When the Eldest Senior Brother and the others were still far from the bamboo forest, the battle had already ended.

It wasn't that the dogs in the tribe were particularly powerful—before the Eldest Senior Brother and the others could take action, the enemies had already been dealt with.

Instead, when Fu Jiang led the dogs to the front of the bamboo forest, a rustling sound came from within. As Han Cheng and the others on the wall prepared to see who dared face the many attacking dogs, a large black-and-white ball rolled out inside the bamboo forest.

After rolling out, the large ball hadn’t fully gotten up when another smaller black-and-white ball rolled out. It collided with the larger ball, then rolled around for a couple more circles before finally bouncing up with its chubby legs, standing up.

The dogs, despite barking enthusiastically, didn’t dare charge directly at the two balls. Instead, under Fu Jiang's lead, they surrounded the two balls in a semicircle, continuing to bark. Some even showed their teeth and made attacking motions, but they never actually launched an attack.

The large ball stretched out and turned into a giant panda. This panda had initially planned to charge out of the bamboo forest in a heroic fashion, ready to face the vicious wolves. However, halfway through, its leg got caught in the bamboo, causing its heroic entrance to turn into a rolling tumble.

Although the entrance was rather unceremonious, the panda didn’t seem embarrassed. After getting up, it began to confront Fu Jiang and the dogs. Despite appearing lazy, it maintained an imposing stance.

Just like a young calf isn’t afraid of tigers, a young panda cub also isn’t afraid of a wolf pack.

While the large panda nervously faced off with the dogs, the little cub staggered towards them. It was completely unafraid and seemed like it was looking for a hug.

The cub's sudden behavior startled the large panda, which, forgetting about the confrontation with the dogs, quickly stretched its neck, opened its mouth, and grabbed the troublesome cub, tossing it in front of itself.

Seeing that the cub was still trying to run off and join the enemies, the large panda decisively lifted one of its paws and stepped on the cub, holding it down firmly. No matter how the little one kicked its chubby legs, the panda refused to release its grip.

Indeed, with the cub pinned under its paw, the panda’s confidence surged. It now looked like someone entering a meeting alone and boldly placing one leg on the table before their enemies...

Seeing this scene, the Eldest Senior Brother and the others, who were already on their way, slowed down and stopped. They were utterly stunned and didn’t know what to do.

The Eldest Senior Brother and Han Cheng, watching from a distance, were stunned by the scene. Didn’t this panda leave with the cub yesterday? Why was it sneaking back in the middle of the night?

What’s going on here?

Was it hungry halfway through the journey and returned to the tribe because there were no bamboo forests around?

Confused, Han Cheng stared at the panda confronting the dogs, vaguely pondering.

Han Cheng was confused, but Bai Xue was not. As soon as she saw the scene from afar, she jumped up excitedly. She started to run toward the bamboo forest, but Han Cheng grabbed her, worried that she might rush too quickly and make some improper move upon seeing the panda cub, which could result in the panda accidentally harming her.

After stopping Bai Xue, Han Cheng couldn’t stay where he was, so he called some people to protect them and went to the bamboo forest. He wanted to confirm whether the large and small pandas were the same ones that had left the day before.

Halfway there, the Eldest Senior Brother, confused by the unexpected situation, came over to ask Han Cheng what to do next.

Han Cheng thought momentarily and told the Eldest Senior Brother to lead a group to circle to the side of the bamboo forest and check if anything else was there.

The Eldest Senior Brother and the others followed orders. Han Cheng held back the eager Bai Xue, asking her to wait until the Eldest Senior Brother’s group finished checking the bamboo forest before going.

The bamboo forest of the Green Sparrow tribe wasn’t huge, about two acres, with some areas transplanted just last year that hadn’t fully grown. Since the area wasn’t huge, it didn’t take long before the Eldest Senior Brother’s group returned.

They found nothing else except some bamboo shoots that had been broken and eaten. There were no other surprises.

As for the bamboo shoots being eaten, Han Cheng had already anticipated that when he saw the two pandas.

It was evident that panda cubs easily developed feelings when raised by their adoptive parents, and this was demonstrated when the panda cub, now appearing in Han Cheng and Bai Xue’s sight, was unexpectedly released from under the large panda’s paw. The cub waddled toward them.

The cub waddled over, its short legs moving as it rolled like a fluffy ball, and without a word, it hugged Bai Xue Mei’s leg. Its round little head wobbled, giving off an unmistakable look of wanting to be held. It was utterly adorable.

Bai Xue glanced at the large panda and happily squatted to rub the cub's head gently.

Han Cheng, however, was much more cautious. As Bai Xue squatted to pet the cub, he kept an eye on the large panda, ready to pull Bai Xue back if anything went wrong.

Fortunately, the large panda didn’t show unusual behavior and just stood there watching. Han Cheng felt a little relieved. It seemed that the panda had slowly grown accustomed to them...

After asking Shang and Mao, Han Cheng figured out why the large panda had returned the cub.

Apart from the bamboo forest transplanted near the Green Sparrow tribe, no bamboo grew in a large area. Judging from the large panda’s thin appearance, it hadn’t been feeding well during its journey.

It probably got hungry and remembered the bamboo forest at the Green Sparrow tribe, deciding to return.

Han Cheng sighed and joked that if he ever wanted to send the panda away, simply giving the cub back wasn’t enough—he’d have to prepare dry rations for the journey as well!

Looking at the large panda sitting at the edge of the bamboo forest, munching on a bamboo shoot and then lying down for a nap, Han Cheng couldn’t help but feel amused.

There was no way Han Cheng would ever prepare dry rations for the panda. That would never happen in this lifetime. So, it seemed like the panda would be staying here from now on.

That summer, the Green Sparrow tribe got a panda cub and, by the way, ended up keeping its mother as well...