My 1995 Small Farm.

There's always something fishy going on when things seem unusual; this saying applies to the animal kingdom as well.

Especially these bison that have already become feral.

Cows are also extremely intelligent in the animal kingdom.

Their intelligence even surpasses that of horses.

Now, a leader of such a large size has suddenly appeared in the bison herd.

If Chen Ling were alone, he certainly wouldn't be afraid.

They've already gone down.

They took the 'Bull Demon King' and all the strong bulls and cows in the herd into the cave.

But now someone is following along.

Since it's inconvenient for him to do it, he can only wait for the bison to leave before they go.

Otherwise, if those bison attacked them, they would be doomed.

At this moment, Uncle Zhou looked at Chen Ling and Zhang Lihua, and solemnly offered what he considered to be the safest suggestion:
"Ah Ling, Li Hua, judging from the situation, going down the mountain directly is too risky."

“When a herd of bison gets startled and charges, especially when led by the lead animal, the momentum they generate is no joke.”

"I think if all else fails, we should fire a couple of shots into the air to scare them away. Safety first!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling shook his head.

"Uncle Zhou, Brother Hua, don't rush."

“Shooting may scare them away, but once the gunshots are heard, the wild animals in these mountains will definitely not dare to approach this area again in the short term.”

"Moreover, if the cattle are startled and run wildly, they are very likely to fall off the cliff or get injured, which is a real pity."

He paused, pointed to the giant bull down the mountain, and said with regret, "Look at that big guy. The frame, the muscles, the spirit, it's definitely a top-quality bull that's one in a million."

"And those cows next to it, with their well-proportioned bodies and strong limbs, are all rare and promising young cows..."

"I originally planned to find an opportunity tomorrow to ask someone to go through the formalities and see if I could find a way to bring one or two back to improve the breed of livestock."

"If we fire now and scatter them, finding such good ones again, or getting close to them again, will be as difficult as climbing to the sky..."

Hearing this, Zhang Lihua was both amused and exasperated: "Ah Ling! What time is it? You're still thinking about catching cattle for breeding? We're trapped halfway up the mountain by the 'Bull Demon King'! Safety first!"

Uncle Zhou also frowned, clearly feeling that Chen Ling was being a little too "obsessed":

“Ah Ling, Li Hua is right. No matter how good the cow is, you have to be alive to get it back.”

"These bison are fierce, especially the mothers with calves and this new leader. If you anger them, they'll really fight to the death!"

Chen Ling smiled confidently and pointed to the relatively flat mountainside platform where they were, backed by rocks:

“Uncle Zhou, Brother Hua, look, our position is easy to defend and difficult to attack. There is a steep slope on the side and a rock wall behind us. Although there are many cattle, they cannot charge up.”

“As long as we stay here and don’t provoke anything, the bull king won’t bother to climb the hill to attack us if it notices us.”

"Their main purpose should be to occupy the lush valleys and make them their own territory, rather than to fight us to the death."

His analysis was clear and logical. Zhou Bo looked at the terrain, his tense expression eased slightly, and he had to admit that Chen Ling's words made sense.

Bison are not wolves; they primarily rely on defense and herding, lacking the intelligence for coordinated attacks.

They usually do not attack humans who occupy advantageous terrain unless they feel extremely threatened or provoked.

"That's what I said..."

Uncle Zhou pondered for a moment and said, "But we can't just stay here idly, can we? It's almost noon, and our stomachs are starting to rumble."

"What if they still haven't left by the afternoon? Are we going to have to spend the night on the mountain?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling smiled easily and said, "Uncle Zhou, since we're here, let's make the best of it. Since we can't go down, let's have a picnic in the mountains!"

"I'm getting a bit itchy, I'm going to go find some prey to give you guys a treat!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lihua's eyes lit up immediately: "An extra meal? Ah Ling, you mean... hunting?"

He had heard of Chen Ling's "glorious achievements" in the mountains and forests of his hometown.

"Is hunting allowed in these mountains?" Chen Lingxian asked Uncle Zhou cautiously.

Zhou Bo waved his hand: "It's a small-scale operation, just getting some small game to improve our meals. Nobody usually cares."

"Actually, let alone in the mountains, are fights and murders rare in the city? There are plenty of foreigners who go hunting."

"Even if we're not allowed to fight, we're deep in the mountains. If you don't tell and I don't tell, who will know?"

"But be careful not to get hurt."

"Alright, that's fine with me!"

Chen Ling smiled and said, "You guys rest here for a bit, I'll be right back, I'll make sure you get a hot meal."

After saying that, Chen Ling didn't say anything more and put down his backpack.

He took only the sharp hunting knife he habitually carried and a folded water bag, along with Zhou Bo's hunting rifle for self-defense. With a swift movement, he disappeared silently into the dense forest beside him, like a nimble cat.

