Qi Zhenzhen didn't know what Ye Bai had instructed the brown bear about. However, she was certain that whatever Ye Bai had promised the brown bear was very important to the brown bear tribe. This was because the brown bear's attitude towards her was overly respectful, with its head bowed and eyes downcast, completely unlike its usual ursine demeanor.
Qi Zhenzhen even sensed a gentleness from the brown bear, as if it were a domesticated animal.
Ye Bai, along with the wolf tribe leader and a few wolves, escorted Qi Zhenzhen and the brown bear to the vicinity of Death Valley.
"Awoo, we won't go any closer," Ye Bai growled. "I'll have them take turns guarding here. Be careful with everything."
Upon reaching the outskirts of Death Valley, the brown bear's massive body lowered. Qi Zhenzhen was lifted and placed on the brown bear's shoulder. "Roar, don't be afraid. I won't let you fall. The Holy Wolf instructed me not to let you down. Rest assured, I will protect you well."
"Thank you for your trouble, big fellow," Qi Zhenzhen said.
"Roar, the Holy Wolf told me you could understand our beast language, and I was a bit skeptical. It turns out the Holy Wolf didn't lie," the brown bear mumbled. "Indeed, how could the Holy Wolf lie? The Holy Wolf said that if I can protect you out of here this time, I can visit the wolf tribe's sacred land once every year from now on. The Holy Wolf also said that in a few more years, I will be able to become the leader of the brown bear tribe."
"Do you really want to become the leader?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
"Roar, my mother said my father's wish was to become the leader of the brown bear tribe. But before he could achieve it, he died, killed by your humans. My mother said it was terrible; his skin was peeled, and his paws were chopped off..." The brown bear's growl became somewhat somber.
Qi Zhenzhen was taken aback. "Then don't you hate humans?"
"Roar, some humans have also been killed by us brown bears. Is that considered even? The Holy Wolf said that such things cannot be prevented, but there's no such thing as revenge or not. This is considered the rule of interaction between humans and beasts."
Was Ye Bai truly just a wolf? Qi Zhenzhen felt that it was practically a sage among beasts.
"Roar, hold your breath. We are entering Death Valley," the brown bear roared.
"Wait a moment." Qi Zhenzhen took out two wet cotton cloths from her backpack. "Let me wrap these around your nose and mouth."
The cotton cloths were moistened by her at the spring in the wolf tribe's sacred land and had a certain filtering effect.
As Qi Zhenzhen had predicted, the miasma covered a limited area, about a hundred zhang. However, the path was extremely difficult, and this hundred zhang took a full fifteen minutes.
After moving away from the miasma zone, Death Valley was not particularly special. In fact, because it was isolated by the miasma, the climate was somewhat different. There was thick snow outside, but much less snow here.
Even after the brown bear growled, rabbits darted away in the distance.
Qi Zhenzhen's worried heart settled. The survival environment was not as harsh as imagined, which meant their chances of survival were greater.
"Big fellow, can you catch up to that rabbit just now?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
"Roar, of course. It's just a mere rabbit," the brown bear growled.
For some reason, Qi Zhenzhen found this brown bear quite amusing, giving off a simple and honest impression.
"Put me down. Let's follow the rabbit and walk forward," Qi Zhenzhen said.
"Roar, the Holy Wolf said that if you are not in a safe situation, you cannot act alone," the brown bear growled.
"Carrying me is too much of a strain on your energy."
"Roar, are you heavier than a wild boar? I can walk for a whole day carrying a wild boar," the brown bear tilted its head slightly towards Qi Zhenzhen, its round eyes fixed on her.