Chapter 16: Little White
It was a small white tiger cub, its entire body covered in snow-white fur without a single blemish. Its large eyes were filled with fear at that moment. Facing the unfamiliar Ning Yun, it bared sharp teeth—still tender but enough to hint at its latent ferocity. Could this be the child of the white tiger from earlier?
White tigers are rare; their striking coloration is too conspicuous in the wild, making concealment difficult. Should she kill it? Ning Yun hesitated.
She took out a small piece of python meat and tentatively placed it at the cave’s entrance, testing whether the little one would trust her. At first, the cub remained cautious, unwilling to come closer, retreating further into the cave. Ning Yun did not approach but quietly waited nearby.
After a while, likely driven by hunger, the little cub was drawn by the meat and slowly, cautiously, reached out a small paw. Throughout the testing, it kept a wary eye on Ning Yun, fearful she might snatch the meat away.
Facing a lost little tiger who had just lost its family, Ning Yun’s heart softened. “You eat, and then come home with me, alright?”
In this forest, a newborn tiger cub’s survival was hardly guaranteed. It might starve or be found and killed by other predators. Going home with her might not be the perfect choice, but it was the best option for now.
Whether the cub understood her words, Ning Yun could not tell. The once snarling, wary expression slowly faded. Instead, it cautiously emerged from the cave, sniffed the meat on the ground, and then devoured it in large bites.
Seizing the moment, Ning Yun gently stroked its head. The cub retracted slightly, a bit resistant, but did not let go of the meat.
“Not full yet? There’s more here.” The cub finished one piece but was still hungry.
Ning Yun took another small piece of snake meat from her backpack, speaking softly. This time, she held it in her hand instead of placing it on the ground. The cub seemed to accept her presence, gradually approaching and biting the meat from her hand.
No matter how Ning Yun stroked its head, body, and tail, it no longer resisted.
After eating two pieces of snake meat, the cub was still unsatisfied. Ning Yun, however, did not take out more. “Let’s go home first, and I’ll make sure you’re full there, okay?”
The innocent cub did not comprehend her words but understood one thing: following her meant food.
The now docile little tiger was quite endearing.
---
Ning Yun absentmindedly stroked its chin, as if petting a cat. Suddenly, for reasons unknown, the cub went wild and bit her finger hard enough to draw blood!
“Ouch!” Ning Yun cried out in pain, quickly pulling her hand back.
At that moment, a system notification sounded in her ear.
[ Ding! The Feathered Tiger wishes to recognize you as its master. Do you accept? ]
Two buttons appeared: “Yes” and “No.” Without hesitation, Ning Yun chose “Yes.”
The little tiger was so lifelike, nothing like the scripted animals in games. This made Ning Yun momentarily believe she was living in the real world, though everything around her reminded her it was just a game.
Now, the cub was her pet, and she could name it. Being terrible at naming, Ning Yun finally settled on “Xiao Bai” — Little White.
“Xiao Bai, let’s go home!” Ning Yun picked up the cub and headed back.
At this moment, Xiao Bai was still bewildered, unaware of much. But nestled in Ning Yun’s arms, its eyes squinted as it found a comfortable spot and fell asleep.
On the fourth day of this survival game, Ning Yun had witnessed a fierce battle between tiger and snake and found a lone tiger cub. When she told Xiao Qichen about it, his concern lay elsewhere.
“I still have some gear that boosts attributes; I’ll give them all to you.”
Once again, Ning Yun received many items.
Surprised, she asked, “After running so far, don’t you think I was reckless and overconfident?”
After all, she had no martial arts training or fighting skills. Had luck not been on her side, encountering the tiger or python alone could have been fatal.
It took Xiao Qichen a long while to reply.
“No, I just want you to think about it next time before acting—that there’s someone worrying about you.”
Ning Yun’s forced smile vanished completely.
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Seeing this message, Xiao Qichen’s face turned painfully sorrowful.
“Don’t say sorry. I’m the one who should apologize to you.”
His hand trembled uncontrollably as he typed. He closed the chat window, lowered his head. The light from the ceiling shone on him, but his face was hidden in shadow.
If only things could have been different earlier... would everything have turned out this way?
Every time he closed his eyes, Ning Yun’s voice and smile haunted his mind.
---
Eventually, it always became the same face.
A face wearing a resigned smile, yet forever etched in his nightmares.
At the very least, this time, he vowed never to let that expression appear on Ning Yun’s face again.
Though the sun had already set, Xiao Qichen did not linger in his room. He pushed open the door once more and stepped into the darkness.
Meanwhile, Ning Yun, though shaken by Xiao Qichen’s words, was gently comforted by Xiao Bai, who had quietly curled up at her feet, rubbing against her leg and cuddling.
This kept her from sinking too deeply into despair.
“Xiao Bai, I’m so glad to have you.”
No wonder so many solitary people in reality longed for pets.
In many ways, they were like family, sometimes providing even greater emotional support.
She pulled out another small piece of snake meat from her backpack. “Eat.”
Unsure how long Xiao Bai had been hungry, it immediately rushed over and bit into the meat, devouring it voraciously.
After eating over a pound, the cub finally let out a satisfied burp, making Ning Yun laugh.
Fortunately, she had plenty of snake meat, so she need not worry about Xiao Bai’s food for now.
But the tiger meat troubled her deeply.
She did not know if the tiger was Xiao Bai’s father or mother—probably the mother.
Having adopted Xiao Bai yet eating its mother’s meat felt cruel.
Besides, she had enough food and did not need to resort to such heartless acts.
In the end, she decided to sell the tiger meat.
For now, though, she kept it on hand.
After all, most people were too poor to buy meat.
For example, the chat channel was currently buzzing with talk about how much money everyone earned that day.
“Wait, do you guys get money from killing monsters? I only earned 10 copper coins all day—is that normal?”
“Of course! I only have 3 copper coins, haha.”
“Oh, so we’re all the same, that makes me feel better.”
“You can get money from opening boxes too—I got 1 silver coin from one.”
“No way, I strongly suggest the official add a block function—I want to completely block number 356, that loser!!”
Watching the lively chat, Ning Yun felt her mood lighten.
Suddenly, she remembered she still had two silver treasure chests unopened.