He definitely had a Spiritual Root.

Without a Spiritual Root, Yang Qi wouldn’t have been able to cultivate Magical Power at all.

But the exact nature of his Spiritual Root was unsettling.

If it were just Water-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots, that would be fine.

But if it was Three or Four Spiritual Roots, that would be pretty bad.

The worst-case scenario was having all five elements—a trash Spiritual Root!

If it really was a five-element trash Spiritual Root, it was a terrifying thought, even with a thirty percent bonus to Spiritual Qi absorption.

...

...

「Provincial Capital, Wildlife Rescue Center.」

The afternoon atmosphere in the office was lazy, and a few staff members who weren’t out on fieldwork were gathered together, chatting.

"What’s all the chatter about?"

Wang Gu walked in, teacup in hand. He went over to the water cooler to add some hot water and asked casually.

"Just about that business with Zhang Sheng."

A male colleague with glasses pushed up his frames and answered, "The last time his team went out to relocate that leopard that injured someone, they nearly had an accident. Lao Zhang even got scratched. Luckily, he dodged fast enough to avoid any vital spots."

"We were just talking about that. Wild animals are incredibly resistant to drugs. The anesthetic dose was calculated perfectly, but the creature still managed to stay conscious a little longer than it should have."

"That’s also because Zhang Sheng’s team was being careless," a round-faced female colleague chimed in. "They must have overlooked something in the procedure, or it wouldn’t have been such a close call."

"Exactly, exactly!"

A short, stout male colleague nearby nodded eagerly. "If that were me, I’d never make such a rookie mistake."

"Sigh, it’d be great if you were just naturally good with animals," a long-haired female colleague nearby said wistfully, cradling her coffee. "Like those amazing people in documentaries. They just stand there, and even ferocious beasts won’t attack them."

"You know, people who are naturally loved by cats and dogs really do exist."

Hearing this, the short, stout colleague jumped back into the conversation. "I actually know a friend like that. When she walks down the street, all the stray dogs and cats just flock to her and rub against her. It’s uncanny, really."

"Most stray cats and dogs were either abandoned or have been around people since they were young," the long-haired colleague offered a rational analysis. "They’re naturally less wary of humans, so it’s normal for them to be friendly."

"But that’s still a kind of personal charisma," the short, stout colleague insisted.

"Well..."

Seeing his chance, Wang Gu cleared his throat and joined the discussion. "People like you’re describing do exist. But I’m not talking about someone who’s just good with strays. I mean someone that nearly all animals—or at least most wild animals—are willing to approach. And that includes a pure-blooded wild clouded leopard!"

"A clouded leopard?"

Hearing this, the colleague with glasses looked at Wang Gu. A memory seemed to surface. "Are you talking about that incident in Donghua City from a couple of weeks ago? The one you and Professor Tang handled?"

"That’s the one!"

Wang Gu nodded and set down his teacup, his expression complicated. "It was a keeper at the Donghua Wildlife Park named Yang Qi. Personally... well, he kind of rubs me the wrong way, but I have to admit, the guy’s the real deal!"

He paused, then continued under his colleagues’ curious stares. "We’d spent a ton of effort searching the mountains for the mother clouded leopard and her cub. And what happened? The leopard came to us! It came looking specifically for him!"

"You guys should have seen it. The clouded leopard was so fierce and wary around us, but in front of him? It was as gentle as a house cat."

"In the end, it even led the way for them to leave together. Oh, and right, he was the one who brought the little clouded leopard back later, all by himself. The mother was so at ease with him that she didn’t even show her face!"

"For real?" The short, stout colleague looked skeptical. "Old Wang, you’re making this sound way too out there, like something from a fairy tale. What is this Yang Qi, a Druid?"

"..."

Wang Gu opened his mouth, then, recalling his experiences in Donghua, gave a wry smile. "You know, you’re not that far off. At the Donghua Wildlife Park, a lot of people actually do call him the Druid."

"The animals in the park—doesn’t matter if they’re ferocious beasts or birds—if they have any behavioral or psychological issues, there’s nothing he can’t solve." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Right, there are even some videos of him online, stuff like him consoling a depressed fox or calming down an agitated giant panda. If you don’t believe me, you can search ’Donghua Zoo’ and see for yourselves."

"That’s a bit of an exaggeration..."

"Teacher Tong!" the round-faced female colleague suddenly called out toward the office doorway.

"Teacher Tong!"

"Director Tong!"

The others all chimed in with their greetings.

Wang Gu turned, saw who it was, and quickly stood up. "Teacher Tong!" he said respectfully.

The newcomer was a middle-aged woman, just over five feet tall. She had a small, slender frame, was dressed simply, and wore a gentle smile.

"Hello, everyone."

Tong Xiaoyue nodded to the group, then her eyes landed on Wang Gu. She asked directly, "Xiaowang, what was the name of that keeper you were just talking about?"

"His name is Yang Qi."

Wang Gu replied quickly. "Yang as in ’poplar tree,’ Qi as in ’miracle.’"

"Yang Qi..."

Tong Xiaoyue repeated the name twice under her breath, then nodded. She looked at Wang Gu, her eyes searching. "This Yang Qi... is he really as incredible as you say? He can get all sorts of animals, especially wild ones, to willingly approach him?"

"That’s what I saw with my own eyes."

Wang Gu answered honestly, not daring to exaggerate or conceal anything. "And what’s more, when that wild clouded leopard first showed up in Donghua, it nearly injured someone. He was the one who showed up just in time to stop it. The situation was incredibly dangerous, but he managed to pull it off."

"Lao Tang knows about this as well, doesn’t he?" Tong Xiaoyue asked, her tone even.

"Ye—yes, Professor Tang was there too." Wang Gu gave an awkward smile, then added, "Oh, and Sheng Nan knows the details, too."

Tong Xiaoyue nodded and smiled. "That’s all. Please, get back to your work."

With that, she turned and left the office. Her small, thin frame projected an aura of profound composure as she walked away.

The gentle smile that always graced her eyes vanished once her back was to the room, replaced by a flash of deep thought.

...

"Looks like Teacher Tong is interested in that Yang Qi guy?"

The long-haired colleague mused aloud, watching Tong Xiaoyue’s retreating figure.

"Seems that way," the colleague with glasses agreed, nodding.

"If that Yang Qi is really as amazing as Wang Gu says, it’s only natural for Teacher Tong to be interested," the round-faced colleague added in agreement.

"Heh heh."

The short, stout colleague gave a conspiratorial wink and lowered his voice. "Don’t you all forget, Teacher Tong is also the vice director of the Red Star Zoo! And it’s not just a title—it’s a real, active position!"

At these words, everyone froze for a second. Looks of dawning realization, mixed with surprise, appeared on their faces.

Wang Gu was so stunned his jaw dropped. He replied almost unconsciously.

"Are you saying... Teacher Tong might be thinking of..."

"I didn’t say a thing!"