Hermit in the Mountains

Hearing Da Huang's barking from inside the cabin, Gu Changsheng got out of bed, barefoot, and strode outside, calling out softly as he went, "What's wrong with Da Huang?"

"squeak--"

The moment the wooden door was pushed open, a chill rushed out, and a large cloud of mist appeared in front of Gu Changsheng's mouth and nose.

As his cultivation level improved, he no longer cared about the scorching heat or the freezing cold, and stepped barefoot onto the cool wooden planks outside.

He glanced around the house, but there was no movement. He looked at the slowly rising sun in the east, squatted down, and gently patted Big Yellow's head. "You're not reminding me that it's time to eat breakfast, are you?"

"Woof woof woof..."

Big Yellow barked a few times, nuzzled its head against Gu Changsheng's trouser leg, and panted as if to say, "Yes, yes, yes..."

It was another beautiful day. Gu Changsheng ate his meal, fed the chickens, tended to the vegetables in the field, cleared the land, and cultivated at his appointed time, living a carefree life like an immortal.

Tao Yuanming's line, "Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I leisurely gaze at the Southern Mountains," is a true reflection of Gu Changsheng's current life.

The next day, Gu Changsheng finished his morning practice and did not go out at noon. He wore a blue cotton coat, his hair was tied up, and he wore a hat to cover his long hair and white hair.

He sat cross-legged by the fireplace in the living room, his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, his eyes slightly closed in a meditative state.

Half an hour later, Gu Changsheng heard Da Huang barking. He withdrew from the shallow meditation room, slowly got up, and walked outside.

Dahuang stood at Gu Changsheng's feet wagging its tail, its dog eyes fixed on the mountain path ahead.

"Big Yellow, Big Yellow, I've come to play with you."

A moment later, a youthful, bright voice rang out, and two figures, one tall and one short, appeared in Gu Changsheng's sight.

Gu Changsheng smiled as he watched the boy running happily down the path ahead.

The person who came was Yang Dashan's youngest son, named Yang Xiaoshan, a name chosen so casually and simply.

The yellow dog he raised was bought from Yang Dashan's family. When he went into the mountains last year, the yellow dog was only eight months old. In the past four months, the yellow dog has become a year old.

Four months had passed since he first entered the mountains, and he couldn't help but sigh, "Time flies in the mountains; the passing of winter makes one unaware of the years."

He went into the mountains in late autumn, but now it's late winter and the snow on the mountains is beginning to melt.

His location is on the outermost edge of the Qinling Mountains, at a low altitude, with relatively little snow and not much snow accumulation on the ground; otherwise, Yang Dashan wouldn't be able to go up the mountain every two weeks.

Big Yellow carefully examined the person running towards it, ran over and sniffed, recognizing the familiar scent and remembering who it was.

It was its former owner. Big Yellow barked at Yang Xiaoshan in welcome, "Woof woof woof..."

Yang Xiaoshan, wearing a thick cotton-padded coat, looked chubby and his face was flushed as he greeted Gu Changsheng, "Hello, Brother Gu."

Before Gu Changsheng could respond, Yang Dashan, who was walking behind him, slapped his son on the back of the head, "No respect for elders, call him Uncle Gu."

Under his father's slap, Yang Xiaoshan quickly greeted him again, "Uncle Gu."

Gu Changsheng didn't mind Yang Xiaoshan's form of address. He greeted the two of them, "Brother Yang, you've worked hard."

"Xiaoshan, why did you come up the mountain? Hasn't school started yet?"

"Uncle Gu, I'm returning to school on the 27th, and I was thinking of coming to see Da Huang before I go back to school." After Yang Xiaoshan finished speaking, he squatted down and rubbed Da Huang's head.

Gu Changsheng ignored Yang Xiaoshan, took the basket from Yang Dashan's back, and carried it into the kitchen to pack up supplies.

Before long, the three of them sat around the fireplace in the living room chatting.

