Chapter 412 - 221: Let Him Be Strong; a Gentle Breeze Brushes the Mountain
Chapter 412: Chapter 221: Let Him Be Strong; a Gentle Breeze Brushes the Mountain
Life was like the water of the Vortex River—it seemed calm, but flowed on day after day.
After the outing, Yang Qi’s life returned to its usual routine.
During the day: feeding, cleaning, training, and observation logs.
At night, when he wasn’t cultivating, he completed the coursework assigned by Song Chunfang, read thick professional journals, and mulled over how to combine modern animal behaviorism with the art of beast taming, writing one insightful report after another.
The system’s lottery was always a small daily diversion. But as the autumn wind grew colder, the mosquito population dwindled, causing his Contribution Point income to plummet.
Even with the Four-winged Cold Kun hunting during the day and the earnings from the Demon Extermination Array at night, he was only making three or four hundred Contribution Points a day—barely enough for three or four lottery draws.
The prizes had mostly returned to the usual fare.
Low-Grade Qi Condensing Pills, Spirit Rice, Strengthening Pills, Low-grade Spirit Stones...
Occasionally, he’d get a Beast Spirit Pill or a low-level Talisman, but the kind of amazing surprises like the Jade Water Calm Wave Pearl or the Creation (Fertility) Pill hadn’t appeared again.
Yang Qi remained unconcerned. Cultivation was never a process that could be rushed, and accumulating resources was a slow and steady trickle.
Pang Yunrui often sent messages and photos of the construction progress at Xianlai Zoo.
The foundation had been laid, some of the enclosures were beginning to take shape, and trees were being transplanted into the area designated for the Hundred Trees Nourishing Body Array.
Seeing the photos of the barren hills gradually transforming into something resembling the Beast Taming Sect, Yang Qi felt a faint sense of anticipation.
The poaching organization, Jiulian Mountain, seemed to have gone completely dormant since their last confrontation, making no further moves.
Deng Lei would send news occasionally, but it was all about tracking down peripheral clues; the core members remained shrouded in mystery.
Yang Qi wasn’t in a hurry. What was meant to happen would happen. He just needed to keep improving himself and wait for the right moment.
「It was just past ten one morning, and the autumn sun was pleasantly warm.」
Yang Qi had just finished a deep clean of the Gray Wolf enclosure and was hosing the foam off his rubber boots when he got a call from Jiang Kai.
"Xiao Yang, are you done with your work? If so, come by my office."
"Okay, I’m on my way."
Yang Qi turned off the water, took off his rubber boots, changed into dry work shoes, put his tools away, and then walked unhurriedly toward the administration building.
He pushed open the door to the Animal Management Department and saw that Jiang Kai wasn’t alone.
Huang Zhongmu was sitting on the guest sofa, holding a cup of tea.
Standing beside him were three Veterinarians in white coats, each carrying a portable equipment case.
"Director, Department Head."
Yang Qi greeted them in turn, then nodded to the Veterinarians.
"Xiao Yang, you’re here. Have a seat."
Huang Zhongmu set down his teacup. His expression was gentle but held a trace of seriousness. "We asked you to come because we need your help with something."
Jiang Kai picked up the conversation, gesturing to the cases Dr. Li and the others were holding. "It’s about that pair of black bears on Bear Mountain. It’s been a month since... ahem, their relationship warmed up."
"We’ve been observing the female’s behavior, appetite, and vital signs, and there are some indications of pregnancy, but nothing conclusive. So we want to give her a B-scan."
One of the Veterinarians added, "It would be best for both the mother and any potential cubs if we could do it without anesthesia. When Big Flower was pregnant, you were the one who successfully performed the B-scan without it. So, we’d like you to try again—to communicate with the female black bear."
Yang Qi understood.
They wanted to replicate his success with Big Flower.
"No problem."
Yang Qi nodded, but then added, "However, I can’t guarantee the female black bear will cooperate. That one is a bit stubborn."
He wasn’t making excuses; it was the truth.
During the few days he’d filled in for Brother Lin on feeding duty, Yang Qi had tried communicating with the female bear numerous times. But she was completely unresponsive, either eating by herself or just lying there ignoring him.
She was the very picture of aloofness.
"We understand."
Jiang Kai nodded. "Animals have their own personalities, after all. Big Flower is gentler and was willing to cooperate with you. The female black bear is more strong-willed, so it’s normal for her to ignore you. But we have to try. What if she’s in a good mood today?"
"Just do your best. It’s fine if it doesn’t work out."
Huang Zhongmu also smiled. "The main thing is to confirm it early. If she is pregnant, we can start making more precise preparations for her diet, environment, and nutrition."
"I understand," Yang Qi agreed.
There was no time to lose. The group took the portable B-scan machine and other auxiliary tools and headed for Bear Mountain.
Over at Bear Mountain, the keeper, Brother Lin, had already been notified.
The male and female black bears had been separated into different yards two weeks ago.
The female bear’s indoor den and outdoor yard had been cleared out to prepare the examination area.
The B-scan machine was wheeled into the service corridor connecting the outdoor yard and the indoor den. The probe and its associated cables were ready.
The three Veterinarians were making final adjustments.
The others, including Huang Zhongmu, Jiang Kai, and Brother Lin, waited outside the service corridor, watching through the observation window.
Yang Qi, wearing a work T-shirt and empty-handed, pushed open the door from the service corridor to the female bear’s yard and walked in.
The yard was spacious, furnished with a rock formation, a pool, and climbing structures.
The female black bear was lazing on a large, flat rock, sunbathing. Hearing the noise, she turned her head, her dark, glossy eyes glancing at Yang Qi.
She recognized him.
’The Two-legged Beast who had fed her for a few days and tried to "chat" with her, only to be ignored.’
She immediately let out a muffled grunt from her throat—a greeting of sorts—before turning her head back to continue her sunbath, her thick paws occasionally batting at a large rubber ball beside her.