The sacred tree stands on the west side of Qinshan Village, reachable by following a straight road.
As Ning Fei walked toward it, he passed a group of local dogs at the edge of the village. The dogs, tails curled and upright, were playfully biting each other, rolling around on the side of the road.
"Ah, it's the Nishimura Dog Gang again," Ning Fei chuckled.
In the live stream, comments immediately popped up:
"Haha, the local dogs from the east side of the village. I want to see them fight!"
"What's the story behind these dogs?"
"Watch yesterday's recording. Two groups of dogs were fighting. It was intense!"
"Really? I'm going to check that out later."
The audience buzzed with excitement over the dogs, but Ning Fei was more focused on the sacred tree ahead.
"This tree is one of the oldest on the mountain. Its species is unknown, but its trunk is about 6 meters in diameter, with a circumference of over 20 meters, and it towers nearly 50 meters high," Ning Fei explained to the viewers. "It's one of the natural wonders in this village."
The audience was captivated.
"Really? A tree with a 6-meter diameter? That's about the same size as the largest cypress tree in China."
"Nature is incredible!"
"I love watching this live stream. I get to see things I never would've otherwise."
At this point, the live stream's viewership had reached over 110,000. Quite impressive for someone only on their second day of broadcasting.
Ning Fei continued down the road, heading deeper into the forest.
"The village is just a small area; most of the surrounding land is dense forest," he said. "There are some wild animals in the deeper parts of the forest, but this area is relatively safe due to protective measures."
The audience listened closely, tension rising as Ning Fei ventured deeper into the woods, mimicking an outdoor adventure.
"Is there any danger where you are?" a viewer asked.
Ning Fei smiled. "No need to worry. The wild animals stay far from here, and we're close to the sacred tree. It's safe."
Having lived in the mountains for over ten years, Ning Fei was familiar with the terrain and confident in his knowledge of the area.
Before long, they arrived at the base of the sacred tree.
The viewers were in awe.
"This tree is massive!" someone exclaimed.
Indeed, the sacred tree stretched skyward, its thick trunk like a towering chimney. Its leaves formed a dense canopy far above, resembling a giant, verdant cloud. The roots, as thick as water pipes, sprawled across the ground, giving the ancient tree an air of timelessness.
"This is the sacred tree," Ning Fei explained with a smile. "Its branches are so high—at least ten meters up—that it's impossible to climb. So, I won't be trying that today," he added, preemptively dispelling any hopes the viewers might have of him attempting the risky feat.
Still, the viewers teased him in the comments:
"Climb it, come on!"
"I'll donate if you do!"
"Please, we need to see this!"
Ning Fei laughed. "No amount of donations will convince me to do something dangerous," he said playfully.
As he looked up at the tree, something caught his eye. A small black dot was falling from the branches above.
He squinted, realizing it was a baby bird tumbling from its nest.
Ning Fei's reflexes kicked in. With a quick leap, he launched himself upward, catching the tiny creature mid-fall. His hands absorbed the bird's momentum, gently reducing its speed to prevent any harm.
The audience was stunned.
"What just happened?"
"Was that a scene from a martial arts movie?"
From their perspective, Ning Fei had seemingly flown three meters into the air, catching something in a graceful, controlled motion, like a martial arts hero.
"Did... did he just fly?"
"No way! That was incredible!"
"Are you secretly a kung fu master?!"
The comments were filled with astonishment, disbelief, and a flood of 666 emojis—a symbol of praise in the live streaming world.
The drone zoomed in, revealing a small, pink baby bird, still featherless, in Ning Fei's hands.
The viewers, realizing what had happened, were even more impressed.
"He saved a baby bird! What a hero!"
"That was amazing!"
"But... why did it fall?" someone asked.
Ning Fei looked up at the tree and listened closely. From above, he could hear faint chirping. He sighed.
"There's likely a cuckoo in the nest above," Ning Fei explained.
The audience reacted with immediate outrage.
"A cuckoo? Ugh, no wonder!"
"I didn't think they actually did stuff like this!"
"Climb up there and get rid of that cuckoo! I'll send you a rocket donation!"
For the uninitiated, someone asked, "Wait, what's wrong with cuckoos?"
Ning Fei took a moment to explain. "Cuckoos are known for their parasitic behavior. The female cuckoo will lay her eggs in the nests of other birds, leaving the host birds to raise their young."
He continued, "When the cuckoo chick hatches, its first instinct is to push the other eggs or baby birds out of the nest, ensuring it gets all the food and attention from its surrogate parents. It's a cruel survival tactic."
The audience was shocked.
"No way! That's awful!"
"The host parents don't even know they're raising the killer of their own young?!"
"Nature can be brutal..."
Ning Fei nodded solemnly. "It's a harsh reality, but this behavior is hard-wired into the cuckoo's instincts. It might seem cruel, but it's simply how they've adapted to survive."
Some viewers tried to rationalize it. "It's just nature, survival of the fittest."
But most were still appalled.
"I don't care about 'nature'—if I ever see a cuckoo, I'm knocking its chicks right out of the nest! Let it see how that feels!" one viewer raged.
Ning Fei chuckled softly, continuing his exploration of the forest, while the chat room buzzed with indignation and amazement over the strange yet fascinating spectacle of nature they had just witnessed.