Yang Qi chose his words carefully. "I hope the three of you can keep this confidential and not mention it to the public. Currently, the only people who know about the clouded leopards in Cangshan are our Zoo staff, the Forestry Department, and the police. The outside world is still unaware of this."

"Clouded leopards are a top-level nationally protected species. They’re critically endangered and extremely elusive. Premature or excessive public attention, especially from those with ill intentions, could easily disturb their peaceful lives and even put them in danger."

"Sometimes, the best way to protect them is ’to not know.’ Letting them live quietly in the mountains is the greatest form of respect and protection we can give them."

Upon hearing this, Professor Yu was taken aback for a moment before a look of realization and admiration spread across his face.

As a scholar who had spent years in fieldwork and was keenly aware of the importance of ecological conservation, he immediately understood Yang Qi’s profound reasoning and good intentions.

"I understand, Advisor Yang. You’ve been very thorough."

Professor Yu nodded solemnly. "Please rest assured. The three of us—my students and I—pledge on our academic reputations and personal integrity. We will never leak any information about the clouded leopards."

"Regarding the rescue, we’ll only mention that we received timely assistance from your Zoo and the police. We’ll be vague about all other details."

"Protecting rare wildlife is the duty of every person who works with nature!"

The two students also quickly gave their assurances.

Yang Qi thanked them.

After seeing Professor Yu and his two students off, Yang Qi’s life returned to its former peace and routine.

Feeding the animals, cleaning the enclosures.

Checking on Big Flower, walking the giant panda Tuantuan.

Doing his lottery draws, restocking on regular supplies.

He would occasionally contact Pang Yunrui, overseeing the construction of "Xianlai" to the best of his ability.

...

That afternoon, after cleaning and setting up enrichment in the Gray Wolf and raccoon enclosures, Yang Qi recorded their food intake and general spirits.

Seeing that it was still early, he headed toward the employee dormitory area.

Just as he reached a tree-lined path near the junction of the visitor area and the staff quarters, a sudden commotion erupted up ahead, filled with gasps of wonder, laughter, and the rapid clicking of camera shutters.

’An accident?’

Yang Qi frowned slightly, quickened his pace for a few steps, went around a dense thicket of holly, and the view before him suddenly opened up.

In a clearing in the middle of the tree-lined path, a crowd of tourists with phones or cameras had gathered, all their lenses and gazes focused on a small figure at the center.

When Yang Qi got a clear look at the scene, he couldn’t help but freeze.

A little girl who looked about six or seven years old was standing in the middle of the clearing. She was thin and frail, her small face an unhealthy pale, and her lips lacked color.

But at this moment, her face was filled with a pure, innocent smile.

What stunned Yang Qi was that more than a dozen common small birds were fluttering around her!

There were chirping, hopping sparrows; colorful, timid light-vented bulbuls; and even two normally cautious spotted doves.

The little birds ignored the surrounding people and noise, circling the girl joyfully and affectionately as if drawn by some invisible magic.

Even more, a bold sparrow landed directly on the little girl’s slightly open palm, tilting its small head and gently pecking her fingertips with its beak.

Another light-vented bulbul landed on her slender shoulder, curiously preening its feathers.

An even bolder one landed atop her head, right on her somewhat dull, straw-colored hair, which was tied in a simple ponytail.

The little girl responded to the birds’ actions, a flush of excitement appearing on her pale face, her eyes sparkling brightly.

A hundred birds surrounded her, sparrows flocking to her side!

This strange, fairytale-like scene drew in even more tourists, who gathered around to watch and take photos as cries of amazement rose one after another.

But Yang Qi’s shock went far beyond that.

Because he had seen this little girl before!

The first time he went to the Provincial Capital Red Star Zoo at Tong Xiaoyue’s invitation, this very girl and her mother had been sitting next to him on the bullet train.

At that time, the little girl had been staring at him, and even later when they got off at the Provincial Capital station, as the mother and daughter left with the crowd, the little girl kept turning back to look at him...

Yang Qi hadn’t thought much of it at the time, simply assuming that as his Cultivation increased, his own aura had become purer and more refined, naturally attracting a perceptive child.

’But now, it seems that wasn’t the case at all!’

’The reason that little girl stared at me so intently back then probably wasn’t because of my unique aura, but because she herself possesses some kind of extremely rare gift.’

