Chapter 263: Run? So It's a Snow Leopard

Ning Fei found a leeward rock face, sat on a huge boulder, set down his hiking bag, and took out some jerky.

"This is yak jerky, a unique delicacy here in Xizang."

"My master's wife made this herself."

"She's a great cook."

The yak jerky was very chewy with a great texture. It was both tough and filling, making it perfect for satisfying hunger during outdoor explorations.

"I heard yak jerky is very expensive."

"Yeah, the yak jerky sold around here costs 80 yuan a jin."

"80 a jin? That's too expensive."

"Uh... as a native of Xizang, let me just say that any yak jerky under 200 a jin is probably fake."

"Under 200 a jin is fake?"

"It's the truth, but unfortunately, many people won't listen. Simply put, because air-drying reduces the weight, it takes three to four jin of fresh yak meat to make one jin of jerky. The cost of raw yak meat is around 45 to 50 a jin. You can do the math yourself."

"Good lord. Here I am eating my 18-yuan braised chicken and rice, and a second ago I actually thought Temple Master Ning was eating poorly."

"Look closely. The yak jerky Temple Master Ning is eating has a reddish tint. That's top-grade yak meat, several times more expensive than the market price."

"Stop talking. I'm just going to pretend it's regular beef jerky, or else I'll be too jealous."

At this moment, Ning Fei was sitting on a rock with his back to the mountain face.

Behind him, the rock face was a grayish-black, though the areas above and below were blanketed in snow.

The drone's camera pulled back a little.

As the viewers watched the scene in the live stream, their hearts suddenly began to pound.

Because they saw a completely snow-white leopard crouching on the mountain right behind Ning Fei!

The snow leopard glared down from above, locking its predatory gaze on Ning Fei.

The leopard pressed its body low with its front paws stretched forward, already assuming an attack posture.

It was hidden incredibly well.

It blended completely into the white snow on the hill behind him.

If it weren't for its front paws resting on the slope, standing out starkly against the grayish-black rock, the viewers wouldn't have even noticed there was a leopard up there!

Everyone was stunned!

In that single moment, their minds went completely blank.

Just seconds ago, everyone had been discussing the price of Ning Fei's yak jerky. Yet, the moment the drone pulled back, a white leopard actually appeared in the frame!

In the live stream, Ning Fei still sat on the rock, utterly relaxed as he savored the taste of the yak jerky.

Little did he know, a ferocious beast perched right above him had already marked him as prey.

This was the truest form of nature.

A single moment of relaxation could turn you into food for wild beasts.

"Temple Master Ning, danger!"

"Run!"

"Run away!"

"Help! Someone help him!"

"Call 110 quickly! Someone's going to die!"

"Temple Master Ning, I'm begging you, just turn around. There's a leopard behind you."

Some quick-reacting viewers immediately typed frantic warnings into the chat.

But Ning Fei wasn't looking at the screen right then.

The situation had grown incredibly dangerous.

The snow leopard's front paws tensed, gathering strength. It looked like it would pounce at any second.

The viewers felt their hearts leap into their throats!

The scene was simply terrifying.

Fortunately, right at that moment, the little falcon sensed something and let out a sharp cry toward Ning Fei's back!

At the exact same time, the snow leopard lunged straight down at Ning Fei!

It all happened incredibly fast, over in a mere flash.

Hearing the little falcon's cry, Ning Fei realized something was wrong.

Because he had already set his hiking bag on the ground, he was unburdened and extremely agile.

Ning Fei threw himself to the side in a sudden dodge, narrowly avoiding the snow leopard's strike.

The snow leopard hit nothing but empty air. It landed on the ground, stumbled slightly, and instantly scrambled back to its feet.

It was an agonizingly close call!

The snow leopard's attack had come in a split second. If not for the little falcon's warning, Ning Fei truly might have been in serious peril.

Of course, the snow leopard's ambush was aimed at tearing out the back of Ning Fei's neck. Given that Ning Fei's physical fitness far surpassed an ordinary person's, even if the beast had genuinely attacked him, he would have had enough time to react, protect his vitals, and launch a counterattack.

"So it's a snow leopard!"

After dodging the attack, Ning Fei looked at the snow leopard. Not a trace of panic marred his expression; instead, he actually looked a bit excited.

At this moment, the viewers' eyes went wide again.

Their mouths twitched in disbelief.

The intense, life-or-death crisis just a moment ago made them think Ning Fei was as good as dead. It had seemed like a completely fatal situation.

Yet looking at Ning Fei now, he was acting as if nothing had happened.

And he even looked... a little happy about it?

"Snow leopards are nocturnal—they hide during the day and come out at night. They prefer to hunt and move around at dawn and dusk. It's almost dusk now, which is why I was able to run into one."

Ning Fei stared at the snow leopard and began explaining facts to the viewers.

The viewers were absolutely speechless.

At a time like this? You're still giving a science lesson?

There's a leopard standing right in front of you—a leopard that wants to eat you! Could you be just a little bit nervous? At least show the snow leopard some respect!

The viewers assumed Ning Fei would get serious. After all, to any ordinary person, this situation was downright lethal. Yet, Ning Fei's next words were:

"Sure enough, snow leopards are quite chubby. They look pretty cute."

"By the way, have you guys seen Kung Fu Panda? The main villain in the first movie was a snow leopard. Its spots and build look just like this."

With that, the viewers were completely at a loss for words.

Listen to this—is that something a sane human would say?

You call this thing "cute"?

Meanwhile, the snow leopard was just as confused.

Generally speaking, there were two outcomes when a snow leopard hunted.

Either the prey fled in sheer panic while the leopard gave chase.

Or the prey turned to make a desperate last stand. But here in the snowy regions, hardly any animal was a match for a snow leopard, so they invariably ended up on the menu anyway.

But now, Ning Fei was just smiling brightly at it. This completely threw the snow leopard off its game.

The snow leopard still wanted to attack, but in the next instant, Ning Fei chose to activate an Animal Friendship Card.

He had plenty of ways to deal with wild beasts.

Using the Qilin Jade Pendant's skill, Qilin Deterrence, or simply engaging in hand-to-hand combat to beat the creature down—both were incredibly easy for him.

However, Ning Fei still decided to use the Animal Friendship Card.

Because snow leopards were extremely rare animals.

That was why his eyes had filled with such joyful surprise the moment he laid eyes on it.

Then, a miraculous scene unfolded.

The viewers had expected a brutal brawl between man and leopard in the snow.

Instead, the snow leopard bounded over to Ning Fei, flopped onto its back, bared its belly, and started acting cute.

The beast that had looked so ferocious just moments ago didn't have a single shred of savagery left in it.

"This..."

Seeing this play out, the viewers felt their entire understanding of reality being dragged through the dirt.

Were any of the animals in this live stream normal?

"The snow leopard is acting cute?"

"Did it leap down from up there just to act cute for Temple Master Ning?"

"Hey mister, watch me act cute?"

"Did the snow leopard realize Temple Master Ning isn't someone to mess with, so it's playing cute to stay safe?"

"Good lord, I almost wet myself earlier."

"Its movements are exactly the same as my kitten's."

"Temple Master Ning really is a beast tamer."

The crowd's agitated nerves slowly began to settle.

Many of them realized they had broken out in a cold sweat without even noticing.

Especially when the snow leopard first appeared in the camera feed—it really had scared the daylights out of everyone.

At this moment, Ning Fei crouched down.

He patted the snow leopard's belly, rubbed its head, and said with a smile:

"What a big, fat leopard!"

"You nearly scared me back there!"