Chapter 38: Take the Leopard Cub to the Provincial Capital?

Four-winged Cold Kun.

The name contained "winged" and "kun."

’A flying insect?’

’And a large number of them.’

’Bees?’

’Locusts?’

’It can’t be flies!’

After a moment of speculation, Yang Qi pushed the stray thoughts from his mind.

’No matter what they are, I’ll learn to play the ocarina first,’ he resolved.

The "Beast-Taming Ocarina" he’d won in the lottery came with three special command melodies for controlling the Four-winged Cold Kun.

But Yang Qi had no experience with the ocarina and didn’t know how to play it.

It wasn’t practical to practice on the magical artifact itself.

So Yang Qi simply went online and bought a clay ocarina to start practicing with.

After placing the order, Yang Qi put away his phone and patted Xiaojiu, who was sleeping on the bench beside him.

"Let’s go, Xiaojiu. Time to go home and sleep."

Xiaojiu lifted its head, glanced around, and stretched.

"MEOW~"

[Okay]

...

Back at his dorm at the foot of the mountain, Yang Qi dropped his backpack, tidied up a bit, took a hot shower, and changed into clean clothes.

Worried about the Little Clouded Leopard’s condition, he went out again and headed for the Veterinary Station.

It was nearly three in the morning, but the Veterinary Station was still brightly lit.

Tang Ji, Huang Zhongmu, Cheng Xiaoou, Jiang Kai, and the others were all still there, gathered in the conference room discussing something.

Yang Qi glanced through the glass on the door but didn’t barge in. Instead, he walked to the break room next door.

He Shengnan was leaning back in her chair, yawning, while Wang Gu played on his phone to the side.

"Assistant He, how is the Little Clouded Leopard doing?" Yang Qi asked quietly.

He Shengnan rubbed her eyes. Seeing it was Yang Qi, she forced herself to perk up and replied, "The fever’s gone down. The toxins have been neutralized with medication and are mostly cleared out. Now it’s mainly observation and recovery. It’s a good thing the little guy has a strong constitution; he pulled through."

’It’s because the Vitality Nutrient Cream is so effective...’

Yang Qi thought to himself, but asked aloud, "Will the Little Clouded Leopard be able to walk by dawn?"

"Huh?" He Shengnan was taken aback, not understanding why Yang Qi would ask such a thing.

Wang Gu, playing on his phone to the side, also froze and looked up curiously, just about to speak.

Just then, the sound of discussion from the conference room next door suddenly grew louder, turning into a clear argument.

"I disagree!"

It was Cheng Xiaoou’s voice, filled with obvious dissatisfaction and agitation. "What’s so bad about the facilities and medical care at our Donghua Zoo? On what grounds..."

’What’s going on?’

Confused, Wang Gu stood up and walked out of the break room.

He Shengnan quickly followed.

Seeing this, Yang Qi went along too.

The three of them reached the conference room door, and the voices from inside carried out clearly.

They heard Tang Ji explaining, "Director Cheng, I’m not saying your facility is bad. But considering things from a long-term, professional perspective, the wildlife rescue center in the Provincial Capital—whether it’s the research conditions, the environment for subsequent rewilding training, or the mating-pair resources—is much more beneficial for the protection of this clouded leopard cub and..."

’The Provincial Capital?’

Hearing this, Yang Qi, who was outside the door, immediately furrowed his brow.

’They’re planning to take the Little Clouded Leopard to the Provincial Capital?’

"That would be for the best..."

Wang Gu muttered under his breath from the side, "A zoo’s main purpose is exhibition. When it comes to research and in-depth rescue, how can it compare to the Provincial Capital?"

Yang Qi turned to glance at him but said nothing, stepping directly into the conference room.

Inside, Huang Zhongmu was forcefully arguing his case. He stopped mid-sentence upon seeing Yang Qi walk in and blurted out, "Xiao Yang? You haven’t gone to rest yet?"

"Thank you for your concern, Director. I’m not tired yet."

