My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 941 The Discovery of Yangtougou
The households in Yangtougou live quite far apart.

Each house is a separate dwelling, and each family is some distance apart from the others.

There are many hillsides around.

The slope is covered with pine trees, oak trees and various shrubs.

Although it was May, the depths of the forest still exuded a profound and mysterious atmosphere.

"No wonder it attracted so many wolves..."

Chen Ling thought to himself, "This terrain makes it easy for wolves to hide and gives them a large range of movement."

Last winter, Yangtougou was plagued by wolves, attracting more than fifty wolves at once.

While the presence of wolves is a factor, the open terrain also plays a significant role.

Of course.

This terrain is also suitable for raising livestock.

It is very convenient for grazing cattle and sheep.

We arrived at the entrance of Yangtougou Village.

The little blue horse suddenly slowed down, its ears twitched, its nostrils flared, and it exhaled several puffs of white breath.

It remembers this road.

Chen Ling gently patted its neck: "Don't be afraid, we're not here to fight today, we're just here to take a look."

The little blue horse seemed to understand and calmed down a bit, but remained vigilant.

"Heiwa, Xiaojin, you two go with Ertuzi to the other side of the woods and scout out the situation."

Chen Ling gave the order, and the two dogs and the eagle rushed out.

He then rode his horse into the village.

Didn't take two steps.

Ahead lay an open area with a few houses scattered at the foot of the hillside.

These are the few households on the outermost edge of Yangtougou.

An old man chopping wood at the gate of his courtyard looked up and saw Chen Ling approaching on horseback. He was taken aback at first, then his eyes lit up, and he dropped his axe and rushed to greet him.
"Hey! Isn't this our Qinling Hunter King? What brings you here?"

Chen Ling reined in his horse, dismounted, and greeted him with a smile: "Grandpa, busy? I just came to take a look around."

This old man was the one who gave him the bear skin and bear gall at the market in Changle Township.

"It's good to spin around, it's good to spin around!"

The old man, beaming, turned and shouted into the yard, "Old woman, come out and see who's here! Fugui is here!"

A voice responded from inside the courtyard, and an elderly woman with gray hair hurried out, carrying a rolling pin. Upon seeing Chen Ling, she beamed with joy.

"You're really living a life of luxury! Come in and have a seat! I'm making pancakes, they're fresh out of the pan, and they smell delicious!"

Chen Ling quickly waved his hand: "No, Auntie, I have something to do today, so I won't be coming in. I just wanted to ask if there's anything unusual happening in the mountains around here lately?"

The old man and woman exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming more serious.

"Something's not right?" Old Wang frowned. "Now that you mention it... a few nights ago, I did hear some noises in the mountains, like wild boars calling, but not quite."

The old lady added, "I keep hearing crows calling in the woods, but there's nothing else."

Then he smiled at him and said, "You came here once last year and wiped out all the wolves. The place where you hunted wolves is now so remote that even the dogs in the village dare not go there. I doubt anything in our village would dare to mess with us now."

"Now that you've come, everyone in my family is afraid of your horse."

"It knows that the horse you keep can kick a wolf to death..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood.

No wonder the little green horse dared to run wild here.

This was the place where he fought with it, and the place where it once displayed its power.

Just didn't expect it.

No wolves dare to approach Yangtougou anymore.

But there are other things hidden in the mountains.

The little blue horse's encounter that night was definitely not a coincidence.

Just then, a few more people came up from down the slope.

The leader was a man in his fifties, wearing a faded blue cloth shirt; he was Yang Erbao, the village secretary of Yangtougou.

Yang Erbao spotted Chen Ling from afar and rushed over, grabbing Chen Ling's hand in one go:
"Brother Fugui! What brings you here today?"

Their large entourage immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding villagers.

"It's Chen Fugui, Chen Fugui from Chenwangzhuang..."

A man who was drawing water from the well put down his bucket and quickly came to meet him.

The elderly people under the tree also stood up, their faces showing surprise and respect.

Several village dogs also instantly became alert, but seeing the size and imposing presence of the little blue horse, as well as the faint yet frightening aura emanating from Chen Ling, they only barked twice from a distance and dared not approach.

Seeing this, Chen Ling smiled and replied, "Uncles and elders, are you busy? I just came over for a quick look around. I hope I haven't bothered you?"

"Hey! What are you saying? We'd be more than happy to welcome you to Yangtougou!"

The old man who spoke first warmly grabbed Chen Ling's arm: "Come on, sit down at home and have some tea! If it weren't for you last year, we don't know what would have happened to our village to those wolves!"

