Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the golden eagle spread its wings and flew to Zhuang Rui's side, calling out incessantly towards a bush about forty or fifty meters below the mountain peak.
Zhuang Rui stared intently and saw that the bushes were full of pale white flowers. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that... there seemed to be something moving inside.
"snow leopard!"
Its white fur was covered with gray spots. Among the flowers, the snow leopard was indeed not very conspicuous. If it weren't for Xiao Jin's guidance, Zhuang Rui would never have been able to see the snow leopard.
With a joyful shout, Zhuang Rui excitedly ran down the mountain, but stopped when he was about twenty meters away from the snow leopard.
"Xiaoxue, it's me. Don't you recognize me?"
Zhuang Rui noticed that the snow leopard seemed a little hesitant and even a little frightened by his arrival, and was slowly backing away into the depths of the bushes.
Zhuang Rui did not use his spiritual energy. He firmly believed that the snow leopard would recognize him. The little snow leopard that had cried out mournfully on the mountaintop and refused to leave during their farewell would definitely recognize him!
Zhuang Rui walked slowly towards the snow leopard, his steps firm.
Finally, the snow leopard stopped retreating, its beautiful eyes fixed on Zhuang Rui's face, and it slowly stood up.
One step, two steps, the snow leopard approached Zhuang Rui, its pace quickening. Zhuang Rui also started jogging, and the distance between them continued to shrink.
When they were still four or five meters apart, the snow leopard leaped up and put its forelimbs on Zhuang Rui's shoulders. Zhuang Rui exposed his vital parts to the snow leopard without reservation and reached out to hug its neck.
Zhuang Rui felt a wetness on his face, as the snow leopard kept licking his face with its tongue, like a wronged child seeing a relative and constantly acting spoiled.
If this scene were captured on camera, it would surely overturn the theories of some zoologists. Who says wild animals can't live in harmony with humans? Who says wild animals can't form genuine friendships with humans?
From the snow leopard's eyes and movements, Zhuang Rui sensed a pure, unadulterated emotion that filled his eyes with tears.
"Alright, Xiaoxue, let me see, come on, let me see..."
Zhuang Rui wiped the drool off his face with his sleeve and looked at the snow leopard in front of him.
Perhaps it was due to the nourishment of Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy, but compared to a few years ago, the snow leopard was much larger, and its fur was very shiny. However, the eyes that looked at Zhuang Rui were still as pure and bright as ever.
"Hey, Xiaoxue, you...are you pregnant?"
When Zhuang Rui saw the snow leopard's belly, he was stunned. The bulging belly showed that a new life was already brewing there.
A wave of emotion washed over Zhuang Rui. He knew that animals usually find a safe place and prepare plenty of food when they are about to give birth.
Guided by the golden eagle, the snow leopard chose to come to see him. That trust, which transcended the form of life, finally brought tears to Zhuang Rui's eyes.
"Waaah..."
It's unclear whether the snow leopard's excitement upon seeing Zhuang Rui triggered its labor, but instead of standing on all fours, it slowly lay down, letting out a painful groan.
"This...this, I don't know how to deliver babies..."
Seeing this, Zhuang Rui was dumbfounded. Just as he was frantically trying to help, the first little life was born.
A small leopard covered in sticky liquid appeared before Zhuang Rui. Its tiny body trembled slightly in the wind, emitting a soft meow similar to that of a cat.
The snow leopard's eyes were filled with affection. It turned its head and gently licked the little creature with its tongue, then bit the soft skin between its head and neck and placed it under its belly.
Foraging is the instinct of all living things. After smelling the aroma of mother's milk, the little one closed its eyes, bit the mother leopard's nipple, and began to suckle vigorously.
One, two, three, four.
The snow leopard repeated the same actions over and over ten minutes later, four cubs lay quietly under its belly, drinking milk. Despite its exhaustion, the snow leopard's eyes shone with maternal love.
Zhuang Rui was stunned by the birth of this miracle of life in nature. He even forgot to use his spiritual energy to help the snow leopard. Or perhaps, in Zhuang Rui's subconscious, he wanted the snow leopard to complete this maternal responsibility on its own.
"Xiaoxue, you've become a mother..."
