“Roar!!”
A tiger’s roar echoed from within the ancient mountain range; the sound contained both joy and a hint of exhaustion.
This was a vast mountain range, stretching for thousands of miles, with towering ancient trees everywhere, their dense foliage seemingly intent on blocking out the sun. Numerous birds, large and small, perched on the branches, their melodious chirping pleasant to the ear. It was a scene of pristine wilderness, untouched by human footsteps.
Since ancient times, people had called this place the Hổ Gầm Mountain Range.
The tiger’s roars, imbued with an overbearing aura and a threatening presence, instantly sent animals within a hundred miles fleeing in panic. This was the instinctive fear felt towards the king of all beasts.
Looking closer at the source of the tiger’s roar…
It was a natural cave nestled at the foot of the mountain, hidden by a thick growth of grass. Unless one looked carefully, no one would notice a cave concealed behind that wild grass.
The cave wasn't deep, only about ten meters on either side, and its entrance wasn't large, but it was spacious inside. At the back of the cave lay an enormous white tiger, with the character ‘king’ (王) on its forehead. A natural majesty emanated from it – the regal aura possessed only by the king of all beasts.
The roar from earlier had indeed come from it. After roaring, it turned its head to look beneath itself, its eyes revealing a tender affection.
“Mewl! Mewl!!”
Beneath it were three newborn tiger cubs, their eyes still closed, letting out soft ‘mewling’ sounds, their four paws flailing wildly as they instinctively moved towards the white tiger's belly to nurse.
Of the three cubs, one was identical to its mother, completely white. Another was a normal striped tiger. The last one was entirely black, with a small purple ‘king’ (王) character on its forehead – a black tiger.
The two other cubs nestled against the white tiger, nursing, but strangely, the black tiger was different from the others; its eyes were already open, and countless emotions flickered within them.
Agony…
Coldness…
Astonishment…
And a hint of bewilderment.
No one would have expected such complex emotions to appear in the eyes of a newborn cub.
Why? Why didn't I die? Why have I turned into a tiger? Is all of this just a cruel joke from the heavens? Di Shitian screamed inwardly, his mind a blur. He didn't understand why he hadn't died after being shot through the heart, but he couldn't believe that he had been reborn as a tiny, newborn tiger cub.
If he hadn't experienced such a thing himself, he would never have believed it, and he certainly couldn't accept transforming from a human into a wild beast, let alone the body of the king of all beasts.
Looking at the majestic white tiger before him, and the two small cubs nursing beside her—no, he should say his two brothers—he suddenly felt a wave of sorrow in his heart.
From birth, Di Shitian had been the heir to the Di Family, one of the Four Great Clans, a true prodigy.
His innate talent was unforgettable; he learned everything quickly, especially in business. At fourteen, he left his family with ten thousand yuan, spent a year in the stock market, and left with a million. At fifteen, he founded his own company. Three years later, his assets exceeded ten million.
By eighteen, his company had expanded into various sectors: manufacturing, catering… anything profitable was pursued. That colossal enterprise had attracted immense attention from the family, and his succession as family head was practically guaranteed.
Unfortunately, when Di Shitian was just born, his mother's body was weakened by childbirth, and she passed away less than a year later. Three years after that, his father married Nangong Xin, a woman from one of the Four Great Clans, who then bore him a younger brother.
The clan had a rule that the inheritance passed only to the eldest son, not the younger. He was the eldest son, so barring any special circumstances, the position of clan head would undoubtedly be his.
If Nangong Xin hadn't given birth to a son, there would have been nothing to discuss. But now she had also borne a male child, and contention was unavoidable.
"Nangong Xin, I, Di Shitian, treated you all like my own parents and younger brother, valuing our kinship. Is this how you repay me?" Desolation and coldness gleamed in Di Shitian’s eyes.
"Roar!!"
As Di Shitian was lost in painful memories, the white tiger mother saw the little black tiger hadn't yet suckled. She let out a soft growl and gently nudged the tiny, weak Di Shitian beneath her body.
"Eldest, you were born first, so you can't be naughty. Hurry and drink your milk to grow big and strong."
The white tiger mother roared. To humans, it would have been a tiger's roar, but when it reached Di Shitian's ears, it became a complete sentence.
"Huh?! How can I understand animal speech?" Di Shitian was stunned by the words in his ears, but immediately understood, and thought bitterly to himself: "Humans have language, so naturally wild beasts do too. Before, I was human, so I couldn't understand. Now that I've become a tiger, it's natural that I can."
He raised his eyes and gazed at the white tiger, clearly seeing a kind of maternal love in her eyes. This strongly stirred Di Shitian's heart, which had originally been as cold as ice.
He opened his mouth and gently suckled. The fresh, sweet milk immediately flowed into his mouth and was swallowed. The warmth in his body made him feel truly comfortable. In just a moment, his eyes naturally closed, and he nestled against the white tiger mother, falling into a deep sleep.
Among tiger species, white tigers are very rare. Similarly, black tigers are also extremely rare. But both are naturally born unique species with far greater potential than ordinary tigers. If a white tiger or a black tiger were to fight an ordinary tiger, they would have a ninety percent chance of winning.
"Howl!!"
Beside the mountain cave, on a small peak, a black tiger raised its head to the sky and howled. The black tiger wasn't large, only comparable to a grown wolf. Although its roar still carried a hint of childishness, it already possessed the nascent kingly aura of the king of beasts.
Hearing the tiger's roar, many birds in the vicinity spread their wings and flew up in fright.
A gentle breeze blew past, and the black tiger's fur swayed continuously. The character "King" on its forehead appeared even more profound, and its eyes grew colder, exuding an aura of disdain for all things.
"Humans are inferior to beasts. Why should I care about becoming a wild animal? If I am to be a beast, I will be a king." Di Shitian coldly looked down at the scene before him, where many birds had flown up in fright from his roar, an arrogant aura continuously swirled around his body.
"Roar!!"
At this moment, at the foot of the mountain, an even more domineering tiger roar resounded. However, two childish cries followed it. Di Shitian heard them, turned his head and stared for a moment in the direction of the sound. Finally, his hind legs pushed off, and his sturdy body landed firmly on the ground, as he quickly ran forward.
Soon, Đế Thích Thiên ran back to the front of the mountain cave. The large tiger mother, bringing his two younger siblings, was playing there. The two little tigers – the white one was the younger sister, and the striped one was the younger brother – were the smallest, having been born last.
The two little tigers saw Đế Thích Thiên return and immediately ran towards him, constantly nuzzling him and letting out joyful 'ngao ngao' sounds. They had already opened their eyes, and though their running wasn't steady yet, they could walk slowly.
During this time, Đế Thích Thiên also discovered something strange. The intelligence of wild beasts truly couldn't compare to that of humans. The tiger mother could only express some simple meanings, and his two younger siblings couldn't express anything at all, perhaps because they hadn't grown up yet. Seeing his younger siblings acting affectionately by his side, a trace of gentle expression flickered in Đế Thích Thiên's usually indifferent eyes. Looking at the faint maternal love emanating from the white tiger mother beside him, he thought to himself: “Being a tiger is good too. At least there aren't wicked people like humans.”