Perhaps it was because his taste buds had changed, but after overcoming his psychological barrier, Ye Yunian didn’t taste any of the raw meat’s gaminess. Instead, he found it incredibly delicious—sweet, chewy, and tender with each bite.

Apple Bear, seeing how satisfied Ye Yunian was with the meal, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. The meat he tore off the deer was all lean, tender cuts since there wasn’t much fat on the animal.

Before Ye Yunian could finish his first piece, Apple Bear tore off a few more chunks for him. Then, he sat down and joined in the meal.

The deer Apple Bear had caught wasn’t very big, weighing around 80 pounds. Even so, Ye Yunian and Apple Bear, as two panda-bears, couldn’t finish it. After all, pandas aren’t purely carnivorous, and the meat was quite filling.

Ye Yunian only ate half of what Apple Bear gave him before feeling full and even a bit sick of it. Sensing this, Apple Bear ate a few more bites himself before stopping as well.

This was the first time Ye Yunian had eaten meat since becoming a giant panda, and it had been such a satisfying experience that he had completely forgotten about the fear from his earlier standoff with the dholes. Feeling good, he began cleaning his paws and face. When he noticed that Apple Bear was still grooming himself, Ye Yunian did something uncharacteristic—he leaned in and started helping Apple Bear clean his face.

In Apple Bear’s mind, Ye Yunian was usually a rather lazy little panda. After eating his fill of bamboo shoots, Ye Yunian would typically just flop down on the ground and only clean himself after waking up from a nap. That’s why Apple Bear had no issue helping him clean up after they got caught in the rain yesterday.

But now, this usually lazy panda was voluntarily helping him clean his fur. Apple Bear paused mid-lick, his shiny black eyes staring at Ye Yunian in surprise.

Ye Yunian had no idea what Apple Bear was thinking. Seeing that Apple Bear didn’t seem to mind him grooming his fur, Ye Yunian enthusiastically continued. And to be honest, grooming another panda felt oddly satisfying!

As he licked, Ye Yunian couldn’t resist extending a paw to ruffle Apple Bear’s head. So soft! And those ears—so squishy! Ye Yunian’s eyes lit up as he met Apple Bear’s slightly confused gaze.

“Hehe.” Ye Yunian wasn’t going to explain himself. After a few more licks to make sure Apple Bear’s face was clean, he stretched out and flopped on his back, feeling drowsy.

Knowing he was safe next to Apple Bear, Ye Yunian had become accustomed to sleeping anytime, anywhere.

Apple Bear finished grooming himself and then nudged Ye Yunian with his snout. Ye Yunian opened his sleepy eyes, understanding that Apple Bear was telling him it was time to move. After all, the half-eaten deer carcass they were lying near would soon attract other predators, like brown bears or tigers, so it was dangerous to stay.

Fighting off the urge to sleep, Ye Yunian got up and glanced back at the leftover deer meat.

Ah, wouldn’t it be great if we could take some with us?

As much as he wanted to, Ye Yunian knew it wasn’t possible. The smell of blood would give away their location. The leftover deer meat would soon draw other predators, so they needed to leave quickly.

Oh well, it’s not like Apple Bear would let me go hungry. After all, he did manage to catch a whole deer! Ye Yunian yawned, following Apple Bear with half-closed eyes.

The last bit of daylight vanished as the sky turned completely dark.

Having eaten so much, Ye Yunian was so drowsy that he could barely keep his eyes open. After walking groggily for a while, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Apple Bear had just jumped down from a low hill and was standing below, waiting for him.

Ye Yunian was puzzled. Didn’t we come here from a different direction? And that hill looks at least five or six meters high—am I supposed to jump down from there?

Hesitating on the edge, Ye Yunian wasn’t sure what to do. Seeing his hesitation, Apple Bear patiently waited for him at the bottom.

Ye Yunian, however, didn’t dare jump straight down. Carefully, he turned around, planning to back down the slope slowly with his rear end first.

But after just a couple of steps, his paws slipped.

Oh no!

Before Ye Yunian could even react, he slid down the hill like a kid on a playground slide, zipping down in one quick motion.

For a few moments, he lay there in a daze.

Apple Bear came over, sniffed him with his snout, and nudged him to get up. Annoyed, Ye Yunian quickly stood and began “chirping” at Apple Bear, clearly upset.

I just slipped down from up there! That hill was so high and dangerous, and you didn’t even bother to comfort me! All you do is rush me to keep moving!

You cold, heartless, handsome panda!

Of course, Apple Bear had no idea what Ye Yunian was complaining about. He turned and prepared to lead the way again.

Ye Yunian, still grumbling, decided to express his frustration by launching a playful tackle at Apple Bear.

Apple Bear barely budged, only swaying slightly from the impact, his paws planted firmly in place.

