Chapter 88: The Tiger and Tea Sommelier (Taiga POV)

Note: Taiga and Bo Lifen interaction chapter. I guess you can skip this if you only like CEO POVs

When Taiga stepped out of the car and onto the porch, she zipped toward the trees and then rested against the highest branch. She could sense if a dangerous entity would come along, her senses were sharp, but this might just be an easy paying job.

It was true that outside of Shanghai, the jurisdiction of Shen Society was no longer present—but in suburban places like this, it was a lot more peaceful. There were stray shadows of negative qi that rolled along the streets, but it wasn't enough to achieve a harmful form and actively cause mayhem.

She leapt up and still crushed it, though.

Her fiery aura pierced through the shadows and reduced it to ashes that soon disintegrated in front of her. She blew the rest away and smiled contently. Taiga could get antsy when she wasn't able to move around a lot, so this was an excellent exercise.

Taiga soon returned to the tree, almost like a cat that her weaker relatives sometimes were.

She hummed to herself, "Better to clean up the mess before it becomes bigger. Something, something, now blow the trigger." And so would begin her stay on top of the tree and her duty of guarding the house. She kept an eye on it.

Like most cultivators who had reached a certain level in their cultivation, and with her nature of a spirit—the need for meals, hydration and even sleep was greatly diminished. Absorbing qi, the energy of the heavens and earth were a wonderful substance.

She still liked to eat though because she wanted to.

Some cultivators might have believed and think qi was palatable, and somehow, one's cultivation method did have some effect as to how qi absorbed into the body… but nothing was as indulgent as food and other things. "Hah…" She clutched her face, dangling her legs in the air. "I won't get past another stage if I keep doing this."

She then rested her back against the bark of the tree. A pout formed on her lips. "Going against heaven's will is hard when they innately make it easy to get caught up in a lot of good things. What an unfair life. They shouldn't be putting up a sign of 'don't eat this' because it'd make someone even more likely to eat the fruit."

Her mind wandered to the legendary peaches of Mother West.

Well, it didn't matter that much—for now, Taiga would keep watch and worry about existential purposes some other time.

It didn't take too long when a certain visitor would come along, and it was a woman. The woman had a thermos in her hand and to Taiga she seemed familiar and there was a certain aura about her…although she wasn't exactly a cultivator. Taiga jumped in front and blocked her path, "No one allowed to visit Bossman." Well, the man didn't say that—but he didn't discuss it either, so she took matters into her own hands.

The woman immediately took on a swordsman's stance—then probably realized she didn't have a weapon except for the thermos and shifted to a martial artist's stance, but narrowed her eyes at Taiga. "Who are you? And by Bossman… do you mean, Li Yang?"

"Taiga is Taiga." She smiled and took note that nobody else was around to launch an assault whilst distracting her with this grunt. "Who are you?"

The woman looked at her up and down, "You're from the Shou Temple Sect—what are you doing here?"

"Taiga asked a question first."

"I don't have to respond to it if I don't want to." She pointed out to Taiga with a calm voice. Her eyes flickered behind the spirit's shoulder and stepped to the right, "I am your 'boss man's' acquaintance, that is all that you need to know. If you won't let me through, then bring him here."

The Tigress Spirit pouted and matched the other's movements, "Well, if you don't answer—I guess I'll just have to eliminate you. But even if you tell me your name, I'll still probably do it." She eyed the third-rate woman in front of her and fought the urge to scoff.

While it was true that this woman was taller and even had a commendable figure, she wasn't actually a cultivator and just someone in peak human condition. There were many people like her who trained and achieved an optimum state, but never actually delving into cultivation. Everybody had their own direction and path to what was a good life.

However, Taiga still judged someone based on their strength and feats.

Or ability to pay her like in the case of the CEO.

The woman raised her chin and eyed her, "I am Bo Lifen, from the Bo Family—so step aside before I report you to your Sect's Elders. Allowing a loose cannon like you here and doing this… it seems to me that you are claiming to be guarding over a man? It is questionable when most of your kind are supposed to be in your territory. It's much more likely that you'd do harm than good."

Taiga had the urge to slap the woman and send her possibly hundred feet into one of the other buildings in this area, but she promised Shen An Na and others not to be destructive. Whatever the case, she really didn't like the term 'cannon'. It didn't seem like a kind thing to say and she was far from being 'loose' at all!

And yet she recognized the family, or rather the clan name. Bo Clan was the Tea Clan that served the country, cultivators and spirits for the last thousand of years, with some rumors even spiraling that they have served gods in the past. This was a clan that even predated her own existence. It was also a clan that had close ties with the feared Hua warrior clan.

The spirit snapped her fingers and grinned, "I know Bo Lei—is he a relative of yours? He's a nice kid studying at the sect."

The problem with being a lone spirit like her was when facing influential people. If one attacked a member of a clan, then the entire relatives would get involved and she had already had enough experience with Young Mistresses and their servants. Not to mention that this woman was already threatening her with the connections she had to her adoptive sect's elders.

It was a low blow for Taiga.

"He's my younger brother."

"A far cry from you then." She giggled and surely earned more ire from the woman—well, it didn't matter to Taiga. She could respect this woman's younger brother and even thought he was cute, but not this woman. Taiga was someone who couldn't care less for a woman who hid behind the clan's influence instead of using their personal strength.

The expression on Bo Lifen's face was unamused.

Taiga pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. "So what do you need to meet, Bossman for? Is it because of the thermos that you have in your hand, Tea Temptress?" There was a faint and delicious fragrance emanating from the thermos. She sniffed lightly.

"What did you call me?" One of Bo Lifen's eye twitched. She eyed Taiga up and down, perhaps trying to emphasize their height difference. "I have heard better names from a child trying to mock me. Was that supposed to be funny?"

"No?" Taiga shrugged. "But what if you have some kind of poison in that thermos of yours? Maybe a love potion? Some kind of addictive drug lacing that tea? Taiga here has to check it first before you can even think of stepping closer to Bossman and giving that to him." She held her hand out, "Open the bottle and let Taiga drink it first, just a tiny sip, then Taiga will let you through."

Bo Lifen let out a snort and placed the thermos behind her. "You can do away with the third-person reference to yourself, it doesn't make you sound cute or young at all. Has anyone ever told you that? Act your age, old hag. You're older than my great-grandmother."

Taiga blinked.

A smile broke out on her face and she tilted her head, "If you know that much—then why won't you act a little more respectful? You're being a little bitch right now."

"You earn respect first before you get it."

"Why you—" Taiga growled but held herself back. She huffed and looked up at the woman. "I have no desire to attack someone who's weaker than me. That's just a pity."

Bo Lifen raised a brow. "Choosing to attack someone because you can't give a good rebuttal is a sign that you can't use your… nevermind. I'm not doing this with you."

"Use my what?" Taiga frowned. "Finish your sentence."

Bo Lifen took a deep breath and then took off the cap of her thermos. She took a sip and gulped it down, staring right into her eyes. "It's safe and has none of the nonsense effects that you are speaking of. I guess it's not really a surprise that someone like you would read children's books and imagining love potions and whatnot."

Taiga fumed and stabbed a finger close to Bo Lifen's chest, "They have pictures and films! You just don't know how to appreciate it because you were born in this age and with all the pre-existing gadgets available. I lived my first fifty years without being able to speak or even read!"

"Now I almost feel bad for arguing with someone with the mentality of a child."

"What's so wrong with being a kid?" Taiga narrowed her eyes. "At least I'm not boring and stiff like you."