"I was thinking of a bear that’s bigger than you, but not one of the especially large ones."

Yang Qi first thought of a leopard or a black bear.

Although neither had been seen in Cangshan for a long time, they had been present in the past.

"It’s not a leopard, nor a bear."

Caiyun shook her head, a hint of confusion and a deeper wariness in her eyes.

"I’ve never seen that kind of beast."

"But when I was a cub, far, far away from the mountain, I once caught a similar scent. It was faint, but terrifying."

"Yesterday, on the edge of my territory, I smelled that scent again. Though it was still faint, I recognized it immediately."

"This beast was never in the mountains before. It must be new."

’A terrifying scent remembered since she was a cub?’

’A new, unknown, powerful predator?’

Yang Qi’s expression turned serious.

As one of the top predators in this forest, Caiyun’s perception and judgment wouldn’t be wrong.

"Okay, thank you for telling me."

Yang Qi thanked her solemnly and took a Strengthening Pill from his Hundred Pouches Belt. "Eat this pill. It’s good for you. It’ll make you a bit stronger..."

Before Yang Qi could finish, Caiyun had already sensed the instinctively alluring aura contained within the Strengthening Pill. She quickly moved closer, and with a flick of her tongue, swallowed it down, then squinted her eyes in comfort.

Seeing this, Yang Qi smiled and said, "You must be careful in the mountains. Try to avoid the area where you smelled that terrifying scent."

"Wuu~"

Ta Xue let out a low growl and moved closer to Caiyun.

"Mama, I’ll stay here with you."

"No."

As expected, Caiyun refused, her gaze stern.

"That powerful beast is extremely dangerous. You can’t handle it."

"For the time being, you are to stay outside the mountain with the Two-legged Beast."

"You can come back after I’ve figured out whether that powerful beast has left this mountain, or what it’s even trying to do."

If not for Yang Qi’s unique existence, according to the laws of survival in the wild, Caiyun would have chosen to migrate with her cub immediately, leaving this forest where an unknown, powerful enemy had suddenly appeared.

After all, in the cruel world of nature, it’s not uncommon for cubs to die young in the jaws of powerful predators.

"That’s right. Ta Xue, you are not to enter the mountains for the next few days."

Yang Qi agreed with Caiyun’s decision. He looked at her and said, "I’ll tell the other Two-legged Beasts about the unidentified powerful animal in the mountains and see if we can find it."

"Until then, Caiyun, you must be extra careful. Don’t take any risks."

"Thank you."

Caiyun let out a low growl, her pupils flashing with the confidence and sharpness of a jungle killer.

"In the trees of this forest, no beast can truly harm me."

’That’s true.’

Yang Qi felt a little more at ease.

In the Cangshan region, among the currently known large predators, there were no leopards, large pythons, or gorillas that were skilled climbers and could pose a fatal threat to an adult clouded leopard.

With their superior climbing ability and arboreal habits, clouded leopards were at the top of the food chain in the forest canopy.

As long as Caiyun remained vigilant and didn’t rashly descend to the ground for a head-on confrontation with an unknown enemy, her own safety shouldn’t be a major issue.

...

After bidding farewell to Caiyun, Yang Qi returned to his dorm at the Zoo with a clearly dejected Ta Xue.

As usual, he gave Ta Xue a bath, blow-dried his fur, and carefully applied flea and tick powder. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The little guy was cooperative the whole time, but he clearly lacked his usual liveliness, just lying there and letting Yang Qi handle him, his big eyes full of worry.

Yang Qi carried him to the sofa, turned on the TV, and switched to his usual favorite, Tom and Jerry.

But Ta Xue only glanced at the screen before lowering his head again, unconsciously pawing at the sofa cushion.

Seeing this, Yang Qi sat down beside him, used the Basic Spirit Communication Technique, and said gently, "Don’t worry too much. Your mom is very strong. She’s the best there is in this forest, and she has almost no rivals in the trees. You need to have faith in her."

"Wuu~"

Ta Xue looked up at Yang Qi, his pupils flashing with a determined light.

"I know Mom is strong, but I need to get stronger too."

"Strong enough to protect Mom, and to protect you."

The little guy’s spirit hadn’t faltered.

