Chapter 6: Be More Effortful!

In the evening, the dim yellow sunlight cast down, coating the forest in a golden halo.

Ji Wuxiu, who had slept until he naturally woke up, moved his soft body that felt almost boneless, stretching lazily. Only then did he slowly get up, glancing reflexively at the treetop. The black panther was already nowhere to be seen. He had no idea where it went.

As for the wild boar meat, it had also disappeared.

Only a number of flying insects remained, hovering in the air, seemingly feeding on the remaining blood and meat scraps at the treetop.

Ji Wuxiu quickly shifted his gaze and got up, preparing to have dinner.

He had already explored the area nearby from the start, so this time, Ji Wuxiu didn’t waste any time. Following the route stored in his memory, he returned to the spot where he had met the hedgehog earlier, sniffing the air.

Hmm…

It seemed the hedgehog hadn’t returned.

Ji Wuxiu sighed in mild disappointment and turned to leave.

A rustling sound came from not far away. Ji Wuxiu pricked up his ears, immediately drawn to the sound. He walked over slowly, then pushed aside the grass—locking eyes with a pair of small eyes, no bigger than a bean, for a few seconds.

Before Ji Wuxiu could react, the little creature opposite him pondered for a moment, silently curling into a ball. A trace of sorrow and anger seemed to flash in its eyes.

Ji Wuxiu felt a bit embarrassed.

He had already robbed the hedgehog earlier that afternoon, and coming back to steal again seemed a bit excessive.

But who made him… hungry?

Ji Wuxiu silently followed his previous method, taking a few fruits, but thoughtfully leaving half behind. After all, he couldn’t let the hedgehog go home hungry—otherwise, that would be too cruel.

By the time Ji Wuxiu left, the hedgehog quickly stretched its body, feeling the fruits still hanging on its back. It easily judged how many fruits were left.

After a brief silence, a glint of sympathy flashed in the hedgehog’s eyes.

—That ugly-looking creature must be so stupid, it didn’t even take the remaining fruits. What a fool.

Thinking about how many fruits were still left on its back, the hedgehog wiggled happily and crawled away.

Unaware that it had been mocked, Ji Wuxiu continued to feel good about his kindness. He returned to where he started, hugging the fruits and devouring them with a crunching sound. The sound echoed through the quiet forest, making it seem oddly out of place in the otherwise serene environment.

A rustling sound came from the grass.

Ji Wuxiu silently turned his head, his face wearing an expression that seemed a bit overexerted, eyes wide open as he watched a familiar black tail emerge once more from the grass.

Ji Wuxiu lowered his head, focusing on his fruit.

Soon, the black panther, who had not made an effort to conceal its footsteps, approached. Ji Wuxiu lifted his head at the sound, immediately wearing a puzzled expression.

The black panther, for some reason, had caught another prey, once again delivering a fatal blow, the prey dead beyond recovery.

It placed the prey down and began eating it in front of Ji Wuxiu.

Ji Wuxiu: “…”

Was this black panther trying to disgust him?

Naturally, as a human at heart, Ji Wuxiu couldn’t stomach the sight of raw meat being eaten.

But when he thought of the black panther’s intelligence, he immediately dismissed this thought and continued munching on his apple, making an effort to ignore the black panther beside him.

However, the black panther kept making slurping sounds, not stopping at all.

Ji Wuxiu lifted his head, a flash of anger crossing his tired face.

Can’t it just eat properly?

The black panther, using what it learned, slightly curled its mouth like Ji Wuxiu did yesterday, showing a mocking smile, then continued to pat its killed prey with its claws, its tail trembling slightly.

Ji Wuxiu widened his eyes.

Is this panther trying to show off to him?

Looking at the black panther’s somewhat aloof and proud little eyes, Ji Wuxiu felt that his guess was right.

So this panther was so petty, still holding onto what happened yesterday.

Ji Wuxiu couldn’t help but marvel, wondering if panthers’ intelligence had become this high nowadays.

The black panther, unaware of Ji Wuxiu’s thoughts, simply knew that it had found its revenge and now the meat in front of it tasted even better! It ate with more gusto.

Ji Wuxiu silently ignored it again.

But every time Ji Wuxiu ignored it, the black panther couldn’t help but make noise, wanting Ji Wuxiu to watch it eat.

What’s so interesting about watching a black panther eat?

Ji Wuxiu couldn’t take it anymore, his temples twitching with frustration. He decided to teach the black panther a lesson.

It seemed that the black panther, already anticipating Ji Wuxiu’s potential sneak attack, quickly tensed its muscles, staring intently at Ji Wuxiu, trying to find any weaknesses to deliver a fatal strike.

Ji Wuxiu felt his teeth itch even more.

This panther still thought about attacking him.

This was simply intolerable.

The black panther’s fur bristled as it sensed an indescribable sense of danger. With an almost imperceptible movement, it slightly shifted its claws.

Ji Wuxiu slowly revealed a meaningful smile.

Fighting was out of the question.

He would never fight in this lifetime.

Unless his combat power increased, then maybe he would come to enjoy fighting.

