Chapter 2226 — The Great Fire Lion Strikes
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
So when it found the Great Fire Lion and the Little Fire Lion on the point of returning to their den, it embroidered Wei Zhao's plight for them, and the Great Fire Lion flew into a fury! For the Thunder Pig told it that others had discovered Wei Zhao secretly aiding the Little Fire Lion, and that this was why he had been repaid with vengeance.
That was more than could be borne! The instant the Great Fire Lion heard that its benefactor had been punished over its own child's affairs, it hurried off to help! Never mind whether the other party still counted as the Tagan family — better to offend them outright than to leave Wei Zhao unrescued!
And so the Great Fire Lion, the anxious Little Fire Lion, and the smug Thunder Pig all raced together to the scene.
While the crowd was still wondering why the Great Fire Lion had come back, the Fifth Protector felt a sudden fierce gust at his back, and then came a tearing, rending agony — with his own eyes he saw that everything below his waist had been ripped apart by the Great Fire Lion's two claws...
That was the last sight he saw in this world. He died without even knowing how he died; he could not understand why the Great Fire Lion had returned, why it had struck so suddenly, and why it had chosen him of all people to be carved up first.
This dramatic turn left everyone present dumbstruck, Tagan Long above all: one moment he had been savoring the delight of watching the Fifth Protector torment Wei Zhao, and the next he was plunged into profound terror.
Concealed strength or not, there was no concealing his way past this Great Fire Lion. From the ruthless, savage ferocity of its strike, Tagan Long knew full well that to step forward was to throw his life away.
He simply could not fathom it: what had the Great Fire Lion come back for? Had it not already gone?
Could it be that, once back home, the more it brooded the angrier it grew, and so it had returned for revenge?
At that thought Tagan Long's face turned the color of clay: "Great Lion, sir, I... I was only here watching the excitement, it has nothing to do with me. I'll be on my way at once. I never laid a hand on your son just now!"
The Great Fire Lion paid him no heed for the moment; together with the Little Fire Lion and the Thunder Pig it hastened to Wei Zhao's side. The Little Fire Lion gazed sorrowfully at the motionless Wei Zhao on the ground, stretched out its tongue, licked his forehead, and shed bitter tears...
The Little Fire Lion believed Wei Zhao dead, and its grief was only natural. To its mind, Wei Zhao had died saving it — which meant that it had killed him.
Fire Lions keep clear accounts of debt and kindness; to see a benefactor die on its own account, how could it be glad?
The Thunder Pig, however, knew Wei Zhao better. It examined him carefully and found that he still drew breath, that the life in him was not yet quite extinguished, and at once explained cheerfully to the Great Fire Lion and the Little Fire Lion: "Chirp chirp—"
The Thunder Pig told them that Wei Zhao possessed a wondrous power to heal himself, and that so long as a breath remained in him, so long as he had not fully died, there was nothing to worry about.
The Great Fire Lion and the Little Fire Lion were astonished at this, but recalling what the Little Fire Lion had said — that Wei Zhao had healed its wounds in a flash — the Great Fire Lion no longer doubted the Thunder Pig's words, and breathed a sigh of relief.
So long as Wei Zhao was safe, all was well; the pressing matter now was to let him heal in peace. Since this Tagan Long had not struck a blow, they would let him off for the time being — a mere Fifth Protector, and surely the Tagan family would not care overmuch.
And so the Great Fire Lion set aside its notion of exacting Tagan Long's life. It was clever: kill him now, and the Tagan family would surely go berserk, bringing trouble not only upon itself but upon Wei Zhao as well.