Realizing the huge gap in strength between them once again, Ye Yunian silently vowed to eat well and grow stronger so that one day he could tackle Apple Bear successfully!

Apple Bear walked a few steps ahead, noticing that Ye Yunian hadn’t followed. Patiently, he paused and looked back at him.

Ye Yunian, finally getting over his little tantrum, waddled over on his short legs.

The two pandas walked together for most of the night.

Ye Yunian had long since realized that they weren’t heading back to their cave. Though curious, he trusted Apple Bear completely and followed him without question.

What Ye Yunian didn’t know was that giant pandas often migrate vertically, following the seasonal growth of bamboo shoots. Spring rain signals the sprouting of bamboo shoots, which is why Apple Bear had led Ye Yunian down the mountain in search of these tender morsels.

For pandas, bamboo shoots are irresistible.

In other words, when bamboo shoots emerge, they’re fatally attractive.

Apple Bear, with far more experience than Ye Yunian, was leading the way to a perfect feast.

By the time the two pandas reached a bamboo forest, it was well into the night. Ye Yunian, exhausted, flopped onto a thick bed of bamboo leaves, ready to roll over and sleep.

But before he could close his eyes, he heard a series of crisp cracking sounds. The noise was oddly familiar, so he opened his eyes to check it out—and was immediately stunned.

Is this heaven?!

It must be!

Ye Yunian shot up, realizing he had flattened several bamboo shoots beneath him. As he looked around, he saw countless fresh bamboo shoots sprouting from the ground, covering the forest floor.

Eyes sparkling, Ye Yunian turned to look at Apple Bear.

Apple Bear, equally tired after walking all night, sat beside Ye Yunian and casually began munching on the bamboo shoots he’d crushed.

Ye Yunian wasn’t going to wait around! He eagerly sat down and joined Apple Bear, happily devouring the shoots.

Once they had finished this patch, they moved deeper into the forest, where the bamboo shoots were just as fresh. After a rainfall, the soil had become soft, making it easy to break off the shoots.

Ye Yunian lost track of time, eating until he was completely satisfied.

Too tired to even glance at Apple Bear, he simply lay down and fell asleep on the spot.

By mid-March, bamboo shoots were sprouting everywhere. During this time, Apple Bear led Ye Yunian from one bamboo forest to another, always finding the best places to feast.

Apple Bear, with his experience, always found the shoots at just the right stage—between 30 to 50 centimeters tall, tender, and easy to break.

Ye Yunian thoroughly enjoyed this daily routine of breaking and eating bamboo shoots, his appetite growing by the day.

Occasionally, Apple Bear would catch a few bamboo rats. Each time, he would patiently skin them and offer Ye Yunian half.

Though Ye Yunian had gotten used to eating raw meat, he still couldn’t bring himself to eat rats!

So, he always refused without hesitation.

After being rejected several times, Apple Bear finally understood that Ye Yunian didn’t eat bamboo rats.

One day, after Ye Yunian had eaten his fill and woken up from a nap, he found Apple Bear holding a wild rabbit in his mouth.

Ye Yunian looked at Apple Bear. Is that for me?

Indeed, it was.

After realizing that the picky little panda didn’t like bamboo rats, Apple Bear had hunted a deer for him. But catching deer was no easy task for a panda, so after that, Apple Bear started focusing on smaller prey.

Apart from bamboo rats, wild rabbits became his new target.

Ye Yunian didn’t let him down this time and accepted Apple Bear’s offering.

From then on, whenever Ye Yunian was asleep, Apple Bear would go hunting for wild rabbits.

Most of the time, he succeeded, and sometimes he’d bring back other small animals like birds or pheasants.

The time Ye Yunian spent with Apple Bear was the most comfortable he had ever felt in the wild.

Over time, he even forgot about his original goal of returning to the research base.

The weather grew warmer, and Apple Bear led Ye Yunian through five or six different bamboo forests, always finding fresh shoots to eat.

One day, after a rainstorm, the sun began to feel a little hotter. The bamboo forest they had been feasting on for days was now nearly depleted, so Apple Bear decided to move them to a new location.

As they passed by a stream, Ye Yunian was the first to reach the water’s edge for a drink. Apple Bear followed, drinking just a few gulps before sitting down nearby, waiting for Ye Yunian to finish.

Ye Yunian drank a few mouthfuls before something caught his eye—a fish darting through the water nearby.

His eyes lit up.

A fish!

Excited, Ye Yunian turned to Apple Bear and made a few “mewling” sounds, trying to communicate.

Apple Bear looked at him, confused.

Ye Yunian often liked to vocalize, but Apple Bear usually had no idea what he was trying to say.

Seeing that Apple Bear didn’t understand, Ye Yunian decided to show instead of tell. With a loud splash, he jumped into the stream.