My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 300 Capturing the Leopard
The leopard's footprints are shaped like plum blossoms.

It bears some resemblance to the paw prints of dogs and wolves, but upon closer inspection, there are significant differences. When wolves and dogs walk in the mountains and forests, their feet tread harder than those of leopards, leaving deeper footprints.

Moreover, wolf footprints show traces of claws, and the claws are generally not retracted.

There were no leopards at all.

In addition, leopards do not leave droppings on the ground.

Like cats, they bury their feces in holes and are very hygienic.

A few days ago, Chen Ling specifically took the dog to find the place where it defecated and buried its feces, and combined this with its fresh footprints, that is, heat tracks, to determine its activity range.

As for why we look for the place where leopards defecate, instead of simply searching based on heat signatures.

This is because although there are many footprints near water, and leopards often go to mountain lakes to drink water and hunt, the effect is not as good as defecating in such places.

First, leopards frequently change locations and directions when drinking water or hunting, so relying on heat maps may be inaccurate.

Secondly, leopards share some of the same habits as cats; they defecate in what they consider the safest place and are very relaxed while doing so.

In this state, it is less wary, making it easier for Chen Ling to strike.

Because Chen Ling wanted to capture the leopard alive, not kill it.

If it were simply a matter of killing the hunter, then it wouldn't be this complicated.

Therefore, in order to capture it alive, Chen Ling set up special bait near several of the leopard's defecation spots.

This special bait uses the birds raised in the cave; they are live bait.

He applied veterinary medicine to each bird, which would cause the leopard to take effect after ingesting them.

This veterinary medicine is better than any other method.

Chen Ling had already conducted experiments in the cave.

Just like when weasels ate raw meat laced with rat poison, it took effect very quickly.

Moreover... although eating it will cause poisoning, as long as you drink the spiritual water from the cave in time, you will gradually recover.

But as the saying goes, man proposes, God disposes.

Just when Chen Ling felt that everything was ready except for the final push.

That morning, an accident occurred.

At the time, he was very careful not to bring the dog up the mountain.

This is because the leopard had fought with Heiwa before and suffered a loss at Heiwa's hands, so it had a deep memory of Heiwa's scent and was very sensitive to it.

Consequently, she is also very sensitive to Xiao Jin, who lives with Heiwa.

They would stay far away from Heiwa if they sensed his scent.

So Chen Ling simply stopped bringing either dog.

Anyway, he wasn't afraid of facing the leopard head-on.

They simply used the spiritual water of the cave to cultivate patches of grass in several places where live bait was placed.

His hiding place also gave rise to some dense, tall grass, which served as a place to conceal his scent and figure.

It was nearly noon, atop the Western Hills.

Chen Ling lay prone in the grass behind the stone embankment. This grass was the one he had rejected when selecting mosquito-repelling plants, those with strong scents. Now that it was growing here, it could effectively suppress his scent.

He came here after breakfast. This is where leopards mark their territory by urinating and burying their droppings. No wild animals in the mountains come here, so the live bait won't eat anything else.

Then the leopard appeared.

The leopard appeared southwest of Chen Ling, deep in the mountains and forests.

In the dappled sunlight of the mountain forest, a leopard with a broken tail, about 1.5 meters long, with a golden body and covered in black coin-like spots, slowly appeared.

The gradually healing wound on its shoulder and the severed leopard tail made it look exceptionally ferocious and terrifying.

But Chen Ling was secretly pleased.

His prediction was correct; although the leopard was fierce, its gait was relaxed, giving it a leisurely, strolling feel.

Even digging a hole to poop has a touch of elegance and laziness.

It is clear that it is not very vigilant here.

"Eat up, go eat, don't just focus on taking a dump," Chen Ling thought to himself.

The leopard was less than twenty meters away from him.

At this moment, it finally smelled a special scent and crouched down, slowly approaching the nearest patch of grass.

The birds in the grass had their wings clipped and their feet bound by grass leaves by Chen Ling, so they couldn't fly.

For the leopard, it was an easy prey; the moment it flapped its bare wings and leaped out, it was devoured in one bite.

Chen Ling smiled and secretly encouraged the leopard, "Eat one more, eat one more! One isn't enough!"

The more veterinary medicine a bird consumes, the faster it takes effect.

Under his expectant gaze, the leopard swallowed a bird whole and actually turned to go to the next place.

But just as the leopard turned around, the sound of whips and voices echoed through the forest, reaching Chen Ling's ears.

"Da, go back. Can't we herd the sheep down the mountain? Why are you running up the mountain again?"

"Hmm? Is it Fourth Grandfather and Uncle Yongsheng?"

Chen Ling was shocked, and the steel fork and hunting rifle stored in the cave immediately appeared in his hands.

He reacted quickly enough.

But the leopard is faster.

