Yuanyuan, however, was rather listless, lying in the net hammock sunbathing, while Tuantuan’s mother chewed on a sugarcane stalk.

Li Xiang had just rounded the mountain path when Er Huang leaped at him excitedly, its tail kicking up slushy snow that splattered onto the Little Fox’s face. The Little Fox, like a fiery cloud, instantly bristled. It kicked the careless Er Huang, then leaped onto Li Xiang’s shoulder and tickled his ear with its big, fluffy, bushy tail.

"Stop fooling around!" Li Xiang laughed, ruffling the fur on the Little Fox’s ear tips. He stroked its fluffy tail a few times before pulling a Spirit Fruit from his pocket to feed it.

Er Huang wasn’t as agile as the Little Fox, and it didn’t dare jump onto its master’s shoulders—what kind of dog rides on its master’s back? So it grew anxious down below, resting its front paws on Li Xiang’s knees, its drool soaking a dark patch onto his pants.

"Look at you, you big baby. It’s not like I’d forget you." Naturally, Li Xiang also tossed Er Huang a Spirit Fruit.

These two little guys were his most loyal sidekicks. If Dahuang hadn’t died, there would have been one more. Every time he thought of the late Dahuang, Li Xiang felt a pang of regret and heartache.

But what was done was done, and he couldn’t change the past.

When Li Xiang appeared in the crowd with the Little Fox and Er Huang, Tuantuan, Huanhuan, and Lele all scrambled over to him.

Although Tuantuan was high up in a tree, it was so agile that it scurried down in a flash, even rushing ahead of Huanhuan and Lele. This prompted many tourists to snap photos and cheer.

"Whoa, this panda is amazing! Is that Kung Fu Panda?"

"This is the first time I’ve seen a panda come down from a ten-plus-meter-high tree so nimbly."

"Other pandas are so slow. They might be fast going up, but coming down is pretty difficult. Some of them just fall."

Little did they know, Tuantuan was many times more incredible than Kung Fu Panda.

Huanhuan, too, possessed considerable talent. In the past few days, it had actually cultivated Spiritual Power and even formed its first Spiritual Power Vortex. This showed that Huanhuan was just playing around with Lele; otherwise, there was no way Lele could have won against it.

Tuantuan was very smart, and as the leader, it led the other pandas to approach the fence but maintain a certain distance, never crossing it.

This was because some tourists were unruly, always trying to touch and pet them. Aside from Li Xiang and his friends, Tuantuan wasn’t willing to let just anyone touch it. It was quite proud.

Also, there were small children to consider. It would be a problem if a child were accidentally injured.

Tuantuan’s mother came over soon after. Only Yuanyuan remained on the net hammock, reluctant to move, but it did turn its body to face Li Xiang.

Li Xiang tossed Spirit Fruits to the pandas. The family ate them happily. Tuantuan’s mother instantly decided the sugarcane in her paws wasn’t tasty anymore, dropping it to gnaw on a Spirit Fruit instead.

Yuanyuan glanced over, its eyes brightening for a moment, but it still seemed unwilling to move.

Of course, Li Xiang wouldn’t leave it out. He threw one from far away. His aim was perfect; despite the distance, it landed right by Yuanyuan’s mouth. Yuanyuan opened its jaw and caught it.

The crowd of onlookers erupted in cheers and applause. In some influencer’s livestream, the bullet comments were instantly flooded with "666."

The weather had been good lately, bringing many tourists. Since this was a free scenic area, quite a few influencers came to chase clout, using the pandas to generate traffic. Li Xiang’s display of skill just now had made him briefly go viral in their streams.

However, these livestreams were also a form of indirect advertising for the scenic area, so Li Xiang didn’t stop them.

While entry to the attraction was free, the shops here weren’t. The villagers’ local products weren’t free either. Business was booming.

Yuanyuan slowly and deliberately finished the Spirit Fruit, then went back to sleep.

’Is this little one okay?’ Li Xiang thought. ’It shouldn’t be this bad. Yuanyuan has eaten Spirit Fruits a few times before. Even though the weather was harsh a while back and it doesn’t have any Cultivation Talent, its constitution should have been greatly enhanced. Besides, there are insulated caves on the mountain.’

’Could it be...?’ Li Xiang recalled the few times Tuantuan and Yuanyuan had mated, thinking, ’Don’t tell me she’s pregnant?’ But he wasn’t a doctor and couldn’t be sure, so he pulled out his phone and contacted the experts at the provincial level.

Li Xiang described Yuanyuan’s condition, and the person in charge at the provincial office took it very seriously, saying they would send someone over immediately.

