The panda lay on the ground, enduring Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei's petting with a look of disdain.
It grumbled internally, feeling defiled by the "demon girls" and thus unclean. "Ah, ah, ah, great master, forgive me."
Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei rummaged around the panda's belly, muttering to themselves. "Why is this panda suddenly like it's dead?" "Yeah, it feels like we're desecrating a corpse." "Pfft, that sounds awful, it's like we're playing with a doll."
The two gradually lost interest, their movements slowing down. Seeing that they were no longer interested, the panda seized the opportunity, scrambled to its feet, and scurried over to Jiang Fan. It squatted beside him like a well-behaved cub, making a cute face and nuzzling against him.
Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei stared in astonishment. "Is this panda female?" "Doesn't seem like it. I checked earlier, it seems to have... that thing." "Looks like a panda with a questionable orientation."
The two women mumbled, their voices growing sadder. The panda, ignoring them, the two female streamers, and rejecting them, was fawning over Jiang Fan, a straight man.
The panda, completely unaware of Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei's thoughts, watched the meat on the fire while fawning over Jiang Fan. In its mind, being cute meant nuzzling.
But Jiang Fan recoiled slightly, clearly disgusted. Surprised to be dodged, the panda wondered, was there a human who avoided it? Wasn't it the god of cuteness in the animal kingdom?
The panda didn't overthink it and once again nuzzled Jiang Fan with its large mouth. This time, Jiang Fan pushed it away directly. The panda stupidly scratched its head with its paws, not knowing what it did wrong, and flailed its limbs in frustration.
Seeing its actions, Jiang Fan felt a bit helpless. He moved his hand, but ultimately didn't pet it. It wasn't that he didn't want to pet the panda. Who wouldn't like a cute creature like a panda? But this one, having spent a long time in the wild, smelled pungent. All pets have an odor, and wild animals even more so. Moreover, its fur was dirty, a patchy black and white, looking like it had rolled in countless mud puddles. Especially after just gnawing on a large chunk of meat, its mouth and face were greasy. If it nuzzled against him, he'd become a giant rag. Jiang Fan, with his slight潔癖 (germophobia), couldn't stand it.
Seeing Jiang Fan's look of disgust, the panda was crestfallen. Its chubby face drooped, looking pitiful. Despite its dirtiness, it remained endearingly clumsy. Even Jiang Fan couldn't resist its charm. He cut off a large portion of the boar-rabbit meat and gave it to the panda, signaling for it to stop being sad and go find a cool spot.
Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei's eyes lit up again. It didn't matter if Jiang Fan rejected it; they could still pamper it! They waited for the panda to come to them.
Instead, the panda, carrying the skeleton, retreated behind a large tree to gnaw. Hmph, even though it was rejected by its god, it absolutely wouldn't interact with those two demon girls! The panda crunched loudly on the meat and bones, enjoying it more and more, while secretly glancing at Jiang Fan.
Jiang Fan sighed and turned to tell Yao to bring another boar-rabbit. This panda's appetite was truly immense; an ordinary person would eat at most half a boar-rabbit, but this panda could consume the amount of two. At this rate, the "Rich Household" would be eaten into poverty by the panda. Pandas were omnivores; they ate not only meat but also bamboo and leaves. In the desolate wilderness, there was no shortage of leaves and bamboo.
Yao quickly cleaned the boar-rabbit and roasted it over the fire for Jiang Fan. Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei had already eaten their fill and were sitting on the ground, burping. Even the finest delicacies could become tiresome, especially greasy roasted meat that could easily upset the stomach. Only the panda, chewing what was in its mouth and holding what it had, kept glancing enviously at Jiang Fan.
Seeing the panda, Jiang Fan suddenly remembered a problem. This panda had been attracted by the smell of meat; there had been no other animals around earlier. If a panda could be attracted, other ferocious beasts might also find their way here, following the scent of meat. The beasts in this wilderness seemed unusual, like the intelligent panda and the never-before-seen boar-rabbit. Therefore, it was necessary to scout the surrounding terrain to ensure there was no danger.
With this thought, Jiang Fan stood up, brushed the loose dirt off his legs, and said to Yao, "Shall we scout the surroundings?"
Yao looked surprised. "Late... dangerous..." After all, dusk was approaching. Even experienced hunters wouldn't venture into the wild at night, as there were many fierce beasts. And just as beasts feared venomous snakes and insects, hunters feared beasts. With one panda, there could be more wild animals. They would at most scout around to check for any signs of wild animals. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
"It's precisely because it's dangerous that we need to scout." Jiang Fan briefly explained his reasoning. Yao understood and nodded in comprehension. The two stood up and carefully organized their gear. Their current weapons were only a small knife and a crossbow, so they brought them all. Yao's backpack contained a combat shovel and climbing rope, both essential tools. Who knew what harsh terrain they might encounter? As for a first-aid kit, it was even more indispensable. Never mind this real-life wilderness survival, even in ninja battles, every team required a medical ninja.
Unexpectedly, the panda, which had been ravenously eating, slowed down its pace upon hearing that they were going out. It looked thoughtful, like it was pondering life. Hearing Jiang Fan and Yao intending to explore, the panda put down its bone and stepped forward, grabbing Jiang Fan's leg and howling at him.
Zhou Niannian, who had felt full, exclaimed in surprise. "Huh, is it having a stomachache?" "Don't be silly. You haven't had a stomachache, let alone a panda; a panda's digestive system is tougher than yours." "It looks like it has something to tell us."
Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei chattered for a bit and then stood up, marveling. The panda stood upright, holding Jiang Fan with one hand and pointing into the distance with the other, roaring excitedly.
"I guess it wants to lead us somewhere," Jiang Fan speculated.
Seeing that Jiang Fan had guessed its intention, the panda became very excited and nodded repeatedly. Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei looked even more excited than the panda and immediately pushed Jiang Fan and the others, wanting to follow the panda. "Maybe it's leading us to its den." "Or another panda, then we'd each have one... hehe."
Hearing their words, Jiang Fan was somewhat exasperated. So these two were just thinking about how to pet pandas. However, even if they hadn't encouraged him, he intended to follow the panda. The panda had clutched the boar-rabbit tightly since arriving here, and now it was willing to let go and lead them. To make a foodie give up their food was no less difficult than asking a wealthy person to give all their possessions to a beggar. Moreover, he also had the task of exploring this jungle. It was a good opportunity to go out and explore.
With this in mind, Jiang Fan made his decision. "Let's go!" He immediately packed his gear and led the others, following the panda.