Hermit in the Mountains

Hearing the old ox's response, Gu Changsheng smiled faintly and turned his gaze from the old ox to the hunched old man ten meters away. "Old man, here's your bank card. I'll transfer the money to you."

Che Bing helped his father to Gu Changsheng's side and greeted him happily, "Boss, what's your name?"

"Gu." Gu Changsheng looked at the old man calmly and asked for his bank card number. "Sir, what's your bank card number?"

Che Bing took out his wallet from his pocket, took out a bank card, and handed it out with both hands, "Boss Gu, this is my dad's bank card."

Gu Changsheng opened his mobile banking app and transferred 100,000 yuan to the other party. The transfer was successful. He confirmed the receipt with the other party and asked, "Please check if the money has arrived."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man heard a text message notification sound in his pocket.

The old man's hands trembled as he took out his phone, opened the text message and saw that 100,000 yuan had been transferred in. He checked with his son again to make sure there was no problem. "Thank you so much, Mr. Gu... thank you so much, Boss Gu."

Gu Changsheng confirmed the transaction was complete and there were no problems with the other party in person. "Father-in-law, we'll be leaving now."

After saying that, he turned to Yang Dashan and asked, "Brother Yang, could you help me find a vehicle to take the cow back?"

"Brother Gu, I'll call my cousin in town right now, he'll be there in a few minutes." Without saying a word, Yang Dashan took out his phone and made a call.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Gu. We won't take up any more of your time." After thanking Gu Changsheng again, the Che family father and son hurriedly headed towards the bus station. They needed to go to Chang'an City to pay for the surgery.

When Gu Changsheng and his two companions were waiting for their ride next to the Wuling van, the beer-bellied shopkeeper seized the opportunity to greet them with a smile and respectfully handed over his business card. "My name is Xu Xiaoda. I do some medicinal herb business in Chang'an City."

"What happened just now was my fault, brother. I'll apologize to Boss Gu when I have the chance."

"If you have any business dealings in medicinal herbs, Mr. Gu, you can contact me."

When Gu Changsheng heard that the other person was in the medicinal herb business, his eyes lit up. He was going to go into the mountains to find herbs to sell, so he could ask the person in front of him for information about the medicinal herb market.

Cats have their ways, and mice have theirs.

He took the business card and glanced at it. "Boss Xu, I'll contact you if I need anything."

"It was just a little incident. It was all about getting what you wanted, so don't worry about it."

He wouldn't bother with such a small matter, but judging from the other person's behavior just now, he didn't think they were worth being friends with.

It's an honest man like Yang Dashan who can be your friend.

As for punishing Xu Xiaoda, he never even considered it.

Once he takes action, it will inevitably cause unnecessary trouble and may even trigger an investigation by relevant departments.

He hadn't tested the power of the "Power of Withering," but if it were injected into Xu Xiaoda's body, the opponent would likely be crippled even if he didn't die immediately.

The key point is that the "Power of Withering" he controls devours life force to strengthen himself, and he himself is not sure how long the "Power of Withering" can survive without his control, or whether it will cause a chain reaction.

I need to test the power of the "Power of Withering and Flourishing" when I get back.

"Brother Gu, my cousin has arrived." Yang Dashan's voice interrupted Xu Xiaoda's chance to continue the conversation.

A white Wuling minivan stopped in front of the van, and a head popped out of the driver's seat to greet Yang Dashan, "Brother Dashan."

Gu Changsheng said to Xu Xiaoda, "Boss Xu, I have to rush back. I'll contact you again when I have the chance."

"Boss Gu, I'll contact you when I have time." After saying that, Xu Xiaoda stepped back onto the curb without leaving immediately.

Gu Changsheng brought the old ox to the small truck and let it lie down inside. Instead of riding in the van, he chose to ride with the truck driver and sat in the passenger seat of the small truck.

The old ox wasn't tied with a rope; having him ride alongside the cart made the ox feel safe.

A van and a small truck drove away from Yingxian Town and headed towards Xiahe Village.

Xu Xiaoda watched the car disappear down the street, then raised his right hand to wipe his forehead before turning and leaving.

Gu Changsheng left the town, but his spending 100,000 to buy the ox and the mysterious requests he made were still talked about in the town. Some people even exaggerated the story of the old ox being intelligent and shedding tears, turning it into a story of "a celestial ox meeting a celestial being".

Such a story, full of mythical elements, is most captivating, especially since Yingxian Town is located near Zhongnan Mountain, adding a touch of mystery to the tale.

Sitting in the car, Gu Changsheng closed his eyes to rest, while keeping an eye on the movements of the old ox behind him.

There was a minor incident when the vehicle arrived at Xiahe Village, as the road into the village was blocked by several vehicles.

Gu Changsheng opened his eyes and saw a number of people standing around the old house by the stream on the right side of the road, and several vehicles carrying timber, furniture and potted plants parked on the road ahead.

He gazed at the old house by the stream. "Young man, do you know what's going on here?"

The driver replied with a smile, "Boss Gu, a very beautiful young female boss came to the village a few days ago and rented that old house by the stream."

"I heard it's for an elderly family member to live in and take care of their health."

"As you know, our Xiahe Village has a good climate and air quality, and a quiet environment. People often come here to rent houses to recuperate or find some peace and quiet."

A few minutes later, the road was clear, and Gu Changsheng stopped paying attention to the traffic jam.

At the entrance to the valley, Gu Changsheng bid farewell to Yang Dasan and the others, and walked alone into the mountains with the old ox.

When the man and the ox reached a secluded spot, Gu Changsheng leaped onto the ox's back and patted it, saying, "Ox, let's go home."

"Moo—"

Old Niu responded and, following Gu Changsheng's directions, headed towards the wooden house three kilometers away.

On the ox's back, Gu Changsheng took out his phone and transferred the fare and transportation fee to Yang Dashan.

Putting away his phone, he tucked his hands into his sleeves, sat upright on the sturdy back of the ox, enjoying the scenery along the way, and scanning the surrounding plants to see if there were any suitable ones to transplant to the mountain.

A gentle breeze rustled through the mountain branches, and snowflakes drifted down to the ground.

The old ox, without being whipped, moves with the clouds; with a mind free of attachment, its spirit enters the myriad mountains.

A vivid painting of "Riding an Ox in the Snow" remains unappreciated.

Gu Changsheng rode his ox a hundred meters away from the wooden house and heard Da Huang's voice. The old ox under him stamped its hooves.

"Woof woof woof..."

He gently patted the cow's back. "Cow, you'll be my companion from now on. Let's go."

Before long, Big Yellow came running over, and when it saw the huge old ox, it braked suddenly, leaving a long footprint on the ground.

It barked at the old cowdog, "Woof woof woof..."

The old ox let out a deep, resonant moo, "Moo—"

"Dahuang, it's me. This is the big friend I found for you." Gu Changsheng chuckled as he saw Dahuang startled.

When Dahuang heard the familiar voice, its eyes finally spotted its owner on the cow's back.

"Woof woof woof..." (Master is really amazing, able to tame such a big guy.)

It ran to the cow, wagged its tail, and circled around it to welcome the old cow.

"Woof woof woof..."

The old ox couldn't understand dog language, but it could sense the little guy's goodwill and responded with a sound.

"Moo—"

Gu Changsheng looked at the two children, one big and one small, with their gentle personalities, a faint smile appearing on his face. He thought to himself, 'They really take after their master.'