Besides, a place like Cangshan—with abundant food, clean water, and no competition from other top predators like tigers or bears—was incredibly hard to find.
She had wandered through many places before finally choosing this one.
Most importantly, if this Two-legged Beast had really wanted to threaten her and her cub, he’d had the perfect opportunity just now.
He was strong, and those two fierce-looking dogs next to him had been watching her menacingly the entire time.
But after defeating her, he hadn’t delivered a killing blow. He hadn’t even gone near her cub. Instead, he had backed away and said all these strange things...
The mother tiger fell silent.
Her massive chest heaved, clearly weighing her options in a fierce internal struggle.
Yang Qi knew she was listening. His heart settled a bit as he threw out his most important condition.
"The main thing I want to discuss is this: you cannot go down the mountain into the territory of the Two-legged Beasts! You cannot harm any Two-legged Beast!"
This time, his tone was serious and carried a warning.
"But if you’re short on food, I can provide it for you."
"All the pork you can eat!"
Yang Qi had offered a bargaining chip that was hard to refuse.
After the New Year, when the Xianlai Zoo opened in the spring, it would need huge quantities of meat every day to feed its animals.
He could easily factor this mother tiger’s "meals" into the Zoo’s supply order, simply leaving a few live pigs deep in the back mountains.
For the Zoo’s total procurement volume, this would be a mere drop in the bucket.
Wild tigers don’t need to eat every day. A full meal can sustain them for several days.
This way, he could both ensure the mother tiger never went hungry and reduce the risk of her resorting to desperate measures out of starvation—approaching human settlements to hunt livestock or even harm people.
’I agree.’
The mother tiger’s response this time was unusually quick, even carrying a hint of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted.
An animal’s needs are actually very simple.
A safe and free habitat, sufficient food, and the ability to reproduce successfully.
If her food was guaranteed and she could live freely in the comfort of the mountain forests with no natural enemies or competitors, who would want to take huge risks wandering around, let alone provoke those dangerous Two-legged Beasts?
"Then it’s settled."
A smile spread across Yang Qi’s face, the weight on his heart finally lifting completely.
He thought for a moment, then added, "Oh, right. In the next few days, a group of Two-legged Beasts might come into the mountains. I’ll be with them."
"When that happens, keep a close eye on your two little ones. Make them stay near the den and don’t let them run out."
"I won’t bring them to this area, either. We’ll be going somewhere else."
The interdisciplinary expert team Professor Zhou applied for would definitely be entering the mountain.
When the time came, there was a ninety percent chance he would be the one leading them.
With Yang Qi guiding them, coupled with the effects of the Array, he could effectively ensure the group wouldn’t accidentally wander into the South China Tiger’s core territory.
"It’s just this once that there will be a larger group of Two-legged Beasts. After this, it probably won’t happen again."
’Okay.’
The mother tiger responded with a low growl, accepting the terms.
Her trust in Yang Qi’s words had now increased significantly.
"Alright then."
As Yang Qi spoke, he took out a piece of Vitality Nutrient Cream, and with a flick of his wrist, tossed it accurately toward the mother tiger.
The mother tiger instinctively opened her mouth, her tongue unfurling to catch the nutrient cream and swallow it down.
The next moment, she licked her lips, a flash of surprise and pleasure appearing in her amber eyes.
’What is this stuff?’
’It’s warm and feels really good. Is there more?’
Her tone now held a rare hint of anticipation.
"Sure, here’s another one."
Yang Qi wasn’t stingy. He’d saved up quite a bit of this stuff from the lottery. Giving some as a first-time meeting gift to his new "neighbor" to build a better relationship was a bargain.
He immediately tossed another piece.
The mother tiger caught it with the same precision and swallowed.
This time, she didn’t get up immediately. Instead, she lay down comfortably on the ground, narrowing her eyes slightly, savoring the nourishing and pleasant warmth spreading through her body.
"See you next time."
Yang Qi waved at her, then turned toward the hollow log den and waved at the two little tigers who were peeking out, a gentle smile on his face.
Then, he called out.
"Bai Wan, Leopard, Xiaojiu, let’s go."
"WOOF WOOF!"
"WHINE~"
Only then did Bai Wan and Leopard relax their tense bodies. They ran to Yang Qi’s side, shot one last wary glance at the mother tiger, then followed Yang Qi, turning back the way they came.
Xiaojiu leaped lightly from a tree branch, landing on Yang Qi’s shoulder.
The figures of one man, one cat, and two dogs quickly disappeared into the woods.
Only after their scent had completely faded did the two little tiger cubs dare to stumble out of the den. They nudged up to their mother, rubbing their small heads against her body and letting out milky "AWOO"s, as if asking a question.
’Why did that nice-smelling Two-legged Beast leave?’
The mother tiger lowered her head and gently licked her two cubs’ heads with her rough tongue, a low, soothing purr rumbling in her throat.
Gazing in the direction Yang Qi had left, the violence and wariness in her amber pupils had faded, replaced by a complex, thoughtful expression.
...
Having found the South China Tiger and reached a preliminary "agreement" with her, the core objective of Yang Qi’s trip was successfully completed.
Feeling relieved, he made his way back at a leisurely pace with his Guardian Beasts.
Along the way, he took a moment to pull out a notebook and pen. Using a flat rock in the forest as a desk, he began to write down the "unusual sensations" he’d felt after entering the mountain.
The content was, naturally, more or less the same as the descriptions from others who had tried to enter.
"Upon entering a specific area, sense of direction becomes noticeably blurred. Landmarks seem to become unreliable, and there is a slight feeling of dizziness. All cell phone signal is lost. Bai Wan and Leopard acted normally, unaffected."
"The mountain forest’s vegetation is dense. Signs of wildlife activity are more abundant than in the outer areas. No other obvious anomalies observed."
"The overall impression is that the area seems to be protected by a natural barrier or affected by special magnetic field interference."