"That's right! Brother Fugui is our benefactor from Yangtougou!" The others echoed, their true feelings revealed.

Chen Ling quickly waved his hand: "Fellow villagers, you're too kind! I'm really not here as a guest today."

He pointed to the little blue horse beside him: "This horse at home was restless a few nights ago and secretly ran away. It might have gotten a little injured in the woods here. I thought I'd come and see what happened so I could have a better idea."

As soon as he said that, everyone's attention turned to the little blue horse.

Sure enough, there were still herbs applied to the horse's neck. Although it seemed to be in good spirits, a closer look revealed something unusual.

"Oh! Such a fine horse is injured? Is it serious?" the old man asked with concern.

"It's nothing serious, just a superficial injury. I'm just feeling uneasy and want to know what happened to me."

Chen Ling explained, "I let it lead the way to see where it went that night."

"No wonder! I was wondering why the horse kept looking west."

The man fetching water suddenly realized, then frowned: "Brother Fugui, your horse even dares to fight wolves. The thing that could hurt it is probably no ordinary creature."

"Although our forests aren't as high and deep as those in your Chenwangzhuang area, there have been more wild animals in the last two years. Besides wild boars and badgers, I've even heard that some people have seen leopard hounds!"

At this time, more and more villagers gathered after hearing the commotion, and even Si Ni'er's parents-in-law came after hearing the news.

"Wealth and honor have arrived! Why don't you come inside?"

Si Ni'er's father-in-law was an honest and simple farmer. He was especially warm to Chen Ling: "I went to your village to see Si Ni'er a few days ago. Si Ni'er was still talking about it. She said that thanks to the medicine that Su Su brought her last time, her pregnancy is much more stable."

Si Ni'er's mother-in-law also took Chen Ling's hand: "Child, how can you not come in after you've come all this way? Come in and sit down!"

Chen Ling smiled, but still insisted, "Uncle, Aunt, we really won't go inside."

"I'm just here to run some errands. I'll take a quick look into the woods while it's still early and then head back."

"When Si Ni'er is about to give birth, let's have a proper get-together."

Seeing Chen Ling's resolute attitude and the fact that he genuinely had something to do, the villagers didn't want to force him any further. However, Yang Erbao, the Party Secretary of Yangtougou, after understanding the situation, straightened his expression:
“Fugui, you can’t go into the forest alone like this! Although the wolf pack was scattered last year, there’s no guarantee that there won’t be any escapees or other things.”

"Your horse is injured; it must have run into a tough opponent."

He turned to a young man beside him and instructed, "Quickly, go and call the militia captain. Tell him to take a few men to the brigade's armory, get some guns, and go into the mountains with Brother Fugui. Make sure Brother Fugui is safe!"

Since encountering a pack of wolves last year, the township government has reissued guns to the brigade's armory in Yangtougou.

Chen Ling initially wanted to refuse, but then he thought that the people of Yangtougou were more familiar with the local mountains and forests, and having them lead the way would save a lot of trouble. Moreover, having more people would indeed increase the safety factor.

Furthermore, this is a token of their goodwill, and excessive refusal would only seem distant.

So he nodded: "Then I'll have to trouble Uncle Erbao and all the brothers. But let's agree that we're just going to check the situation, we don't necessarily have to use guns."

"Understood, understood! Don't worry, we know what we're doing!" Yang Erbao patted his chest to assure him.

Before long, the militia captain came running over with three strong young men, each carrying a half-new Type 56 semi-automatic rifle on their shoulder.

Although the equipment wasn't sophisticated, it was an important safety guarantee in the rural area.

The militia captain was a dark-skinned man named Yang Tiezhu, an old hunter in the village.

I fought alongside Chen Ling last year when we were hunting wolves, and I admire Chen Ling immensely.

“Fugui! Don’t worry, we know this forest very well, we’ll definitely help you find the place!” Yang Tiezhu said in a loud voice.

"Okay, thank you for your help, Brother Tiezhu and everyone."

Chen Ling laughed and said, "Then let's set off and let the horses lead the way."

So, the group left the village entrance in a grand procession and headed west into the mountains.

The little blue horse seemed to understand something, its steps became noticeably lighter, and it snorted from time to time, gesturing in one direction.

Chen Ling stopped riding the horse and instead led the little blue horse by the hand.

Heiwa and Xiaojin were already waiting at the front, while Ertuzi led the way in the air.

The young men from Yangtougou followed behind, curiously observing the "configuration" of Chen Ling's group.

"Fugui, you dog... you're really something."

Yang Tiezhu couldn't help but say, "I could tell last year when we were hunting wolves that they were more powerful than all the dogs in our village combined."

