Chapter 128: Chapter 121: The Weight of Yang Qi’s Name

Deng Lei hung up the phone and hurried back to the district Forest Police brigade’s office building, knocking on the door to Captain Cheng Wenming’s office.

"Come in."

Deng Lei pushed open the door and entered.

Cheng Wenming was reading a document under the light. Seeing Deng Lei’s grave expression, he put the document down and asked, "What’s the matter?"

"Cheng University, I just got a call from the Zoo, from Advisor Yang." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Deng Lei was brief and to the point, quickly relaying what Yang Qi had told him.

He made a point to emphasize the source of the information: ’a clouded leopard told him.’

After hearing him out, Cheng Wenming said nothing. He simply pulled a cigarette from a pack, lit it, and took a deep drag.

A brief silence fell over the office, the only movement the smoke slowly spiraling up.

If it had been anyone else—even an experienced veteran Ranger—who came running to say an animal had told him a dangerous beast appeared in the mountains, Cheng Wenming would have scoffed.

He would have thought the person was either hallucinating or, having nothing better to do, was just trying to pull his leg.

No matter how smart an animal was, there had to be a limit. This kind of warning, which was almost a form of "Spirit Communication," was simply too absurd.

But the person who said it was Yang Qi.

In Donghua, that name now carried a certain weight within public security, forestry, and cultural tourism circles.

Perhaps Yang Qi himself wasn’t fully aware of it.

But the series of things he had done had already built for him a unique kind of "authority."

Namely, in the extremely niche—yet at times, critically important—field of communicating with and understanding animal behavior.

It would be no exaggeration to call him an expert.

The ordinary black cat he kept had earned the title of "Honorary Police Cat" for its meritorious service.

The Chinese rural dog he kept had tracking abilities that outclassed professional police dogs, earning it the title "Honorary Police Dog."

For the sake of an experiment, the Police Dog Base had "gifted" him two retired Meritorious Police Dogs.

Bare-handedly removing a foreign object from a Northeast Tiger’s jaws.

And just recently in the Provincial Capital, the miraculous feat of "calming a rampaging brown bear with his bare hands."

One deed after another.

All of these shocked people, making them marvel at the wonders of the "human-animal relationship" and inadvertently elevating Yang Qi to a special status.

His words, especially when it came to judging abnormal animal behavior, carried far more credibility than the average person’s.

And now, a clouded leopard had told Yang Qi that the scent of a "powerful wild beast" had appeared in the mountains—a beast that made it feel threatened, possibly a tiger or a brown bear...

Cheng Wenming took a hard drag from his cigarette. Amidst the curling smoke, his gaze sharpened.

He believed Yang Qi wasn’t one to make baseless claims, and he certainly wouldn’t joke about a matter of public safety.

’The clouded leopard’s warning is most likely real!’

At this thought, Cheng Wenming stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette and shot to his feet.

"Let’s go. You’re coming with me to the city bureau."

"Yes, sir!"

...

Donghua Wildlife Park, at the small villa backed by the mountain.

Yang Qi hung up on Deng Lei and stood in the courtyard. He gazed at the night sky, faintly reddened by the glow of the city, and at the dark, brooding silhouette of the rear mountain beneath it. His brow furrowed for a moment.

’I’ve done what I can. The actual investigation and response are up to the Forest Police and the forestry department. There’s little more I can do for now.’

Shaking off these thoughts, he turned and went back inside.

In the living room, the little ones were all waiting with hopeful eyes.

The aroma of the Spirit Rice Porridge was making them drool.

Yang Qi smiled. Once the porridge was cooked, he let it cool for a bit before serving a bowl to each of them.

The warm Spirit Rice Porridge not only warmed their stomachs but also soothed their anxiety and restlessness.

After the meal, Yang Qi did not cultivate.

He went upstairs and materialized the "Mother-Child Unity Bell."

The two bells, one mother and one child, lay quietly in his palm.

The child bell was thumb-sized, while the Mother Bell was a size larger.

