The Evolutionary Path of the Lion

Chapter 29 Head-to-Head

I stood up and caught up.

The wild lion on the left paused for five seconds, its tail tip nervously brushing against the grass stems. Finally, it stood up, deliberately keeping a distance of two or three steps, and followed closely behind, its eyes still showing the unique wariness of a stray lion, not daring to get too close.

Chen Fei led the two stray lions toward the northeast corner. The open space, four hundred meters wide, was completely unobstructed, and the sound of the wind rustling through the grass was exceptionally clear. He didn't speak, but led them on foot, spending ten minutes walking back and forth across several key points in the area twice—not for his own benefit, but to let the two wild lions sniff, tread, and listen, imprinting the softness of the ground, the direction of the wind, and the density of the grass into their senses.

Some things can't be taught; you just have to memorize them yourself.

Once he had thoroughly explored the terrain, Chen Fei stopped at the western edge of the open area, stood firmly with his body facing east, and remained in that position for a long enough time that even the wind remembered his location.

This is the pass that needs to be guarded.

The stray lion, bearing old wounds and a shallow scar on its right foreleg, moved with slight hesitation. It crouched to Chen Fei's right for a moment, as if it had figured something out, and slowly moved its feet, taking two steps to the east, adjusting its posture, and turning its head to the east as well.

It wasn't Chen Fei who forced it; it figured it out on its own.

Chen Fei mentally marked this wild lion: it knows the rules and can be used.

As we returned to the low-lying area, the sun had already peeked over the eastern horizon, half of its face hidden in the clouds. Its golden-red light poured down, turning the grass at the edge of the low-lying area a warm orange, and the dewdrops on the grass blades shone brightly in the light.

The lion king stood in the very center of the low-lying area.

This location was chosen too cleverly; it wasn't just any random spot. It was the core of the entire depression, and no matter who entered or left, they couldn't escape its gaze. Chen Fei's return from the eastern bushes meant he would inevitably pass right under its nose. This deliberate act clearly showed that the Lion King hadn't closed its eyes at all while Chen Fei was away, keeping a constant watch.

Chen Fei kept his pace steady, neither speeding up nor slowing down. When he passed the Lion King directly, he merely tilted his head slightly. It wasn't a sign of submission, but rather a shift of his gaze from the Lion King to the undulating waves of grass in the distance.

This is a code word among lions: I know you're here, I have no intention of challenging you, I'm taking a step back.

The lion king received the signal, its nose twitching slightly as it sniffed Chen Fei. The scent of the unfamiliar male lion, the earthy smell of the open area in the northeast corner, and the aroma of grass intertwined. With the old lion king's experience, piecing together these two key pieces of information instantly created a complete picture.

It knew what Chen Fei had done.

Chen Fei didn't linger and went straight to Sair's side, sitting down steadily on her left.

Sel glanced at him sideways, his amber eyes showing no emotion. He said nothing, simply resting his head back on his front paws, his fur gently brushing against the soft grass on the ground, as still as a pool of water.

Just then, Big Head suddenly opened his mouth and let out a long yawn.

For a full four seconds, the roar was much louder than its not-so-robust body, exploding like muffled thunder in the low-lying area.

The stingy fellow was so startled that he jumped up, his short fur instantly bristling into a ball of fluff, his four legs stretched straight like four little sticks, his head darting around frantically looking for threats, his ears perked up as if about to stand up to the sky.

After searching for a long time, I finally discovered that the so-called "danger" was just a yawn.

The little guy immediately wilted, his bristling fur slowly flattened, and he reluctantly squatted down, licking his front paws. He had a stubborn look on his face that said, "I wasn't scared at all, I just wanted to stretch my legs a bit," which was both awkward and funny.

Chen Fei stared at the two clowns' performance for a full two seconds without laughing, then silently looked away.

After stretching, Big Head was about to lie down when it suddenly met Chen Fei's gaze. Its movements froze in mid-air, and its half-stretched stretch came to an abrupt halt. It straightened its back and immediately sat up straight, putting on an obedient look that said, "I was already sitting, I had no intention of slacking off." Its ears perked up, and its eyes were focused, as if it were waiting for instructions at any moment.

Chen Fei didn't even glance at it, his gaze fixed straight ahead, firmly fixed on the grass on the east side.

The morning light was warm, and the grass on the east side was unusually quiet. There was no wind, the grass blades were motionless, and even the usually noisy chirping of insects had faded away, leaving only a stifling stillness in the air.

Then, the bushes moved.

It wasn't the wind that created it; it was a massive outline that slowly emerged from the eastern edge of the grass.

Its size was astonishing, a size larger than any male lion Chen Fei had ever seen on the grassland. It had broad shoulders and a thick back, and its limbs were as thick as tree trunks. Its dark brown mane was thick and heavy, messy but full of wildness. Bathed in the morning light, it was like an impenetrable dark shadow, nailed to the edge of the grass, not taking another step forward.

It stood there, its gaze slowly and coldly sweeping over every individual in the low-lying area, from the Lion King to Sail, from Big Head to Stingy Guy, and finally, it landed steadily on Chen Fei.

The large, dark brown-maned creature stood motionless, its imposing presence making the entire low-lying area feel suffocated.

Chen Fei's muscles tensed instantly, and a surge of heat rushed through his body. He didn't stand up or back down, but remained seated, his gaze meeting Chen Fei's directly without flinching.

Eighty meters.

On the vast grassland, the distance was neither too far nor too close—far enough to immediately engage in a desperate battle, yet so close that the breaths of both sides were intertwined, locked in a fierce confrontation, neither giving an inch.

The dark brown mane stood there for a long time, long enough for all the lions present to understand its intention, before slowly turning around, its massive body disappearing into the grass and vanishing completely.

Chen Fei's gaze remained fixed on the patch of grass until the outline of the dark brown mane was completely swallowed by the blades of grass before he slowly looked away.

It didn't come in today.

But the message was clear: it can come in whenever it wants.

……

After the dark brown mane disappeared, the low-lying area fell into absolute silence for a full ten seconds.

It wasn't a peaceful stillness; it was a deathly silence where everyone held their breath, afraid to even breathe, their hearts pounding in their throats, waiting for the sky to collapse at any moment. Chen Fei quickly scanned the entire area with his hearing: Sel's breathing paused for a beat, Meimei's rhythmically swishing tail stopped abruptly, and the stingy guy hunched his body low, tucking his four legs under his belly, even his ears flattened against his head, cowardly to the core.

Big Head's breathing was the heaviest, rapid and shallow, his chest heaving violently, like a naive young man who had just learned that there was a ruthless character on the grassland who could easily devour him, so flustered that he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet.

The lion king did not roar, but it stood up.