Zhou Bo and Zhang Lihua exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and anticipation in each other's eyes.

Zhang Lihua rubbed his hands excitedly: "Uncle Zhou, we're in for a treat today! With A-Ling's help, it's bound to be something special!"

"If it weren't for the somewhat frightening herd of cattle below, I really would have liked to go with Ah Ling to take a look..."

Zhou Bo nodded with some skepticism, found a rock with a good view and sat down, keeping an eye on the movements of the cattle below while waiting curiously.

After entering the woods, Chen Ling did not wander aimlessly.

He first listened intently, trying to catch the subtle sounds in the woods.

Soon, a faint "whoosh" of running water reached his ears.

There is a water source!
He perked up and immediately went in the direction of the sound.

Sure enough, after passing through a dense patch of ferns, a clear mountain stream appeared before us.

The stream is not wide, but the current is rapid, and the water crashes against the rocks, creating white foam.

Chen Ling's gaze swept across the stream with lightning speed.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he saw several gray-black shadows moving nimbly in a eddy.

It's a mountain stream grouper, and it's quite big...

"Haha, a great start!"

Chen Ling was overjoyed.

He quietly approached the water's edge, broke off a few supple vines, and deftly wove a simple fishing trap. He then dug up a few plump earthworms by the water's edge as bait.

After securing the fish trap in the backwater, he didn't just wait around; instead, he continued exploring upstream.

He hadn't gone far when, on a bank covered with lush vegetation, he discovered fresh animal tracks and some scattered black granular droppings.

It is a deer.

Based on the size and shape of the footprints, Chen Ling judged that it should be a medium-sized yellow muntjac, which is the red muntjac commonly found near Chenwangzhuang.

He crouched low and carefully followed the footprints.

Sure enough, he saw the yellow muntjac drinking water from behind a bush.

It is slightly larger than a dog, with yellowish-brown fur, and appears very alert.

Chen Ling held his breath, estimating the distance and wind direction.

A shotgun might frighten the cattle, but he had a better "weapon".

He quietly took out his slingshot from the cave, picked up a pebble, and slowly pulled back the pin.

"Whoosh—thud!" The pebble, like a bullet fired from a gun, accurately struck the yellow muntjac's vital spot behind its ear.

Before the yellow muntjac could even scream, its limbs went limp and it collapsed to the ground.

"It's done!"

Chen Ling quickly stepped forward, checked, and confirmed that he had stopped breathing.

He nodded in satisfaction, picked up his prey, and returned to where he had set the fish trap.

When they lifted the cage, they found four or five palm-sized, lively groupers trapped inside.

A very fruitful harvest...

Chen Ling used tough tree bark to skewer the fish, and together with Huang Xiang, they carried them home with a full catch.

When he returned to the platform halfway up the mountain, both Uncle Zhou and Zhang Lihua were stunned.

"My God! So fast?! And they even got a yellow muntjac?!"

Zhang Lihua's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she stared at the prey in Chen Ling's hand.

Uncle Zhou was also incredulous; it had only been less than half an hour.

This efficiency is too terrifying.

Is this the legendary King of Hunters of the Qinling Mountains?
"Hehe, good luck."

Chen Ling smiled modestly and began to skillfully process the prey.

He used a hunting knife to skin, bleed, and gut the yellow muntjac, his movements fluid and graceful, even making Zhou Bo, an old forester, nod in approval.

This technique is definitely that of a veteran.

Just as Chen Ling was about to start a fire, Uncle Zhou suddenly exclaimed "Eh!" and quickly walked to a crevice in the stone at the edge of the platform.

With a careful flick of the wooden stick in his hand, he pulled out a venomous snake about a meter long and brightly colored.

It is a common cobra in Hong Kong Island.

"Good heavens! I almost fell for it!"

Zhang Lihua was startled.

Uncle Zhou, however, remained calm and collected. He precisely pressed down on the snake's head with a wooden stick, and quickly grabbed the back of the snake's head with his other hand, skillfully subduing it. He then smiled and said:

"Haha, looks like we can add a 'Dragon and Phoenix Soup' to our menu today! This snake is fat, it's good stuff!"

Chen Ling laughed too: "Uncle Zhou, you're really skilled! That's perfect. We'll roast the muntjac meat, make soup with the fish, and as for the snake... we'll stew it with the muntjac's innards, just like you said, to make a 'Dragon and Phoenix Auspiciousness'!"

The three divided the work: Chen Ling was in charge of cooking, using a small aluminum pot to scoop water from the stream; Uncle Zhou dealt with the snake; and Zhang Lihua was responsible for gathering firewood.

