My 1995 Small Farm.

Even in the early spring of the second month of the lunar calendar, the nights on the southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains are still bitterly cold.

The moon hung in the dark blue sky, its clear light spilling down and illuminating the undulating contours of the mountains, making them resemble the back of a lurking beast.

The frozen soil, melted by the warm sun during the day, hardens again at night due to the cold air, making a crunching sound when stepped on.

Beneath the withered meadow, tender green shoots have stubbornly emerged, gleaming faintly with life under the moonlight.

The wind whistled through the still-bare branches, adding to the emptiness and silence.

Chen Ling and his group trudged through the thick layer of dead branches and leaves left over from last year, making a soft rustling sound that carried far in the quiet night.

Yang Jian led several police officers in a fan-shaped formation, vigilantly observing their surroundings. The muzzles of their semi-automatic rifles were slightly lowered, but their fingers were pressed against the outside of the protective ring, ready to fire at any moment.

Although they were well-trained, they unconsciously softened their breathing in the primeval forest.

These days, the air of city life that they had acquired has been quietly worn away by the profoundness of the mountains and fields.

Heiwa and Xiaojin walked silently to Chen Ling's side, slightly ahead of him.

The two large dogs walked with a steady gait that didn't seem like they were walking at night. Their thick paws landed silently, with only the occasional rustling sound of their thick fur rubbing against each other when they turned their heads.

Unlike ordinary hunting dogs that sniff around, they simply raise their heads, their ears twitching alertly, catching every bit of information carried on the wind.

Under the moonlight, their massive bodies resembled two silent black iron towers, naturally exuding a dignified and imposing aura of someone who had fought countless battles and reigned supreme in the mountains and wilderness.

"Gu-Gu Gu——"

A few cries of unknown night birds came from the distant woods, followed by a frantic flapping of wings, and they quickly disappeared into the distance.

From a thicket of bushes to the side, a rustling sound came from somewhere, as if some small animal had been frightened by an invisible force and was fleeing in a panic.

After Yang Jian, a young soldier subconsciously raised his gun and nervously looked at the swaying bushes.

"Don't panic."

Chen Ling glanced at it and said, "It's either a badger or a weasel. It smelled Heiwa and the other two and ran away."

"At this time of year, no wild animals dare to provoke them."

The soldier breathed a sigh of relief, awkwardly put down his gun, and couldn't help but glance a few more times at the two large dogs that were so quiet they were almost lazy. The slight unease he felt due to the environment was strangely suppressed by the dogs' calmness.

"Brother Chen, your dog... is truly amazing."

Another soldier sighed softly, his tone full of envy.

Chen Ling chuckled, casually breaking off a dry twig from beside him and twirling it between his fingers:

"That's how dogs that often hunt in the mountains behave."

"He looks listless, but when something really happens, he's quick-witted than anyone else."

He spoke in a flat tone, as if he were talking about how many eggs his hen had laid that day.

But the content of those words made the police officers secretly gasp, and their gaze towards Heiwa and Xiaojin changed somewhat.

"Wow—"

Just then, a short but clear eagle cry came from high above, piercing the silent night.

Everyone looked up and saw a dark figure hovering in front of the moon in an almost still posture, its huge wings occasionally making slight adjustments to maintain absolute balance.

That's Baldy.

"Is there a situation?"

Yang Jian immediately lowered his voice and asked, his flashlight beam instinctively sweeping outwards.

"Don't take the picture!"

Chen Ling immediately stopped him, his voice becoming more urgent.

"Er Tuzi wasn't calling the police, he was giving directions."

"Its eyes are ten times brighter than our flashlights."

"Follow the direction its shadow is pointing. There's something ahead, but it's not the one we're looking for."

He squinted at the location of the eagles in the sky, then pointed to a ravine to his left that was exceptionally lush with vegetation and offered shelter from the wind and warmth:

"It's warmer in the ditch over there, let's go take a look."

"Be quiet, everyone. It's springtime, and many of the big ones have just woken up. They're hungry and irritable, so don't startle them."

The group quietly turned and headed towards the ravine.

The valley was indeed warmer and more humid than other places. The air was filled with a mixture of humus and the pungent smell of some kind of wild animal. It wasn't strong, but it was definitely not pleasant.

A soldier walking on the flank slipped and broke a small patch of soft soil covered with last year's fallen leaves while trying to avoid a clump of exceptionally tough thorny vines.

A muffled "whoosh" sounded particularly abrupt in the otherwise silent valley.

"Tsk!"

Chen Ling frowned.

Almost the instant the sound subsided, a low, hoarse, and violent roar suddenly came from the depths of the dark ravine ahead.

"Hooooo——!"

The sound was like muffled thunder, making one's eardrums buzz, carrying the grumpiness of someone just woken up and the anger of being disturbed.

"Damn it, there's a bear hiding here!"

