Vol. 4 Chapter 20: Nanshan... Tiger?

Chapter 20: Nanshan... Tiger?

As the figure floated out from the statue, it landed on the ground. The surrounding zombie spirits knelt down immediately upon seeing the statue glow. They were not bowing to the figure, but to the glowing statue.

The figure stood under the statue, looking confused. Deep claw marks marred his chest. He looked up at the glowing statue, understanding something, and his strong will to survive pushed him to kneel.

Lu Li squinted at the figure. He recognized him as one of the guards who had entered the mountain with Zhou Chu and Lu Li. The Zhou family guard looked dazed as he stared at the glowing tiger statue. Just as he was about to kneel, Lu Li hurried over and supported him.

Grabbing the guard by the collar, Lu Li patted his face, trying to wake him up. Ignoring the angry glares of the zombie spirits around, he asked the guard, "Do you recognize me?"

"You are... Young Master Lu. Have you died too?" The guard's eyes were cloudy, his speech unclear, but he still recognized Lu Li, answering in a daze.

"Zhou Yin fought the Nanshan Tiger? How was the situation when you left?"

The guard was confused for a moment before answering, "The young master has already fought the Nanshan... King. That King has an immortal body and cannot die. I was killed by the King's swipe. The King... the King..."

Lu Li released the mumbling guard, who immediately knelt in front of the tiger statue, his expression becoming as numb as the other zombie spirits. Not externally, but internally, all faces were the same.

Losing interest in wandering around, Lu Li, under the watch of the zombie spirits, returned to the entrance of the Tiger King's Cave. Almost as soon as he arrived, a zombie spirit emerged from the cave and spoke to the guards before approaching Lu Li, saying, "The King summons the foreign guest. Please follow me, sir."

"Where's your red fox chancellor?" Lu Li asked, surprised not to see the red fox.

"The chancellor has state affairs to attend to and no time to spare," the zombie spirit replied, leading Lu Li into the Tiger King's Cave.

The zombie spirits were not very bright. With Lu Li's title as a foreign guest, he managed to extract a lot of information from them. Although the Nanshan Tiger Kingdom appeared somewhat organized, it was essentially a small town.

The kingdom had over 500 members, mostly zombie spirits who had been killed by the Nanshan Tiger over the years. Besides these zombie spirits, there were only a few other members. The civil officials, led by the red fox chancellor, managed the kingdom's affairs with a few sharp-minded zombie spirits.

In reality, the Red fox had little to do since most of the 500 members were zombie spirits who didn't need to eat or drink. The main tasks were maintaining and expanding the territory.

On the other hand, the military officials, led by a white-haired monkey, handled internal conflicts. Lu Li learned that the five squirrels were part of this group. Some zombie spirits gradually gained tiger-like abilities, like the three squirrels who could combine to form a tiger. They believed they had the tiger's power and started a rebellion against the fox and monkey leadership, which never succeeded.

As Lu Li entered the Tiger King's Cave, he was surprised to find the walls and floor neatly paved with polished stones, looking clean and orderly. Torches and zombie guards lined the passageway, and after a short walk, the space opened up dramatically.

The cave expanded several times in size, with high-quality stone slabs on the ground and walls covered in ivy reaching up to the mountain's exterior. The vines bore glowing fruits, illuminating the cave as brightly as day.

Hundreds of zombie spirits stood along the walls, and in the center was a palace, seemingly carved from a single stone. It had a front hall, main hall, side halls, and a rear hall. The palace was meticulously crafted, with a large tiger statue exuding a strong aura at the front entrance.

Seeing Lu Li approach, zombie spirits blocked him, sending someone inside to announce his arrival.

Soon, a sharp voice called out from within, "Announce the foreign guest!"

Lu Li smiled, finding the scene quite formal, and followed the zombie spirits into the palace. The front hall was lined with armored zombie guards, and passing through the doors, Lu Li saw the ministers and the most important figure of the Nanshan Tiger Kingdom.

In the main hall, one side held civil officials, but the red fox was absent. On the other side stood the white-haired monkey and other military officials. The monkey bared its teeth at Lu Li, while on the throne sat a white tiger in black robes, exuding a powerful aura.

Next to the tiger were two zombie spirits dressed as Eunuchs and two female zombie spirits fanning it. One eunuch snapped, "Human, why do you not kneel before our King?"

The white tiger half-opened its eyes, watching Lu Li, while the white-haired monkey glared, ready to draw his weapon at the slightest provocation.

The military officials had little to do in peacetime, with most affairs controlled by the red fox. They eagerly awaited Lu Li's potential misstep to seize the opportunity for merit.

Lu Li looked at the Nanshan Tiger King, reclining in its chair with black robes covering its body, appearing very majestic. He laughed and said,

"Your Majesty, your tail is showing!"