Wei Xun made sure that he was breathing gently and looked calmly at the beast in the back seat of the SUV.
Experienced explorers said that if you encountered an animal in the wild, the most taboo thing you could do was to panic. In particular, you couldnât turn around and run away, or you would easily stimulate the animalâs hunting instinct. If you could, you should try to puff out your clothes to make yourself look stronger and bigger.
Beasts understand the law of survival the best, and would examine you to determine if you were easy prey. They would give up in the face of seemingly powerful prey.
However, this leopard was too big. In the shadows, it appeared to be silverish white, with shaggy fur, a set of neatly arranged black circles on its head, pure silver fur on its chest, and silver spots on its lower abdomen. It was beautiful and luxurious, but since it stood too close to Wei Xun, he could only see its upper body.
The snow leopard was not frightened by him suddenly turning his head. However, it leaned back before coming over and sniffing Wei Xunâs scent. Its blazing hot breath puffed against his Adamâs apple, causing goosebumps to rise around the regionâs sensitive skin. Its silver-white beard almost touched Wei Xunâs jaw. Wei Xun felt that in the next moment, the snow leopard would bite through his throat and drink the blood of its prey.
The snow leopard was a national first-class protected animal and an internationally endangered animal. Wei Xun had never been in contact with one of these âsnow elves,â but it would be difficult for anyone to resist the dangerous charm exuding from the big cat. Wei Xun was breathing a little faster because of the sense of crisis. He narrowed his eyes and took out a mountain knife with his right hand, placing the knife behind him. He raised his neck in pretense to reveal his vulnerable point, allowing the snow leopard to smell him.
The snow leopard seemed to be satisfied with his docility. Its flexible and beautiful semi-circular ears were tilted slightly sideways as its head left Wei Xunâs neck and moved downwards. The animal began to smell Wei Xunâs shoulders and collarbone, and he let the snow leopard sniff around. Wei Xunâs right hand was still behind his back, and he didnât sheathe his knife. Instead, he looked at the beautiful leopard with great interest.
Why was there a snow leopard in the SUV? Why did it appear on the tour?
He raised his hand, tentatively and slowly reaching out to the snow leopard. When the snow leopard looked at him, Wei Xun could see its bloodstained pupils at a close distance. A normal snow leopardâs pupils should be blue or yellowish green, but the eyes of the snow leopard in front of him were scarlet. They contained an unconcealable killing intent and appeared completely violent. Its eyes didnât look normal.
A special task, or a hidden task?
Wei Xun remembered that Changtangâs no manâs land was the last scenic spot of this tour. Qiangtang Nature Reserve was indeed a habitat for snow leopards. However, why wasnât the snow leopard in a cage?
Heaveââ
The snow leopard casually sniffed the back of Wei Xunâs hand, and the tip of its cold nose almost touched Wei Xunâs skin. It seemed that it was not interested in this region of Wei Xunâs body, and its attention moved to Wei Xunâs shoulder. It stretched out its big claws and tried to fiddle with Wei Xunâs suit jacket. The snow leopardâs claws were very big, bigger than the hands of a normal person, and its legs were also very strong.
Wei Xunâs neck was itchy. He tried to put his hand on top of the snow leopardâs thick claws, but the beast swatted it away. The snow leopard bared its teeth at him, as if to threaten him. It pressed its ears back, on alert, and a heavy grunt came from its throat. However, it never attacked.
âOkay, I wonât move.â
Wei Xunâs face was full of saliva due to the snow leopard breathing on him. He spread his hands and asked, âWhat do you want to do?â
Was it possible that this snow leopard was human?
Wei Xun was not thinking too deeply. He had the title of A Wild Beastâs Psyche and could become a wild animal. Obviously, from this, he could tell that others could own and use a similar title as well.
Was this snow leopard a real wild animal or a âtour group memberâ?
