’The "outer sect" probably refers to other zoos.’

’Elder... a high-ranking official from another zoo?’

’Is there a high-ranking official from another zoo among the onlooking tourists?’

Yang Qi pondered this, his pace unwavering as he walked toward the sprawled-out Great King.

Great King noticed the movement. His massive head swiveled for a glance, seemingly annoyed, before turning away again.

But a moment later, it sensed something different about the newcomer’s presence. It snapped its head back around, tiger eyes locking onto Yang Qi, a hint of surprise in their depths.

"Hey there, Great King."

Yang Qi stopped about two meters away, giving a slight bow and a smile as if greeting an old friend.

"GRRROWL~"

Lying on the ground, Great King let out a deep, menacing growl at Yang Qi.

[Don’t bother me.]

After the growl, it turned its head away and resumed panting, its breaths coming in short, rapid gasps from its open mouth.

The people outside the enclosure jumped at the sound of the tiger’s roar.

"H-He... How is he not the least bit scared?"

Wei Dayuan stared in astonishment at the unfazed Yang Qi inside the enclosure, his voice cracking.

That’s a tiger!

A living, breathing, irritated adult male Northeast Tiger!

"Why should he be scared?" Chen Ze retorted, his tone matter-of-fact. "Would a ’Druid’ be afraid of a wild animal?"

"That’s not the same!"

Wei Dayuan shook his head.

Theory was one thing, but reality was another. Faced with an apex predator like this, fear is an instinctual human response.

"Alright, you two, be quiet."

Zhao Dalong snapped, cutting off their argument. His gaze was locked on the scene inside the enclosure, his hand tightening slightly on the tranquilizer gun.

At his words, Chen Ze fell silent, but his expression remained confident.

Wei Dayuan opened and closed his mouth, his eyes fixed on the enclosure, not daring to blink.

...

Inside the enclosure, Yang Qi seemed to completely ignore the warning growl and spoke again.

"Great King, is something bothering you? Tell me about it. Maybe I can help."

As he spoke, Yang Qi pointed to his own mouth, mimicking a pained chewing motion.

"Does it hurt in your mouth?"

"GRRROWL~?"

Great King seemed to understand. He let out a low growl, a mix of hesitation and complaint, then actually opened his cavernous maw, revealing bone-white fangs and a crimson tongue.

[My tooth hurts.]

[No, that’s not it.]

[It’s not a toothache.]

[It just hurts in there.]

...

His expression was muddled, but the point was clear: something inside his mouth was causing discomfort.

"Okay, let me take a look."

Seeing his chance, Yang Qi moved a little closer and crouched down, bringing his head nearly level with Great King’s.

He discreetly mobilized the Magical Power within him. The seed of the Entanglement Technique spell swirled in his palm, ready to be unleashed as a binding force at a moment’s notice.

At the same time, he held his breath, both to avoid agitating the tiger with his scent and to escape its fetid breath, while carefully inspecting the maw just inches away.

To the people outside the enclosure, the scene was absolutely heart-stopping.

Yang Qi had practically put his head right next to the tiger’s mouth. Those sharp fangs were mere inches from his face; the slightest provocation could trigger the tiger’s instinct to attack!

Everyone’s hearts were in their throats. Zhao Dalong tightened his grip on the tranquilizer gun, the scope fixed on Great King’s torso, his eyes unblinking, ready to pull the trigger at any moment.

Chen Ze subconsciously swallowed, feeling his own heart pounding like a drum in his ears.

Wei Dayuan was so nervous his face was pale and his lips trembled. He wanted to scream but didn’t dare make a sound.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yang Qi remained focused, using the available light to carefully inspect the inside of Great King’s mouth.

Soon, in the gum line near a right molar, he spotted it: a long, sharp, whitish bone fragment!

One end of the fragment was lodged deep in the gum, and the surrounding area was already red and swollen.

No wonder Great King was panting with his mouth open and tongue out, showing no interest in the lively chicken.

He didn’t dare close his mouth completely, let alone try to tear at anything. Every slight touch would have intensified the pain!

"Found the problem."

Yang Qi said, backing up slightly. He reached into what looked like the pocket of his work uniform but was in fact his Hundred Pouches Belt, and pulled out a pair of long, stainless steel tweezers.

He showed the tweezers to Great King, his voice calm. "I’m going to use this to help you take out the bone fragment that’s causing the pain. Open your mouth and don’t move."

He then opened his own mouth, pantomimed using the tweezers on his teeth, and then showed them to Great King again.

Great King closed his mouth slightly, eyed the tweezers, and leaned in to sniff them, seemingly understanding Yang Qi’s intent.

A low rumble came from his throat. He opened his mouth wide again and let out a soft growl.

"GRRROWL~"

[Go ahead.]

"It’s a deal, then."

Yang Qi smiled faintly. With Great King holding his mouth open, he gripped the tweezers and carefully reached in from the side, extending them into the pungent maw and aiming precisely for the bone fragment lodged in the gum.

"AHH—"

Outside the enclosure, a timid female tourist couldn’t help but let out a short scream and cover her eyes.

"Holy shit! Is he insane?"

A male tourist’s eyes went wide in disbelief.

Zhao Dalong, Chen Ze, Wei Dayuan, and the others all clenched their fists in tension.

Inside the enclosure, Yang Qi’s focus was split.

His fingers expertly maneuvered the tweezers, trying to get a grip on the end of the bone fragment.

Meanwhile, the bulk of his attention was focused on sensing Great King’s emotional fluctuations and subtle muscle twitches. The flow of his Magical Power quickened, preparing him to instantly pull back his hand, block with a punch, or activate the Entanglement Technique should the tiger suddenly lash out from pain or discomfort.

It was only because of his extraordinary abilities and his confidence in his own reflexes that Yang Qi dared to attempt this literal "tooth-pulling from a tiger’s maw."

The procedure went more smoothly than he had anticipated.

Great King’s tolerance for pain was incredible. Or perhaps, he understood that Yang Qi was trying to help him. Aside from a few suppressed whimpers from his throat when the wound was touched, he kept his mouth wide open, his massive body not even twitching.

A little over five seconds later, Yang Qi’s wrist steadied. He felt a slight resistance from the tip of the tweezers, and then it gave way!

A long, blood-streaked bone fragment was pulled out, held firmly in the tweezers!

"Got it."

Yang Qi withdrew the tweezers from the tiger’s mouth. Holding up the bone fragment, still dotted with blood, he presented it for Great King to see.

"This is the little splinter that was causing you pain."

"GRRROWL~"

Great King let out a low growl, his eyes wide as he stared at the culprit that had made him miserable all day, a clear look of hatred in his gaze.

Then, he stuck out his tongue and licked the spot on his gum. The nagging, sharp pain was gone.

He immediately moved closer to Yang Qi, affectionately rubbing his forehead and cheek against Yang Qi’s thigh while a deep rumble emanated from his throat. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

[Thank you.]

...

[Mission Complete]

[Reward: Small Transport Technique]