Well then.
Still completely unreceptive.
Yang Qi shook his head. He gave up trying and turned toward the male bear.
When the male bear saw Yang Qi approach, its first instinct was to hide again. However, seeing that Yang Qi was just placing food in the trough with no intention of coming closer, it relaxed a little.
"Eat up. I added some honey today," Yang Qi said, using the Basic Spirit Communication Technique.
The male bear sniffed the air and, sure enough, caught the sweet scent of honey.
It hesitated for a moment, then stuck out its tongue and licked a piece of honey-slathered cornbread.
The sweetness made its eyes brighten slightly.
’Thank you.’
The male bear let out a low grunt.
"You’re welcome."
Yang Qi smiled. "Eat up. You need to get your strength back. Don’t overthink things. Just let nature take its course."
’Okay, okay.’
The male bear nodded eagerly and began to eat in small bites. While it wasn’t exactly devouring its food, it was a vast improvement over the past few days of staring blankly at its meals.
Yang Qi watched the two bears eat happily, then backed out of the enclosure, carefully closing the iron-bar gate and the outer door behind him.
The key turned, and the lock clicked shut.
...
For the next two days, Yang Qi came to feed the bears on schedule, once in the morning and once in the evening.
The she-bear’s behavior changed from initial scrutiny to gradual acceptance. When she saw Yang Qi come in, she knew it was mealtime and would walk to the edge of the platform to wait.
But she continued to ignore all of Yang Qi’s attempts at communication. After eating, she would wander off to one side to either play in the water or nap in the sun, sporting a complete "don’t-mess-with-me" attitude.
The male bear, however, relaxed more and more each day.
Each time Yang Qi fed him, he would use the Spirit Communication Technique to chat for a bit, calming the bear’s emotions and encouraging him to eat more.
The male bear’s appetite had clearly returned. He would finish most of the food in his trough, and the timidity and dejection in his eyes had faded considerably.
He would, however, still flinch instinctively whenever he saw the she-bear.
Yang Qi wasn’t in a hurry to use the Creation (Fertility) Pill.
The stuff was incredibly potent; its effects would manifest the very same day it was taken.
Therefore, he first needed to get the two bears accustomed to his feedings, build a baseline of trust, and ensure their physical conditions were sufficiently improved.
...
「One week later.」
Morning.
As usual, Yang Qi first went to feed the Gray Wolves and raccoons, then made his way to the food preparation room for Bear Mountain.
He opened the refrigerated cabinet and took out two food buckets.
Today, the she-bear’s bucket contained an extra treat in addition to her regular food: a piece of pumpkin she loved, coated in a thick layer of honey.
The male bear’s bucket had a few walnuts and pine nuts added to it.
Yang Qi held the buckets but didn’t head to the enclosure right away.
Instead, he walked over to the prep counter, set the buckets down, and glanced around.
The prep room had no windows, lit only by a single energy-saving lamp overhead, so the light wasn’t very bright.
It was quiet outside the door, too. At this time of day, the other keepers were busy in their own sections. He was the only one here at Bear Mountain.
He steadied his nerves and took out a Creation (Fertility) Pill.
He carefully split the pill in two.
When the pill was split, a pearly sheen flashed from within. Its fragrance intensified for a moment before quickly receding.
He picked up the honey-coated pumpkin from the she-bear’s bucket and embedded one half of the pill deep into its flesh. The thick honey easily concealed any trace of the medicine.
Then, he tucked the other half of the pill into a specially made, filled cornbread from the male bear’s bucket.
Once he was done, he lifted the buckets and sniffed them.
The sweet fragrance of honey and the grain-like aroma of the cornbread completely masked the pill’s scent.
There was no visible sign of anything unusual.
Feeling reassured, Yang Qi picked up the two buckets and walked out of the preparation room.
He entered the staff corridor, unlocked the door, pushed it open, and stepped into the safety chamber.
His movements were identical to the past few days.
He opened the iron-bar gate and walked out.
The she-bear was already waiting by the edge of the platform. When she saw the food buckets, her nose twitched. She had clearly caught the sweet scent of the honeyed pumpkin, and her eyes filled with anticipation.
The male bear also peeked out from behind the rockery.
Just as he always did, Yang Qi placed the food into the clean troughs.
The she-bear ambled over impatiently. First, she stuck out her tongue to lick the thick layer of honey on the pumpkin, then she took the entire piece into her mouth in one bite.
"CRUNCH..."
A crisp chewing sound filled the air.
She narrowed her eyes, clearly enjoying the special treat.
Without disturbing her, Yang Qi walked to the other side and placed food in the male bear’s trough.
The male bear first shot a wary glance at the she-bear. Seeing that she was completely preoccupied with her food and paying him no mind, he lowered his head to sniff his own trough. He quickly found the filled cornbread, picked it up, and began to nibble on it.
Yang Qi stood at a safe distance, watching quietly.
The two bears ate quickly.
The she-bear made short work of the honeyed pumpkin, then moved on to half an apple and a few carrots.
The male bear also finished his cornbread and started gnawing on a cob of corn.
Everything was normal.
Yang Qi waited for a moment. Seeing no unusual reaction from either bear, he exited the enclosure.
Just as he stepped out...
"Hooo~"
Suddenly, a low growl, tinged with a strange emotion, sounded from behind him.
Yang Qi spun around to look.
He saw that the she-bear had stopped eating. She stood in place, her body swaying slightly.
She lifted her head. The calm and lazy look in her glossy black eyes was gone, replaced by a restless, feverish glow.
Her nostrils flared rapidly, and her breathing grew heavy and ragged.
She turned, her gaze sweeping across the enclosure before finally locking onto the male bear, who was still gnawing on his corn.
Her gaze was fixed and direct, filled with undisguised "sexual interest."
The male bear also sensed something was wrong.
He stopped gnawing on his corn and looked up, meeting the she-bear’s gaze.
The next second, the male bear’s body trembled slightly as well.