Yang Qi nodded in satisfaction, feeling gratified. He encouraged him, saying, "Then eat well and train hard. When you grow up, you’ll become incredibly powerful, stronger than all the other beasts."

"WOOF~"

Bai Wan walked over just then, sat down beside them, and calmly chimed in.

"Master is right. You’re still young, so there’s no need to rush."

"Once you’re grown up, you’ll naturally be strong."

"WOOF WOOF~"

"Sister Jiu said that when you grow up, you’ll be even bigger than me."

Leopard wagged his tail and trotted over as well. He sized up Ta Xue, his tone a mixture of competitiveness and anticipation.

"You’d better grow up fast."

"Then we can have a match and see who’s stronger."

’What’s there to compare?’

Speechless, Yang Qi ruffled Leopard’s big, fluffy head.

’A clouded leopard and a German Shepherd... their species, habits, and fighting styles are completely different. What’s the point of comparing them?’

Wuu~

"I understand."

Ta Xue responded with determination.

"I’m going to eat hard and get stronger."

"WOOF~"

"Right! Eat that fragrant, delicious Spirit Rice Porridge!"

Leopard licked his lips, drool unwittingly trickling down.

As he spoke, his eyes turned to Yang Qi.

"Alright, I’ll go make the porridge now."

Amused, Yang Qi ruffled Leopard’s head.

Seeing that Ta Xue’s mood had improved a bit thanks to Bai Wan and Leopard’s playful banter, he didn’t try to console him any further.

He immediately got up and went to the kitchen to wash the rice and cook the porridge.

While waiting, he also went to the backyard to set up the Demon Extermination Array.

While harvesting contribution points, he picked up his phone and walked out into the small courtyard.

Outside, the night was dark, dotted with stars.

Yang Qi found Deng Lei’s contact, carefully considered his wording, and composed a message to send him.

He informed the forest police captain of Caiyun’s discovery.

And speculated that it was a brown bear or a tiger.

After thinking it over, Yang Qi still felt that these two animals fit Caiyun’s description.

Less than two minutes after he sent the message, Yang Qi’s phone screen lit up. The caller ID showed it was Deng Lei.

Yang Qi answered the call. Before he could even speak, Deng Lei’s urgent voice came through the receiver, the background somewhat noisy.

"Advisor Yang, is the message you just sent real? Is it really possible that a tiger or a brown bear has appeared in Cangshan?"

"Did you see it yourself, or did you hear it from villagers or hikers who went into the mountains?"

"Where exactly? Are there any tracks at the scene? We haven’t received any reports of animals attacking livestock or injuring people yet..."

Deng Lei fired off a string of rapid-fire questions, clearly made nervous by Yang Qi’s message.

It was a known and recorded fact that there were wolves and wild boars in Cangshan at present.

But if a large apex predator like a tiger or a brown bear were to appear, it would be a major safety hazard that had to be taken extremely seriously.

"Captain Deng, we can’t be completely sure yet."

Yang Qi waited for him to finish his barrage of questions before replying calmly, "I didn’t see it myself, either."

"Huh? Then where did you get this information?" Deng Lei asked, confused.

Hearing this, Yang Qi thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth.

"Captain Deng, you know there’s a clouded leopard in the mountain behind our Zoo, right?"

"I know. Several of the mountains over there were temporarily closed off because of that clouded leopard."

Deng Lei replied. As the words left his mouth, he realized the implication and exclaimed, "Wait! Advisor Yang, you’re not trying to say that it was the clouded leopard who told you about a powerful beast in the mountains, are you?"

"Yes."

Yang Qi’s tone became serious. "Caiyun is the clouded leopard’s name. We have a pretty good relationship. I went into the mountains today, and she sought me out. She told me that a powerful, threatening beast that makes her wary has appeared."

"And this beast isn’t a leopard or a black bear."

"It’s not a leopard or a black bear, but it’s enough to threaten a clouded leopard. After thinking it over and over, besides a brown bear, it could only be a tiger!"

Deng Lei fell silent.

Yang Qi also remained silent.

After a long moment, Deng Lei said in a heavy voice, "Thank you, Advisor Yang. And please thank ’Caiyun’ for me as well. I’ll report this immediately!"

Brown bears and tigers appearing in Cangshan... this was a huge deal!