Yang Qi nodded, then turned his gaze to Tang Ji and asked point-blank, "Professor Tang, are you planning to take the Little Clouded Leopard back to the Provincial Capital?"

"Yes."

Tang Ji admitted it frankly and tried to explain again, "Xiao Yang, don’t misunderstand. The conditions in the Provincial Capital are indeed more favorable for..."

"And what about the mother clouded leopard?" Yang Qi interrupted him, his tone calm but carrying a certain weight.

Tang Ji was taken aback by the question and answered instinctively, "The mother can remain in Cangshan for now. We can conduct field observations and, when the time is right..."

"The mother clouded leopard is on the back mountain of the zoo right now," Yang Qi interrupted again.

"What?!"

Huang Zhongmu, Cheng Xiaoou, Jiang Kai, and the others all cried out in shock, their faces filled with disbelief.

Tang Ji also frowned deeply, clearly surprised by this information.

Standing at the doorway, He Shengnan and Wang Gu felt a chill run down their spines. They instinctively glanced outside, as if the mother clouded leopard was staring at them from the darkness.

"I made a promise to the mother clouded leopard."

Yang Qi ignored everyone’s shock and continued, "I promised I would bring the cub back to her after it was healed. The mother leopard trusted me, which is why she placed her dying child in my hands. If we take the cub away now, sending it hundreds of miles away to the Provincial Capital..."

After a brief pause, Yang Qi’s gaze swept over everyone in the room. His voice wasn’t loud, but every word was distinct. "Let’s not even talk about me breaking my promise to a mother. Just think about the mother leopard. She’s waiting on that back mountain, full of hope, only to find that her child is never coming back. How do you think she’ll react?"

"Will she project that loss and anger onto all of us? Will she, because of this, start actively hunting people in Cangshan, or even come down from the mountain to do so?"

The conference room fell silent.

Tang Ji was silent.

"Aren’t you exaggerating..." Wang Gu blurted out from the doorway.

"Are you willing to bet on it?"

Yang Qi turned his head to look at him, his gaze sharp. "Are you willing to gamble the lives of potentially innocent tourists or villagers on whether or not a mother who has lost her cub will go berserk?"

"I..." Wang Gu opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out.

’Would he dare make that bet?’

’Like hell he would!’

’No one could shoulder that responsibility!’

Yang Qi knew in his heart that this wasn’t just alarmist talk.

A mother clouded leopard stimulated by the Spirit Awakening Technique would be more intelligent than an ordinary one, and its obsessions could also run deeper.

If she couldn’t see her cub, it was highly likely she would come to see the Zoo and even nearby human settlements as enemies. The destruction and panic she could cause would be no small matter.

And the final outcome would be the mother clouded leopard being regretfully put down by the police after causing casualties.

Tang Ji let out a breath, a trace of shame on his face. He sighed, "I was being short-sighted. I only considered the best conditions for research and conservation, and I neglected the animal’s own emotions and the potential chain reaction."

"Lao Tang, you were acting with the public good in mind, just thinking of what’s best for the Little Clouded Leopard," Huang Zhongmu said quickly, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Xiao Yang."

Cheng Xiaoou looked at Yang Qi, a hint of excitement in her eyes. "Are you sure the mother clouded leopard is really on our back mountain right now?"

"Yes."

Yang Qi nodded. "Although I haven’t seen her with my own eyes, I can feel her. When we left Cangshan, the mother leopard followed us the whole way. While we drove back, she was moving along the foothills and fields. There’s a high probability she’s waiting somewhere on the back mountain now."

"I see..."

Cheng Xiaoou’s eyes lit up. She rubbed her hands together, a look of anticipation on her face, and said, "Um, Xiao Yang, since the mother leopard trusts you so much, when you take the cub into the mountains to see her tomorrow, could you do us a small favor?"

"Just draw a tiny bit of a blood sample from the mother. Not much, just a few milliliters will do!"

"It would be a huge help for our research into the clouded leopard’s genetics, health, and other conditions."

[Mission Triggered: A Request from the Inheritance Hall Master. The Host may choose whether to accept based on the circumstances.]