"Thank you so much, Advisor Yang."
Minister Wang was overjoyed and thanked him profusely.
"Advisor Yang, this way, please!"
Minister Wang led Yang Qi toward Zhuangzhuang’s enclosure.
It was a semi-open exhibit, with a spacious indoor activity area connected to an outdoor section featuring a rockery and trees.
At that moment, the chimpanzee, Zhuangzhuang, was lying alone on a flat rock at the top of the outdoor rockery. He faced away from the visitors, motionless, his figure radiating a sense of loneliness.
A few other chimpanzees in the enclosure were playing and roughhousing nearby. They would occasionally glance in Zhuangzhuang’s direction, letting out low, concerned whimpers, but Zhuangzhuang didn’t react at all.
When the zookeeper saw Minister Wang and Yang Qi arrive, he hurried over to greet them and briefly recounted Zhuangzhuang’s condition over the past few days. It was essentially the same as what Minister Wang had described.
"Advisor Yang, what do you think...?" Minister Wang looked at Yang Qi expectantly.
"I’ll go in and have a chat with him."
Yang Qi said calmly.
"Go inside the enclosure?" Minister Wang was taken aback.
Although chimpanzees usually seem docile, they were still large primates with astonishing strength.
Especially since Zhuangzhuang was currently depressed, what if he was provoked and attacked...?
"Yes, I’m going in."
Yang Qi nodded, his tone composed. "Communicating through the bars has limited effect. I need to get close to feel his emotions."
"...Alright, then."
Seeing Yang Qi’s confident expression and remembering how he had even tamed a White Tiger into obedience, Minister Wang hesitated for only a moment before nodding. He turned and gestured to the young zookeeper beside him.
"Xiaoliu, open the entrance to the staff passage."
"Yes, Minister Wang."
The young zookeeper quickly took out his keys and unlocked the internal door leading to the outdoor activity area.
"Thank you."
Yang Qi expressed his thanks and stepped into the internal passage, passing through a safety door and entering the chimpanzees’ outdoor activity area.
The activity area was quite large, equipped with enrichment facilities like a rockery, perching structures, and ropes.
In the distance, the few chimpanzees who had been playing and roughhousing stopped what they were doing and stared curiously at the uninvited guest.
Yang Qi’s expression remained neutral as he walked straight toward the rockery.
Zhuangzhuang sat curled up on the platform with his back to the entrance, his head buried in his arms, completely unresponsive to his companions’ playful noises or Yang Qi’s arrival.
Yang Qi walked to the base of the platform and looked up slightly at the powerfully built adult male chimpanzee.
Sunlight filtered through the treetops, dappling Zhuangzhuang’s dark fur, but it couldn’t dispel the thick aura of loneliness surrounding him.
[Host detected at a Friend Sect location]
[Quest triggered: An "Iron-Backed Ape" with a heavy heart has been discovered. Host is requested to help it recover its spirits, make a name for yourself, and enhance the sect’s reputation.]
’A quest triggered?’
’Looks like this chimp has some serious problems...’
As he pondered, Yang Qi activated his Basic Spirit Communication Technique and spoke softly.
"Zhuangzhuang, hello. I’m Yang Qi. Your Two-legged Beast friends asked me to come help you."
"Can you tell me what’s wrong?"
"Is there some special food you want to eat? Or do you want to go for a walk? Or is something else on your mind?"
Zhuangzhuang heard him. His body paused for an almost imperceptible moment, but he still didn’t turn around. His shoulders just seemed to slump even further.
Yang Qi waited a few seconds. Seeing that Zhuangzhuang still wasn’t responding, he turned his back to Minister Wang and the others watching from behind the glass wall and casually raised his right hand in front of him.
Half a block of Vitality Nutrient Cream quietly materialized in his palm.
A rich, warm, and alluring aroma, brimming with life energy, spread out as if it were a tangible thing.
At such close range, the scent washed over Zhuangzhuang like a gentle wave, instantly enveloping him.
The chimpanzee, who had been lost in his own world, suddenly shuddered!
He whipped his head around—
But in the instant he turned, Yang Qi flipped his palm, and the nutrient cream vanished, retracted into his Hundred Pouches Belt.
Zhuangzhuang froze.
His once-dull brown eyes were now wide, his nostrils flaring as he looked left and right, desperately searching for the source of that fragrance.
The scent was so wonderful, so warm, it reminded him of the special honey paste he was fed when he was sick as a child...
But then the scent suddenly disappeared.
Zhuangzhuang anxiously scratched his head. In his confusion, he suddenly sensed something—
He whipped his head to look at Yang Qi, who was standing below the platform.
This Two-legged Beast had an aura that made him feel very comfortable, very familiar.
Like a haystack baked in the sun, like fresh earth after the rainy season...
"HOO-AH? AH-HOO-AH!"
[Are you new?]
Zhuangzhuang gestured with his hands and let out two tentative, low calls, his eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of hope.
"I’m here to help you."
Yang Qi replied with a smile, continuing to speak through the Spirit Communication Technique. "I see you haven’t been eating much these past few days, and you haven’t been playing with the others. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Zhuangzhuang’s mouth fell open in surprise at first, but then his mood sank again.
He slowly sat down on the platform and wrapped his arms around his knees, a posture that made him look exceptionally lonely.
[I... I just miss him.]
The thought was heavy with a deep sense of loss.
"Miss who?"
Yang Qi was taken aback, then guessed, "Do you miss your mate? Or one of your companions?"
[No.]
Zhuangzhuang shook his head. He raised a thick finger, pointed toward the young zookeeper who was watching nervously from outside the glass wall, shook his head again, and then pointed in another direction—toward the entrance of the staff passage.
[It’s the Two-legged Beast who used to give us food and play with us.]
[He hasn’t come back in a long time.]
[I kind of miss him.]
Yang Qi froze, astonishment flashing in his eyes.