As the county town of Motuo appeared within everyone's sight, all, including Yang Lin, became excited.
Some even shed tears.
Although it was only a few dozen kilometers, to them, this journey was no different from fetching scriptures from the West.
Especially for those who were injured, they had thought they would die on the road this time.
But they were unexpectedly brought back alive.
As they neared the county town, a portion of the Tibetan people suddenly dismounted from their wild donkeys and offered their deepest bows to the animals.
They mumbled prayers as they knelt, but as they spoke Tibetan, Yang Lin couldn't understand them. He had no choice but to turn his gaze to Teacher Xiao Liang beside him.
"Teacher Xiao Liang, what are they saying?"
"They are thanking these wild donkeys for saving them... yue..."
Before he could finish, Teacher Xiao Liang vomited on the ground. After finishing, he continued speaking.
"Before, when the wild yaks saved them, they also thanked the yaks. Their... yue..."
"Their faith is very pure, especially their worship and reverence for nature. They firmly believe that all things have spirits, which is also one of the reasons why the ecosystem here is so well-protected."
"Is that so." After listening to Teacher Xiao Liang's explanation, Yang Lin appeared to be deep in thought.
"Forget it, I'm not riding anymore. If I keep riding, my butt will be rubbed raw."
"Now that you mention it, I feel it too. No wonder there are things like saddles."
...
As the few people were talking, the group finally officially arrived at Motuo county town.
As soon as they entered the urban area, they were immediately greeted.
Among them were those in white coats, as well as ordinary citizens waiting for their families, and of course, some officials from Motuo County.
After all the injured were sent to the county hospital, a few cadres approached them.
"Director Yang, Director Zhang, I am Dai Bin, the director of the Motuo County Forestry Bureau, and these are leaders from the county."
"We know about what happened this time. We are truly grateful to you. If it weren't for you, the consequences are truly unimaginable."
"It's our duty. Since we encountered it, there's no reason not to help." Yang Lin replied politely to everyone's thanks.
After a round of pleasantries, Yang Lin and his group of four were arranged to stay at the best hotel in Motuo county town and were also treated to a dinner.
Of course, before they ate, they did not forget the Tibetan wild donkeys that had brought them here.
After Teacher Xiao Liang spent 100,000 yuan, he finally treated these high-mountain guests to a delicious dinner.
After dinner, Yang Lin took them to the forests around the county town to let them return home on their own.
"The prices here are really expensive. Several tons of carrots, plus several tons of eggs, cost me 100,000 yuan."
In the hotel room, Teacher Xiao Liang looked at the payment record on his phone with a pained expression.
He had thought that feeding these Tibetan wild donkeys wouldn't cost much, but he had underestimated their appetite and the prices in Motuo.
"Come on, given the environment and transportation conditions here, it's perfectly normal for prices to be several times higher than outside. Just think about how difficult it is for them to transport supplies in."
"You're right. By the way, where is Little Tiger now?"
After accepting reality, Teacher Xiao Liang suddenly changed the subject.
Hearing this question, Yang Lin first took out his phone and then opened the live stream of "Little Tiger Returns Home."
The next second, a forest under the night sky appeared before his eyes.
Looking at the mixed coniferous and broad-leaved trees in the picture, Yang Lin recognized the location without thinking.
"Da Mi has entered the Motuo Nature Reserve. It's about the time we expected."
"It's already in the nature reserve, which means it's about to see its parents." Teacher Xiao Liang's eyes lit up.
"Not necessarily. Its parents were only released into the Motuo Nature Reserve, but the reserve is so large that it might not be able to find them so quickly. Perhaps its parents have gone to neighboring Bangladesh."
"It will definitely find them. I get excited just thinking about the scene of their family reunion. I must witness such an important moment with my own eyes."
His words were filled with anticipation.
Of course, it wasn't just Teacher Xiao Liang who was looking forward to this moment. Yang Lin and nearly ten million netizens online were also very excited.
The moment the little white tiger officially entered the Motuo Nature Reserve, multiple media outlets online published headlines announcing that "Little Tiger Returns Home" was about to reach its grand finale.
Despite their immense anticipation, Yang Lin and the others ultimately chose not to immediately join the little white tiger, as it had completely gotten dark after they finished dinner.
With the descent of night, only Motuo county town was bright in the entire world, just like its title of "Lotus of the Secret Realm," solitary and mysterious.
By the early morning of the next day, Yang Lin, Teacher Xiao Liang, and two others rented a used Wrangler in the county town.
With their new ride, they slowly drove towards the direction of the nature reserve.
With the directions provided by Niu Ma and the film crew, they might be able to meet the little white tiger in the reserve before long.
Meanwhile, the little white tiger, which had successfully entered the reserve, embarked on its journey again after resting for a night.
Upon officially entering the nature reserve, it felt a unique sense of familiarity, as if it had some kind of bond with the surrounding mountains and forests.
"Mom and Dad, I'm coming to find you."
With an excited roar, the little white tiger could already smell the scent left by other tigers.
Even if these scents were not left by its parents, they were certainly from its own kind.
But soon, it discovered that besides the scent of tigers, there was another scent in the forest that it was very familiar with.
"It's a human scent. How can there be humans here?"
"Are they tourists, or poachers?"
Along the way, the little white tiger had encountered humans a few times. Apart from the group of poachers it met in Ningnan, it had not encountered any poachers.
It was as if some force was protecting it from the shadows.
However, it always remembered Yang Lin's parting words: be careful of humans.
Just as the little white tiger was deliberating whether to continue following the scent, a loud noise suddenly came from the mountains ahead.
With this loud noise, flocks of birds immediately took flight from the forest.
Hearing this sound, the little white tiger's fur immediately stood on end.
If it remembered correctly, it had heard this sound before on the mountain in Ningnan.
"It's a gun!"
The little white tiger realized instantly.
Yang Lin, who had already driven the car into the mountains, also had a sudden realization.
The moment he heard the gunshot, he felt a sense of foreboding.