Chapter 222: Cowardly to the Absolute Limit

Ning Fei's words genuinely shocked the viewers.

Looking at the black bear, Ning Fei felt a sudden surge of sympathy.

This bear had claimed South Lake as its territory. Now that he had contracted the lake, driving the creature away just wasn't his style.

Legally, he held the lease to South Lake, but according to the laws of nature, this black bear was its rightful lord.

One had to respect nature.

Ning Fei started with five Animal Friendship Cards. He had used one each on Little Qun's parents, leaving him with three.

He decided to use one on this black bear.

There was no other choice—the bear was simply too timid.

It was actually terrified of Little Dog.

Once the Animal Friendship Card took effect, the black bear visibly calmed down. It stared at Ning Fei, still looking pitifully timid, before slowly inching behind him to hide.

A closer look revealed it was specifically hiding from Little Dog.

In the bear's mind, if it couldn't see the puppy, the puppy couldn't see it either.

It was the exact same logic as an ostrich burying its head in the sand—nothing but self-deception.

Little Dog only grew more curious. He trotted to the side, tilting his head to stare at the giant creature.

Realizing the puppy was back in sight, the black bear sidestepped around Ning Fei again, shuffling over to keep the Daoist priest firmly wedged between them.

The viewers were utterly baffled by the scene.

"It is cowardly to the absolute limit!"

"This bear is a real eye-opener!"

"Good lord. I was traumatized by that mother bear with her cubs earlier, but seeing this one has completely cured me."

"No more talking about the 'strength of a bear.' This guy doesn't have any!"

"Nature really is full of wonders."

"Are you all looking down on the number one security guard of the Nanhu Reservoir?"

Ning Fei was fairly speechless himself. Still, thanks to the Animal Friendship Card, at least the bear wasn't afraid of him anymore.

"It's alright, come with me," he said.

He turned around and gave the bear a few reassuring pats.

The creature actually settled down.

"Little Dog, don't scare him," Ning Fei chided.

He glanced at the puppy. No matter how you looked at it, Little Dog was just an adorable, innocent-looking ball of fluff.

What was so terrifying about a tiny puppy?

Ning Fei found himself gaining a whole new appreciation for the bear's cowardice.

With that sorted, he led the bear and Little Dog back the way they came.

The bear trailed behind him, occasionally shooting extremely cautious glances at the puppy.

"Why is this bear suddenly following Temple Master Ning?"

"Did you forget his son of the forest constitution?"

"If you found a patron this powerful to cling to, wouldn't you do the same?"

"It's probably just tempted by the security guard's salary."

"He really bought off a black bear to act as his muscle with just a few dried fish?"

"To be honest, I don't think this bear is even worth the fish."

"Makes sense."

It wasn't long before Ning Fei and the black bear arrived back at South Lake.

But their return caused an immediate problem.

The black bear took one look at the boat, saw an enchanting white fox and a sharp-eyed white falcon, and immediately turned tail to flee in terror.

"Halt," Ning Fei hastily shouted after it.

Hearing his voice, the black bear skidded to a halt. It crouched low to the ground, too terrified to move a muscle.

"Don't be afraid. No one here means you any harm," Ning Fei coaxed the bear again.

The bear cast another nervous glance toward the boat. Seeing that Little falcon and Little Fox hadn't moved an inch, it finally settled down a bit.

Ning Fei stepped onto the wooden boat. The large fish Little falcon had caught earlier was still lying on the deck.

Grabbing it by the tail, he hoisted the fish into the air and waved it toward the black bear.

"Big guy, do you want a bite?" Ning Fei shouted with a smile.

At the sight of such a massive fish, the bear's eyes locked on.

Fish had always ranked at the very top of a black bear's menu, easily rivaling honey as its absolute favorite delicacy.

Furthermore, black bears were notorious gluttons.

"Come here if you want it!"

Ning Fei stood at the bow of the boat, flanked by Little Fox, Little Dog, and Little falcon.

The fish lay right in front of them.

Ning Fei knew that if he didn't give the bear a proper incentive, it would never dare approach.

The black bear hesitated. Ultimately, unable to resist the lure of the giant fish, it tiptoed gingerly toward the boat.

It kept its head bowed the entire way, only occasionally peeking up to check its heading.

To a normal person, it was just a man and a few small animals standing on a boat. But in the black bear's eyes, they probably looked like a group of towering demons glaring fiercely down at it.

Mental fortitude really was the truest form of strength. The bear had grown into a massive beast, but its courage was pitifully small.

The black bear slowly shuffled up to the bow. It eyed the massive fish, shot a wary look at Ning Fei, and then snatched the fish up in its jaws. It backed away a few paces, turned around, and began devouring the meal in huge, greedy bites.

It had been days since the bear had last eaten fish, so it was thrillingly eager.

Ning Fei smiled as he watched the beast gorge itself.

"Little falcon, go catch two more for him. From now on, he'll be guarding South Lake," Ning Fei instructed the bird.

At his command, Little falcon immediately launched into the sky.

There weren't many fish in South Lake, but to Little falcon, fishing was never a difficult task.

Soaring high above, its sharp eyes swept the water, instantly spotting exactly where the fish were hiding.

Little falcon swiftly caught two more large fish in a row, dropping both of them right at the black bear's feet.

The black bear had never seen anything like it. Completely forgetting its fear, it hastily tore into the new catch.

As the black bear happily stuffed its face, the other little guys on the boat studied it.

They seemed to be wondering how any animal could have such atrocious table manners.

There was a stark difference between a wild animal and one raised by a human.

The black bear had been bullied since it was a cub. It had certainly never experienced someone actively tossing free food its way.

Ning Fei was genuinely pleased to see the bear enjoying its meal.

The viewers were highly amused.

"South Lake's number one security guard just got his first paycheck."

"Haha, this bear is so delightfully silly."

"The bear probably just realized how great it is to cling to a powerful patron."

After a moment of thought, Ning Fei spoke up.

"Since you'll be South Lake's security guard from now on, I should give you a name."

"How about this—I'll call you Xiaoxiong."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a wave of merciless teasing swept through the chat.

"Xiaoxiong? Isn't that a bit too careless?"

"Way too casual."

"Temple Master Ning is absolutely hopeless at naming things."

"Tell me about it. Remember Heishuai? He had a horse that cool, and instead of naming it Windchaser or Wave-treader, he called it Heishuai."

"He named a literal national treasure Dark Circles. What did you expect?"

"Xiaoxiong it is, then. At least he got the species right."

By now, the bear had finished its fish. It sat on the ground, happily licking its thick paws as if savoring the aftertaste.

Sitting at the bow of the boat, Ning Fei smiled and called out.

"Xiaoxiong, come here."

This time, Xiaoxiong wasn't nearly as terrified. It scampered over eagerly, dropping into a seated position on the ground.

It was an incredibly endearing sight.

Ning Fei sat on the boat surrounded by his small companions, while a massive black bear sat obediently on the shore, the two sides quietly watching each other.

"You just live a good life out here," Ning Fei said in a calm, unhurried tone. "Before long, there'll be plenty of fish in South Lake."

Xiaoxiong nodded, though whether the bear actually understood was anyone's guess.

Regardless, the creature clearly wasn't frightened anymore.

"He really has no backbone. Sold out for a couple of fish," the viewers teased, poking fun at the bear's antics.

But despite all the jokes, they were genuinely happy for the animal.

At the very least, by following Temple Master Ning, it would never have to worry about its next meal again.