’Why?’

A mist instantly clouded Ta Xue’s large, amber eyes. She looked pitifully at Yang Qi, her little face a picture of pure grievance.

Yang Qi blinked.

He felt as if he were bullying an ignorant child, taking away her only form of entertainment.

’Forget it, forget it. If she wants to watch, she can watch. It’s not a big deal.’

’Worst case, when Ta Xue goes back to live in the mountains, I’ll buy a tablet, download "Tom and Jerry," and bring it into the mountains for her to watch every few days.’

With that thought, Yang Qi revealed a gentle smile and reached out to rub Ta Xue’s fluffy head.

"I was just teasing you. Come on, let’s watch TV."

"Meow meow!"

The mist in Ta Xue’s eyes vanished in an instant. She let out a happy cry, jumped down from the sofa, and rubbed her head and body vigorously against Yang Qi’s leg.

’You’re so nice!’

Xiaojiu, who had been lying quietly on the windowsill taking in the whole scene, rolled her eyes in a human-like fashion and turned her head away.

Lying on a soft cushion in the corner, Bai Wan looked bewildered and a little nervous.

Yang Qi turned on the TV and switched to the "Tom and Jerry" cartoon channel.

As the cheerful music began, Ta Xue immediately focused her full attention on the screen, the tip of her tail swaying happily.

"Ta Xue, you can watch TV, but only for an hour at most. When the time is up, we have to turn it off. Got it?"

Yang Qi laid down the rule.

"Meow meow!"

’Okay!’

Ta Xue readily agreed.

As for whether she had actually taken it to heart, only she herself knew.

’I’ll watch first and worry about it later!’

Yang Qi smiled and didn’t nag any further.

He walked over to Bai Wan, gathered his Magical Power, and cast the Basic Spirit Awakening Technique.

A faint light flashed from his fingertip and entered the spot between Bai Wan’s brows.

Bai Wan’s body trembled slightly. After a moment of confusion, his eyes became visibly more intelligent.

He shook his head, and his gaze toward Yang Qi now held a clear understanding amidst his dependence.

"Come, Bai Wan, let me introduce you to the members of the family."

Yang Qi pointed to the two little ones in the living room. "That’s Xiaojiu, the black cat. She’s the big sister of the house. That’s Ta Xue, the Little Clouded Leopard. They’re both one of us, so you have to get along well with them. Remember, no fighting. You have to help each other, understand?"

"Woof!"

’Okay!’

Bai Wan understood most of it and nodded emphatically. His bark was much stronger than it had been when he was weak.

Yang Qi patted his head in satisfaction.

The family had a new member. Although he was still a patient for now, he seemed to be adapting quite well.

...

That evening, Yang Qi cooked a large pot of fragrant Spirit Rice Porridge.

Xiaojiu, Ta Xue, and Bai Wan each received a large bowl.

Ta Xue and Bai Wan ate with great relish, while Xiaojiu remained as elegant and composed as ever.

After dinner, Yang Qi sat cross-legged on the Meditation Cushion for his routine cultivation.

Just as he was getting into the zone, the phone he had placed to the side began to ring.

He slowly stopped circulating his energy, exhaled a turbid breath, and picked up his phone. The caller ID showed "Jiang Kai."

"Director, good evening," Yang Qi said as he answered the call.

"Xiao Yang, am I interrupting your rest?"

Jiang Kai exchanged a few pleasantries before getting to the point. "Here’s the situation. Master Bao is sick and in the hospital. For the animals he’s responsible for, specifically the leopards and lynxes, I was wondering if I could trouble you to take care of them for now?"

’Master Bao is sick?’

Yang Qi was slightly taken aback.

Following the zoo’s tradition with the older generation, Yang Qi had shadowed Bao Shun for a few days to learn the basic procedures and precautions for animal husbandry, making him something of a semi-apprentice.

"No problem, Director. I can handle it."

Yang Qi snapped back to reality and agreed, then asked with concern, "How is Master Bao? Is it serious?"

"It’s not considered a critical illness, but we won’t know the specifics until the test results come back," Jiang Kai explained.

"That’s good."

Yang Qi felt a little relieved, then asked, "Which hospital is Master Bao in? What’s his room number?"

"He’s at the Municipal First People’s Hospital, third floor of the inpatient department, room 312," Jiang Kai replied.

The two chatted briefly for a few more moments before hanging up.

