Free Web NovelChapter 278: Chapter 177: Clouded Leopards in Cangshan?
’Cyan Green Stinging Dragon?’
’Is there a lizard nearby?’
’Or maybe a snake?’
Yang Qi’s gaze swept subtly across the bustling high-speed rail station lobby.
The system’s detection range for "Spirit Beasts" was limited; it usually only triggered a notification for things within a few meters.
As he scanned the area, his gaze fell upon a man standing by a support pillar about two meters behind him to his right.
The man wore a dark baseball cap, its brim pulled down low, hiding most of his face and revealing only a strong, stubbled jawline.
He held a phone in one hand, its screen lit up as his fingers tapped quickly, seemingly sending a message. A black, hard-shell suitcase, about 26 inches in size, sat by his feet.
Yang Qi just glanced over calmly, his eyes lingering for less than three seconds.
Yet, as if he had eyes in the back of his head—or perhaps it was an intuition honed by long-term vigilance—the man abruptly looked up. A pair of grim, cold eyes, like a hawk’s, swept over and instantly locked onto Yang Qi.
Their eyes met.
Yang Qi’s expression was composed. He showed none of the typical aversion or panic that an ordinary person would when met with such a stare. It was just a casual glance, tinged with a perfect note of curiosity, before he naturally looked away as if he had only unintentionally spotted a passerby.
The man stared at Yang Qi for two seconds. Seeing his ordinary clothes and unremarkable expression, the wariness in his eyes dissipated slightly.
But his cold, unapproachable demeanor remained.
He quickly put his phone away and bent down to pick up the black case at his feet.
The case seemed heavy; the muscles in his arm bulged slightly as he lifted it.
The man then turned and strode off in another direction, toward the check-in area for special baggage and cargo.
’Is he checking in a pet? Or something else?’ The thought crossed Yang Qi’s mind.
The case looked very well-sealed, not like an ordinary airline carrier used for temporarily transporting animals.
Lost in thought, Yang Qi took two steps forward.
Suddenly, a trace of an extremely faint, barely-there sweet and coppery scent, mixed in with the complex smells of the station, drifted into Yang Qi’s nostrils.
The scent was so faint that if Yang Qi’s Cultivation hadn’t reached the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer, and his body hadn’t been tempered by Spiritual Qi, his five senses wouldn’t have been sharp enough to catch it.
A sweet, coppery scent...
It was a little familiar, but he couldn’t quite place what it was.
In any case, it was definitely not a pleasant smell.
Combined with the man’s unconcealable grim aura and razor-sharp gaze...
’This person is no simple character.’
However, it was just a chance encounter. The man’s destination was unknown, and Yang Qi had no intention of looking into it further.
Putting the small interlude aside for the moment, Yang Qi turned his attention back to his phone.
The screen lit up with a message from Zhang Xin, a member of the "Xianlai" preparatory team organized by Pang Yunrui. Zhang Xin was in charge of procurement and logistics.
[Director Yang, the one hundred native trees, all over thirty years old and with the specific species mix you requested, have been coordinated from several nurseries. The first batch of fifty arrived this afternoon at the temporary holding yard at the foot of Cangshan. The rest will arrive by the day after tomorrow at the latest. When would be a good time for you to come and confirm?]
Yang Qi’s eyes lit up.
These one hundred large trees were the key foundation he needed to set up the "Hundred Trees Nourishing Body Array" at the future Xianlai Zoo.
The age, health, and even the mix of species were all subject to specific requirements. For them to arrive so quickly, it seemed Pang Yunrui’s team was indeed very efficient.
He immediately tapped his fingers and replied.
[Thanks for your hard work. I’ll head over once they’ve all arrived.]
Zhang Xin replied quickly.
[Okay, Director. I’ll contact you again when they’ve all arrived.]
Putting his phone away, Yang Qi passed through the ticket gate and entered the waiting hall.
...
The high-speed train glided smoothly along the tracks, heading back to Donghua City.
The scenery outside flew backward.
Yang Qi leaned back in his seat, took out his phone again, and habitually scrolled through a few of his regular chat groups.
When he opened the sect’s group chat, named "Effort & Harvest (Song Sect Family)," he was slightly taken aback.
This group, which was usually filled with his senior disciples sharing industry news, asking their master questions, or just making small talk, was currently abuzz with a topic that was, of all things, related to the Xianlai Zoo!
He scrolled up through the message history:
[Xia Xiaomin: Have you guys heard? Our province might be getting a huge private zoo called ’Xianlai.’ They’re saying the plan is for it to cover over 500 acres. If it really gets built, it’ll be the biggest in the province.]
[Yang Fan: Senior Sister, you’re behind the times. The latest internal rumor is that it’s almost 700 acres, and it includes a native forest and a small hill. The ecological integration is supposed to be planned to a very high standard.]
[Xia Xiaomin: For real? Almost 700 acres?! That young heir of Dazhuang Group must not even see money as money. How much would that cost? The land costs alone would be astronomical!]
[Fang Rong: From the rumors I’ve heard, they’re going the route of a ’special franchise for ecological conservation and public education.’ They didn’t really change the land-use designation; it’s mainly leasing and special usage rights. There are favorable government policies involved. Otherwise, no matter how rich Dazhuang Group is, rezoning that much land would be a nightmare.]
[Xia Xiaomin: Ohh, okay, that makes more sense. But even so, the scale of it is still insane. Dazhuang Group, as expected! @Wei Zongting, Second Senior Brother, you’re in charge of this sector. If ’Xianlai’ really succeeds and becomes a benchmark project, your performance record would look pretty shiny, wouldn’t it? Maybe you could move up another step? /smirk]
Seeing this, Yang Qi’s finger paused.
Wei Zongting, Song Chunfang’s second disciple, was the deputy director of the Handong Province Forestry Bureau—a department-level official holding real power.
