067 The old gentleman plows the earth

Every person appeared tense, with Beidapao glancing around before bursting a bubble of mucus, saying, "Damn it, let's fight these beasts."

Amongst us six, Sun Tiedan was the local, the one who knew the wolves of Yanmen Mountain best.

I inquired, "Tiedan, do you have a plan?"

Sun Tiedan replied, "There's one method, not sure if it'll work or not."

"Burning with urgency, just say it."

"When I was a child, picking up horse manure for firewood, my father said wolves understand human nature, can read people's minds. When encountering wolves, never show fear, pretend to bend down to pick something up, then turn around and curse them as thieving wolves, they'll run away."

Upon hearing this, Bai Ruoxue was skeptical, "You're called Tiedan, does your brain also have rust? Can you actually believe this?"

Beidapao disagreed, saying, "When I was begging, I fought dogs for food. This trick works particularly well on dogs, I've tried it many times."

Shi Jingxia nodded, "When I was a child, wolves would steal children, carry them away with their cheeks bitten through. This method of scaring them is something my mother told me."

Although sounding absurd, such a story circulated widely, likely not without reason.

Now, with no other options, we had to give it a try.

Several of us simultaneously made the motion of bending down and turning around, then shouted "Thieving wolves!" at the wolf pack.

What followed was truly miraculous.

When we shouted "Thieving wolves," it actually had an effect.

The wolf pack turned and ran with a swish, disappearing quickly into the thicket.

The immediate danger was averted, but we remained vigilant, for in this deep mountain forest, anything could happen.

"Comrades, take turns on night watch duty; ladies, find a comfortable position and rest."

Realizing my mistake, I quickly corrected myself, "Ladies, you may rest now."

Sun Tiedan and I took the first half of the night, while Beidapao and Liu Yuanbao took the latter half.

Though it was already April on Earth, the nights were still chilly, especially in the mountains of Yanmen, where the temperature felt like it was only three or four degrees.

Shi Jingxia leaned against a tree, arms crossed, looking visibly unwell.

I approached her and asked, "Xiao Jing, what's wrong?"

She grimaced, "My feet are uncomfortable."

"Let me take a look."

We were already practically married, so there was no hesitation. I gently lifted her feet, and upon removing her socks, my heart ached. Her pristine white socks were tinged with a faint red, her toes were blistered.

After disinfecting with iodine and drying them, I applied a bandage.

"Xiao Jing, the life of a pot carrier is not only dangerous but also arduous. If you follow me..."

She interrupted me with a hand over my mouth, "Regardless of peril or hardship, I've chosen to follow you for life."

Perhaps from sheer exhaustion, it didn't take long before Shi Jingxia fell asleep on my shoulder. I took off my jacket and gently draped it over her.

Sun Tiedan stared into the distance for a while before sitting down, counting on his fingers and muttering to himself, seemingly lost in thought.

"Tiedan, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Just doing some calculations," he chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head. "Don't laugh, but I'm the eldest of three brothers. Both my older brothers are married and have emptied their pockets, leaving me with the dilemma of being the eldest without a wife."

I patted his shoulder reassuringly. "A real man shouldn't worry about not having a wife. It's just a matter of fate. Fate is like a flood; once it arrives, all you can do is welcome the sunlight with each dawn."

"Seeing how loving you and your wife are, it's truly enviable. After we finish this task and have some money, I won't marry a city girl either."

"Why's that?"

"City folk are too affected, they don't know how to manage a household, let alone tend sheep. After I get married, I plan to use whatever money is left to start a livestock farm."

"Good for you. If you encounter any difficulties, just let me know."

As we chatted, the topic turned to Yanmen Mountain, and Sun Tiedan recounted a long-standing local myth to me.

Many years ago, the Supreme Old Lord wandered through Shaanxi, witnessing the rugged terrain and harsh conditions. The people struggled with hunger and poverty, living in dire circumstances.

Moved by compassion, the Supreme Old Lord brought two divine oxen from Heaven: one rainbow-colored and the other ancient green, along with a several-kilometer-long plow.

Plows are agricultural tools used to till the land, and it was the Chen brothers who inspired me. They used a plow to open the main tomb chamber of the Yongling Underground Palace.

The two divine oxen plowed from the Qinling Mountains to Yijun, in the vicinity of Baishui.

Just then, the Supreme Old Lord received a summons from the Jade Emperor and took the plow to return to Heaven. But the rainbow-colored divine ox suddenly had to relieve itself urgently. Unable to move it, as anyone who's raised cattle knows, a cow's urination takes a long time and can't be stopped easily, especially a divine one.

Seeing time running out, the Supreme Old Lord made a decision, leaving behind the rainbow-colored divine ox and returning to Heaven.

The rainbow-colored divine ox eventually urinated a river, which became the Iron Bull River at the foot of Yanmen Mountain.

Sun Tiedan said the water of the Iron Bull River was sweet and nourishing, sustaining the local population, who regarded it as their mother river.

Talking about water made me realize I was quite thirsty, but without water, I had to endure.

Suddenly, rustling came from the thicket, and upon closer inspection, I was stunned. Under the cool moonlight, dozens of shiny green eyes were fixed on us.

The wolf pack was approaching again, and this time, their numbers had increased. Tension filled the air once more.

"Tiedan, quickly wake everyone up."

Everyone woke up in alarm, grasping their weapons cautiously.

Beidapao repeated the bending down and turning motion, shouting, "Thieving wolves."

"Why didn't it work this time? Maybe I didn't have enough presence. Let's all do it together."

Sun Tiedan reminded, "That was just a temporary measure. We didn't manage to escape in time. Wolves are cunning; they won't fall for it this time."

Beidapao then asked, "Tiedan, what do we do now?"

Sun Tiedan replied with two words: "Wait it out."

He continued to explain, "Wolves generally don't attack humans actively. Let's just have a staring contest with them. As long as we endure until dawn, we'll be fine."

It was an unavoidable solution. The six of us stared down the wolves, and we endured until the darkness receded, revealing the first light of dawn in the east.

Sure enough, the wolf pack backed off, finally dispersing.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I glanced around and was overjoyed by what I saw.