My 1995 Small Farm.

"Where's the 'Over-the-Mountain Yellow'?"

After mentally preparing himself, Chen Ling emerged from the cave again, gazing at the pine forest where the giant, earthen-yellow shadow had disappeared, and clicked his tongue.

"Holy crap, it's gone in the blink of an eye. That's fast! The name 'Over the Mountain Yellow' is well-deserved."

He suddenly realized that since he had already taken the Wild Boar King, he couldn't let go of this even rarer "Over-the-Mountain Yellow".

However, hunting or taming this creature is not an easy task.

Unlike the Wild Boar King, it cannot be easily provoked or lured to its side.

Then we have no choice but to outsmart them.

then……

The plump pheasant that had just been killed in the cave was still warm, and the smell of blood was strong.

Chen Ling deftly nocked an arrow, the chicken dangling from the arrowhead, aimed at the branch where the giant shadow had just flashed, and shot it with a "whoosh"!
The smell of chicken blood spread through the wind and snow.

Heiwa and Xiaojin twitched their noses and made low "woofing" sounds in their throats. It wasn't because they were greedy, but because they were alert—there was something there!
But after waiting for a long time, apart from the howling of the wind through the pine forest, there was no sound at all. The arrow was firmly stuck in the tree trunk, and the pheasant swayed with its head drooping.

"Hey? You don't like it?"

Chen Ling was a little skeptical, so he took out two more wild rabbits that he had just killed in the cave, attached arrows to them, and shot them accurately into the tree canopy where they might be hiding deeper inside.

puff!puff!
The hare bumped into a snow-covered pine branch, bounced, and got stuck.

A faint smell of blood and rabbit odor wafted in the air.

This time, there was a response.

It wasn't pouncing on its prey, nor was it growling.

The thick snow between the branches slid down with a "rustling" sound, and a huge, earthy-yellow head slowly emerged.

His amber eyes, as cold as two frozen stones, swept across the prey hanging in the tree without a trace of emotion, then gave Chen Ling and the two large dogs beside him that looked like they were facing a formidable enemy.

Then, the huge lynx... or rather, the "mountain lynx," slowly raised one of its front paws, licked it, and then used the back of its paw to comb the conspicuous tuft of black fur on the tip of its ear twice!

The movement, elegant yet with an inexplicable air of wickedness, seemed to say: "You little trick, I don't care."

After grooming itself, it silently shrank back, its tan fur blending perfectly into the shadows of the pine forest and the swirling snow, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

It's really gone!

Even the tracks on the snow were perfectly concealed by its ghostly, light steps!

"Grass!"

Chen Ling spat fiercely. This thing was completely impervious to reason; it was practically a monster!

"Hey Blackie, Little Gold, go after it! Follow it and see where its lair is!"

His curiosity and competitive spirit were completely aroused.

Such a large and cunning lynx must have a hidden lair!

Maybe it hides some secret.

One man and two dogs, following the almost indistinguishable, occasional plum blossom-shaped paw prints left on the soft snow, plunged headlong into the deeper, snow-covered heart of the Qinling Mountains.

The wind whipped up the snow, and darkness fell quickly.

The mountains and forests were a vast expanse of white, and the air was bitterly cold.

Heiwa and Xiaojin's tracking abilities were undeniable, but "Over the Mountain Yellow" was clearly a veteran at counter-tracking, leaving behind intermittent and winding tracks that almost caused them to lose track of him several times.

Relying on the cave's natural shelter from the cold and hunger, Chen Ling wandered around the mountains all night with his dog.

The snow fell even harder at night, and the mountain wind howled like ghosts.

Chen Ling, wrapped in a wolfskin coat, found a sheltered spot under a large rock and started a fire.

Heiwa and Xiaojin lay by the fire, their ears constantly perked up, listening to the sounds around them.

Every now and then, chunks of snow would fall from above, landing nearby with a "plop," startling the two dogs into baring their teeth and growling.

Nothing happened that night, or rather, that thing never showed up again.

I didn't even catch a glimpse of it.

As dawn broke, the snowfall lessened.

Chen Ling looked around at the vast expanse of white; the traces of last night's pursuit had long been covered by the fresh snow. "Damn it, all that work for nothing."

He rubbed his face, which was numb from the cold, and the resentment in his heart faded away.

This awful weather, coupled with that sentient being, means we can't just keep going like this.

"Alright, Blackie and Little Gold, let's go home! This demon is powerful, we'll come back to fight it another day!"

The return journey was much faster.

Chen Ling released the packhorse and mounted it, while two large dogs trotted ahead to clear the way, crunching through the thick snow.

