Xu Yang returned to his small store and took out the Red Ganoderma he had dug up.
His parents were both there.
Behind the small store, there was a yard that also belonged to his family.
"Mom, do we have any milk left? I need to prepare some milk."
Xu Yang went to the storeroom and, after searching for a while, found two milk bottles.
These bottles were for feeding lambs, as they used to raise sheep at home.
"We've got plenty. I just collected two jin this afternoon, planning to drink it tonight,"
Xu Yang's mother replied.
"Okay, I'll get some ready."
Xu Yang went to the kitchen, got a bottle full of milk, and filled the two milk bottles to the brim.
Then, Xu Yang went to find his father, Xu Hongshan.
Xu Yang told Xu Hongshan about what had just happened.
"A leopard? Are you sure?"
Xu Hongshan, who was resting, immediately became interested and sat up straight from the bed.
If there was one common interest between father and son, it was their love for animals, especially wild animals.
It was only because national regulations prohibited it, otherwise they would definitely raise a few.
"Sure, from the look of it, it doesn't seem to be waiting for the female leopard."
"The Forestry and Grass Bureau people said if the little leopard isn't injured, they prefer not to interfere too much."
"I figured it wouldn't do not to intervene. If we ignore it, the little leopard might die,"
Xu Yang responded, still concerned about the little leopard.
"Do you want to go check again?" Xu Hongshan asked.
"Yes, I want to have another look. It's a bit dangerous to go alone."
"Alright, I'll go with you. Let's just say we're going for a walk in the mountains but don't let your mom find out."
"Don't worry, I definitely won't say a word."
The two quickly agreed and then started to prepare.
They packed their backpacks, grabbed a grass-cutting knife, and also took along their big yellow dog from home.
Xu Yang had a large yellow dog at home, named Big Yellow.
A classic Pasture Dog breed.
Their Big Yellow was large and looked quite majestic, one of the better examples of his breed among pasture dogs.
To be safe, Xu Hongshan also made a phone call, asking a middle-aged man to come along and venture into the mountains with them.
It's always best to be cautious with these things.
With three adults, even if they really encountered a leopard, they would be absolutely safe.
After all, they had all grown up in the mountain village with strong physiques and boldness, unafraid of leopards.
The three of them headed into the mountains together.
Since he was making unofficial contact with leopards, Xu Yang chose not to live stream.
It's better to avoid creating disputes with such matters.
After about an hour or so, they quickly reached their destination.
"It's over there. Listen, the little leopard is still there, its cries are a bit soft."
Xu Yang pointed ahead and said.
Xu Hongshan and Zhang Tu looked in the direction he indicated.
Zhang Tu was a buddy of Xu Hongshan's, referred to by Xu Yang as Uncle Zhang. He used to be a carpenter but now made a living raising cattle and sheep, occasionally doing some woodworking.
"It really is a leopard!"
Xu Hongshan was delighted to see the little leopard.
Zhang Tu was also curiously observing it.
Life in the mountain village was a bit dull, so seeing a leopard was quite a rare excitement.
"I brought some milk. I feel like it hasn't eaten for several days, I'm going to feed it."
"Dad, keep an eye on Big Yellow. Don't let him get too close and scare the little leopard,"
Xu Yang stood up and walked forward.
"Got it."
Big Yellow had also spotted the little leopard and was a bit restless, but he calmed down immediately once Xu Hongshan held him by the back of the neck.
Xu Yang approached the little leopard cautiously, making sure there were no adult leopards in the trees around them. Then he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It was only then that Xu Yang got a clear view of the little leopard.
The little guy was somewhat dirty, with its eyes slightly squinted, perhaps due to hunger, and it looked weak and lethargic.
It made weak, baby-like cries, very feeble.
From its current state, it definitely wasn't being looked after by a mother leopard.
"Leopards shouldn't lack food this season; how come this little one is here?"
"Was it abandoned?"
"Or did it get lost?"
"That shouldn't be the case either. A mother leopard can find her cubs by scent, so it's more likely it was abandoned."
Xu Yang took out a milk bottle and slowly approached.