’The little girl had sensed the "kindred spirit" aura on me—the one that made animals feel close to me!’

’This scene of being surrounded by a hundred birds is just like a specific manifestation of my own overpowered "Ten Thousand Beasts Affinity" talent!’

’Except, my affinity works on all animals, while this little girl’s gift seems to be focused specifically on birds.’

’Ten Thousand Birds Affinity?’

’With a gift like this, she’s a natural-born candidate for the Beast Taming Sect.’

’No, you could even call her a chosen one!’

’If she were in the Cultivation Realm, someone with this kind of innate affinity for a specific type of creature would be the perfect Disciple. All the major Beast Taming Sects would fight tooth and nail to claim her!’

"Tutu, what are you doing all the way over here?"

A voice filled with urgency and worry rang out.

Immediately after, a figure quite familiar to Yang Qi came running quickly from the other end of the tree-lined path.

The newcomer ran to the little girl’s side, first breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled sheepishly at the surrounding tourists taking pictures, and gently waved his hand to shoo away the small birds.

"Shoo, shoo. Scatter now."

The little birds seemed reluctant to leave, but with a flutter of wings, they gradually flew back into the surrounding trees at his urging.

As the wondrous sight vanished, the tourists began to disperse, chattering among themselves, clearly wishing it had lasted longer. Many of them kept looking back at the little girl.

Yang Qi finally composed himself, walked over, and said, "Master Bao."

"Xiao Yang? It’s you."

The man was none other than Bao Shun.

When Yang Qi first started at the Zoo as a temp, it was Master Bao who had patiently and meticulously taught him the basics of animal husbandry and all the things to watch out for.

"Master Bao, how have you been lately?"

Yang Qi greeted him with a smile, his gaze shifting to the little girl who was peeking at him.

"Work’s easier now, so my health is holding up," Bao Shun said cheerfully, patting the little girl. "Tutu, don’t be scared. This is Uncle Yang. He’s the best Animal Expert at the Zoo. Go on, call him uncle."

The little girl’s eyes—which seemed overly large because of her illness but were still clear and bright—were fixed on Yang Qi.

She clearly recognized him as the uncle from the bullet train who had left such a deep impression on her.

At Bao Shun’s urging, she whispered timidly, "Un... Uncle, hello."

"Hello, Tutu."

Yang Qi crouched down to her eye level and smiled warmly. "Those little birds really seem to like you, Tutu. You’re amazing."

A shy blush crept onto Tutu’s pale face. She nodded lightly. Looking at Yang Qi now, her gaze held less timidity and more curiosity, along with an inexplicable feeling of affinity.

"This kid, she just loves these little creatures," Bao Shun explained with a laugh. Then he glanced around and said to Yang Qi, "Xiao Yang, do you have a minute? We could go sit in the rest area over there."

"Sure," Yang Qi agreed with a nod.

The three of them went to a nearby gazebo for tourists to rest in.

Bao Shun had Tutu sit on a stone bench to rest, and poured some warm water for her to drink from a thermos he carried.

Tutu was very well-behaved, sitting quietly and sipping the water. Her gaze, however, flickered from time to time to the small birds hopping on the branches nearby, and then she would secretly glance at Yang Qi.

Bao Shun and Yang Qi took a few steps away from Tutu, and the smile vanished from Bao Shun’s face.

"Xiao Yang, I won’t lie to you... this girl is my grandniece. She’s had a bitter lot in life," Bao Shun said, his voice low and filled with heartache.

Yang Qi’s heart stirred, and he gestured for Master Bao to continue.

"Birds have been drawn to her ever since she was little. I don’t know why, but she’s always happy when birds are around, and they’re never afraid of her."

Bao Shun’s gaze softened as he looked at Tutu sitting quietly. "It’s a shame... they say the good die young. Her father—my nephew—had an accident at a construction site the year before last. He passed away, leaving the two of them, mother and daughter, to fend for themselves."

"That was already hard enough, but it seems fate is just cruel."

Bao Shun’s voice choked with emotion. "Late last year, Tutu kept complaining she was tired. She was always covered in bruises and had a fever that wouldn’t break. They took her to the hospital... and she was diagnosed with leukemia!"

’Leukemia?’