"Calm down!"
Huang Zhongmu raised a hand and said in a deep voice, "Director Cheng, I understand how you feel. But since this involves the clouded leopards, this isn't something our Zoo can handle alone. We have to report it to the bureau."
"We'll need the bureau to coordinate and dispatch professional personnel to organize a search party for the mountain."
"Since the mother and cub have entered the mountain, they will most likely head deeper into Cangshan. Searching for clouded leopards in Cangshan isn't a walk in the park. Without professional assistance, we'd just be playing with people's lives!"
The supervising authority for the Donghua Wildlife Park was the Forestry Bureau.
Cangshan was the largest and longest mountain range within Donghua City's borders. Nearly half of Donghua's four districts and eight counties were situated around it.
The mountain behind the Zoo itself was part of Cangshan's outer range.
Half of Cangshan had been developed into a tourist area, but the other half was an ancient, untouched forest rarely visited by humans.
In recent years, there had been quite a few cases of hikers venturing into the mountain on their own, only to end up missing or dead.
Cheng Xiaoou's desperation was useless in the face of these facts.
Not to mention the difficulty of the search, the clouded leopard itself is a top jungle predator, swift as the wind and skilled at concealment.
Without experienced professionals, even if they got lucky and found them, they wouldn't be able to get close, let alone capture them safely. In fact, they would more likely provoke the clouded leopard and lose their lives.
Yang Qi knew this well, which was why he had rushed back to report immediately instead of acting rashly on his own.
...
After Huang Zhongmu finished speaking, Cheng Xiaoou took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "I'm sorry, I was too hasty. But Director, we really can't delay this. The longer we wait, the more danger the Little Clouded Leopard is in, especially since it lacks wilderness survival experience!"
"Deep in Cangshan, I can't guarantee there are tigers, but there are definitely wolf packs!"
"And wild boars!"
Jiang Kai chimed in from the side, his expression grave. "With the reforestation efforts in recent years, the animal populations in the mountains have recovered quickly. Wild boars, in particular, are almost running rampant."
"Those things have thick skin and hides. Once they reach a certain weight and go berserk, they'd even dare to take on a tiger head-on! If the Little Clouded Leopard runs into them..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood the danger.
A young leopard raised by humans had a minuscule chance of survival in a primeval forest fraught with danger.
"I'm going to the bureau to report this now!"
Huang Zhongmu didn't hesitate any longer. He grabbed his phone and car keys from the table and acted with swift decisiveness.
Seeing this, Yang Qi was about to take his leave, but Huang Zhongmu's gaze shifted to him, and he spoke.
"Xiao Yang, you get ready too. Once the bureau has coordinated the personnel, you'll go into the mountain with the search team. You saw the mother and cub with your own eyes, so you're the most familiar with the situation. Any problem with that?"
This was a direct order.
"No problem."
Yang Qi immediately straightened his back and replied, adding a less-than-perfect salute.
"I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
"Haha, good!" Jiang Kai and Huang Zhongmu were amused.
And at the very moment Huang Zhongmu's approving smile appeared, a notification sound rang in Yang Qi's mind.
[Praise from the Sect Leader. Contribution Points +5]
'This works too?'
Yang Qi was astonished, then inwardly delighted.
'This Beast Taming Sect system is truly something else; it can even convert praise from a superior into contribution points.'
'Of course, the praise has to be genuine.'
'It's only 5 contribution points, but every little bit helps!'
Huang Zhongmu had singled out Yang Qi for two reasons. First, Yang Qi had seen the clouded leopards with his own eyes and had even saved someone from them, making him the most familiar with the targets.
Second, he valued Yang Qi's mysterious "talent" for communicating with animals, which might play a crucial role in searching for and approaching the clouded leopards.
Yang Qi readily agreed, but he also had his own reasons.
For one, he had already planned to go into the mountains to find a way to bring the mother and cub back to the Zoo.
The system had prompted him several times that "returning a Spirit Beast to the sect" would earn contribution points. For a rare animal like the clouded leopard, the reward would certainly be substantial.
For another, his boss had personally assigned him the task. If he refused, his life at the Zoo would likely become difficult.
On the contrary, by pleasing his boss, didn't the "reward" arrive immediately?
...
Huang Zhongmu hurried off to the Forestry Bureau.
Meanwhile, Yang Qi returned to his small villa.
He first washed half a jin of Spirit Rice and put it in the cooker. While waiting for the rice to cook, he calmed his mind and carefully studied the Cultivation Technique he had obtained: the "Moon-Inviting Qi Refining Art."
However, upon studying it, Yang Qi discovered that things weren't so simple.
There was no problem with the Cultivation Technique itself; all its contents were presented directly in his mind.
But the core steps involved—"guiding qi," "circulating qi," "transforming qi," and "refining qi"—required a clear understanding of the body's meridians, acupoints, and Dantian, as well as knowing how to precisely coordinate and guide the flow.
Thanks to the previous reward, "Unobstructed Meridians," his body was in an optimal state, and he had a preliminary, vague "sensation of qi," so he wasn't completely helpless as if reading a heavenly script.
But to fully grasp the mysteries of the "Moon-Inviting Qi Refining Art" and successfully begin his practice, Yang Qi estimated he would need at least several more days of dedicated study and experimentation.
It seemed he couldn't rush cultivating his first wisp of Magical Power.
Realizing this, Yang Qi slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, calming his somewhat anxious mind.
'The path of cultivation is truly one step at a time.'
BEEP BEEP~!
The rice cooker beeped; the Spirit Rice was ready.
The familiar, refreshing fragrance once again filled the air, sweeping through the house.
"Meow meow~"
Xiaojiu wagged its tail and called out to Yang Qi.
[Hurry, hurry]
[Yummy food]
[Want to eat]
"Coming."
Yang Qi walked to the kitchen and took out bowls and chopsticks.
He served a large bowl for himself and another for Xiaojiu. The man and his cat ate to their heart's content, finishing most of it.
A small portion was left in the pot.
Yang Qi planned to use it to make rice soup for breakfast the next morning.
...
At the stroke of midnight, the system performed its daily settlement.
[Today's feeding work is complete. The host has fed a total of six types of Spirit Beasts. Contribution Points +30]
The little raccoon wasn't fed by Yang Qi this morning, so it wasn't included in the count.
However, including his remaining balance and the 5 contribution points from Huang Zhongmu's praise, his total contribution points once again reached 100.
'Time for another lottery draw!'
Without hesitation, Yang Qi decisively chose the lottery draw.
[Congratulations to the host for drawing a prize: Comprehension +1]
[Description: The host's comprehension ability has been permanently increased by a small amount.]
'An increase in comprehension?'
Yang Qi was stunned for a moment, then a wave of ecstasy washed over him.
This wasn't a tangible item or skill, but a permanent buff that directly improved his own aptitude.
'My luck is off the charts!'
Sure enough, Yang Qi felt as if his mind had been washed by a clear spring, becoming clearer and his thoughts seeming to move a fraction faster.
The many obscure and difficult parts he had encountered while studying the "Moon-Inviting Qi Refining Art" now became clear, and he understood them completely upon recalling them.
"Haha, these 100 contribution points were so worth it!"
Yang Qi clenched his fists, feeling incredibly energized.
Immediately, he sat cross-legged on his bed and began circulating the "Moon-Inviting Qi Refining Art" to absorb the residual Spirit Rice energy in his body.
Five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes...
Time passed.
About an hour later, the first wisp of Magical Power was successfully formed!