The snow leopard didnât answer. It stared at Wei Xun for a while and seemed to confirm that its prey had been frightened and wouldnât move. Then it inched closer again. This time, its head was tilted and it stuck close to Wei Xunâs shoulder blade, persistently trying to bite through Wei Xunâs windbreaker. But in the next instant, the snow leopardâs ears jolted up, and then it hid its figure instantly.
âHoo, ho, ho.â
This was the second time that rapid breathing suddenly appeared in the SUV. Wei Xun turned around and saw that there were suddenly three more people, two men and one woman, on the originally empty SUV seats.
They were still sleeping, but they were breathing rapidly and their eyes rotated disorderly under their eyelids, as if they were still troubled by nightmares. Wei Xun confirmed that they suddenly appeared on the SUV.
Newcomers?
Wei Xun slowly sorted out his collar that was messed up by the snow leopard and put away his mountain knife. When the three appeared, a prompt from the Travel Services finally sounded, albeit a bit late.
[Novice Tourist Task]
[Task name: Fasten your seat belt]
[Task level: Simple level]
[Task description: Your seat belt is also known as the belt of life. When traveling, you must remember to fasten your seat belt at any time. Otherwise, your life may be in danger!]
[Reward: 10 points]
âHoo!â
The prompt sound of the Travel Services woke the three people right away. For a moment, chaos ensued in the SUV. One of them subconsciously wanted to stand up, but knocked their head, one panicked and looked around, and one sat in place like a statue for a long time.
Wei Xun kept their actions in mind and roughly inferred what they did in reality and their identities according to their clothes and actions. In passing, he completed the task of buckling his seat belt.
âSir, ni-nice to meet your esteemed self.â
The clicking sound from buckling his seatbelt attracted the attention of the woman next to Wei Xun. She looked to be in her twenties and was still very young. She had deep dark circles under her eyes, and a heavy expression of fatigue. However, she was the first to calm down from her panicked state, and the first to attempt to talk to Wei Xun.
Her tone was more cautious and careful when she saw that Wei Xun was dressed up for traveling.
âThis, is this the International Thriller Travel Services?â
âTo be exact, we are already on the tour now.â
Wei Xun smiled at her. His smile was very infectious and reassuring. The woman also smiled subconsciously, and her vigilance lowered slightly.
âFuck, the dream I had was actually real?!â
The man in the front seat was shocked and lost his voice. He was not very calm. At first glance, he looked like a college student. One could tell that he should be well-off and had a tall stature. Just now, he suddenly got up and hit his head, and he was still cupping his head in pain.
âAre you an experienced tourist?â
The last voice finally rang out. The voice could be considered a little childish. The boy was thirteen or fourteen years old, but he was the calmest one out of them. Hearing the wheezing sound, Wei Xun looked downwards and saw a young man holding onto a big golden dogâs leash tightly. There was no expression in his eyes.
He was blind.
âBig brother, no, expert, are you an experienced tourist?!â The eyes of the young man in the front seat suddenly brightened. He grabbed the back of his chair and looked at Wei Xun like a big dog wagging its tail as he prattled on, âExpert, my name is Fei Lezhi. Iâm strong and good at running. Iâve traveled to many places in our home country and abroad. I can carry bags for you and I eat very little. Iâll wave my fists in whatever direction you point to, and I wonât harbor any intentions of disobeying you!â
Fei Lezhi finished his words in one breath. His eyes were bright and full of sincerity, requesting âexpert, take me in.â
Seeing him act this way, the woman also introduced herself, âIâm Yin Baitao, a graduate student studying medicine. I have good physical strength and Iâve been to many places before. I havenât been to Tibet, but Iâve been to Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia.â
âNo, no, no, Iâm not an experienced tourist,â Wei Xun said and smiled helplessly. He took off the scarf that was blocking the lower half of his face and showed the boy his face completely, asking, âWere you also selected by Travel Services because of your wish?â
âYes, I hope to find my worth,â Fei Lezhi said.