By the time they rushed to the county town, it was already dark.

As soon as she entered her courtyard, Wang Susu rushed out carrying Rui Rui, who was wrapped up like a ball.

"Ah Ling! You're finally back!"

Wang Susu's eyes were red, and her voice trembled with lingering fear.

"The snow was so heavy last night, it was terrifying! Uncle Zhao and Uncle Zhong didn't sleep well at all!"

Rui Rui's little face was red from the cold, and when she saw Chen Ling, she stretched out her little arms: "Daddy! Daddy! Hit...hit the big cat!"

Chen Ling felt a warmth in her heart, quickly dismounted, took her son from him, and rubbed her cool face against his little cheek:

"Oh, my good son, did you miss Daddy? I didn't catch the big cat, it got away."

"Just come back, just come back!"

Zhao Yubao and Professor Zhong also came out of the house wearing cotton-padded coats, their faces full of worry and relief.

Professor Zhong looked him up and down: "Are you alright? There was such a commotion in the mountains."

"It's nothing. We ran into a big guy and made a commotion, but we weren't hurt."

Chen Ling gave a mumbled reply, picked up her son, and walked into the house, saying, "I'm freezing, come inside and warm up."

The county town is much more lively and bustling than the mountains.

Many villagers who had come to their relatives' homes to escape the disaster crowded into their relatives' small courtyard houses. The charcoal braziers were burning brightly, and slices of bread were sizzling and dripping oil on the stoves.

Adults and children huddled together on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), chattering away about the strange things that happened in the mountains.

Chen Ling had just settled into his home and sat down to drink some hot tea when he heard a loud shout coming from the neighboring yard:

"...It's true! My daughter-in-law's third uncle saw it with his own eyes! Right at the bottom of Eagle Cliff, there was a series of huge footprints in the snow, bigger than a washbasin! The edges were bloody! It wasn't a bear, and it wasn't a wild boar! That thing walked without making a sound! The snow didn't even collapse!"

"That's for sure! You know the sheepfold at the Li family's house on the east side of the village, right? In the middle of the night, the old dog on watch was so scared he peed his pants! He tucked his tail between his legs and cowered in the woodpile, trembling, not daring to utter a sound! The next day, we found a huge chunk of adobe brick had been knocked off the sheepfold wall! And those paw prints, my goodness, they were like iron hooks!"

"Even more bizarre is Liu Guaizi from Kinmen Village, the one who became Liu Guangli's apprentice!"

"On the ninth day of the lunar month, when it had just started snowing, he was setting traps in the snowdrifts. He had just squatted down when he heard a 'crunch' sound from the tree branches above him. He looked up and... good heavens!"

"A dark, ghost-like shadow was staring at him! He was so scared that he scrambled back, abandoning his sheath! He said that thing even had little braids on the tips of its ears!"

"Wearing braids? That's nonsense!"

"It's true! Liu Guaizi swore an oath! He said it looks like two black braids! Very eerie! Everyone says it's an old monster from the mountains that has come out!"

"Tsk tsk tsk... Now look what's happened! The leopards and wolves were all scared away and moved away, and now an even more ruthless one has appeared... This year is going to be a real nightmare!"

Inside the house, the stove crackled and popped. The relatives, wrapped in cotton-padded coats, gathered around the charcoal brazier, telling their stories vividly, their faces showing both fear and the excitement unique to recounting strange tales.

Chen Ling, holding a bowl, leaned against the door frame and listened, forgetting to eat the steaming hot porridge.

The image of the huge lynx coldly grooming the black fur on the tips of its ears flashed through his mind, and he muttered to himself, "Grooming a little braid? Damn, Liu Guaizi's eyesight... is actually pretty accurate."

It turns out that the traces of this "over-the-mountain yellow" have not only appeared near Chenwangzhuang, but similar strange things have probably happened west of Kinmen Village as well.

In a few days, it will probably spread throughout the surrounding villages.

He finished the noodles in his bowl and went out into the yard. The wind and snow had subsided a bit, and a few lights were twinkling in the county town. Heiwa and Xiaojin lay under the eaves, warily watching the dark silhouette of the distant mountains, which resembled the back of a giant beast.

Chen Ling patted Heiwa's fluffy head and then scratched Xiaojin's chin.

"Did you hear that? People say that guy has little braids on the tips of his ears." He chuckled softly. "Next time we run into him, we'll have to take a good look."

The two large dogs responded with "woofing" sounds, whether they understood or only sensed the hint of... eagerness in their owner's tone.

The things in the mountains are getting more and more interesting. (End of Chapter)