That Poor Little Husband Was Raised by a Tiger

He Xunzhou was a university student from modern China who endured a miserable childhood after his mother’s death. His father remarried and, influenced by his stepmother, subjected He Xunzhou to severe physical and emotional abuse. Despite his gentle exterior, He Xunzhou harbored deep resentment and lived a solitary life, working part-time jobs to survive. During a holiday trip to Guilin, he consumed a bottle of alcohol given to him by his friend Gu Bei, which turned out to be extremely potent. He collapsed and died, only to be greeted by a small, spherical entity from a Dimension Station. The entity apologized for a fatal error that had caused the death of a virtuous soul and offered compensation: transmigration into another world with a robust physique and a personal Dimension containing a Spirit Spring.

He Xunzhou agreed to the terms but was transmigrated not as a human, but as a black tiger cub in the Kingdom of An. The entity explained that he would possess a powerful body and the ability to enter his Dimension, but he would transform into a black cat every night at 8 p.m. and revert to a tiger during the day. He Xunzhou was furious at the deception but accepted his fate. The Kingdom of An was a society where men, women, and a third gender known as Ge’er coexisted. Ge’er were individuals who could become pregnant but were often marginalized, treated as concubines in wealthy families or laborers in poor ones. He Xunzhou found himself in a remote mountain village called Liujia Village, where tigers and bears were feared, and entry into the mountains was strictly forbidden due to past tragedies.

In the Liu family household, a nine-year-old Ge’er named Liu Shuhuai lived in abject misery. Orphaned after his mother died in childbirth and his father perished in war, Liu Shuhuai was raised by his paternal grandparents and cousins. His grandmother resented him because his father had defied her authority before dying, and she treated Liu Shuhuai as a servant. He was forced to perform all household chores, gather firewood, and work in the fields, often going hungry and suffering physical abuse. His cousins, Liu Yao Zong and Liu Quan, mocked and bullied him, while his cousin Liu Zhi, a beautiful girl, openly despised his appearance and status. Liu Shuhuai had learned to read and write in secret and dreamed of one day separating from his family to live independently, though he knew he had only three years left before he could legally do so.

One night, the starving Liu Shuhuai collapsed in a haystack, on the verge of death. He Xunzhou, then a year-old tiger, discovered the boy and recognized a reflection of his own suffering past. Using the Spirit Spring water from his paw, He Xunzhou revived Liu Shuhuai. The tiger began secretly leaving prey, such as rabbits and pheasants, for the boy. Liu Shuhuai, believing a black cat named Big Black had been sent by the gods to save him, formed a deep bond with the animal. He started selling firewood in secret to earn money, which he used to buy food and treats for Big Black. In return, He Xunzhou used his Dimension to provide fruits and other goods, gradually improving Liu Shuhuai’s health and living conditions.

As time passed, He Xunzhou’s Dimension expanded, and he gained the ability to transform into a human for two hours each day, though this left him weak at night. During one of these human forms, he revealed himself to Liu Shuhuai, who was initially terrified but soon accepted him as a deity. He Xunzhou began hunting larger game, such as wild boars, and sold the meat in the nearby town to earn silver. He used the money to buy clothes, food, and supplies for Liu Shuhuai, helping him prepare for his eventual independence. The two developed a close relationship, with Liu Shuhuai viewing He Xunzhou as his sole companion and protector. Meanwhile, He Xunzhou navigated the complexities of the ancient world, learning about the local customs and the legal rights of Ge’er to separate from their families. The story follows their growing bond and He Xunzhou’s efforts to secure a better future for Liu Shuhuai while adapting to his new life as a tiger with human intelligence.