By the time Xu Yang got home, it was already six in the evening.
Although he had spent the entire day in the mountains and his body was tired, Xu Yang felt quite energetic.
He took the bamboo box and drove the family's goods van down the mountain.
He was going to sell the Lingzhi. Wild Red Ganoderma had high medicinal value and was in demand at the local herbal shops.
The area had herbal medicine traders, especially since it was the season for digging up ginseng, and many traders had come by.
They were waiting to buy ginseng at high prices.
If someone could find a top-grade wild ginseng, it could sell for at least half a million to six hundred thousand.
However, such cases only happened once every two or three years; it wasn't easy.
Xu Yang arrived at the herbal shop, explained his purpose, and the herbal trader carefully inspected the Lingzhi. Confirming there were no issues, they agreed on a purchase price of 800 yuan per pound.
The market was quite stable, and everyone knew the going rates.
Xu Yang's Lingzhi weighed over two pounds in total, amounting to exactly 1,800 yuan.
Earning 1,800 yuan a day was quite good.
On his way back, Xu Yang bought some cold pig's head meat, fried peanuts, and other cold dishes, as well as two bottles of white wine and several bags of rice and flour.
Just having graduated from college and returned home without a proper job, his parents were actually under a lot of pressure.
There was no helping it; that's how mountain villages were.
Everyone knew Xu Yang had always done well in his studies from a young age, and the villagers called him a "Top student."
In reality, Xu Yang knew that his degree had depreciated in value. Having an undergraduate degree from a 985 institution wasn't much, and he hadn't pursued further studies.
Xu Yang originally planned to take the ranger exam this month. If he passed, he would work hard at the job; if he didn't, he'd go to the city to find work.
But now, he didn't need to.
With the system in place, he only wanted to do what he enjoyed.
If he still thought about working a job with the system, that would indeed be a problem.
In the evening, Xu Yang's mom was looking after the shop.
Xu Yang was in his room, editing today's livestream clips on his computer.
He edited out the useful clips,
including his introduction at the start, the scene of him digging up Red Ganoderma, and the moment he encountered the little leopard.
On the first day of the livestream, there were quite a few highlights.
Such livestream edits made for high-quality videos.
"The drone footage is really nice, even better than top photographers."
"The aerial shots with a stable camera make it easy for the audience to watch."
"The video quality is also high."
After editing the video, Xu Yang felt quite satisfied.
He glanced at his account. On the first day of the livestream, his account had gained 135 followers.
Not bad.
Then, Xu Yang decided to publish the video.
Since it was a new account, the video quickly got placed in the traffic pool, and many people came across Xu Yang's video.
Quite a few people saw the leopard and started leaving comments.
"Wow, is that really a little leopard?"
"The streamer is bold, going into the deep forests alone."
"This livestream is so authentic. Honestly, this is the most genuine outdoor livestream I've seen!"
"Quite thrilling!"
The video's popularity was quite high, quickly surpassing a hundred likes and showing signs of continued growth.
After editing the video, Xu Yang initially planned to take a shower and go to bed.
He wanted to go back into the mountains tomorrow.
At this moment, Big Yellow suddenly barked towards the gate.
Xu Yang walked out the door and noticed this scene.
He found it quite curious.
Big Yellow was usually well-behaved and didn't bark at people.
After all, the pasture dogs in the village were free-range and not aggressive. They were accustomed to living with people and wouldn't bark recklessly.
"Big Yellow, stop barking!"
Xu Yang called out.
He looked at Big Yellow, who was still staring intently at the gate with a cautious look in his eyes.
Xu Yang realized there might be something at the gate.
So, he walked over and opened the courtyard gate.
As soon as the gate opened, Xu Yang was stunned.
On the steps at the gate lay an adorable little spotted leopard.
This cute little leopard, upon seeing Xu Yang, immediately looked up and let out a few tentative and nervous cries.
"Wow!"
Xu Yang wondered if he was seeing things.
"No way, how did you end up here?"
"It's dangerous if anyone else sees you!"
Xu Yang looked around and saw no one on the road. He quickly picked up the leopard and brought it inside, closing the courtyard gate.