Whoa, the surrounding tourists were stunned. It wasn’t an emergency, but they were rushing over from the provincial capital right away?

Someone whispered, "I wonder if it’s because of this Major Li, Village Chief Li’s influence, or because of the panda’s esteemed status?"

Someone else replied, "Probably both."

Many tourists didn’t leave, staying to watch the experts examine the panda. Lots of people had seen a giant panda, but almost no one had ever seen one get a medical check-up.

"I thought that panda didn’t look too good earlier. So it was sick after all."

"The expert team’s response is so fast. If a person got sick, they probably wouldn’t get this level of attention, right?"

"Of course not. You think you can compare your status to a panda’s? They’re national treasures. Every single one is incredibly valuable, and there are 1.4 billion of us in this country."

There were quite a few tourists today. They pointed and whispered amongst themselves. Many of them recognized Li Xiang and came over to greet him. Li Xiang, in turn, temporarily acted as a tour guide, telling everyone about the origins, preferences, and individual personalities of the giant pandas.

Even though he was often away from home, when it came to familiarity with these pandas and the close bond he shared with them, no one could surpass him.

Normally, if no one was around, like at night, Li Xiang would have gone in to check on Yuanyuan personally and use his Spiritual Power to examine its body. But with so many people watching, it wasn’t appropriate for him to climb over the fence.

As Li Xiang was explaining, many tourists grew worried about Yuanyuan’s health. Li Xiang reassured them, "Please, everyone, be patient. The experts will arrive in about two hours. We’ll know more after a detailed examination. Besides, it might not be an illness. Perhaps..."

Li Xiang trailed off, not wanting to say more since he wasn’t sure.

A tourist asked, "Perhaps what?"

Li Xiang mulled it over for a moment before saying, "Perhaps some happy news is on the way?"

"Ooh, ooh! You mean Yuanyuan is pregnant? If that’s the case, that would be wonderful!" the tourists exclaimed excitedly.

Many people nearby were live-streaming, so the news that "Li Family Village’s Panda Yuanyuan Suspected to be Sick, or Possibly Pregnant" spread like wildfire.

Soon, it became a trending topic.

There was no shortage of negative comments, either.

For example, in one livestream, someone commented, "The people in Li Family Village must have been careless with its care."

"It’s clearly sick, but that Village Chief Li is talking about ’happy news.’ So weird."

"Yuanyuan has only been here for a few days. How could it be pregnant already? It’s almost impossible!"

"You know, panda pregnancies are very difficult. It’s said that sometimes it takes three to five months to even detect one."

"And the length of a panda’s pregnancy isn’t like a human’s. It varies from panda to panda. How should I put it... a panda pregnancy is like carrying Nezha. It’s possible for them to be pregnant for three years before giving birth."

"For real?"

Someone who had looked it up said, "According to existing records, the longest was 324 days. But there was a short one where the panda gave birth just three days after it was confirmed."

"How can the difference be so huge?"

"It’s probably because diagnosis is difficult. The giant panda’s gestation process is complex. The ’little tadpoles’ wander inside the female for many days before implanting. Even after implantation, the embryo is so small that an ultrasound can’t detect the baby panda."

But regardless of whether the comments were positive or negative, it all showed that everyone was very concerned about Yuanyuan.

When the team of experts arrived by car, many people from Li Family Village had gathered, including Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, Lei Xiaohui, and Lei Jiaming. Everyone was on edge.

It wasn’t just one expert who came, but a full three of them, plus nurses and other assistants—a group of eight people in total. They brought a lot of medical equipment. Li Xiang, afraid Yuanyuan wouldn’t cooperate, went in with the expert team to lend a hand.

Then Li Xiang discovered that the expert team was very thoughtful. All their instruments and equipment were specially designed for pandas, and they were adorable.

For example, the handheld veterinary blood analyzer had panda paw print stickers on it, the foldable DR digital imaging plate was covered with a protective sleeve printed with a bamboo pattern, and the smart progesterone test stick had a tiny display window shaped like a carrot...

With Li Xiang’s help, Yuanyuan was very obedient and cooperative, which amazed the experts. A panda check-up had never gone so smoothly. This Village Chief Li really had a knack for things, to have such a great relationship with a giant panda.

Samples of feces, blood, and so on were collected and tested on-site.

Then it was time for the ultrasound.

"The Doppler blood flow monitor shows three gestational sacs!" The expert in gold-rimmed glasses was so excited his hands were shaking, the ultrasound probe drawing a trembling wavy line across Yuanyuan’s belly.

The surrounding crowd erupted. Triplets?

Giant pandas have difficulty reproducing; it’s extremely rare for one to have triplets!