He loved acting cute.

It was almost like his instinct.

It made him so happy.

The black panther growled lowly, and its unease gradually increased.

Ji Wuxiu rubbed his belly and, under the black panther’s anxious gaze, awkwardly performed the panda’s ultimate cuteness technique—Roll, roll!

After rolling, Ji Wuxiu shook his legs and made a ridiculously cute sound.

“…” The black panther.

The system, which hadn’t been online for a while, responded in disbelief: 【Host, what did you just do?】

Ji Wuxiu didn’t answer, stiffly throwing a flirtatious glance at the black panther.

“…” The black panther.

The system trembled and gave a prompt: 【Ding! Your attempt at acting cute has made the lightning panther uncomfortable. Lightning panther’s combat power -1, increased three-second vomiting buff +1.】

As soon as the prompt finished, the black panther stiffened its tail, trembling intensely, and then its stomach twitched, an unfamiliar sensation creeping up its throat.

The black panther just vomited… it vomited…

Ji Wuxiu was startled, quickly retreating a few steps, not sure whether he was shocked or finding this amusing. “Is it really that dramatic?”

The system didn’t know what to say, falling silent for a moment: 【Maybe this panther’s sense of aesthetics is just really different from other animals.】

The black panther continued to gag, tears streaming down, its back heaving. Its sharp and cold gaze turned to one of weakness and pain. Its ears weakly twitched, and it completely lost its combat power.

Game over.

Black panther—faceplanted.

Ji Wuxiu walked away with a swagger, clearly enjoying the show.

Now you know how powerful the panda’s ultimate cuteness technique is, huh?

Panther-kun.

The black panther endured the three-second buff but still couldn’t get up, its eyes flashing with fear of the panda, constantly making a whimpering sound.

However, this sound was weaker than before.

Ji Wuxiu suddenly felt that his cuteness was truly creative, truly innovative.

Right in front of him, there was a panther that had been made to vomit by his cuteness.

The black panther continued to lie there weakly, unable to even wag its tail.

Ji Wuxiu walked over with an inward-curved gait, patted the black panther’s head, and marveled at the soft and slippery fur. It felt so pleasant to the touch that Ji Wuxiu couldn’t help but be amazed.

The black panther’s eyes widened in a fierce expression.

Ji Wuxiu lowered his head, staring at the black panther with a deadpan expression.

For some reason, the black panther felt an inexplicable sense of guilt, lowering its head and no longer struggling.

Ji Wuxiu quickly rubbed the panther’s fur again, and the originally smooth and soft fur became messy, making the panther’s already moody temperament even more irritable.

Ji Wuxiu’s panda paw struck without mercy, directly hitting the black panther, which once again let out a pitiful whine.

“What are you getting so worked up about?! This panda hasn’t even gotten worked up yet.”

The black panther sulkily flicked its tail tip, obediently lying down.

After enough petting, Ji Wuxiu finally stopped his evil panda paw and happily rubbed the black panther’s head.

The black panther’s head swayed with each rub, its face still filled with frustration, and the frequency of its tail tip hitting the ground increased.

Throughout history, he might be the first person able to have a black panther’s head petted and killed without any precautionary measures.

Thinking about it, he felt a bit excited.

The system appeared again, speaking in a serious tone: 【Host, get a grip. You are a giant panda with a cuteness that no one in the world can resist. In terms of status, class, and appearance, none can compare to you. Don’t be so uncultured.】

Ji Wuxiu: “What you’re saying makes so much sense. I have no words to argue.”

No matter how fierce or brutal the panther was, as long as it had money, it could still get a head pat. But for pandas… even with money, you couldn’t just casually pet them.

Thinking about it, he could pet his own fur every day, which must make those “^[1]“Cloud-raised” panda fans (云养熊猫) refer to people who adore pandas but can’t physically take care of one, so they “raise” pandas virtually—usually by watching … Continue readingcloud-raised” panda fans jealous.

The sky had slightly darkened, and Ji Wuxiu thought that he couldn’t waste any more time, so he immediately got up and walked off into the distance, leaving the black panther long behind.

The black panther, now free from being tormented, scrambled to its feet. Its emerald eyes glowed with a deep anger. It gritted its teeth, wanting to roar at the ugly creature.

But it was afraid the creature was too ugly to face.

The black panther flicked its tail in frustration, grabbed the unfinished meat, and left.

Night had fallen, and it needed to hurry back to its den to sleep.

Ji Wuxiu walked for a while and then sighed once more.

Forget it, I’ll just climb a tree.

The night air was cool with a hint of dampness.

For Ji Wuxiu, who had now become part of the fur-covered tribe, it was no problem at all.

He sat on a tree branch, his upper body almost lying against the trunk, and his dangling feet swayed absentmindedly.

At this moment, Ji Wuxiu was unusually quiet. He tilted his head slightly, resting his panda paw under his chin, with a dull, downcast expression that made it seem like he had many things on his mind.

But in reality, at this moment, Ji Wuxiu wasn’t thinking about anything at all.