For some reason, seeing this scene felt like seeing his own child grow up, and Zhuang Rui felt like crying.
The snow leopard beneath him seemed to sense Zhuang Rui's emotions, gently raising its head and stroking Zhuang Rui's palm with its long-bearded face, just as it had cherished Zhuang Rui years ago.
Zhuang Rui's heart was filled with an indescribable emotion. Before coming to the Great Snow Mountain, he had always been puzzled as to why he wanted to see the snow leopard and the golden eagle's parents so much. Now... he understood.
Because Zhuang Rui wanted to gain a kind of trust, a trust that was completely open and honest, a trust that allowed him to lay himself bare before the other person, and this kind of trust was something Zhuang Rui could not get from anyone else.
The strange change in his eyes had been weighing heavily on Zhuang Rui's mind. He dared not tell anyone, not even his closest mother and wife. At the same time, Zhuang Rui was also afraid that he would suddenly lose it again, just like when he gained spiritual energy.
Success in his career and the praise of others could not alleviate Zhuang Rui's depressed emotions, which is why he longed to come to the Great Snow Mountain to purify his soul.
However, this feeling of gain and loss changed after witnessing the birth of several little lives. He suddenly felt that in the face of life, everything else was so insignificant.
His mother pulled a cart full of coal briquettes, while Zhuang Rui and his sister pushed from behind. The hardships of his childhood unfolded before Zhuang Rui's eyes like a painting. Although they were poor, that kind of life taught Zhuang Rui to be strong and confident.
Gunshots rang out, and the scene returned to the robbery at the pawnshop. Zhuang Rui didn't know whether he was more afraid or more eager to live. Now that he thought about it, it was probably the desire to survive.
"I'll buy this book for 20,000 yuan."
Zhuang Rui couldn't help but chuckle when he thought about the first time he found a bargain. He didn't consider himself a shrewd businessman. If it were the shopkeepers in the antique market, they would be lucky to give that old lady 200 yuan.
The emerald green of jadeite and the smooth, white mutton fat jade captivated Zhuang Rui, drawing him into the world of jade. The speed at which he amassed wealth through gambling on jade stones in Myanmar once made him feel terrified.
"The Jade King? Heh..."
Zhuang Rui chuckled self-deprecatingly. From the initial fear upon hearing the term to the later sense of ease, perhaps his mindset had already changed at that time.
Reuniting with his mother's family broadened Zhuang Rui's horizons considerably. Settling in Beijing meant that Zhuang Rui officially entered the antique business, where the rich cultural heritage nurtured his professional knowledge.
The gold of the Savage Mountain in Myanmar, the treasures of the pirate islands overseas, Genghis Khan's Golden Chamber, the ancient ruins in the African jungle—these adventurous experiences flashed through Zhuang Rui's mind like a movie.
Familiar faces such as Uncle De, Song Jun, Nan Wu Bei Gu, Professor Meng, Fatty Jin, Master Qi, Huangfu Yun, and Miao Feifei appeared before Zhuang Rui. These people seemed like passersby, yet they left a deep mark on Zhuang Rui's life.
What can I leave for posterity? What trace can I leave in this world?
Slowly sitting down on the ground, Zhuang Rui rested his head on the snow leopard's body, inhaling the milky scent, and released his spiritual energy.
The immense spiritual energy flowed down the mountain, and the originally lifeless rocks seemed to come alive at this moment, as if telling Zhuang Rui about the great changes in the sea and the evolution process over hundreds of millions of years.
The low shrubs on the mountain exuded a powerful vitality. Although the plants only live for a short time, they still conveyed the meaning of life. Zhuang Rui was deeply moved by their tenacious vitality.
When Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy reached the mountainside, in a cave in the rock wall, a mother eagle was feeding four hungry eaglets, their young lives revealing a strong desire to survive.
Seemingly sensing Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy, the mother eagle, after stuffing the insect into the eaglet's mouth, emerged from the cave, flapped her wings, and soared into the sky. Before long, she was above Zhuang Rui's head.
"Old friends, I've come to see you..."
Zhuang Rui withdrew his spiritual energy, stood up with a smile, and his state of mind was completely different from before. His understanding of life made Zhuang Rui realize the goal he should pursue in the rest of his life.