It wasn't Xu Yang's fault for being worried. There were bad people among the population.
Not everyone was kind-hearted; even in the village, there were people with bad intentions.
There were also those who secretly hunted wild chicken and wild boar.
If bad people saw this leopard, it might truly be in danger.
But Xu Yang couldn't keep it. While it was fine while it was small, dealing with a grown-up leopard would be challenging. What if it hurt someone?
His mother was out looking after the shop, and Xu Hongshan was at the warehouse sorting out goods.
So, Xu Yang hid the little leopard in his arms and went to find Xu Hongshan.
At the warehouse, Xu Yang called out, "Dad, look at this."
Hearing his words, Xu Hongshan looked over.
Seeing the little leopard in Xu Yang's arms, he was instantly stunned.
"Wow!"
"Where did you catch it?"
Xu Hongshan looked at the little leopard with surprise and disbelief.
"I didn't catch it; it came to the doorstep itself, just now."
"I was quite shocked too."
Xu Yang replied.
"We need to contact the Forestry and Grass Bureau. We can't keep a leopard. It's small now, but it will be dangerous when it grows up."
Xu Hongshan felt a bit worried.
After all, it was a leopard, and it would be quite fierce when it grew up. The village couldn't keep it.
"I'll take it back to the mountains tomorrow. It's fine."
"Some people even keep tigers."
Xu Yang looked at the leopard and made a decision.
"Sure, but it needs to be released. It's better to put the leopard back in the forest."
"Tomorrow, take it into the mountains and release it. Or contact the Forestry and Grass Bureau."
"I have to go down the mountain for supplies tomorrow."
Xu Hongshan said.
"No problem."
Xu Yang agreed wholeheartedly.
He carried the little leopard back to his room while Big Yellow stood in the courtyard, looking on, seemingly curious about the leopard too.
Back in his room, Xu Yang placed the little leopard on the ground and looked at it.
He really liked the little leopard and fed it a bottle of milk.
The little creature was now quite brave. As it drank, it grabbed onto the milk bottle with its front paws and wouldn't let go.
Xu Yang lifted the milk bottle slightly, and the little creature used its hind legs to support itself, standing up without letting go of the bottle.
Judging by its actions, eating was its top priority.
"Quite the glutton, I wonder how long you've been hungry."
"Being able to find your way here means your mother leopard has indeed abandoned you."
"Quite unbelievable."
Xu Yang mused.
Generally, leopards leave their mothers at one to two years old to live independently and establish their own territory.
Of course, the natural world is full of exceptions, including three-year-old "Old-eating Leopards" that refuse to hunt and cling to their mothers, waiting for Leopard Mother to hunt.
This little leopard before him was an "Orphan Leopard."
Xu Yang grabbed the little leopard by its elbows, lifted it, and looked into its eyes.
"You're at most two months old. If I want you to live independently, you'll need to be fostered for at least six more months."
"You'll also need to develop your hunting skills."
"The Forestry and Grass Bureau can take you in, but I'm worried they might put you in a zoo."
"Generally, only adult wild animals are released after rescue; if they rescue the young, they're kept in zoos or protection centers."
"You're a wild leopard; I bet you wouldn't want to go to a zoo."
The little leopard looked adorably at Xu Yang, not understanding what this human was saying.
Xu Yang's plan was to feed the little leopard every day to help it grow big enough to survive in the forest.
Leopards were very rare.
They were like the spirits of Changbai Mountain.
Xu Yang hoped it could live in Changbai Mountain.
Xu Yang also understood the law; privately trading, abusing, imprisoning, harming, or transporting First Level protected animals carried a sentence of up to five years in prison.
The state encouraged their breeding under the condition of having a breeding license.
If Xu Yang simply fed the local leopard without involving trade, harm, or transportation, it wouldn't constitute a crime, and he couldn't be prosecuted.
He and the leopard had no relationship; he merely found it cute and wanted to feed it.
In Xizang, people even fed wolves.
An old rural man also raised wild Red-bellied Golden Pheasants, keeping them plump.
So, Xu Yang decided to secretly take care of this little leopard himself.