Jiang Fan applied crushed herbs to the wound, grumbling.
"Seriously, you managed to sprain your leg fighting."
"Compared to that python that abandoned its food, your intelligence is about the same."
The black panther, of course, couldn't understand his words.
At least not the idiom "half a catty to eighty taels" or its equivalent.
But it could sense that whatever he was saying, it wasn't good.
The black panther let out a low growl, twitching its sound paw. It seemed disdainful of Jiang Fan's chatter, even threatening him to shut up.
Jiang Fan, however, was unfazed. He cast a casual glance, his meaning clear without a word.
"With your speed, couldn't you have outrun it?"
"The python is so long, couldn't you have tied it into a knot and beaten it at your leisure?"
"I suspect you were just leaping around the forest and injured yourself."
Jiang Fan, unusually talkative, directed his words at the black panther.
Though his tone was nonchalant, his meaning was profound.
The black panther appeared to ignore him, yet its ears twitched unconsciously.
As he spoke, it even looked at Jiang Fan with disbelief.
Its round, beastly eyes clearly conveyed, 'You sneaky devil.'
Despite its seemingly low intelligence, it understood Jiang Fan's words.
After a moment of thought, the black panther clenched its paw.
'I'll do that next time!'
Watching the man and the panther, Zhou Niannian hesitated, then muttered to herself.
"Why do I feel like the black panther is being corrupted by Jiang Fan?"
Unbeknownst to her, the comment section was already in stitches.
The audience, who had initially thought Jiang Fan was only occasionally sly and usually straightforward, now realized he could be incredibly cunning.
"Hahaha, I can't believe it! Teaching the black panther how to tie up a Burmese python, Jiang Fan, you're something else!"
"Black Panther: A new world has opened up! Learned something, learned something, I'll do just that!"
"I can't hold it in, how can someone be so outrageous? I'm starting to pity the python now. Not only was its food stolen by Jiang Fan, but its enemy was saved and then taught to be a trickster."
"Brother Jiang, have mercy, spare the python any further trauma. It's just an innocent animal, hahaha!"
Few people in the live stream dared to criticize Jiang Fan anymore. His clever move had completely changed their perception of him.
In the rainforest, only the sly could truly thrive, that much was evident.
Saving the black panther was one thing, but turning it into a cunning creature was pure entertainment.
Even those who had previously misjudged him couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, Jiang Fan was completing his task.
He wrapped clean leaves around his leg and secured them with vines he had found.
A simple bandage was complete.
"Don't be stupid again next time."
"Being weak isn't your fault, but challenging others while being weak is a serious problem."
These two sentences made the black panther, whose world had just been expanded, doubt if it had indeed been foolish.
Was this the true way to defeat that detestable snake?
Its confused, large eyes were incredibly endearing.
Zhou Niannian almost reached out to pet it.
However, the black panther sensed her intention, glared at her, then abruptly stood up. It took a tentative step, shaking off the dirt.
"Roar—"
With a sound that seemed like a thank you, the black panther, with a proud stride, leaped onto a nearby tree and quickly departed.
Jiang Fan watched it go, then stretched.
"It's getting late. Let's take the meat back."
"Okay."
Zhou Niannian snapped back to reality, quickly checking the meat by the stream. Fortunately, the water was not turbulent, and the meat hadn't been washed away.
After processing the remaining wild boar meat, the two returned to their camp.
Zhou Niannian cut off a portion for their evening meal.
Boiled meat in plain water.
They added some wild berries for seasoning, making it less bland.
Jiang Fan, meanwhile, went to a nearby bamboo grove to gather materials.
Seeing that he no longer mentioned the python, the previously disruptive trolls began to stir.
"No way, are you just going to forget about the python?"
"Yeah, aren't you afraid other contestants will encounter it and get eaten alive?"
"Honestly, it's chilling to see someone so heartless. Such a person would probably be a murderer in society."
"You're right. If someone actually gets hurt, what will the showrunners do then?"
The comments scrolled by, attempting to sow discord among other streamers.
They posted not only in the main live stream but also in the channels of other contestants.
In the live streams of Dai Xiaomei and Mu Zi.
The shelters built by the two women had collapsed overnight, reduced to ruins.
After a night of struggle, they still couldn't save their makeshift homes.
They were forced to find another location to build new shelters.
As fate would have it, while wandering, they stumbled out of the forest and onto the beach.
Looking out at the boundless sea, the two, who had been feeling down, regained their spirits.
The fans of Dai Xiaomei and Mu Zi weren't paying attention to what was happening in other streams; watching the two women build their new shelters was entertainment enough.
"Hahaha, I genuinely don't know if these two women are on vacation or building houses. They're having a water fight on the beach."
"It's okay, I'm a simpleton, I enjoy watching. More wetness, please!"
"Hey, you actually like that? I'm impressed. Keep my Mu Zi wife to yourself, not interested!"
"You guys are so carefree, aren't you worried a giant python will come out and kill them all?"
"Exactly! Jiang Fan took the python's food, putting all the contestants in danger. We should boycott him!"
"Boycott plus one. Such an immoral streamer has no place here!"
Dai Xiaomei and Mu Zi's fans, who had been chatting happily, were confused by the sudden influx of nonsensical comments.
Who was Jiang Fan?
Oh... it was that guy who kicked Sister Zhou off the plane earlier.
What did this have to do with Dai Xiaomei and Mu Zi?
Besides, pythons generally don't appear on beaches; if anything, it might be a sea snake.
The fans found the trolls' words utterly baffling.
They ignored the provocations and continued discussing Dai Xiaomei and Mu Zi.
Seeing their attempts at manipulation fail, a man in a dimly lit room, holding a bowl of instant noodles, scoffed and cursed.
"These fans are so cold-blooded, discussing things indifferently while their streamers are in danger. Heh, they'll regret it when a real crisis occurs."
Muttering to himself, he then clicked on the live streams of Teacher Piao and Xiao Zhongma.
They had spent the day collecting leaves to improve their shelter and had also caught a nest of bamboo rats.
It was a huge haul, and the two were having a wonderful day.
Despite the dark surroundings, they weren't as miserable as usual and even harbored hopes for the future.
"Xiao Zhongma, I want to live here forever and never go back."
"No, I want to go back. I miss my phone, my Steam account, and toilets that wash themselves."
"...Fine, I miss them too."