After Wei Xun revealed his face, Fei Lezhi stared at it for a few times, then he restrained himself and honestly spoke in a bit of a flaunting manner, âI have my brother to inherit the family business, and my parents donât care about me very much. Itâs boring to spend money all the time, so I always think about what I should do in my life. Then one day I heard someone saying in my mind, âDo you want to find your true worth and experience another type of lifestyleâââI thought I was dreaming. So of course I agreed in the dream. Then I came here.â
Yin Baitao had an expression as if she couldnât bear to look at the boy. Afterwards, she said simply, âMy mother has advanced cancer and my father has a moderate disability. I hoped that my parents could get better.â
After a pause, she added, âI was pulled in when I went to deliver dinner to my mother.â
She raised her hand, which was holding a metal three-layer lunch box.
âXu Yang, 15 years old. I hope that my eyes will return to normal. Before entering the tour, Duoduo and I were taking a walk in the park,â the young man holding the guide dog said.
The golden retriever was very obedient. It didnât bark when it suddenly appeared in a strange place, but it quietly stayed by its little masterâs side in a vigilant manner.
âWei Xun. My family is missing, and I hope to find them,â Wei Xun said.
Wei Xun bent his fingers and knocked on his goggles. âAs you can see, I was pulled in while traveling.â
âWei XunâŠâ
Yin Baitao suddenly looked at his face carefully, before asking hesitantly, âIs âXunâ the character with the three drops of water at the side?â
âYes.â
âThat, did your esteemed self study clinical psychology at HKU?â
âYou areâŠâ
Wei Xunâs smile was tinged with a little confusion. Thereafter, he saw Yin Baitao appear relieved. She put down her guard, and her smile became more sincere.
âMr. Wei, Iâm also studying clinical psychology at HKU. Professor Chen often mentions you.â
The competition to obtain a spot in the clinical psychology program of HKU was very fierce. Only one or two undergraduate psychology graduates of HKU could directly enter the Master of Clinical Psychology program, and non-local students were basically not considered. It was said that a student from mainland China was admitted, but his identity was a mystery, and most people thought that it was just a legend.
The Professor Chen that Yin Baitao had mentioned happened to have taught the âlegendaryâ mainland student, and Yin Baitao had happened to have seen a photo of the professor and legendary senior.
âI havenât seen Professor Chen in a long time,â Wei Xun said gently, his gaze reminiscent, âThat was a long time ago.â
Wei Xun was 15 years old back then. After his parents had disappeared, he stayed with his brother. At that time, he had a slight tendency towards self-harm and he had begun to enjoy pursuing stimulation. At that time, he was scolded by his brother Wei Xuechen. After scolding Wei Xun, Wei Xuechen thought that he couldnât allow Wei Xun to have the free time to do such things he disapproved of. Therefore, he simply sent Wei Xun to HKU to study.
Wei Xun was in poor health, but he was very smart. At that time, he dyed his hair black and wore black-colored contact lenses. He was half a head shorter than the others in the university, but his grades were among the best. His brother had chosen the subject of clinical psychology for him to study, but Wei Xun also felt that the subject was very interesting. He was admitted to the doctoral program, and his time in the university was unforgettable.
When he was a child, after his brother had disappeared and his body had begun to deteriorate day by day, Wei Xun had stopped dyeing his hair and returned to his original hair color. In the past, when he had black hair and black pupils, his parents and brother had always stayed close to him to protect him. Few people knew that Wei Xun had albinism.
âI also know who Brother Wei is!â
Fei Lezhi hurriedly tried to establish ties with Wei Xun and giggled, saying, âMy father praised Brother Wei and Big Brother Wei several times and said that ifâŠâ
T/N: Apologies for the slightly late update. I had some errands to run today.
By the way, Iâll be sharing pictures of scenic spots and attractions that I found online in the subsequent chapters! If anyone of you has been to a scenic spot/attraction of this tour, feel free to share your experience in the comments sections! :]