Chapter 510: Hitching an Elephant Ride!

The flock of ruffs lived happily together in the marsh.

There were male-male pairs, and male-female pairs.

The strongest leader among them showed off his muscles, keeping a sharp eye on the sky to prevent other "muscle men" from causing trouble.

Meanwhile, the pretty boys and cross-dressing experts each took what they needed.

Watching this scene, Ning Fei marveled at the wonders of nature.

"A ruff's traits are determined by its genes. A male bird's future characteristics are set the moment it hatches."

"That's what makes them so fascinating."

"Nature has decreed that a certain portion of ruffs are destined to be cross-dressing experts."

He mused aloud.

Hearing his words, the viewers burst into laughter.

"Temple Master Ning, cross-dressing is inevitable. You should give it a try."

Someone joked.

Ning Fei took it purely in stride, treating it as a joke.

He held a neutral stance toward that kind of culture—neither praising nor opposing it. He wouldn't criticize it, but he would absolutely never do it himself. If he saw others doing it, he'd just take a look and leave it at that.

"Let's go. We'll probably need to find a place to pitch the tent for the night."

Ning Fei said to Bai Yi.

"Got it."

Bai Yi replied.

Right at that moment, another bird flew across the sky.

Ning Fei looked up, a flash of excitement instantly lighting up his face.

"It's a bird-of-paradise!"

"Africa truly is a treasure trove!"

"Birds-of-paradise are incredible creatures. Most of the males are brightly colored with exceptionally gorgeous plumage. Even the black ones shimmer with iridescent hues."

"When these birds court a mate, they dance and strike poses. I have to go check it out."

With that, Ning Fei headed toward the small grove of trees up ahead.

Bai Yi followed close behind, slightly surprised by his eager expression.

Ning Fei moved with light, silent steps.

The drone followed quietly as well.

At that moment, all the viewers were treated to a beautiful sight.

A glossy black little bird, adorned with several brightly colored plumes, was currently hopping back and forth on the ground.

Its movements were precise, almost as if it were performing a ballroom dance. It stood tall, twirled in circles, and bobbed its neck from time to time, looking incredibly elegant.

"What a beautiful bird!"

"Whoa, can you keep this bird as a pet?"

"There are birds that know how to dance?"

The viewers were immediately captivated by the bird-of-paradise's dance.

Ning Fei lowered his voice and said, "Birds-of-paradise are exceedingly beautiful. There are many species, and every single one is stunning."

"But they generally live in remote, uninhabited areas, so seeing them dance is even rarer."

"My luck isn't bad."

"This bird-of-paradise is probably preparing to court a mate and is practicing its dance moves in advance."

"After all, attracting a female is no easy task."

Just then, they saw the bird-of-paradise fly up to a branch.

It started vigorously rubbing its beak against the wood. The viewers were puzzled by this behavior.

Ning Fei explained, "It's cleaning its stage. Before dancing to court a mate, it preps the platform so the female will be more comfortable standing on it."

Hearing this, the viewers suddenly understood.

A few female viewers immediately chimed in:

"Even birds know you have to put in serious effort to pursue the opposite sex, yet so many men are clueless."

This remark sparked a flurry of teasing and complaints from the crowd.

At that very moment, however, the bird-of-paradise began to sing out into the sky.

"It's calling for a female."

Ning Fei whispered.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before a female bird-of-paradise flew down from the sky and landed on the branch.

The female had a dull, camouflaged coloring, much like a sparrow. She wasn't nearly as striking.

This was true for many bird species: the males were flashy and beautiful, while the females were typically drabber in color.

Seeing the female arrive, the viewers stopped their bickering and focused their attention on the screen.

What followed was an avian courtship display.

The male started dancing with all his might.

"I don't know why, but this reminds me of Toothless courting in How to Train Your Dragon 3."

"I wouldn't say they're unrelated; I'd say they're exactly the same!"

"I knew it looked familiar! So that's where the inspiration for How to Train Your Dragon came from!"

"Haha, a bizarre crossover between the real world and animated movies."

The male's dance was graceful. One moment he spread his wings, the next he hopped in place, constantly twisting his neck as if dancing the samba.

The female simply watched him, tracking his movements back and forth.

The viewers actually seemed a bit nervous.

Everyone silently cheered for the male bird.

But right then, the female took one last look at the male, apparently dissatisfied, and flew off without a second glance.

Seeing this, the male froze. He immediately stopped dancing and stood blankly on the branch.

"Sigh!"

The viewers felt exceptionally sorry for him.

"Poor kid, he failed!"

"Look on the bright side. Romance is bullshit; making money is king."

"Hahaha, romance my ass!"

"So tragic. Temple Master Ning, aren't you going to go comfort him?"

"For birds-of-paradise, the success rate of courtship really isn't that high."

"However, they'll keep perfecting their dance and pursuing a partner with unrelenting persistence."

"After all, birds don't have much stress in life. They can just spend all day figuring this stuff out."

As he spoke, Ning Fei continued walking forward.

"Judging by the distance, it'll take about another day to reach the Madagascar Grassland."

"We'll cut straight across the African Tropical Rainforest and the plains to get there."

Ning Fei said leisurely.

Bai Yi followed behind him, in great spirits.

After spending so much time cooped up at school, a refreshing trip like this was exactly what she needed.

Plus, since Bai Yi had eaten a Flat Peach, her physical constitution was far stronger than an ordinary person's. Her endurance was excellent, so this little bit of walking was a piece of cake for her.

The pristine, untamed continent of Africa welcomed two very special travelers.

When evening arrived and the sun began to set, Ning Fei and Bai Yi started a fire to cook dinner. The little guys played freely around them without a care in the world.

Acting as a bodyguard, the Little falcon perched at the very top of the tent, its piercing eyes sweeping the surroundings to ensure everyone's safety.

Before long, cooking smoke curled into the air. Ning Fei made a pot of fresh mushroom and meat soup, paired with some slices of bread, making for a very satisfying meal.

The scene in the live broadcast was beautiful.

The wild grass here grew knee-high, surrounded by several massive trees.

"It's too beautiful!"

The viewers marveled endlessly.

"Seriously, wilderness travel is supposed to be grueling. How does Temple Master Ning make it look so relaxing?"

"It's a matter of mindset."

"This must be the legendary Realm!"

As evening turned to night, Ning Fei and Bai Yi went to sleep in the tent.

Ning Fei had chosen an excellent campsite, so there was no need to worry about any danger.

After the drone broadcast for a little while longer, the stream gradually shut down amid a wave of "good night" messages in the chat.

Early the next morning, the viewers woke up and tuned back into Ning Fei's stream.

Upon seeing the feed, every single viewer was stunned for a moment.

"Holy shit! Where did the elephants come from?"

On the screen, Ning Fei, Bai Yi, the Little Fox, the Little Dog, and the rest were all actually sitting on the backs of elephants!

It was a herd of about a dozen elephants, with two elephant calves jogging leisurely along their flanks.

Ning Fei and Bai Yi were sitting on the backs of two separate elephants.

The elephants' backs were exceptionally broad. Sitting cross-legged on top didn't feel steep at all; it was incredibly steady.

This sight genuinely took everyone by surprise.

Ning Fei, meanwhile, leisurely said, "While packing up the tent this morning, we spotted a migrating herd of elephants."

"So, we decided to hitch an elephant ride."

Hearing his words, the viewers could only sigh in admiration:

"That's Temple Master Ning for you!"