"Gah... Gah gah!"
With a cry of an eagle, Xiao Jin's father flew up from the foot of the mountain, a argali sheep clutched in his sharp claws, which he slammed onto the grass in front of Zhuang Rui.
"Good grief, are they going to make me do hard labor again?"
Zhuang Rui laughed, picked up the argali sheep, and "saw" from his spiritual energy that the mountaineering team was almost at the summit. Not wanting them to disturb his reunion with his old friends, Zhuang Rui immediately said, "Let's go, let's go up to the mountainside..."
Although he had lost all his pots, pans, and utensils, Zhuang Rui still had a lot of seasonings in his backpack. After lighting a campfire on a sheltered flat area, the rich aroma of mutton soon filled the air.
"Hehe, a bunch of foodies..."
Zhuang Rui only managed to gnaw on a bone from a 70-80 jin (35-40 kg) argali sheep; the rest was devoured by the white lions and their gang. Even the one-month-old eaglet got a few shreds of meat.
However, Zhuang Rui left the argali sheep's internal organs for the snow leopard, which needed to replenish its strength.
Wild animals are incredibly resilient. In just seven or eight hours, the leopard cubs opened their eyes and, upon recognizing their mother, met for the first time their companions on the snowy mountain who would accompany them for the rest of their lives.
After being fed by their mother, the four snow leopard cubs actually snuggled up and slept together with several eaglets. This extremely absurd yet perfectly harmonious scene would probably cause a great deal of discussion in the biological world if it were to spread to the human world.
As night fell, countless stars illuminated the hillside, weaving mysterious patterns across the sky. On the round moon, it seemed as if Wu Gang was chopping down a tree, and wild rabbits darted out of the surrounding grass, reminding Zhuang Rui of the story of Chang'e flying to the moon.
Lying on the cliff next to Eagle's Nest, looking at the starry sky that seemed within reach, Zhuang Rui took out a satellite phone from his backpack and called Qin Xuanbing. He wanted to live a different life for a few days.
In the following days, Zhuang Rui lived like a wild man, drinking mountain spring water, eating wild game, and watching the leopard cub and eaglet's every change. The miracle of life moved Zhuang Rui deeply each day. ...
"Brother Zhuang, where's Snow Leopard?"
Five days later, Zhuang Rui returned to the small mountain village. Apart from the eaglet in the white lion's arms and the three golden eagles circling in the sky, the group did not see the snow leopard.
"The snow leopard... has become a mother..."
A smile appeared on Zhuang Rui's face. This time, there was no reluctance to part. The snow leopard was still fighting for survival, but Zhuang Rui wanted to leave his mark on this world.
Of course, Zhuang Rui used his spiritual energy to cleanse the bodies of his friends. As long as they don't encounter humans like the bearded one, they should be able to live quite well, being at the top of the food chain in the Great Snow Mountain.
Liu Chuan grabbed Zhuang Rui, snatched the fledgling eagle from his hands, and asked with some surprise, "Zhuang Rui, I feel like you're a little different than before. You seem to have undergone a complete transformation, and you have a bit of the air of an enlightened monk."
"Yeah, I encountered a celestial being on the mountain. You're just jealous, aren't you..."
Zhuang Rui chuckled, but before he could finish speaking, Timur shouted, "Hey, Liu Chuan, give me the little eagle right now..."
Timur, who had been too embarrassed to ask Zhuang Rui for the fledgling eagle earlier, couldn't help but scramble to grab it when he saw Liu Chuan snatch it away. With the cheers of the crowd around him, laughter filled the small mountain village.
Life... isn't it also a part of life? Looking at the heartwarming scene in front of him and listening to the pleasant laughter, Zhuang Rui put his arm around Qin Xuanbing's waist and quietly withdrew from the crowd.
I sat on a wooden chair by the lake, a grape peeled by someone next to me in my mouth, the warm March sun shining down on me.
Looking out at the snow-capped mountains, he cupped a handful of the lake's gentle, languid blue water. Wildflowers by the lake exuded an intoxicating fragrance, and Zhuang Rui was unconsciously captivated. Happiness... could be so simply found in the tranquility of a gentle breeze and drifting clouds.
(The End)