News and the Giant Panda

Early in the morning, the television was on in the Daoist temple.

But the people sitting in front of it were not Yunzhi. They were Chen Du, the cat, and the volunteer Jiang Xi.

"You're up so early?"

Chen Du looked at Jiang Xi in surprise. This didn't fit his impression of young people nowadays.

To be honest, never mind the young people down the mountain-even he had slept until he woke naturally every day before. He had even stayed at the temple for that very reason.

"Yes."

Jiang Xi gave a brief answer.

She had worked early shifts at a milk tea shop before and had gotten up early every day. Later, when she traveled around seeking out renowned masters, money had been tight, so she'd also had to rise early to travel like a special forces soldier.

"How did you sleep last night?"

"Very well." Jiang Xi paused, then added, "I haven't slept that well in a long time."

Well, you didn't burn any incense in the burner last night, either.

Chen Du nodded and said no more.

All night, the wind had blown through the bamboo grove and rain had pattered against the green roof tiles, only stopping in the early morning. That kind of weather really did make it easy to sleep. In its wake came an exceptionally quiet, cool morning in the mountains, which was also very pleasant.

Remarkably, even with that great yao threatening him, Chen Du had slept very well last night.

Looks like I've trained my heart to withstand it.

Yesterday afternoon had also proven that Door God was perfectly capable of holding off the monster. With the spirit fruit Chen Du had given Door God last night, even if the monster recovered to its peak, Door God might not be entirely unable to stop it.

As long as his defenses weren't breached in an instant, Chen Du would have the means to fight back.

Besides, the spiritual qi at the foot of the mountain wasn't abundant now. The monster had already been in terrible condition, and Yunzhi had severely injured it on top of that. Recovering quickly probably wouldn't be easy. Door God, on the other hand, cultivated here with Chen Du and had a spirit fruit he'd given it. With one side waning and the other waxing, it was hard to say which would progress faster.

That was another reassuring pill.

So Chen Du felt like an ancient ancestor sheltered in a safe cave. The fiercer the wind and rain outside, the safer it felt in here.

Just then, someone returned from outside.

It was a breathtakingly beautiful woman dressed in Ming-style hanfu. She pushed the door open with ease, holding a banana leaf in one hand and a longsword in the other, as though she had stepped out of a martial arts world from hundreds of years ago.

Last night, she had braved the wind and rain to search for the monster. She had told Jiang Xi she was going down the mountain to take photos.

Jiang Xi sat on a little stool, seemingly facing the television without turning her head, but she was actually stealing sidelong glances at Yunzhi and the treasured sword in her hand.

"You're back?"

Chen Du greeted her.

"I'm back."

"I saved you some breakfast: an egg and some porridge," Chen Du told her. Then he said to Jiang Xi, "The wind blew a lot of leaves into the courtyard last night. Go sweep them up."

"Okay!"

Without hesitation, Jiang Xi immediately got up and went outside to sweep.

Yunzhi watched her leave before respectfully placing the sword on the rack beside her. "I found nothing," she said.

Then she sat down and watched the morning news as she peeled her egg.

"National treasure discovered near Yidu?

"This station reports: recently, two tourists driving on an outing unexpectedly discovered an injured wild giant panda on the road! After members of the public promptly reported it, the relevant local authorities swiftly activated their emergency wildlife rescue plan and made every effort to carry out the rescue!"

The footage showed a mountain road filmed from the driver's seat. The sky was overcast, and the windshield wipers swept away the raindrops incessantly. Through them, a sizable obstruction was faintly visible on the road ahead.

Chen Du immediately paid close attention.

He'd known it. Whatever it was that Yunzhi had seen last night, with both an official vehicle leading the way and bloodstains, it was very likely to make the local news.

Yunzhi sat up straight too.

"Last night, two tourists on an outing inadvertently discovered a wild giant panda collapsed by the roadside with serious injuries. Upon seeing this, they immediately called the wildlife rescue hotline. After receiving the report, the local forestry authority and professional rescue personnel rushed to the scene and administered emergency treatment to the injured giant panda."

A giant panda appeared on the screen.

"A flower bear?"

Yunzhi frowned.

"They're called giant pandas now. They're endangered, and because they look adorably silly, they've become a national treasure," Chen Du said. "So they're taken very seriously."

Yunzhi nodded and watched closely.

"Following a preliminary on-site assessment of its injuries, staff urgently transferred the giant panda to the Yidu City Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center for comprehensive treatment. According to the center's preliminary findings, this giant panda is the largest individual in the wild giant panda population identified to date. It has multiple wounds on its body, and the exact cause of its injuries remains unclear. The relevant investigation is proceeding in an orderly manner.

"As of press time, the rescue center has assembled a dedicated treatment team to provide round-the-clock monitoring and care for the giant panda. Its vital signs require continued observation. This station will continue to follow the story."