Chen Ling's expression hardened, and he immediately growled.

He hadn't expected that this place was so far from the large pond.

"Quick! Get back up the slope! Stand with your back against the rock face!"

"Shine the flashlight at the source of the noise, but don't shine it directly into its eyes; shine it on the ground in front of it!"

The police officers reacted swiftly, remaining calm despite the initial shock. They immediately followed instructions and retreated rapidly to the higher ground to the side and rear, their tactical movements clean and efficient. Several beams of flashlight suddenly shone, crisscrossing as they pierced the direction from which the roar came, the light spots flickering violently among the bushes and rocks.

About thirty meters away, a huge black figure stood up, probably nearly two meters tall, and frighteningly thick.

The moonlight and flashlight beams outlined its massive and bloated silhouette. Its small eyes reflected an eerie red light under the flashlight beams, and its gaping maw spewed out white breath, revealing menacing fangs.

It was a black bear that had just woken up from hibernation and was starving.

It was clearly enraged by the sound of the earth falling; it stood upright, letting out a threatening growl, as if about to pounce.

"Damn it, everything was fine the past few days, why am I so unlucky today!"

Yang Jian cursed and instantly raised his gun.

"Brother Chen, are you up to the fight?"

"Don't worry!"

Chen Ling pressed down on his gun barrel, his voice remaining calm.

“A bear that has just emerged from hibernation is hungry and irritable, but it generally doesn’t want to really fight.”

"It didn't pounce immediately; it was just trying to scare us."

“If you fire now, you won’t hit a vital spot. It can chase us for two miles without killing us.”

As he spoke, Heiwa and Xiaojin stepped forward, one on each side, blocking the crowd from the black bear.

Instead of barking, the two dogs lowered their front bodies and made a very low, warning "groan" sound from their throats.

Their muscles were taut, their eyes fixed on the raging black bear. Their posture was as if they were predators assessing their opponent, not prey defending themselves.

An amazing scene happened.

The black bear, which was originally about to pounce in a rage, hesitated noticeably for a moment.

Its dark eyes swept warily over Heiwa and Xiaojin, especially Heiwa, whose larger size caused its deep, threatening growl to weaken slightly.

Its massive body paced uneasily for a couple of steps, seemingly hesitant.

"Were you... scared?"

Everyone was stunned.

Suddenly, I remembered what the people here said about the two dogs that Chen Ling kept.

They say these two dogs are practically legendary.

He often hunts in the mountains, and while he is exceptionally intelligent, he also possesses an unseen aura of menace.

Many things in the mountains dare not provoke them.

Seeing those two was like seeing the mountain king.

Although they thought the rumors were exaggerated, they were still somewhat dazed and shocked when they actually saw it in person.

The dog scared the black bear.

It's incredible.

"Sure enough, the creatures in the old forest are all very cunning, bullying the weak and fearing the strong."

Yang Jian said softly.

I think my choice was right.

Having Chen Ling bring dogs and eagles certainly saved a lot of trouble.

"Ah……"

Chen Ling chuckled, broke off a small piece of dry, cracked bark from an old tree nearby, crushed it in his hand, and brought it close to his nose to sniff:
"Yeah, it's just one, no offspring."

"Let's retreat slowly, don't turn around and run, keep shining the flashlight in front of it."

"It saw that there were many of us, and that Heiwa and Xiaojin were keeping it in check, so it didn't dare to fight to the death."

"Once it retreats to the slope and feels safe, it will go find food on its own."

Following instructions, the team maintained their posture facing the black bear, used flashlights to obstruct its vision, and cautiously retreated step by step down the steep slope behind them.

The black bear did not approach any further, but roared a few more times in frustration. Its upright figure looked particularly ferocious in the moonlight, but it ultimately did not launch an attack.

They retreated all the way to the top of the slope, using the rock face for cover, and then looked down...

The huge black shadow paced around irritably twice, finally letting out a sullen growl before slowly turning around.

It moved its massive body and disappeared into the depths of the dark ravine.

"call……"

Several soldiers, including Yang Jian, breathed a long sigh of relief, only to find that their palms were covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"Damn, that was terrifying."

"It seems that the weather was still cold when we came here before, so they didn't come out to move around."

A soldier wiped his face, still shaken.

Yang Jian put away his gun and looked at Chen Ling, who was calmly scratching Heiwa's chin as encouragement. His eyes were complicated and tinged with envy.

“Brother Fugui, we actually have orders that we can shoot and kill anyone who is threatened.”

"But I thought, things in the mountains are hard to explain, some are very vengeful, and I can't cause trouble for you here."

Chen Ling smiled upon hearing this: "Hey, sometimes you can't have too many scruples. You've all heard that once I bring the two tigers back, things will be peaceful in the mountains."

"Let's go, let's continue looking for our main culprit. After this commotion, that guy is probably even more wary." (End of Chapter)