: "Detestable human, you tricked me!"

Lang Jiuchuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. "So, you are just a cat."

Upon hearing this, the White Tiger grew even more furious, baring its fangs and claws. "What cat? I am the White Tiger, King of Beasts from Mount Taibai, the monarch worshipped by all creatures! How dare you call me a mere kitten!"

A cat—this was the ultimate insult.

"Oh? I thought you didn't remember anything?" Lang Jiuchuan said with a mocking smile. "It seems you never intended to negotiate in good faith from the start. 'Those not of my kind must have a different heart'—the old saying truly holds no lies."

Cornered by her words, the White Tiger was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, it muttered, "I... I have intermittent amnesia."

Damn it, even the tiger felt the lie was pathetic. Sure enough, the wretched woman began to chase it away.

"No sincerity, no deal. Good day, I won't see you out."

The White Tiger panicked. "Why should I leave?"

"Because this is my territory, and this is my body. Don't talk to me about being an outsider; since I am here now, it belongs to me. Furthermore, I am a legitimate soul-returner, not a malicious soul-snatcher." Lang Jiuchuan said coldly, "You want to snatch this body? You haven't considered how many lightning strikes your fragmented spirit can withstand."

Soul-snatchers are struck by heavenly lightning; survive, and you live; fail, and you perish. The White Tiger recalled the tribulation it once faced—the violet lightning as thick as barrels. Even as a legitimate cultivator, it had failed to survive that, leaving only a sliver of consciousness wandering the world.

"But I was guided by a master! Since a master pointed the way, it means a path of survival was found for me. They say the Great Dao is fifty, and the Heavens manifest forty-nine—I have grasped this one remaining chance, surely the Heavenly Dao cannot do anything to me now?" The White Tiger argued. "Do you know how long I waited for this opportunity? Three hundred and fifty-nine days!"

"What does that have to do with me!"

"This body is my turning point! If I reside within it, I can truly survive and not vanish into the void. Given time, I will choose a day to ascend and become a divine beast..."

"You don't have much ability, but you sure can boast. 'Choose a day to ascend'? You're cultivating immortality? This is the mortal realm," Lang Jiuchuan scoffed.

"I am a White Tiger who cultivated for five hundred years, a born god of war!"

"Yes, a dead god of war!"

The White Tiger puffed up like a pufferfish, its spiritual consciousness swelling several times over as it glared fiercely at the diminutive Lang Jiuchuan.

Lang Jiuchuan held her talisman brush upright. "If you want to fight, then fight. Don't play these games."

The White Tiger snorted. "Don't try to act tough in front of me. Your soul is incomplete, and you are only using techniques to maintain the appearance of normalcy in this broken shell. If you aren't careful, you will eventually exhaust your energy and be exposed. If you encounter someone more troublesome, you might end up with your soul scattered just like me—if not worse."

Lang Jiuchuan’s face darkened.

The White Tiger returned to its normal size and said, "So, why don't we cooperate? A win-win situation?"

"Oh?"

"We share this body, complementing each other, how about that?" The White Tiger tempted her. "I don't want to waste my aura of merit and magic power fighting you right now. If I really go all out, you won't fare well either..."

"Oh, then let's have a fight. I doubt the dignified White Tiger clan would be a bunch of cowards."

The White Tiger was exasperated. "How can a dignified woman be so combative? In a battle where both sides are wounded, where is the true winner?"

Lang Jiuchuan chuckled. "Who knows? Perhaps in the end, I will swallow your consciousness and emerge victorious."

The White Tiger shuddered. Damn it, this woman was arrogant.

"Stop posturing. You only entered this body a few days ago, right? Let me guess: the person whose body this was must have died a miserable death. According to the laws of karma, the aggrieved soul lingers. By using this body, you are bound by causality; you must avenge them to truly cleanse the resentment and become the rightful master of this vessel."

Lang Jiuchuan was somewhat surprised; she hadn't expected this silly cat to have such insight.

"You were very covetous of my aura of merit just now, weren't you? If you let us co-inhabit, the merit I possess can nourish you as well. With two souls, our power would be boundless—certainly better than you struggling alone. Once we resolve the decay of this body and I find a new vessel, I will naturally depart. By then, your own soul will have been nourished, won't it?"

Lang Jiuchuan played with the talisman brush. "First, tell me: as a White Tiger born with spiritual consciousness, how did you end up in such a state?"

"How else? The heavens were unfair to me. When I attempted to transcend the tribulation, I couldn't withstand the lightning." The White Tiger King lamented. "After the failure, my consciousness wandered until an old monk pointed the way, granting me this sliver of hope—which is you."

"So, you are even more desperate than I am!"

The White Tiger stiffened. It had been tricked into revealing more. What a cunning human.

"But how can I trust your words?" Lang Jiuchuan didn't wait for a rebuttal, adding in an infuriating tone, "You lied just now, saying you remembered nothing, yet here you are, remembering everything quite clearly."

The White Tiger pounded the table with its fist. "We are mere strangers; what is wrong with being cautious?"

Lang Jiuchuan looked at it vaguely. "A moment ago, you said I was your 'turning point,' and now you say we are strangers. Hah, you are truly not an honest cat!"

*Argh, so infuriating! I want to fight her until dawn!*

The White Tiger suppressed its rage. "Then tell me, how can I make you trust me? You should think carefully about your own current predicament."

Lang Jiuchuan lowered her eyes, tapping the table with her brush, seemingly contemplating the feasibility of the offer.

Merit... she needed it, and she did need a capable assistant.

The White Tiger suppressed its anxiety, glancing at her. It was also suspicious: where did she get that incredibly powerful fortune she had inadvertently displayed earlier? If it possessed such great fortune, wouldn't it be like its ancient ancestors, worshipped by thousands and becoming a true divine beast?

Both the human and the tiger were secretly calculating, yet neither showed their hand.

After a long while, Lang Jiuchuan said, "Co-inhabitation is not impossible, but I have one condition. You and I must form a heavenly contract—the kind that is bound by the heavens themselves. How about it?"