Chapter 178 - 143: Advance to Attack, Retreat to Defend

"This is for the long-term good of the business!"

"Don’t worry about my sense of responsibility. I’ll give it my all even if I’m just drawing a salary," Yang Qi promised.

"That’s different! It’s the difference between being a true son and a godson!"

"I really can’t, it’s too much equity..."

"You must. It’s what you deserve. Your skills are worth that much!"

"..."

The two of them—one firmly refusing, the other insisting on giving—actually started "arguing" in the living room.

The atmosphere was quite heated.

Finally, under Yang Qi’s repeated insistence and his "threat" to walk away if the argument continued, Pang Yunrui reluctantly relented, and the two reached a compromise.

Yang Qi would invest his "core beast taming techniques and future related intellectual property" for a five percent stake in the new Zoo.

He would also serve as the Zoo Director, with an annual salary of five million RMB after taxes, and would hold corresponding management authority and rights to dividends.

This percentage and salary reflected both Pang Yunrui’s immense value for Yang Qi’s abilities and his sincerity, while also being within a range Yang Qi found acceptable, preventing him from feeling too deeply indebted.

...

The goal was set and the blueprint was drawn. The next step was to put the vision into practice.

Obtaining the necessary business licenses for a Zoo, selecting and leasing a large plot of land, planning, designing, and constructing modern enclosures suited to the habits of different animals, legally importing various species from home and abroad, recruiting professional staff for management, veterinary care, animal husbandry, and logistics...

Pang Yunrui took charge of this entire massive and tedious series of tasks, telling Yang Qi not to worry about a thing.

"Yang Qi, your job right now is to be our ’Technical Director’ and future Zoo Director. Focus on honing your unique beast taming skills and think about what ’star attractions’ and special performances our future Zoo should have."

"Leave all the miscellaneous tasks like running errands, negotiations, and construction to me and my team."

Pang Yunrui was full of confidence. "Of course, when it comes to professional matters like animal welfare and the practical design of the enclosures, I’ll communicate with you at every step and listen to your opinions."

"I’ll also keep you updated on our progress at every stage."

Building a private Zoo of considerable scale and quality from scratch was not something that could be done overnight.

Pang Yunrui estimated that even if everything went smoothly and funding was sufficient, it would take at least half a year at the earliest.

It was already July. According to his calculations, being able to officially open by next spring would be an extremely fast pace.

Therefore, regarding Yang Qi’s application to Donghua Zoo for a "leave of absence to start a business," Pang Yunrui also suggested there was no need to rush.

"Around the end of the year, once things on our end are more or less settled, you can formally submit your application then. It’s still too early to do it now, and it could cause unnecessary speculation and trouble."

Yang Qi had no objections to this; there was plenty of time.

After seeing off the ambitious Pang Yunrui, the courtyard returned to tranquility.

Yang Qi stood under the eaves of the veranda, gazing at the verdant Cangshan in the distance, his heart filled with emotion.

’Becoming the director, having my own "Beast Taming Sect," will undoubtedly provide an unprecedented boost to my cultivation path.’

’A wider "Dao Field," more "Guardian Beasts," greater freedom in allocating resources, and the generous status rewards the system might grant...’

’All of this is far beyond what my current status as a "True Disciple" can compare to.’

Pang Yunrui’s earlier concerns, he now realized, were indeed prescient.

’If I were merely the technical vice-director with a "Sect Leader" above me, conflict would be virtually inevitable.’

’Modern Zoo management philosophies—like strict animal welfare standards, conservative risk control, and potential bureaucracy—would clash violently with my needs, which are centered on "cultivating immortality through beast taming" and require a certain degree of "special privileges" and "room for experimentation."’

’For the sake of faster cultivation speed, to reach the Nascent Soul Realm sooner, I definitely wouldn’t compromise when the time came. Resistance and struggle would be unavoidable.’

’Rather than suffering from internal friction later, it’s better to grasp the highest authority from the very beginning.’

’As for the five-million-yuan annual salary and the five percent equity...’

’To me right now, it’s merely icing on the cake.’

’The amount of money is far less important than the status of "Sect Leader" and the cultivation resources that come with it.’

...

...

Yang Qi didn’t tell anyone about his decision to leave his job and start a business.

Life went on as usual.

Around one o’clock that afternoon, Yang Qi was in his dorm room, reading a cutting-edge paper on primate social structure and information transmission assigned by Song Chunfang, when his phone suddenly vibrated.

He picked it up and saw a WeChat message from a liaison officer at the Provincial Capital Red Star Zoo who was his point of contact.

The message included a short video and a brief text explanation.

Yang Qi tapped open the video.

The footage showed the inside of a spacious lion enclosure. A magnificent adult male lion with a thick, dense mane was lying listlessly on the dry, sandy ground, his head resting on his front paws, his eyes vacant.

He completely ignored a large, fresh, bloody chunk of beef placed a short distance away, not even bothering to twitch his nose.

The video was a little over ten seconds long, and the lion remained in this lethargic, food-refusing state the entire time.

The text description followed—

[Hello, Advisor Yang. This is an adult male lion named ’Bart’ that our Zoo just acquired last week from a partner zoo in Africa.]

[Ever since he arrived, he’s been suffering from a poor appetite and low spirits. As of today, he has been almost completely refusing food for three days.]

[Our Veterinarians have performed a full examination and ruled out any obvious parasites, infections, or organ damage. We’ve also tried changing his food and adding appetite stimulants, but with little effect.]

[Relevant experts believe it’s a psychological issue. For this reason, the Zoo’s leadership has specifically asked me to seek your help. I was wondering if you could analyze the possible causes based on the video, or if you have any suggestions?]

’Of course, I can’t determine the deeper cause just by watching a video.’

’Many animal issues, especially psychological and behavioral ones, require close observation, sensing their aura, and even communication to be accurately grasped.’

After a moment of thought, Yang Qi typed a reply.

[It’s difficult to determine the specific cause from the video alone. It could be stress from long-distance transport, poor adaptation to the new environment, social pressure, or an undetected underlying health issue.]

[I’m free this afternoon. I can go over and take a look in person.]

Seconds after he sent the message, the other person replied almost instantly, their tone filled with surprise and urgency.

[Thank you so much, Advisor Yang! I’ll book you a ticket for the fastest high-speed train right away and arrange for someone to pick you up at the station. Roughly when can you depart? I’ll send you the train information!]

[I’ll pack up and head to the station now. Just book the ticket for half an hour from now.]

Yang Qi replied.

[Okay, okay, I’ll arrange it immediately.]

After finishing his conversation with the liaison, Yang Qi first called Jiang Kai of the animal management department to briefly explain the situation.

"Chief, there’s an issue with a newly imported lion at the Provincial Capital Red Star Zoo. It’s lost its appetite, and they’ve asked me to go over and help. I’ll head over this afternoon and will probably be back tomorrow."

When Jiang Kai heard it was a request for help from a sister organization and that Yang Qi was the one going, he immediately expressed his support. "Alright, Xiao Yang, go ahead. Be safe on the road. I’ll arrange for someone to temporarily cover the feeding and basic cleaning for the areas you’re responsible for."

"Thanks, Chief!"