Chapter 1 The Iron Cage and the Hungry Tiger in the Wedding Chamber

Chapter 1 The Iron Cage and the Hungry Tiger in the Wedding Chamber

Volume One: Sleeping with a Tiger

pain.

My head is splitting with pain.

Tang Li slowly opened her eyes, but instead of the red candles and curtains she had expected, she saw thick iron railings that exuded a chilling aura.

There was no festive fragrance of cosmetics in the air; instead, it was filled with a nauseating smell of blood and... the pungent odor unique to wild animals.

"roar--"

A deep, thunderous roar exploded in her ears, making Tangli's eardrums ache.

She froze, mechanically turning her head.

By the dim light of the oil lamp in the corner, she could make out the enormous thing before her—

It was a white-browed, piercing-eyed tiger that was at least two meters long!

At this moment, the beast was lying on the other end of the iron cage, its pair of eerie green eyes staring intently at her, thick saliva dripping from its sharp fangs, and with each breath it exhaled a suffocating wave of heat.

This isn't a bridal chamber, it's a beast's cage!

The next second, countless fragments of memories that did not belong to her flooded into her mind like a tide.

The Regent's Palace during the Great Sheng Dynasty.

She transmigrated, becoming Tang Li, the cannon fodder concubine's daughter who was pushed out by her family to marry the mad regent Pei Yunjing because her birth chart was purely Yin.

Rumors circulated that Regent Pei Yunjing was poisoned by a strange poison, and that he was violent and bloodthirsty.

Even more terrifying, rumors circulated that he would go mad on every full moon night, and the three princesses who were brought in before him did not survive their wedding night. When they were carried out the next day, they were not even found with intact corpses—it was said that they were all fed to this tiger.

And tonight is the night of the full moon.

Tang Li watched as the tiger slowly rose. The immense pressure made her instinctively want to retreat, but she found herself behind cold iron bars, with no way to escape.

"roar--!!!"

The tiger seemed to be unable to restrain itself any longer; its hind legs were slightly bent and its back was arched—a standard hunting posture.

The gaping maw suddenly opened, and a stench swept over us!

Am I going to die?

I'm going to become a tiger's dinner as soon as I transmigrated here?

Tang Li's heart pounded wildly, and fear made her fingertips tremble.

Just as the sharp tiger claws were about to crush her skull, a childish, complaining voice suddenly exploded in her mind without warning—

[I'm starving! I'm starving to death!]

Why haven't those stupid lackeys brought food yet? It's always these skinny two-legged beasts, all bones and no meat, not even enough to fill a tooth gap!

[I want it cooked! I want that braised pork knuckle from that day! Roar—I'm so angry!]

Tang Li's eyes, which had been tightly closed as if awaiting death, suddenly widened.

who?

Who is speaking?

Besides her, there was only... this tiger in that iron cage?

The voice sounded as innocent as that of a three-year-old child, filled with pickiness and grievances about the food, creating an extremely eerie contrast with the ferocious beast before them.

The tiger's movements did not stop; its huge mouth was already close to Tang Li's neck.

With her life hanging in the balance, Tang Li didn't have time to think about the source of the sound. Her survival instinct led her to make an extremely bold move.

She didn't scream or run away, but instead stretched out her trembling hand and quickly and accurately pressed down on the tiger's wet nose!

That's the most sensitive spot for felines.

"Don't...don't rush!"

Tang Li's voice trembled as she swiftly reached into the wide sleeve of her wedding dress and pulled out several pieces of osmanthus cake that she had originally prepared to eat on the road.

A sweet, cloying aroma instantly filled the iron cage, which was filled with a fishy, ​​pungent smell.

"Sweetie... there's something delicious here, cooked and sweet."

She steeled herself and stuffed the few pieces of osmanthus cake into the tiger's mouth, which was still drooling.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The tiger clearly hadn't expected that its "prey" would not only not faint from fright, but would also dare to reach for something.

It paused for a moment, its nostrils twitched, and it sniffed.

The next second, that sweet, childlike voice exploded in Tang Li's mind again, bringing with it immense joy:

【！！！】

What does it smell like? It smells so good! It's sweet!

[Ugh, finally it's not that awful smell of blood! What good stuff is this human hiding?]

The fangs that were about to bite off Tangli's neck suddenly retracted.

With a flick of its rough, barbed tongue, the osmanthus cake in Tangli's palm vanished instantly.

[Delicious! Soft and chewy! I want more!]

The fierce glint in the tiger's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a clear-eyed stupidity.

The way it looked at Tangli changed; it was no longer looking at the food, but at... its zookeeper.

It even leaned forward and rubbed its huge head against Tang Li's stiff palm.

[It's so itchy here... This human's hand is so soft, it feels so good to rub against it... A little to the left, yes, yes, yes!]

Tang Li: "..."

She felt like she was dreaming.

But the warm touch from her palm told her it was real.

She can actually understand what animals are thinking!

To survive, Tang Li could only suppress her fear and stiffly extend her fingers, following the tiger's inner voice, to gently scratch its furry chin and behind its ears.

Once, twice.

[Snoring...snoring...so good...this woman is really good, she actually gives you pastries...]

This fearsome "white-browed killer" was now acting like an oversized orange cat, shamelessly rolling over to reveal its soft white belly and purring contentedly.

...

"Bang--!!!"

A loud bang shattered the "warmth" inside the cage.

The heavy sandalwood door was kicked open, and the two door panels were about to collapse.

The night wind carried a heavy stench of blood into the room.

A tall, slender figure stood against the light at the doorway.

The man was dressed in a black brocade robe and carried a long knife that was still dripping blood.

Blood slid down the blade, pooling on the floor in a shocking red stain.

Pei Yunjing.

This mad regent, who controls the government and wields absolute power.

At this moment, his condition was clearly extremely poor.

His long, dark hair was unbound and scattered messily over his shoulders. His narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes were filled with bloodshot veins, and a violent and murderous aura that could destroy everything surged within them.

The torment of sensory overload gave him a splitting headache, his ears were filled with sharp screams, and the world in front of him was a distorted, blood-red mess.

He had just dealt with a group of assassins who had infiltrated the mansion, and the killing intent on his body had not yet subsided.

The housekeeper said that the newly arrived princess had already been locked up.

Pei Yunjing, carrying a knife, walked step by step into the bridal chamber.

He didn't even bother to look up, relying solely on his instinctive disgust to speak coldly, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper:

"Someone, collect the body."

Based on past experience, at this point, there should only be a pile of severed limbs and blood on the ground left in the cage.

However, the room was deathly silent.

There were no screams as expected, nor any bloody tearing sounds.

Pei Yunjing frowned, enduring the excruciating pain in his head, and slowly raised his eyelids to look at the huge iron cage.

The next moment, his fingers gripping the knife tightened sharply, his knuckles turning white.

In the dimly lit corner of the iron cage, a petite woman dressed in a bright red wedding gown was sitting against the wall.

The ferocious war tiger, usually so unapproachable, was now lying on its back with its huge head resting on the woman's lap, its eyes half-closed, enjoying the slender, fair hand's touch...

Scratching its chin?

Pei Yunjing: "...?"