Chapter 4 

If someone in Luoyang were asked to name the greatest entertainment house, everyone would immediately say Cheonwolru (Heavenly Moon Pavilion).

It was a gi-ru, but unlike others, it hung no red lanterns and sold no bodies—only talent, performance, and artistry.
Even then, it was famous throughout the entire Central Plains.

The only thing known about Cheonwolru’s master was that he never showed his face and always wore a white fox mask.

That very masked pavilion master walked boldly into the building.

And in his arms was a small tiger cub with yellow fur and striking black stripes—me.

“Welcome back, Pavilion Master,” someone approached with a bow.

Her glossy black hair was elegantly tied up and secured with multiple hairpins and ornaments.
Just her hairstyle alone drew the eye.

She wore a pale sky-blue silk outfit, with bracelets, pouches, and accessories decorating her entire look.
She was an exceptionally beautiful woman.

“Ah, Sehwa. Have you been well?”

“Thanks to your concern, I have, Pavilion Master.”

Her soft, graceful voice wavered slightly as her gaze drifted to the tiger cub in his arms.

“That child is…?”

“Oh, this little thing? It lost its mother and was crying alone in the forest, so I picked it up. Poor thing.”

He let out a cheerful laugh while roughly rubbing my head.

“So, I’ve decided to raise it here.”

“A tiger…? A tiger cub?”

“Wouldn’t it make a great attraction for Cheonwolru? Not many places train tigers to perform.”

He wiggled a finger in front of me.

I followed the movement—and chomped down hard.

“AAAH!”

“Are you alright, Pavilion Master?!”

“Y-yeah, I’m good. How strong can a cub’s bite be?”

“…You’re bleeding, Pavilion Master.”

“A tiger should at least have a bit of temper—AGH! H-hey! Let go! I’m sorry for teasing you, okay?!”

Only then did I release his finger.

Does he understand speech? Sehwa wondered silently.

She hurriedly took out a handkerchief.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

With gentle, delicate hands, she wrapped the Pavilion Master’s finger.

Once finished, he grinned.

“Thanks, Sehwa. You’re as skilled as ever.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Anyway… Did anything interesting come in recently?”

“This isn’t the place to speak of it. I’ll escort you.”

“Tea instead of alcohol today.”

“Coincidentally, we just received fresh Huangshan Maofeng tea. Shall I brew it?”

“Please do.”

***

Meanwhile—me, in the fox’s arms

I listened to the conversation between the fox (disguised as a human) and Sehwa.

The fox had changed my original blue fur to ordinary yellow tiger fur, saying blue was too noticeable.
It was strange how easily he changed my fur color with just a small gesture. I planned to ask him how he did it later.

Jimgjo, the bird, watched us anxiously from a distance.
He hated humans so much that I couldn’t force him to mingle with them—but leaving him alone would be dangerous. This was the best compromise.

So the fox said he was the leader of Haomun? A sect that deals in information…

I didn’t expect this to be how he collected information.
No wonder he bragged so much about raising Cheonwolru himself.

Sehwa’s report was boring, so I yawned.

The smell is awful.

It had been bad ever since entering the human world, but the more humans gathered, the stronger their scent became.

Especially here—so many incense and fragrances to mask human odor.

Even though the fox had dulled my sense of smell for now, it was still overwhelming.

If I came here normally, I’d probably throw up.

How humans survive drowning in this sea of smells is a mystery.

I poked my head out of the fox’s arms and looked around.

The tea had a fragrant smell, and there were fruit-like snacks beside it.
Since I was bored anyway, I decided to investigate.

I wriggled free of the fox’s hold and jumped onto the table.
… My hind legs flailed a moment mid-jump because they were too short. Erase that memory.

I walked across the table like nothing happened.

The tea intrigued me most—how could hot leaf water smell so nice?

Being considerate, I sniffed from the fox’s cup rather than Sehwa’s.

It smells pretty good…

Let’s taste it.

I stuck out my tongue to sip it—
and immediately squinted.

What on earth is this taste?

Warm water shouldn’t taste refreshing! This is weird!

I smacked the cup off the table with my paw.
The fox quickly caught it.

“Hey, stop causing trouble.”

“Grrr—awng!”

This bastard! Why grab me by the scruff?!

I kicked at the air, and the fox struggled to hold in a laugh.

So that’s it, huh?! You think I’m funny because I’m small now?!

“Grrrrrrrr…”

The fox released my neck immediately.

As a reward for his cooperation, I slapped the back of his hand with my claws.

“Owwww, ow-ow—”

I know you’re faking.

I couldn’t use any qi here—Sehwa was watching, and Fox told me repeatedly that using qi in public would draw too much attention.

He’d staked his inner core on our oath, so he wouldn’t lie about this.

Still annoyed, I snorted and moved toward Sehwa.

I refused to go back to the fox’s arms.
So the human woman was the only other option.

At least she doesn’t smell bad.

Meaning: Pick me up, human woman.

I stared at her calmly.

“Um… Pavilion Master, why is this tiger cub staring at me…?”

“…It looks like he wants you to hold him.”

“Y—you think he means me?”

“Look at him. He’s staring at you, not me.”

“But…”

She looked hesitant and nervous.

Ah. She’s scared because she saw me bite the fox earlier.

In that case, I had to be shameless.

I stood up, ignoring her flinching, and hopped straight onto her lap.

“Oh my…!”

Her delicate white fingers hovered awkwardly in the air.

This is nicer than expected.

Much softer and more comfortable than the fox’s disguised human body.
Warm, too. Perfect for lying down.

I sprawled out contentedly.
The warmth from her lap and chest relaxed me.

“Kyuuuuu…”

This was surprisingly good.
The fox had a strong fox smell, but Sehwa smelled like orchids—a pleasant human scent.

When I glanced up, Sehwa was biting her lip anxiously, not knowing what to do.

Well, I used to be revered as a mountain god.
Out of generosity, I would allow her to pet me.

I nudged her hand with my head.

Her small, soft palm rested gently on my head.

“P-Pavilion Master, um…!”

[Mountain Lord, are you about to ascend or die or something?]

The fox sent a whisper to me.

[Do you want me to bite your tail?]

[I just… I’m watching a scene I can’t believe unless something huge is happening. Explain?]

Shut up. Tell her it’s okay to pet me.]

The fox blinked, then relayed:

“He seems to want you to pet him. Don’t be too scared—he won’t bite.”

“O-okay…”

“I know how important your fingers are, so even if he does try to attack, I’ll protect you.”

As if you could. But Sehwa seemed reassured.

Her touch was gentle and cautious, yet soothing.

Oh… no wonder fingers are important.

Without meaning to, I started purring—
a deep, satisfied rumble.

…Being the fox’s “pet tiger” is humiliating.
But this part?

Maybe not so bad.