Yang Qi put down his phone, a plan already forming in his mind.

For both professional and personal reasons, with Master Bao hospitalized, he, the "apprentice," ought to pay him a visit.

...

The next morning, Yang Qi arrived at the logistics warehouse a little earlier than usual. Following instructions, he collected the extra food rations for the leopards and lynxes.

Then, he headed to the Leopard House first.

The female leopard, Big Flower, was still in heat and was exceptionally irritable.

Even when she saw Yang Qi coming to feed her, she didn’t give him a pleasant look. She bared her teeth, let out a low growl, and pounced on the food bowl, tearing ferociously into the first piece of meat Yang Qi tossed in.

Her ferocious posture made it look less like she was eating and more like she was venting her pent-up frustration and some kind of instinctual urge.

Watching Big Flower’s state, an idea struck Yang Qi. He remembered the Creation Pill he had gotten from the lottery yesterday.

’Isn’t this the perfect test subject?’

Yang Qi’s eyes lit up.

Leopards are rare animals, and the zoo had always hoped to breed them successfully, but the mating success rate in captivity wasn’t particularly high.

Especially since Er Hua wasn’t very cooperative!

’If I use the Creation Pill...’

Immediately, Yang Qi checked the angle of the security camera, turned his back, and used his body as a shield to materialize a Creation Pill.

He split the pill in two, mixed one half into the remaining chunks of meat for Big Flower, and tossed it into her food dish.

Big Flower didn’t notice a thing and swallowed the meat mixed with half the pill in just a few bites.

Seeing this, Yang Qi went to the adjacent enclosure and fed the other half of the Creation Pill to Er Hua.

After watching both leopards finish the laced meat and seeing no immediate abnormal reactions, Yang Qi left the Leopard House with peace of mind to feed the lynxes, as well as the wolf pack and raccoons he was in charge of.

When he had finished his rounds and returned to the Leopard House area, he indeed heard an unusual commotion.

In the two adjacent enclosures, both Big Flower and Er Hua appeared unusually excited and agitated.

The two leopards faced each other from a distance, separated by the bars, the atmosphere so intense it could almost spark a fire.

’The time has come!’

Yang Qi decisively took out his phone and called Jiang Kai to report the leopards’ situation, proposing they be put in the same enclosure.

On the other end of the line, Jiang Kai was skeptical but told Yang Qi to wait.

Previously, Er Hua had been very reluctant and was chased and bitten by Big Flower.

Now he’s raring to go?

Soon, Jiang Kai and Veterinarian Zhang hurried to the Leopard House.

Yang Qi pointed to the two leopards in their enclosures, who were unable to control their desires, making eyes at each other through the bars and constantly letting out mating calls.

Dr. Zhang observed them carefully for a moment and nodded.

"Big Flower has indeed entered the peak of her estrus. Her hormone levels and behavior are all very typical. Er Hua’s response is also very enthusiastic. From the perspectives of animal behavior and reproduction, putting them together now has a very high chance of successful mating. We can give it a try."

"Alright, let’s put them together!" Jiang Kai said decisively.

With approval granted, Yang Qi followed standard procedure and opened Er Hua’s enclosure door.

Er Hua was already impatient. He rushed out almost the instant the door opened, hesitated briefly in the corridor, sniffed the air, and then ran towards the entrance of Big Flower’s enclosure.

Yang Qi coordinated by opening Big Flower’s door, and Er Hua immediately darted inside.

As soon as the two leopards met, they embraced, nibbling each other’s necks and ears.

A moment later, after a few attempts, Er Hua successfully mounted Big Flower, and the official act of procreation began.

Seeing this, a smile appeared on Jiang Kai’s face, and he whispered excitedly.

"Success!"

Dr. Zhang was also happy at first, but he soon frowned.

"Something’s wrong. The timing is off..."

"What’s off about it?" Jiang Kai asked subconsciously.

"A leopard’s single session is very short, usually only ten-some seconds, rarely more than thirty."

Dr. Zhang looked at the watch on his wrist with a strange expression. "But look, it’s already been over a minute! Er Hua is still going!"

Hearing this, Jiang Kai was also stunned.

He glanced down at his own watch, then looked up at the pair of leopards in the enclosure who were still tightly linked, showing no signs of stopping.

He opened his mouth, and after a long moment, managed to choke out a sentence.

"A super stud... no, a stud-leopard?"