Chen Ling smiled and said, "They've been running around in the mountains since they were little, they're used to being wild."

"You raised that eagle too? Good heavens, I've lived in the mountains for so many years and I've never seen such a big eagle."

"Er Tuzi is indeed extraordinary."

Chen Ling looked up at the black dot in the sky: "With it here, we won't get lost easily, and we can spot things in advance."

Just then, Er Tu Zi let out a cry and flew back again, circling in the air to lead the way.

The forests in Yangtougou are mainly composed of pine, oak, and mixed trees.

The trees there are not as tall and dense as those on the back hill of Chenwangzhuang, nor are they as diverse in species.

However, the terrain is actually more complex the deeper one goes, with dense shrubs and crisscrossing ravines.

Fortunately, we had a local guide who helped us avoid some of the more difficult sections of the trail.

Along the way, Yang Tiezhu and several young men explained the situation to Chen Ling as they walked:
“Brother Fugui, look over here. In the spring, we raided a bear den in this ravine…”

"That oak forest ahead is home to the most wild boars. They often come down and damage the crops, so we often organize people to chase them away in the autumn and winter..."

"If you go any further in, there's a mute pool. It's very deep, and I heard it's connected to an underground river. The older generation says there's something in there..."

Chen Ling listened carefully, and based on the reactions of Little Green Horse and Baldy, he gradually got a sense of what was going on.

The little blue horse was heading towards the oak forest area where wild boars frequently appeared.

The further you go in, the denser the woods become.

The layer of fallen leaves underfoot thickened, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of soil and humus, occasionally mingled with the fragrance of wildflowers.

Heiwa and Xiaojin became even more alert, their ears perked up and their noses twitching as they tried to detect any unusual smells in the air.

Er Tuzi also lowered his flight altitude, his sharp eyes scanning every corner of the forest.

Suddenly, Heiwa, who was walking at the front, stopped in his tracks, made a low "woo-woo" sound in his throat, and lowered his body slightly, adopting a defensive posture.

Xiao Jin immediately came over, her expression equally solemn.

"There is a situation!"

Yang Tiezhu, being experienced, immediately waved for everyone to stop and signaled his companions to raise their guns.

Chen Ling also reined in the little blue horse and focused his gaze forward.

Not far ahead, there were signs of severe trampling and collision in the bushes.

Several small trees were knocked askew, fallen leaves were scattered everywhere, and some messy hoofprints and... could still be vaguely seen.

Clumps of coarse, stiff black bristles.

"It's a wild boar! And it's quite big!"

Yang Tiezhu squatted down, carefully examined the hoof prints on the ground, picked up a tuft of mane and smelled it, and said with a serious expression, "Judging from the depth and disorder of these footprints, it's probably not just one or two, but a small group!"

"The trampling marks are very recent, probably from within the last day or two."

Chen Ling's heart sank.

He thought of the wild boar king in the cave that had been angered by the little green horse. Could it be that there was another such ferocious creature outside?

He dismounted and walked to the chaotic scene to examine it carefully.

The hoof prints on the ground were indeed very large, much larger than those of ordinary domestic pigs, and they were deeply embedded in the mud, indicating that their owner was incredibly heavy.

The broken bushes and saplings around them also highlighted the astonishing impact.

The little blue horse seemed to recognize the place as well, appearing somewhat uneasy as it gently pawed at the ground with its hooves, emitting a low neigh.

Er Tu Zi landed on Chen Ling's shoulder and pointed with its wings in a direction deeper into the forest.

"Brother Fugui, look here!"

A sharp-eyed young man pointed to the base of an old oak tree not far away and shouted.

Chen Ling walked over and saw a clear scratch on the base of the oak tree, with a large piece of bark rubbed off, revealing the white wood underneath.

The height of the scratch matched exactly the location of the wound on the little blue horse's neck.

Beside the scratch, there were a few strands of blue horse hair.

"That's it, this is the place."

Chen Ling said with certainty, "Little Blue Horse encountered danger here and bumped into a tree in desperation."

"But the wounds on its body were not inflicted by wild boars."

Inside the cave, the little green horse was capable of dealing with the wild boar king.

Even if a wild boar king really did emerge from Yangtougou, it wouldn't be able to harm him, because it couldn't catch up with him.

The wounds on the little blue horse were definitely inflicted by a feline.

Only the agility of felines could make the little blue horse lose its way.

Chen Ling was afraid that other mutated beasts, like the Yellow-skinned Giant Yellow, had appeared in the mountains.

After he said that, Yang Tiezhu and the others realized it too, their faces filled with horror: "No way, no way, could it really be the Over-the-Mountain Yellow that's come here???"