Chapter 192: The Guest You Mentioned Is a Panda?!

Not long after Ning Fei finished eating the crabs, a knock echoed from outside the door.

It turned out to be Zhang Xiaofeng's agent, who had come privately to pay for the wild mountain crabs.

Those crabs would fetch about 1,500 to 2,000 yuan on the market. The agent explained that Xiaofeng insisted on paying the highest price and planned to give Ning Fei 3,000 yuan.

While it wasn't a massive sum, it was the thought that counted; she couldn't simply take advantage of someone else and treat it as her right.

Ning Fei refused the money, simply saying, "I just took her to the spot. We caught the crabs together, so it's only right that she gets a share."

After exchanging a few more words, the agent departed.

Returning to the courtyard, Ning Fei cleaned up the leftover crab shells before taking out the pet bowls to prepare lunch for the little ones.

The afternoon was a time for rest.

He lay on his recliner, soaking in the gentle autumn sun. Watching the little guys eat nearby brought him a comfortable sense of peace.

It felt truly wonderful to be at Qingfeng Temple.

He wondered how Little Qun and Dark Circles were doing.

After resting for a few days, he would head back into the mountains to check on them.

Or so Ning Fei thought.

Then, not long after, he suddenly heard a knocking sound from the backyard.

Qingfeng Temple had a back entrance, sealed by an ordinary iron door.

Right outside this door was the mountain forest. Generally speaking, very few people ever passed by the temple's back entrance, given how isolated the location was.

"That sound?"

Ning Fei immediately stood up from his recliner.

"It couldn't be Dark Circles, could it?"

He quickly made his way toward the backyard.

The viewers instantly grew curious upon seeing his reaction.

"What's wrong with Temple Master Ning?"

"That startled me. He was lying there perfectly fine and then just jumped right up."

"Looks like there's some commotion in the backyard!"

"A thief?"

"Impossible. Who would dare break into Temple Master Ning's place?"

By this time, Ning Fei had already reached the backyard. He opened the back door, and a chubby, black-and-white furball immediately filled his vision.

The black fur around this panda's eyes was exceptionally round. It was exactly Dark Circles.

As Ning Fei opened the door, Dark Circles happily trotted right in, making itself completely at home.

"It's Dark Circles!"

The viewers were delighted and thoroughly amazed.

"I'm new here. What's the deal with this panda? Does the streamer keep a panda?"

"You could say that, though it's free-range."

"Its name is Dark Circles, one of Temple Master Ning's free-range pets. By the way, Temple Master Ning also has another free-range pet—a South China tiger."

"Are you for real?"

"Is this streamer actually practicing cultivation? He's that incredible?"

"Are there still people doubting this?"

Dark Circles was still a baby panda. It hadn't grown much and looked as adorable as ever.

There was a bamboo grove next to the pavilion in the backyard, but it was just ordinary crisp bamboo, which Dark Circles didn't even spare a glance at.

"Ah, ah~"

Dark Circles cried out with a soft, milky voice.

Ning Fei immediately reached out and rubbed the silly little guy.

"Wait here. I'll go get you some apples."

Remembering the fresh apples he had just bought for the Daoist temple, Ning Fei quickly fetched a few to feed Dark Circles.

"Aside from bamboo, pandas also like bananas, apples, mangosteens, and spinach leaves. They like meat too—most often bamboo rats."

Dark Circles' arrival instantly brought a burst of lively energy to the Daoist temple.

Little Dog ran over a moment later. Seeing Dark Circles, the puppy didn't bark, but simply tilted its head, curiously inspecting the visitor.

Little Fei hopped over as well.

"Little Fei, go play somewhere else. Don't wander around here."

Ning Fei warned the chick.

He had no choice; pandas ate birds too.

It was already a miracle that Little Fei had survived this long. Foxes and white falcons ate chickens, and pandas did too. Fortunately, it was raised by Ning Fei, which kept it safe for now.

There was no helping it—every animal Ning Fei raised was fierce. The fact that a little yellow chick could mingle with these predators was enough for it to brag about to its own kind.

For the next while, Ning Fei simply stayed in Qingfeng Temple, playing with the giant panda.

Meanwhile, his stream's popularity was skyrocketing.

On the other side of the village, the Life of Yearning crew was busy.

The guests invited for the show's first episode were two highly prestigious actors.

