Chapter Nine: Senior Brother, You’d Best Look After Yourself...

After Song Yunfei and Bai Xiaofei left, Bai Feiyu remained where he was, waiting. At this moment, he had a new plan and did not leave the spot Song Yunfei had assigned him.

Bai Feiyu suddenly thought that it wasn’t a bad idea to let Song Yunfei lure the Crimson Flame Tiger away on his behalf. After all, such a beast was truly dangerous; if it could be drawn off, all the better. Song Yunfei’s intention was clear—he wanted to use him as bait to bring the Crimson Flame Tiger over. If Bai Feiyu left too soon, Song Yunfei would surely sense that something was amiss.

To be frank, from past interactions, Bai Feiyu realized that there was good reason why Song Yunfei had become an inner disciple. Setting aside his talent, his vigilance alone was remarkable. If Bai Feiyu chose to leave, Song Yunfei would likely act with caution, shake off the Crimson Flame Tiger, wait for the beast to return to its lair, and then find another unfortunate soul to replace him.

Not long after Song Yunfei and Bai Xiaofei departed, Bai Feiyu lay in wait, vigilant. Before long, he saw Song Yunfei heading alone toward the Crimson Flame Tiger’s den. Soon after, a deafening roar erupted from the cave, and Song Yunfei came fleeing out. Behind him, a striped tiger gave chase, relentless.

At that sight, even Bai Feiyu couldn’t help but feel a grudging admiration—Song Yunfei truly deserved his position as an inner disciple. At the very least, the courage to enter the Crimson Flame Tiger’s cave alone was not something ordinary people possessed. Even with the lure of the tiger’s cubs and the strength that came with being an inner disciple, few would dare attempt such a thing.

After escaping, Song Yunfei didn’t immediately run toward Bai Feiyu’s position. Instead, he feigned the intent to really lead the Crimson Flame Tiger away. When he had drawn the beast close to where Bai Feiyu lay hidden, Song Yunfei suddenly changed direction, running straight for him.

“Junior Brother Bai Feiyu, run! The Crimson Flame Tiger has detected your presence! I’ll get you out of here!” Song Yunfei shouted.

Bai Feiyu sneered inwardly. These words were only meant to steady him, to keep him from fleeing. After all, if he ran down a difficult path, the Crimson Flame Tiger might not actually pursue him.

“Oh, Senior Brother, I’m so scared!” Bai Feiyu replied with mock terror, quietly gathering fiery energy in his hands.

Seeing Bai Feiyu standing his ground, Song Yunfei’s expression brightened. He dashed toward Bai Feiyu at astonishing speed.

“Don’t worry, Junior Brother, I’ve learned a movement technique to increase speed. I’ll get you out alive!” Song Yunfei called out as he closed in.

Just as Song Yunfei was about to reach him, Bai Feiyu suddenly shouted, “Senior Brother!”

Song Yunfei was startled—“???”

In that instant, Bai Feiyu leaped from the thicket and slapped Song Yunfei across the face.

Smack—

Caught completely off guard, Song Yunfei reeled and fell to the ground, stunned.

“Oh dear, Senior Brother, sorry, I missed your hand! Oh no, the Crimson Flame Tiger is right behind us—good luck, Senior Brother!” Bai Feiyu exclaimed, feigning panic. He sprang away like a rabbit, darting off in another direction.

Song Yunfei, his cheek stinging and his temper flaring, was left behind. At that moment, the Crimson Flame Tiger lunged, jaws wide.

With no choice, Song Yunfei was forced to face the beast head-on. At this point, escaping with his life mattered more than anything else, never mind Bai Feiyu. Though Song Yunfei was plagued by doubts about Bai Feiyu’s actions, he had no time to ponder them. The Crimson Flame Tiger’s strength was overwhelming—even as an inner disciple, Song Yunfei was forced onto the defensive, barely able to fend it off. All his thoughts now were on how to break free.

...

After shaking off Song Yunfei, Bai Feiyu laughed to himself as he made his way toward the Crimson Flame Tiger’s lair. He reckoned the beast would never expect that a weak human would run toward its den rather than fleeing. As for Song Yunfei? Bai Feiyu’s thoughts were simple: among the tens of thousands of outer disciples of the Gui Xu Sect, by the time Song Yunfei found him again, he would likely have become an inner disciple already—assuming, of course, that Song Yunfei survived.

The Crimson Flame Tiger was so powerful; whether Song Yunfei could escape its wrath depended on his own fortune. In the end, he was but a minor character—Bai Feiyu did not believe this man could ever be his equal.

“Hahaha, I’ve struck gold! You little tiger cubs, prepare to die!” As Bai Feiyu approached the cave entrance, he heard Bai Xiaofei’s lewd cackling from within.

A cold smile played on Bai Feiyu’s lips as he rushed inside. There, he saw Bai Xiaofei frantically trying to subdue eight Crimson Flame Tiger cubs. So caught up was Bai Xiaofei in his excitement that he failed to notice Bai Feiyu’s arrival.

“Brother Fei!” Bai Feiyu’s sudden voice, booming like thunder, nearly scared Bai Xiaofei out of his wits.

“Who’s there?” Bai Xiaofei spun around. When he saw Bai Feiyu, shock flooded his face. Wasn’t Song Yunfei supposed to have left this guy for the Crimson Flame Tiger? How had he shown up here? And where was Song Yunfei?

Bai Feiyu put on an expression of deep sorrow and said, “Brother Fei, Senior Brother tried to lure the Crimson Flame Tiger away but failed. He’s fighting for his life as we speak. He told me to come and take the tiger cubs since I’m weaker and can escape more easily. He wants you to go back and help him. He said, if you and he can defeat the Crimson Flame Tiger together—or both escape with your lives—he’ll treat you as a sworn brother and do everything he can to help you become an inner disciple! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Senior Brother Bai Xiaofei. I’m so envious. If I were stronger, I’d have snatched this chance for myself!”

As he spoke, Bai Feiyu wore a look of tragic regret, all the while snatching the tiger cubs from Bai Xiaofei’s hands.

“Is it true?” The moment he heard that he would be helped to become an inner disciple, greed flashed across Bai Xiaofei’s face. What Bai Feiyu said was entirely plausible—otherwise, how could he explain Bai Feiyu’s presence here while Song Yunfei was nowhere to be seen?

As for Bai Feiyu, Bai Xiaofei trusted him completely. After all, he doubted the man would dare make off with the tiger cubs alone. Senior Brother’s call for aid must mean the Crimson Flame Tiger was proving difficult to handle, and he needed help to draw its attention so he could unleash his ultimate technique.

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