Soon, a bonfire rose on the mountainside platform.

Chen Ling cut the plump, tender yellow muntjac hind leg meat into thick slices and skewered them with sharpened twigs.

Sprinkle on the seasonings you carry with you and wild lemongrass you found nearby, then roast it over a fire until it sizzles and releases oil, filling the air with its aroma.

The grouper was put into the pot, along with a few slices of ginger and some wild chili peppers that had just been picked, and cooked into a pot of milky white fresh fish soup.

The cobra and the yellow muntjac's heart, liver, and other internal organs were wrapped in large leaves by Uncle Zhou and buried in the hot ashes under the fire to roast.

Soon, the aroma of roasted meat, the fresh fragrance of fish soup, and the unique aroma of roasted snake meat and offal mingled together, filling the entire mountainside and making one's mouth water.

Even the herd of bison in the valley below the mountain seemed to be attracted by the aroma, with several curiously looking up in this direction.

"It smells so good! I've never smelled such delicious roasted meat in my life!" Zhang Lihua swallowed hard, her mouth watering.

Uncle Zhou also praised it highly: "Ah Ling, your skills are amazing! Just the aroma alone can make all the mountain people's mouths water!"

The grilled fish and meat were served first, and the three of them, not caring that it was too hot, blew on them and began to eat heartily.

The roasted yellow muntjac meat is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a unique wild aroma and the freshness of lemongrass. It's so delicious that you almost want to swallow your tongue.

The fish soup was so delicious it was almost unbelievable; there wasn't a trace of muddy taste, only an exquisite sweetness.

Just as they were enjoying their meal, Chen Ling caught a glimpse of something moving in the canopy of a large tree nearby.

Upon closer inspection, he realized they were a group of bats hanging upside down from the tree branches.

These bats were quite large, with brownish-black fur, and seemed different from the species he had seen in the mainland.

"Uncle Zhou, what kind of bat do you think that is?" Chen Ling asked, pointing to the treetop.

Uncle Zhou looked up and said, "Oh, that's a fruit bat, also called a dog bat, which is common in Hong Kong. It's big, eats fruit, and isn't very afraid of people."

“There are many of them in these mountains. Sometimes you can see them flying out in large numbers to forage at dusk.”

"Fruit bat?"

Chen Ling seemed to be deep in thought.

He remembered that in some regions of later generations there was a custom of eating fruit bats, which were said to be very nutritious, but he had no interest in it.

He was more interested in the diversity of bats.

He quietly noted down the location, intending to come back alone sometime in the future, hoping to discover some special varieties.

To enrich his "biological atlas" of the cave.

After enjoying the delicious grilled fish and meat, the "Dragon and Phoenix Stew" under the fire was almost ready.

Uncle Zhou carefully removed the hot ashes and took out the leaf package.

The moment it was opened, an indescribable, unique aroma, a blend of meat and medicinal herbs, wafted out.

The snake meat and internal organs have been stewed until tender and flavorful, with a unique taste and distinctive flavor.

Zhang Lihua was initially hesitant, but with encouragement from Chen Ling and Uncle Zhou, she took a bite and was immediately amazed, praising it repeatedly.

The unexpectedly sumptuous outdoor lunch left the three of them completely satisfied, and the tension from being surrounded by bison earlier vanished.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, while the two rested, Chen Ling carefully searched the nearby stream and under the rocks.

Sure enough, he discovered three different freshwater turtles:

A type of turtle with a tall, golden carapace called the "Golden Thread Box Turtle".

A type of "spotted turtle" with a flat carapace and radial patterns.

There is also a smaller species called the "toothed tortoise" with a brownish-red shell.

These turtles are relatively common in the mountains and streams of Hong Kong Island, but the discovery of multiple species at the same time demonstrates the excellent ecological environment of the area.

"Quite a haul!"

Chen Ling was secretly delighted. He quietly selected one or two of the best-looking turtles of each kind and, with a thought, placed them in the waters of the blessed land.

These are all species with distinctive local characteristics, and are worth collecting and studying.

He also went to check the big tree where he had previously found the fruit bats, and sure enough, he found two other bats that were smaller and different colors in the tree hole and among the dense branches.

It seems that the bat population here is indeed abundant.

Next, to his even greater surprise, he discovered a pangolin's burrow next to a bat cave.

This is incredible.

This thing is extremely rare in mainland China.

Chen Ling quickly dug open the cave and captured the entire nest of pangolins, taking them all inside.

"A loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise."

Looking at these gains, Chen Ling couldn't help but glance in the direction of Uncle Zhou and Zhang Lihua with a sigh.

"If we hadn't been blocked by this herd of bison and had rushed down the mountain for a meal, we would never have discovered so many good things!" (End of Chapter)