They weren't your typical idol fresh faces, and they rarely participated in variety shows. They were genuine people, brought in solely because of Teacher He's extensive connections.

One was Chen Xiaokun. He had outstanding looks, radiating an extraordinary suaveness when playing a swordsman, yet carrying a demonic allure without being overly effeminate when playing a eunuch. His portrayal of Yu Huatian remained completely unmatched to this day.

The other was Zhou Xiaoxun, who had won countless acting awards. She never bothered competing with other actresses for the spotlight. When acting, she completely became the character, her eyes brimming with soul. Off-screen, she dressed like any ordinary person, earning her the nickname "Enthusiastic Citizen Ms. Zhou."

The two were known friends and had a very good relationship with Teacher He.

Because of this, the live broadcast for Yearning 6 that afternoon enjoyed a terrifying level of popularity.

As they chatted, the topic naturally shifted to Ning Fei.

It turned out that Zhou Xiaoxun was a huge fan of his, bordering on a star-struck follower. She kept a close eye on all his updates and short videos.

Many actresses in the entertainment industry chased stars, usually fawning over fresh-faced idols as so-called "older sister fans."

Zhou Xiaoxun could essentially be considered an "older sister fan" of Ning Fei.

Chen Xiaokun also mentioned that he was quite fond of Ning Fei.

Following this conversation, the group made a decision:

They would visit Qingfeng Temple!

Even though Ning Fei wasn't participating in their variety show, there was no harm in them visiting the Daoist temple as guests.

The momentum behind this plan grew massive.

It was the first time in Life of Yearning history that all the guests went together to visit someone.

The Mushroom House and Qingfeng Temple were practically neighbors anyway, separated only by a large slope.

If Ning Fei wanted to head down the mountain, he always had to pass by the Mushroom House.

The South Village area of Qinshan Village had always been quiet, with very few people ever passing through.

The group hiked toward Qingfeng Temple, chatting and laughing along the way. The atmosphere was incredibly lively.

The viewers thought this scene was wonderfully charming.

Zhou Xiaoxun was a top-tier figure in the entertainment industry, but she had the heart of a young girl. She walked along the path, clearly brimming with excitement.

"I've always wanted to take a look at Qingfeng Temple," she said.

The group eventually reached the base of Qingfeng Temple, stepped up the bluestone stairs, and finally arrived at the front door.

Knock, knock, knock!

Peng Xiaochang knocked lightly on the temple door.

Everyone waited quietly. About a minute or two passed before Ning Fei's voice sounded from within.

"Who is it?"

Opening the door, Ning Fei stepped out of Qingfeng Temple. Seeing the crowd outside, a look of sheer surprise washed over his face.

Upon seeing Ning Fei, Zhou Xiaoxun's eyes completely lit up.

"Temple Master Ning, Ms. Zhou here expressed that she's a huge fan of yours, so we thought we'd drop by for a visit today,"

Huang Sanshi said with a smile. His attitude was warm and exceptionally polite.

Huang Sanshi knew that Ning Fei was a kind and sincere person who usually welcomed visitors.

This time, however, a hint of awkwardness appeared on Ning Fei's face as he replied, "Teacher Huang, the Daoist temple has a guest today."

"A guest? Oh, then this might be a bit inconvenient..." Hearing this, Huang Sanshi looked slightly embarrassed.

But Ning Fei immediately followed up, "You guys can come in first. I'll just need to settle the 'guest' down, it's no big deal."

With that, Ning Fei opened the doors wide, allowing the Yearning 6 cast to file in.

Knowing they shouldn't push their boundaries, Huang Sanshi specifically told the directing team not to let the camera operators follow them inside. Only the six guests would enter.

Their drone, however, was allowed to tag along.

The moment they stepped through the door, all six of them were completely dumbfounded.

Huang Sanshi, He Rihuo, Peng Xiaochang, Zhang Xiaofeng, Zhou Xiaoxun, and Chen Xiaokun—every single one of them stared wide-eyed, jaws dropped, entirely speechless.

Because right there inside Qingfeng Temple, they saw a black-and-white animal.

When Ning Fei had come to the front courtyard to open the door, Dark Circles had tagged along.

At this exact moment, Dark Circles and the six-person group were staring blankly at each other.

Dark Circles looked slightly dazed, its small eyes filled with immense confusion.

Meanwhile, the six-person group felt their minds go completely blank.

"Is... is that a panda?!"

"A live... giant panda?!"