The Little Leopard caught wind of Xu Yang's scent and felt a bit afraid, even attempting to run backwards.
Xu Yang acted fast, quickly pressing it down gently, then placed the nipple in front of it.
Initially struggling, the Little Leopard stopped struggling and crying out the moment it smelled the milk fragrance, instead opening its mouth and began sucking on the milk non-stop.
After having some milk, it settled down instantly, standing on the ground with its head tilted back, its mouth opening and closing.
This allowed Xu Yang to take a good look at it.
Its entire body was covered with fur that gave off a somewhat golden hue, the spots on its body were still very small, and its fur was very soft because it was a Little Leopard.
Its head was small, its limbs short, but its paws seemed quite large.
The Little Leopard had its eyes half-closed, the corners of its eyes appeared a bit dirty, as though it had been crying for a long time.
Xu Yang's heart melted instantly.
Felines are inherently endearing—cats, tigers, leopards alike.
In Xu Yang's heart, leopards had always been a mysterious existence.
After all, at Changbai Mountain, one often heard stories about Black Bears and tigers, but seldom about leopards.
They were too clever.
They also did not bother humans.
Sometimes when they spotted humans from up in trees, they would just stay quiet and motionless until they saw the humans leave.
Humans could hardly ever find them!
Now, Xu Yang had come face to face with a young leopard, and was instantly charmed by the little creature.
While the Little Leopard was drinking milk, its nose was constantly twitching.
As if memorizing the scent of Xu Yang.
"So it really is a leopard."
At that moment, Xu Hongshan and Zhang Tu walked over and stood by, watching.
They also looked around warily, fearing that the female leopard might return.
"What do we do now?" Zhang Tu asked Xu Hongshan.
"No choice, we just take a look and leave it here."
"We can't take it back anyway."
"Otherwise, we could call someone from the Forestry and Grass Bureau to take it to the rescue center."
Xu Hongshan responded.
"I've spoken to the folks at the Forestry and Grass Bureau, and they said not to intervene for now."
"Nothing here can harm the leopard, I'll come and feed it every other day, it's no big deal."
"Plus, the mother leopard might be back soon."
Xu Yang then said.
"Alright, that's all we can do."
Big Yellow was standing to one side, watching Little Leopard while licking its lips, seemingly wanting some milk as well.
Soon, Little Leopard had completely finished a bottle of milk.
After finishing the milk, Little Leopard's mood markedly improved and it stayed quiet.
And it opened its eyes, curiously eyeing Xu Yang the whole time.
Just then, Xu Yang's mind was suddenly filled with the system's voice.
"[You have gained the leopard's affection.]"
"[Note: With animal affection, as long as the host does not harm the affectionate animal, they will maintain a close relationship with the host.]"
"[Affection Reward: Good Person Card*1]"
"[Good Person Card: Allows an animal to maintain its affection for the host. The Good Person Card cannot be used to obtain affection rewards.]"
"[Note: Affection rewards are only available for rare wild animals, and can only be claimed once for the same species.]"
This voice left Xu Yang somewhat dumbfounded.
Goodness, the system had this feature too.
If rare wild animals felt affection for him, he would get a reward.
This new feature wasn't bad at all.
Xu Yang took another look at Little Leopard.
The little one was clearly much more lively now.
At this moment, it was half-past four in the afternoon.
There were only two more hours before it turned dark.
Nights in the mountains could be quite terrifying, especially when one could not see the path clearly, and any potential danger would be bad.
"Okay, now that it's fed, let's go."
The three of them agreed and started back.
Xu Yang planned to come back to check if there was nothing else to do tomorrow.
This little creature was indeed worrying.
Afterward, the three men, accompanied by Big Yellow, headed back, with the Little Leopard sticking its head out, looking in Xu Yang's direction, letting out a couple of squeaky cries.
It seemed to be asking Xu Yang where he was going.
But Xu Yang and the others moved quickly.
The Little Leopard watched for a while, as if it made a certain decision, and then its four little paws started moving as it wobbled in the direction of Xu Yang, following them.