Chapter 211: South China Tiger Conservation Plan

The drone hovered over the hot spring.

Ning Fei had a towel wrapped around his waist, covering everything down to his thighs. Because of this, the drone's camera only captured his upper half.

Even so, plenty of female viewers were swooning.

"His body is amazing!"

"The Temple Master practices cultivation. Isn't it perfectly normal for him to have a great body?"

"I'm in love with that physique."

"Hmph, I knew it. You guys only care about Ning Guan master's body. Unlike me, I appreciate his inner beauty."

"I really want to soak in a hot spring with Ning Guan master too."

The drone circled above the hot spring, alternating its broadcast between Ning Fei and the South China tigers.

The tigers only had their heads exposed above the water. Their eyes were half-closed, looking thoroughly relaxed.

Before long, having soaked for quite a while, the mother tiger and Little Qun climbed out of the hot spring.

Little Qun shook the water from its body, trotted over, and stopped beside Ning Fei.

Ning Fei reached a hand out of the hot spring and stroked Little Qun.

It had been a while since he last saw the little tiger, and it had grown quite a bit.

Seeing this, the viewers grew jealous once again.

The little tiger was actively asking to be petted. How could they not be envious!

After soaking for a bit longer, Ning Fei started to feel flushed from the heat.

Soaking in a hot spring was naturally a high-energy activity. The body's metabolism sped up significantly in high temperatures, meaning one couldn't stay in the water for too long and had to remember to replenish their energy and nutrients.

Feeling he had soaked long enough, Ning Fei splashed some spring water on his face. He then turned the drone to face the other way, wrung out his towel, dried himself off, and put his clothes back on.

By the time the drone turned back, Ning Fei was fully dressed.

He looked fresh out of the shower, practically radiating heat. His face was exceptionally fair and clean. He had combed his hair back and tied it up, giving him an even more dashing and carefree aura.

"What a shame that such a brilliant scene wasn't broadcast," one viewer wailed.

"Are you trying to get Ning Guan master's stream banned?"

"I mean, I really wanted to see it too."

"Stop dreaming."

Now dressed, Ning Fei felt a wave of fatigue. He sat cross-legged on the ground to rest, and Little Qun padded over to curl up next to him.

It was a remarkably beautiful scene.

Just then, Ning Fei received another call from Old Bi.

"Hey, Ning Fei. I'm watching your stream," Old Bi said with a laugh.

"What's up?"

"Well, a few experts from the provincial animal protection association just arrived. They contacted our Forestry Bureau because they want to observe the activity patterns of the wild South China tigers, and protect them while they're at it."

"Didn't you discover a few wild South China tigers? The higher-ups actually have a commendation and reward lined up for you because of that."

"Really?" Ning Fei asked, pleasantly surprised.

He didn't care about the reward; what mattered to him was the protection of the South China tigers.

There were far too few South China tigers in the Qinshan Mountain range now. There might only be these few. He hadn't spotted any others yet, but there had to be a larger population out there.

If the Government stepped in to protect them, the results would be far better.

Ning Fei had been constantly worried that these tigers would fall victim to poachers.

Some people had previously raised concerns that his stream might accidentally reveal locations to poachers. In reality, it wouldn't. The territories where wild animals roamed were clearly marked on maps; it had nothing to do with Ning Fei's broadcast.

Poachers obviously knew there were golden monkeys in the Golden Monkey Reserve, takins up on the higher plateaus, and crested ibises near the lakes. A simple search would give them the exact coordinates.

But these South China tigers were discovered exclusively by him. They were truly rare animals within the Qinshan Mountain range.

The appearance of these South China tigers held significant meaning for the ecology of Qinshan.

"How do those experts plan to protect the South China tigers?"

Ning Fei asked.

"Oh, I asked about that. They use GPS chips. They're highly advanced—they won't harm the tigers' bodies at all, but they'll record their movement trajectories in real-time. That way, they can locate the rest of the population. It also protects them from poaching. It's a great system."

"I see," Ning Fei nodded.

"Those experts said they wanted to team up with you to implant the chips into the South China tigers, so they'll need your help," Old Bi added.

"No problem." Ning Fei nodded.

This was definitely a good thing.

Hanging up the phone, Ning Fei stroked the South China tiger while explaining to his viewers:

"There are many ways to protect wild animals, but the most effective method is using embedded GPS chips."

"This first appeared in the Rhino Rescue Project. Because rhino horns were so valuable, rhinos faced insane levels of poaching. Someone proposed the chip initiative back then, and it ultimately yielded excellent results."

"The South China tiger is our national tiger. They deserve the same treatment."