They had a simple, ancient look, with a dark, burnished bronze color. Their surfaces were covered in fine, arcane patterns. Yet, when shaken, they were completely silent, as if they were nothing more than two exquisite, mute ornaments.

Following the instructions imbued by the system, Yang Qi first bit the tip of his finger and squeezed out a drop of crimson essence blood. Simultaneously, he mobilized the Magical Power in his body, mixing the blood and power to form a faint, shimmering film of energy. He completely wrapped both bells in it to begin the refinement process.

The whole process took about fifteen minutes.

When Yang Qi felt a subtle yet stable connection form between his mind and the two bells, he slowly withdrew his Magical Power.

Now, the bronze color on the bells’ surfaces seemed more vivid, and a faint light could be seen streaking through the patterns.

’Refinement complete!’

He found a supple, sturdy cord and carefully tied the child bell to it.

Carrying the bell on its cord, he went downstairs and beckoned to Ta Xue, who was lying on the sofa watching "Tom and Jerry."

"Ta Xue, come here a second."

"MROW~"

Ta Xue obediently hopped off the sofa and padded over to Yang Qi’s feet.

"I have something nice for you."

Yang Qi squatted down. While using the "Basic Spirit Communication Technique," he pricked Ta Xue’s paw pad with a sterilized needle, drew two drops of blood, and quickly smeared them onto the surface of the child bell.

When the blood touched the child bell, it was immediately absorbed. The surface flashed faintly before returning to its original state.

Yang Qi could clearly sense that a new connection had formed between the child bell and Ta Xue.

’Nice.’

With a slight smile, Yang Qi looped the cord with the child bell around Ta Xue’s neck, adjusting it to the perfect tightness so it wouldn’t be too snug or fall off easily.

"MROW~"

Curious, Ta Xue lowered its head, trying to get a look at the little bell as it tilted its head back and forth.

[Master, what is this?]

[It feels a little strange, yet familiar.]

"Something good,"

Yang Qi replied, smiling as he rubbed its little head.

"With this, whenever you go outside from now on, as long as you’re not too far, I’ll be able to know where you are and how far away you are from me."

With the help of the Spirit Seed, Yang Qi could vaguely sense the general state and location of his Guardian Beasts, but that sense was rather vague and grew weaker with distance.

The "Mother-Child Unity Bell" was different.

This thing was a specialized auxiliary Magical Artifact. Its effect was more than ten times stronger, and its function was more specific and stable.

"WOOF?"

Leopard trotted over curiously and sniffed the child bell on Ta Xue’s neck.

As Yang Qi’s contracted Guardian Beasts, they could all vaguely sense that this little bell had an aura from the same source as their master, which made them feel a sense of intimacy and trust.

"If you’re a good boy, I’ll give you one later too."

Yang Qi smiled and stroked Leopard’s big, furry head.

"WHINE~"

[Thank you, Master. I’m not envious.]

Leopard replied insincerely, but its tail gave it away with an honest wag.

Yang Qi chuckled and gave the little hypocrite’s head another rub.

...

After informing Deng Lei about the unidentified beast in Cangshan, Yang Qi temporarily put the matter to the back of his mind.

For the next few days, life returned to its normal rhythm.

His days were spent feeding the animals, cleaning their enclosures, and conducting behavioral training.

At night, he used the Array to cultivate.

And in the early mornings, he would do his lottery draw.

The draws mostly yielded regular supplements like Spirit Rice, Strengthening Pills, and Qi Condensing Pills. Although there were occasional Five Elements Spirit Stones, there were no more surprises like a Mid-grade Spirit Stone or "Comprehension +1."

His days were peaceful.

Meanwhile, online...

A video titled, "Is This Really a Cat? You Sure It’s Not a Little Leopard in Disguise?" began to spread rapidly among pet circles and cat lovers.

The star of the video was none other than the Bengal Leopard Cat that Yang Qi had "specially trained" for a period of time.

Overlord!