Yang Dashan looked at Gu Changsheng across from him and saw that he had changed a lot since their last meeting.

He noticed that Gu Changsheng had an inexplicable and elusive aura about him; he wore a hat but you could still see the long hair around his ears and temples, and he was barefoot.

He also noticed that when Gu Changsheng poured tea, his exposed fingernails were unusually long and grayish-white, unlike the normal color of fingernails.

Everyone has their own secrets, and he did not ask Gu Changsheng if he had any unspeakable secrets or unknown secrets.

Many people come to the Zhongnan Mountains for spiritual practice. Some are recovering from surgery, some are escaping from excessive stress, some use the Zhongnan Mountains as a platform to make videos, and some are genuinely seeking spiritual solace...

There are several recluses in their Xiahe Village who have fled from big cities.

Yang Dashan would usually chat with Gu Changsheng for a few minutes before leaving, but this time, because of Yang Xiaoshan's arrival, the three of them chatted for an hour.

Yang Xiaoshan rattled off a string of interesting stories from the village and town, as well as events that happened at school, like a chatterbox.

He held Big Yellow in his arms, leaning slightly towards Gu Changsheng, and whispered a story full of divine tales.

"Uncle Gu, let me tell you, something big happened in our town yesterday."

"A magical ox appeared in the town. It's the kind of ox that can fly, burrow underground, speak human language, understand human speech, and even shed tears."

"I've heard that the Celestial Ox is a descendant of Lao Tzu's mount, the Green Ox, and its skin is green..."

As his son's words became increasingly outrageous, Yang Dashan casually slapped Yang Xiaoshan on the back of the head with a large fist, saying, "You watch too many TV dramas, don't you?"

He looked at Gu Changsheng and explained, "Brother Gu, it's not as magical as Xiaoshan said."

"It's a story someone in town made up about wanting to sell an old water buffalo for a high price."

"That old water buffalo has been raised for nearly 30 years and is somewhat intelligent; its skin does have a bluish tinge."

Gu Changsheng also became interested and asked curiously, "Can cows live that long?"

Yang Dashan explained briefly, "The lifespan of water buffalo in China is generally 20-30 years, and it is rare for them to live to 30."

"Is their sale of the cattle a publicity stunt, or is there something else going on?" Gu Changsheng thought that he had grown attached to the cattle he had raised for 30 years and wouldn't just sell them off like that.

Yang Dashan explained, "There's more to the story. The people selling the cow were a father and son. The father stayed with the cow the whole time without saying a word."

"My son keeps talking about how long their cow has lived, how it can hear human speech, and how its skin turned blue rapidly a few months ago and its energy improved. He probably just wants to raise the price."

"I heard that someone in their family is sick and needs surgery, so they had to sell their old water buffalo to raise money for medical expenses."

"Yesterday, a boss offered 50,000 but I didn't sell, and he wouldn't budge an inch on 100,000."

Gu Changsheng looked into Yang Dashan's eyes and asked sincerely, "Brother Yang, did you see the cow with your own eyes?"

"How does the cow look?"

Yang Dashan didn't know why Gu Changsheng asked that, so he honestly replied, "I went to take a look yesterday when I was in town."

"The cow was full of energy and very large; I estimate it weighed around 1,000 jin (500 catties)."

"The cow lay there quietly, as if it knew that being sold was the only way it could help its owner; it even shed tears."

After hearing Yang Dashan's words, Gu Changsheng was tempted to go and see for himself.

Go check if that cow has absorbed spiritual energy and undergone a mutation, gaining intelligence.

He did not specifically go into the mountains to observe whether the plants and animals there had mutated, but the plants and animals around him did not change at all.

He had witnessed the changes in Da Huang, who was always by his side. He hadn't deliberately guided the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to nourish Da Huang, but Da Huang would still receive spiritual energy from him, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Despite being only one year old, Dahuang was more robust, energetic, and intelligent than an average one-year-old yellow dog.