Chapter 318: The Wine Thief, Another First-Class Protected Animal

"What? You didn't catch the wine thief last night? It actually managed to steal the wine and run off?"

That morning, the viewers could hardly believe the news.

"This wine thief is incredibly smart."

"Yeah, especially since Temple Master Ning set up such good traps."

"What kind of animal actually steals wine to drink?"

"Why does this feel like the two mice stealing the Buddha's lamp oil in Journey to the West? Temple Master Ning might really be an immortal."

The viewers discussed it animatedly.

The drone broadcasted the scene inside the storehouse.

The traps hadn't been touched, but the wine jar had definitely been unsealed by some unknown creature.

"As you can all see, this wine thief is quite clever. It recognized my traps."

"I'm also to blame for underestimating it."

"I need to figure out a way to catch this wine thief."

Ning Fei spoke to the viewers as he took out his wine gourd, preparing to set some bait.

"This wine thief loves to drink, and it just so happens I have a little Monkey Wine left over."

"Monkey Wine is a top-tier delicacy. I refuse to believe this wine thief won't show itself if I use it as bait."

He poured some Monkey Wine into a small bowl in the storehouse and mixed in a bit of ordinary grain liquor. This would help the aroma spread faster while also saving him some Monkey Wine.

Next, Ning Fei arranged all his traps in a circle around the bowl.

His goal was clear this time: every single trap was focused on protecting that bowl of wine.

He really wanted to see exactly how this little guy planned to steal the drink.

Ning Fei was also smart about it. He placed Submarine Type A inside the storehouse to act as a security camera.

With the Bionic Fish hanging on the wall, even a human would be hard-pressed to recognize it as a camera, let alone an animal.

Ning Fei set it up so that the moment there was any movement in the storehouse, the submarine would instantly switch the live stream feed and send him an alert. That way, he didn't have to worry about the little thief slipping away.

Everything was ready. Now all he had to do was wait for the thief.

The viewers found this whole setup highly entertaining.

Surprisingly, quite a few people were actually rooting for the wine thief to succeed and make a clean getaway.

However, an inescapable net awaited it inside the storehouse. Running away wouldn't be easy.

Afterward, Ning Fei lay back in his rocking chair, holding Little Fox in his arms as he waited in silence.

It didn't take long before his mobile phone suddenly began to vibrate.

"It's here!"

Ning Fei instantly shot to his feet.

"That was fast. It seems the allure of the Monkey Wine really is irresistible."

He pulled out his mobile phone and quickly checked the camera feed.

The viewers' live stream feed instantly switched over as well.

Everyone finally got a clear look at the "wine thief."

It was an animal that looked like a cross between a weasel, a squirrel, and a beaver. Small and adorable, it had quite a cute appearance.

Right at that moment, the animal hopped down from the storehouse window, landing lightly on the floor.

"Is that a Huang Daxian?" the viewers asked curiously.

A Huang Daxian was a yellow weasel. In rural villages, yellow weasels were the subject of many magical legends and were always associated with the bizarre and the supernatural.

"That's not a Huang Daxian," Ning Fei said, watching the camera feed.

"If it's not a Huang Daxian, then what is it?"

"It's a marten. Probably a yellow-throated marten, though I can't be sure of its exact species from here," Ning Fei added.

"Yellow-throated martens are a common species of marten in the forest, and they are a Second-Class Protected Animal in Huaxia."

Just then, the Bionic Fish's camera slowly zoomed in, bringing the animal's features into sharper focus.

"Wait, no, that's not a yellow-throated marten!"

Ning Fei realized the animal's true identity.

"It's a sable!"

"I didn't dare guess it was a sable at first glance because they are generally only found in the Northeast."

"I assumed it was either a yellow-throated marten or a stone marten. Those two are quite common in these forests, and both are Second-Class Protected Animals."

"But look at this. We've got ourselves a first-class protected animal."

Ning Fei felt a bit helpless.

If it had been a weasel or a squirrel, he could have just caught it, given it a good scare, and warned it never to steal his wine again. There would be no harm in that. After all, without a protected status, roughing it up a little didn't matter.

But dealing with a first-class protected animal like a sable was going to be a bit more troublesome.

"It's actually a sable!"

The viewers watched the sable sneaking around on the feed and found it absolutely hilarious.

In the video, the sable stood up on its hind legs. Its little nose twitched as it sniffed the aroma of the wine, looking incredibly endearing.

Ning Fei kept a close eye on the sable.

If his traps worked, catching the sable and giving it a little scare would still be a decent outcome.

However, what happened next was completely beyond anyone's expectations.

The sable nimbly leaped right over the top of the trap. It bypassed the mechanism entirely, completely ignoring the seesaw pathway Ning Fei had deliberately left open for it.

"This little guy is pretty smart."

Ning Fei praised.

"But I still need to teach it a lesson. Otherwise, it'll keep knocking over my wine jars, and nobody can put up with that."

Making up his mind, Ning Fei stood up and headed straight for the storehouse.

Inside the storehouse, the sable had already dipped its head into the bowl and was happily lapping up the fine liquor.

The little guy wasn't big, but it could definitely hold its liquor. In just a few slurps, it drank the bowl of Monkey Wine completely dry.

Right at that moment, Ning Fei pushed open the door and walked in.

Hearing the noise, the sable spun around and tried to make a run for it.

Ning Fei immediately gave chase.

"Don't you run, you little thief!"

The sable was incredibly fast. It scurried nimbly up the wall and leaped onto the storehouse window.

The viewers thought the sable would bolt the very next second, but once again, it did something completely unexpected.

Standing on the windowsill, the sable bared its teeth at Ning Fei and aggressively waved its little pink paws, looking exactly as if it were cussing him out.

"You actually have the nerve to curse at me?"

Ning Fei read the meaning loud and clear. He snapped back, leaping toward the window to grab the little guy and teach it a proper "lesson."

The sable reacted just as quickly, scrambling straight out the window.

The broadcast feed instantly switched to the drone's perspective.

From the drone's angle, the sable could be seen darting out the window and sprinting along the outer wall. In a blink, it was about to escape the grounds of Qingfeng Temple.

A split second later, Ning Fei dashed out of the storehouse.

This sable had stolen his wine, knocked over his wine jar, and even had the audacity to provoke him to his face.

Ning Fei had absolutely no intention of letting the little rascal get away.

"Little falcon, catch it!"

The moment Ning Fei bolted outside, he issued a command to the Little falcon.

Then, he bolted after it himself.

Ning Fei didn't bother holding back his strength this time.

He broke into a dead sprint, leaped lightly into the air, planted one foot on the surface of the wall to launch himself upward, and vaulted smoothly over the three-meter-tall wall.

"Holy shit!"

The viewers watched the scene unfold, their mouths dropping open in shock.

That move was insane.

It was incredibly smooth and completely effortless.

"There it is. Temple Master Ning's martial arts."

"He really is an immortal. That's too overpowered."

"Did I see that right? Did the Taoist priest just fly?"

"Basic maneuvers, everyone. Please take your seats."

"Good god, he just flipped over a wall that high like it was nothing?"

While everyone was still reeling in shock, the drone immediately flew over the wall to follow him.

Staring at the live stream, the viewers were completely at a loss for words.

A Taoist priest with profound martial arts skills was currently chasing down a national first-class protected animal.

No one could have ever predicted a scene like this.