Ning Chen called Lei An over, pointed at Mu Anbang and said heavily, "Take them back to camp and let them rest and recover. The sight of him irritates me."

"Yes!"

Lei An led Mu Anbang and the three thousand-odd soldiers away.

Ning Chen looked at Feng Qizheng. "What is that thing you have slung across your chest?"

Feng Qizheng had a bundle hanging at his chest, and something inside it was moving.

Feng Qizheng gave a heh-heh laugh and pulled back one corner of the bundle to show a furry head.

Ning Chen's eyes went wide.

At first he took it for a cat. A closer look showed a tiger cub.

"Where did that come from?"

Feng Qizheng said with a laugh, "Picked it up in the valley while we were looking for them."

"Give it here and let me see."

Feng Qizheng handed it over.

Ning Chen lifted the tiger cub out. It was still very small, about thirty centimeters long. It yowled up at Ning Chen, fierce in the way small things are.

Without thinking, Ning Chen glanced back toward the valley. Best not to bring its mother down on them.

"You didn't see any other tigers?"

Feng Qizheng shook his head.

Yue Congyun said, "They were short of clothing and food in that valley. General Mu and his men must have killed the tigress and eaten her."

The corner of Ning Chen's mouth twitched.

He looked at Feng Qizheng. "This little tiger is mine now."

Feng Qizheng was not happy about that. "On what grounds?"

"On the grounds that I am a prince and you are my deputy."

"A prince has to follow the rules too, doesn't he?"

Ning Chen turned to Yue Congyun, all smiles. "What is the penalty for disobeying a military order?"

"The rod at the least, beheading at the worst!"

Ning Chen looked at Feng Qizheng. "So do you want a beating, or do you want this little tiger?"

Feng Qizheng said crossly, "All right, all right, all right... It's a gift. Will that do?"

Ning Chen held the tiger cub and…