Chapter 451: Chapter 231: Lion Attack?

Guo Xiaoyun had thought about poaching Yang Qi before.

But at that time, Yang Qi had already secured an official position at Donghua. Moreover, Red Star had established a cooperative relationship with him as a "Special Technical Advisor."

The cost and difficulty of poaching him were considerable, so while the thought crossed his mind, he never acted on it.

But today’s incident had left Guo Xiaoyun utterly shocked!

’Persuading a wild beast to "voluntarily" come to the zoo for a blind date?’

’This went far beyond mere communication. It was practically taming—or even a form of psychic connection!’

’In the world of animal care, an ability like that was a rare talent on par with a nuclear weapon.’

Guo Xiaoyun had no doubt. If Donghua Zoo’s female leopard, Big Flower, hadn’t just given birth to seven cubs and become temporarily unavailable for breeding, this golden opportunity would have never fallen to Red Star.

’That prime wild male leopard would have, without a doubt, been kept by Yang Qi at Donghua!’

’What did this mean?’

’It meant that having Yang Qi on board opened up the possibility of establishing special relationships with more, and even better, wild animals.’

’This time it was a wild leopard. Next time, it could be a wild brown bear. The time after that, it could be an Asiatic golden cat, a clouded leopard, or even more precious species.’

’For a zoo’s efforts to improve animal welfare, solve breeding challenges, introduce prime breeding stock, and even undertake groundbreaking research and conservation projects, this was of incalculable value.’

’I have to poach Yang Qi!’

The thought grew stronger and stronger in Guo Xiaoyun’s mind.

But he was a veteran, after all. He knew this sort of thing couldn’t be rushed, and he certainly couldn’t mention it directly to Yang Qi’s face.

He needed to plan for the long term and find the right time and the perfect opening.

...

Yang Qi had no idea so many thoughts were running through Guo Xiaoyun’s mind. He simply followed the director’s conversational lead and replied.

"Director Guo, you must be referring to the East China Zoo Collaboration Zone’s annual conference in Liangcheng next week, right?"

"I received the notice, too. Director Huang arranged for me to attend as one of Donghua’s representatives."

"Oh? Advisor Yang is going too?" Guo Xiaoyun glanced at Tong Xiaoyue.

Tong Xiaoyue caught his meaning and chimed in with a smile. "What a coincidence. I was originally going to lead the team from Red Star, but things with Hua Hua are too important right now. I need to keep an eye on her, so I can’t leave. Instead, Minister Zhao will be leading the team."

She looked over at Zhao Mingfeng beside her.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mingfeng smiled at Yang Qi. "That’s perfect, Advisor Yang. We can travel to Liangcheng together. We can keep each other company on the road and learn from one another at the conference."

"Sounds good, no problem."

Yang Qi didn’t overthink it, simply figuring it would be nice to have company on the trip. "I’ll let Director Huang know when I get back. We can leave together then; it’ll make the drive less boring."

"Then it’s settled!"

Zhao Mingfeng laughed heartily.

Guo Xiaoyun felt a sense of relief at this.

He had originally planned to use this as an opportunity to lay a trap for Huang Zhongmu, perhaps hinting that Yang Qi would have a brighter future at Red Star. But Yang Qi’s calm, unconcerned demeanor, along with Huang Zhongmu’s decisive move to send him to the conference, made it clear that Director Huang was no fool. He was guarding his treasure closely.

’This poaching business can’t be rushed,’ he thought. ’I have to take it slow and play the long game.’

Thus, Guo Xiaoyun didn’t bring up the subject of poaching again for the rest of the meal.

After dinner, Yang Qi formally took his leave.

Guo Xiaoyun, Tong Xiaoyue, Zhao Mingfeng, and the others walked Yang Qi to the zoo’s entrance, watching as he and his menagerie of animals climbed into a tough-looking black Jeep Wrangler.

"Drive safe, Advisor Yang," Zhao Mingfeng said with a wave.

"Okay. Teacher Tong, let me know if anything changes with the leopard," Yang Qi called out to Tong Xiaoyue, then started the engine.

The Wrangler slowly pulled away from Red Star Zoo, merging into the evening traffic of the Provincial Capital.

Yang Qi didn’t waste any time, immediately setting his GPS for the highway back to Donghua.

Before getting on the highway, he found a gas station and filled the tank.

As night deepened, the highway traffic grew sparse.

Yang Qi kept his speed right at the legal limit, flying down the road.

Around eleven at night, the Wrangler pulled into the dormitory area of Donghua Zoo and parked in front of Mountain-Back Courtyard.

He turned off the engine and got out of the car, the chill of the late autumn air immediately washing over him.

The courtyard was silent, save for the faint sound of a television from the dorm next door.

"We’re home."

Yang Qi called out, leading Xiaojiu, Bai Wan, Hu Zi, Leopard, and Liu Fu into the house.

He flipped on the lights, and the familiar surroundings immediately put the Guardian Beasts at ease. They all scattered, each finding a spot to lie down and relax.

Yang Qi headed straight for the kitchen. Moving quickly, he measured out some Spirit Rice, put it in a pot with mountain spring water, and set it to cook into a porridge.

Spirit Rice Porridge was the simplest meal and the best for restoring one’s energy.

While the porridge cooked, he quickly tidied up the house and then took a combat shower to wash away his exhaustion.

By the time he emerged from the bathroom, towel-drying his hair, the distinct, fresh aroma of Spirit Rice was already wafting from the kitchen.

The porridge was ready.

"Time to eat~"

Yang Qi called out, ladling a large bowl for each of his Guardian Beasts. He dished one out for himself as well, then sat at the dining table and slowly ate it.

"WOOF WOOF~"

"Spirit Rice Porridge is still the best."

Leopard wagged his tail as he ate.

"WOOF~"

"I love porridge the most."

Bai Wan chimed in.

"MEOW~"

"Then let’s have Master buy you some porridge from a restaurant tomorrow."

Xiaojiu replied in a leisurely manner.

"WHINE~"

Bai Wan fell silent and just buried his head in his bowl, eating furiously.

"Haha."

Yang Qi couldn’t help but laugh as he listened to their conversation.

As the warm, fragrant, and sticky Spirit Rice Porridge settled in his stomach, a warmth spread through his body. The exhaustion from the past few days of travel seemed to melt away.

The Guardian Beasts ate with great relish as well, especially Bai Wan and Leopard. While they hadn’t gone hungry at Red Star Zoo, nothing could compare to the homemade Spirit Rice Porridge that was perfectly to their liking.

After finishing their late-night snack and washing up, Yang Qi didn’t rest. Instead, he headed up to the Cultivation Chamber on the second floor.

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