’Here we go again!’

Last time it was "Thunder Battle Dogs," and now it’s "Mountain Guardian Spirit Dogs."

Yang Qi would love to raise these dogs that held official posts, but circumstances just didn’t allow for it!

Though he was sighing inwardly, Yang Qi was all smiles on the outside as he petted one large dog with each hand.

"Hello, hello. My name is Yang Qi." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"You must be Big Black, and you’re Dahuang, right?"

"It’s a pleasure to meet you. Here, have a sausage. It’s not much, but..."

"..."

As Yang Qi spoke, he took out two sausages, peeled off their wrappers, and fed them to the two big dogs.

"WHINE~"

The two large dogs happily ate the sausages, their tails wagging even faster.

Qiao Fei, Li Rui, and Wang Chao watched this scene in astonishment, momentarily unable to process it.

Seeing this, He Shengnan asked curiously, "Officer Qiao, who are these two dogs? They seem especially fond of Keeper Yang?"

"Those are Dahuang and Big Black, the hunting dogs belonging to Uncle Cai. He’s the ranger and our guide for this mountain expedition," Deng Lei answered, his gaze never leaving Yang Qi, his tone filled with amazement.

"Big Black and Dahuang are both experienced old hunting dogs. They’re extremely wary of strangers. Forget about being friendly—they normally won’t even touch food given to them by a stranger."

As he spoke, he looked over at Yang Qi, his eyes full of curiosity.

Upon hearing this, Tang Ji turned and carefully looked Yang Qi up and down, as if trying to find something special about him.

"Haha."

Chen Ze laughed triumphantly. "See? I wasn’t lying! Our Brother Qi is a ’Druid.’ No matter the animal, they all have to show him some respect when they meet him!"

"So it’s really true..."

Wang Gu murmured, his eyes on Dahuang and Big Black’s powerful builds and alert eyes. He suddenly thought of something and his own eyes widened. "They... they couldn’t be the legendary ’Mountain Guard Dogs,’ could they?"

"Close enough, I suppose."

A man of about fifty or sixty, not particularly tall, with a weather-beaten face and a scruffy beard, emerged from a small path half-hidden by weeds. He carried a worn, faded old backpack, and his voice carried the distinctively raspy, steady tone of a mountain dweller.

"Uncle Cai!"

"Uncle Cai, you’re here!"

Qiao Fei, Li Rui, and Wang Chao snapped back to their senses at the sound of his voice and greeted him warmly, their deep respect for the old guide evident.

"Professor Tang, this is Uncle Cai, our guide for this expedition. He’s been trekking through Cangshan for decades and knows this place like the back of his hand," Deng Lei said, introducing him to Tang Ji.

"Brother Cai, hello. We’ll be in your care this time," Tang Ji said politely, stepping forward to shake Uncle Cai’s hand.

He might be the expert when it came to theoretical knowledge, but for field experience and survival skills in this vast mountain range, old hunters and mountaineers like Uncle Cai were the true authorities.

"Professor Tang, hello. It’s my job, so don’t you worry about it."

Uncle Cai returned the handshake briefly before his gaze landed on Yang Qi. His eyes, slightly clouded with age but still sharp, sized him up. "Young man," he called out, "you’re the one who saw the clouded leopard and got away in one piece, right?"

"Hello, Uncle Cai."

Yang Qi followed the others’ example in addressing him and replied humbly, "That’s me. But I just got lucky. I gave a shout to try and scare it, and it ran off."

"That’s still impressive."

Uncle Cai smiled. His gaze swept over the two hunting dogs that were circling Yang Qi, their tails wagging nonstop, and he nodded.

He then turned back to Tang Ji and Deng Lei, his expression serious. "I got the notification yesterday afternoon and had a look around the nearby peaks. Based on some tracks, the mother clouded leopard and her cub have likely headed north."

"The mother was held in captivity before. Now that she’s in the mountains, her instincts will make her avoid areas with human activity. Following this direction, they will most likely enter the Ancient Goose Forest."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "My suggestion is that we take the Toad Ridge route. We’ll cross it, pass by the Immortal Cave, then climb the Celestial Lantern. From there, we follow Longgu Beach, and that will finally lead us into the Ancient Goose Forest."

"The route is a bit of a detour, but it’s a relatively easy walk. There’s plenty of water, and there are many spots with open views, which will make observation easier."

"Plus, there are several suitable spots for camping overnight along the way."

Deng Lei didn’t say anything, instead looking to Tang Ji.

Tang Ji nodded without much hesitation. "Alright, we’ll follow Brother Cai’s plan."

"Alright then. Everyone, check your gear. We’ll head out now. We’ll try to reach Pegasus Cliff to make camp before nightfall."

With that, Uncle Cai wasted no more time. He turned and led the way down a more rugged, hidden path to the right.

"Everyone, keep up! Stay in formation and don’t fall behind!"

Deng Lei shouted, organizing the team to follow in an orderly fashion.

The party set out once more.

Dahuang and Big Black acted as the vanguard, running ahead to scout the path. But every so often, they would run back from the front, circle Yang Qi a few times, sniff his pant legs, and only return to the lead, satisfied, after receiving a reassuring pat on the head from him.

...

Around noon, the team stopped to rest in a relatively open forest clearing with a stream running through it. Everyone took out their packed food and water to replenish their energy.

After quickly finishing their food, Qiao Fei, Li Rui, and Wang Chao took out the drones they had brought. They skillfully assembled and calibrated them before launching them into the air to begin searching the surrounding forest, hoping to find a trace of the clouded leopards.

"WOOF WOOF~"

Dahuang and Big Black were very wary of the buzzing "iron bird" in the sky, tilting their heads back and barking a few times.

"We never had these high-tech gadgets in the old days. When we went into the mountains for search and rescue, or just to find someone, all we relied on were our own two feet, our own two eyes, and the noses of these old partners," Uncle Cai remarked, watching the drone circle nimbly in the air with a hint of nostalgia.

Yang Qi, standing beside him, heard this and chuckled. "Uncle Cai, no matter how advanced technology or tools get, they still need people to use them in the end. They’re all just here to serve us."

"I suppose that’s true."

Uncle Cai smiled. He was somewhat interested in Yang Qi’s ability to attract Big Black and Dahuang, but most of his attention was focused on the ever-composed black cat, Xiaojiu, perched on Yang Qi’s shoulder.

He had been trekking these mountains for decades and had seen countless felines, but this was the first time he’d ever encountered one so intelligent and poised.

Xiaojiu, however, remained coolly aloof. It ignored Uncle Cai’s inquisitive gaze and focused on licking its paws, maintaining the proud, detached air typical of felines.

After their break, the team set off again.

The mountain path grew more difficult, and the forest became denser and more primeval.

As evening fell and the setting sun painted the horizon orange, the party finally arrived at the foot of a steep cliff. They prepared to make camp on a relatively flat patch of ground there.

"SCREEECH—"

A clear, piercing hawk’s cry rang through the sky just then.

Everyone looked up instinctively. A raptor with a wide wingspan and an agile form was soaring past the top of the cliff, carving a graceful arc against the twilight sky. A brown crest was vaguely visible on its head.

"Is that... a Brown-crowned Falconet?!"