Ning Fei said softly.

The viewers nodded to themselves.

Ever since the poachers appeared and killed several golden monkeys, the viewers had harbored a deep hatred for such criminals.

Now that the higher-ups were stepping in to protect the South China tigers, it couldn't be better.

In this regard, the Government could be trusted. Protected animal populations always grew larger and stronger.

Take pandas, for example. Decades ago, many pandas were dragged out by street performers to do tricks—riding bicycles, twirling sticks, and so on. They lived miserable lives.

Now that the Government had listed them as national treasures and protected them, all they had to do was act cute, and they never had to worry about food or drink again.

"Little Qun, I'll come visit again in a couple of days. Be good," Ning Fei murmured.

Little Qun tilted its head, seeming to half-understand.

Ning Fei kept the three tigers company for a little while longer. The tigers seemed to treat him like family, acting incredibly docile in his presence.

After lingering for a bit, Ning Fei stood up and said with a hint of reluctance:

"I'm leaving now. I only came out here to see you guys. I need to hurry back before it gets dark."

With that, Ning Fei stepped down from the stone platform and walked into the Mountain Cave.

Little Qun ran after him, following him all the way to the entrance of the cave. Only when Ning Fei waved it back did Little Qun finally turn around.

On his way back, Ning Fei intentionally took a detour to the bamboo grove where he had previously found the Emerald Dragon Bamboo.

"I still need to find some decent bamboo for Dark Circles today."

"The back mountain of Qingfeng Temple only has ordinary bamboo. The variety is nothing special, and it hasn't even formed a proper grove yet."

"From now on, I'll bring some back every time I go up the mountain. Once there's enough bamboo, it will gradually grow into a bamboo forest."

Ning Fei explained to the audience.

It was currently autumn, so the bamboo wasn't growing very lushly. Instead, it looked somewhat desolate.

He searched through the dense woods. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"Look here, everyone. There's a freshly sprouted New Green Bamboo."

Ning Fei took a few steps forward and pointed ahead.

The viewers looked through the stream's camera and saw a short bamboo shoot growing in the middle of a patch of other bamboo. It wasn't tall, but its branches and buds were a bright, emerald green, making it look incredibly vibrant.

"In this season, only the New Green Bamboo is still growing. It's just started taking root and sprouting."

"This is a great variety of bamboo. The stalks are green and the leaves are lush. If it grows into a grove, it'll be a beautiful sight."

"Pandas generally love seeking out this type of bamboo to eat."

As Ning Fei spoke, he approached the New Green Bamboo and carefully dug it out. He wrapped the soil around its roots in a plastic bag to ensure the New Green Bamboo would survive.

In the Qinshan Mountain range, bamboo grew all over the hills and fields. Bamboo groves were the most common sight here.

This spot wasn't far from Qingfeng Temple. It wouldn't take him long to walk back, which also guaranteed the New Green Bamboo's survival.

Ning Fei wove his way through the forest. There was an enormous amount of bamboo, and quite a bit of it was New Green Bamboo. He dug up over a dozen stalks in a row, grabbing a full handful.

These stalks weren't large, but they looked incredibly vital.

"Only the New Green Bamboo grows vigorously in this season. After winter passes, the New Green Bamboo should grow to about the size of normal bamboo."

"If there are enough of them, they can easily grow into a New Green Bamboo Grove by the second year."

"But this still isn't enough. I'll need to make a few more trips."

Ning Fei muttered to himself. Then, hugging the New Green Bamboo, he made his way back to Qingfeng Temple.

The wind was strong today.

As he walked along the path, the wind howled. The surrounding trees seemed to wail, rustling with a bleak, desolate sound.

Fallen leaves were constantly blown down.

Little falcon, tired from flying in the sky, landed on Ning Fei's shoulder. Facing the wind, it squinted its eyes to rest.

When Ning Fei returned to Qingfeng Temple, the bluestone steps were already covered in leaves.

"Let them fall. At this rate, all the leaves will be gone in a day or two."

Ning Fei murmured softly as he looked at the large trees on either side.

After that, without bothering to clean up, Ning Fei headed straight for the back mountain. He found a patch of bamboo and planted all the New Green Bamboo right in the middle.

Right now, this patch of New Green Bamboo didn't look like much.

But if one looked closely, they could see a small central area filled with vibrant little shoots amid the surrounding dark green and yellowish bamboo.

These little shoots were full of life, standing out starkly in the desolate environment.

There was only a little bit of New Green Bamboo now, but after some time, a New Green Bamboo Grove would appear on the back mountain.

When that time came, the scenery on the back mountain would become even more beautiful.