The news moved on to the next item, but neither of them watched it.

"I've seen flower bears before. One this big is uncommon; it's most likely close to becoming a spirit. Perhaps that monster was gravely injured and set its sights on this big flower bear's blood qi and spiritual qi, so it attacked it."

Yunzhi held the egg between her delicate, slender fingertips, but instead of eating it, she knitted her elegant brows and analyzed the situation.

"If that's the case, it may not have escaped very far."

"There are giant pandas around here, but they're rare, and they all live deep in the mountains." Chen Du stared at the panda's black-and-white markings. "We can't rule out the possibility that this is the monster."

"It transformed into a flower bear?"

Yunzhi's gaze tightened slightly, and she felt somewhat annoyed.

Although those vehicles had roared past last night, and she couldn't have caught up with them anyway, nor had she dared chase a vehicle with flashing lights, if she had known sooner, she should have left a strand of spider silk beneath one of them.

"Hard to say." Chen Du shook his head. "Go and rest when you've finished eating. Remember to write a temporary closure notice. I'll also ask that Mr. Zhang to make me a sign to put at the junction at the foot of the mountain, saying there may be a fierce wild animal on the mountain and asking tourists not to go up for the time being."

"I respectfully obey your decree, Immortal Master!"

Only then did Yunzhi pop the egg into her mouth.

Because it had rained last night, no tourists came up the mountain until noon.

But as soon as they reached the temple gates, they saw fallen peach blossoms scattered all over the ground outside. The gates were tightly shut, and a sheet of paper was pasted on them, bearing a notice written in traditional Chinese characters:

"To further implement the concept of green development, fulfill our responsibility to protect the ecological environment, promote the sustainable development of temple culture and the natural environment, and further consolidate our green, low-carbon approach to temple management, the master of this temple has, after careful consideration, decided that the temple will be temporarily closed to the public effective immediately to advance wildlife protection and temple maintenance. The reopening date will be announced separately. We apologize for any inconvenience and ask for your understanding."

The tourists stared at it in bewilderment.

"It's closed?"

"They don't even want the incense money delivered to their doorstep?"

"Why's it so official?"

But with the temple gates tightly shut, they couldn't exactly break in.

In a residential complex in Yidu City.

A yellow-green outdoor jacket had been casually tossed onto the sofa, and the girl lay beside it, scrolling through short videos.

The video showed the very giant panda she had found.

"Round it up, and I've been on the news too!"

The girl's face lit up, and she was naturally very concerned about the panda.

The comments section below was lively too-

Soaring with Outspread Wings: A giant panda that big is really something. Even a tiger would have to think twice before taking it on, right?

Why Can't I Use a Single Name: Where are there any tigers left in Yizhou?

Wishing on Four Leaves: Maybe there are bears?

Reflection in the Wind: This was obviously done by a person.

Yan Fat Tiger 1: Poor giant panda. Poaching is bad enough, but they even tortured it. They must be severely punished when they're caught.

The girl browsed the comments for a while, but she really couldn't stop worrying. She switched to WeChat and asked a staff member at the rescue and breeding center:

"How's the giant panda? Did you save it?"

"It's hard to say for now."

"Can I go see it?"

"It's still being treated. Let's talk about it once it's recovered."

"Will you put it in a zoo afterward? Or release it directly into the wild?"

"That will have to be discussed and decided by our superiors."

"Could you take a photo and send it to me?"

The girl was very concerned about the giant panda.

Partly, it was curiosity about something novel. That was a giant panda, a national treasure she'd heard about since childhood. Not everyone got to experience something like this.

Partly, it was also because she had formed a connection with it. Someone else might likewise follow up on the condition of a little animal they had saved.

Besides, when she had plucked up the courage to get out of the car and take a look last night, the giant panda had been gravely injured, yet it had kept its eyes open and watched her, as though asking her for help. She had met its gaze, startled and frightened, crying out in alarm. Then she had shakily taken out her phone to call the police and stumbled through her description. The panda had kept its eyes open and stared at her the whole time, making her feel even more that their bond of fate ran deep.

The staff member's response, however, was perfunctory:

"Its wounds were only stitched up last night, so it wouldn't be convenient to disturb it now. Wild giant pandas are also very fierce, not as docile as we usually imagine. It would be easy to agitate it at a time like this, and if it gets worked up, its wounds could split open."

Seeing that he had said all that, the girl could only put the thought aside and pass the news along to her close girlfriend.

What she didn't know was that the staff member was utterly baffled too.

Because the giant panda had disappeared.

A giant panda that enormous, with more than a dozen serious injuries, its wounds only stitched and medicated last night, and just featured on the news, had actually vanished like that!

And this wasn't some mountain forest or wilderness. It was a wildlife breeding and rescue center. The panda had been in a treatment room inside a building, and there were surveillance cameras throughout the corridor outside the door. Yet it had actually vanished just like that!