He had just stood up with the pitchfork when the leopard's eyes widened, its gaze fierce. It quickly crouched down and, using the cover of the grass, charged towards Chen Gannian and Chen Yongsheng.

This is where the leopard defecates; it's its territory and cannot be violated.

When powerful opponents like Heiwa and Xiaojin come, it will retreat.

But it doesn't care about humans at all, and has even been harmed by them.

Driven by hatred for humans and fury at the invasion of its territory, the leopard's eyes turned red with rage.

Just as Chen Gannian said when he was lucid before.

Even with the old hunter fully on guard, the leopard pounced on him and sat on him.

Not to mention ordinary people.

Chen Ling quickly shouted, "Fourth Grandfather, Uncle Yongsheng, get out of the way! There's a leopard!"

As he spoke, he charged at the leopard with his steel fork.

"Aww~"

The leopard was only three or four meters away from Chen Gannian and his companion, and it was just one leap away from pouncing on them. Unexpectedly, there was another person behind them.

This person was also very fierce, fast, and charged towards it aggressively.

The leopard was immediately startled.

Actually, if this leopard still had a tail...

By this time, they had already pounced on Chen Gannian.

Unfortunately, it didn't, and its shoulder still bore the marks of the injury inflicted by Heiwa.

These have a great impact on it.

It's not at its peak.

In contrast, Chen Ling, in his eagerness, was like a ignited engine. His well-nurtured physique from the cave was unleashed, and he chased after them with a steel fork in hand.

Sensing a fierce aura approaching from behind, the leopard's fur bristled. It abandoned the two people in front of it, arching its back like a frightened cat, its eyes wide with rage, and leaped into the air, its large claws reaching out to scratch Chen Ling behind it.

Wow, those claws are huge!

It was a pair of strong and thick fleshy palms.

The foot pads were surprisingly large compared to its legs.

The palm is already quite large.

I didn't expect those claws to be even more powerful.

Exactly as Chen Gannian had described, it truly resembled an iron hook, protruding from the fleshy pad and measuring about half a hand's length.

Without a doubt, if this happened to a person, a huge chunk of flesh would be ripped off immediately.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ling quickly raised his steel fork to parry.

He was strong, and although his reflexes were a little slower than those of wild animals in the mountains, they were still quite fast.

There was a loud "whoosh".

The leopard's fierce, sharp claws were stopped by the steel fork.

The man and the leopard clashed for the first time, and the outcome was still undecided.

But leopards react so quickly.

It's nothing like a fight between martial arts masters, where they go one move at a time.

As its claws were blocked by the steel fork, it opened its foul-smelling mouth and began to bite at Chen Ling's neck.

"Ah!"

Leopards are ferocious, and Chen Ling is no less so.

With one hand, he used a steel fork to block the leopard's front paws, while with the other hand, he thrust the hunting rifle fiercely into the leopard's gaping maw.

With a "snap," the leopard bit into the gun.

"Wealth!"

After exchanging two blows with the leopard, Chen Gannian and Chen Yongsheng finally reacted and exclaimed in alarm.

Chen Ling didn't have time to respond to them. Taking advantage of the leopard's two attacks being interrupted, he released the hunting rifle that the leopard was biting, grabbed the leopard's front leg, turned around and slammed the leopard to the ground with an over-the-shoulder throw.

Adult leopards weigh over 100 pounds.

But this weight is nothing to Chen Ling.

He leaped onto the leopard, pinned its front legs to the ground with his steel fork, sat down on it, grabbed the scruff of its neck with one hand and slammed its head to the ground, then punched it down with the other.

It was just like Wu Song fighting the tiger, trying to subdue the leopard.

But reality is not a fictional story.

Leopards aren't so easy to subdue; Chen Linggang had already punched one twice.

It struggled and roared desperately.

Although the leopard weighs around 100 pounds, its strength is considerable.

His muscular physique is not to be underestimated.

In that critical moment, its power surprised Chen Ling.

"Fugui, Fugui, get out of the way!"

Seeing Chen Ling riding on the leopard and fighting, the leopard, like an unruly wild horse, struggled and twisted its tailless rump, crushing the grass and soil on the ground into a mess.

The birds in the forest were startled and flew away, and the sheep were bleating.

The confused Chen Gannian was jolted awake.

In desperation, he and his eldest son found two large rocks from somewhere and were about to smash them on the leopard's head.

at this moment.

Chen Ling suddenly felt the leopard he was riding deflate like a punctured balloon.

The force of her struggle was far beyond what Gang could match.

Chen Ling immediately realized that the bird the leopard had eaten was now taking effect inside its stomach.

It's like a martial arts master who's been poisoned.

The more you fight with others and the more you circulate your inner energy, the faster the poison will take effect.

The leopard ate live bait, and its poisoning wasn't too severe and wouldn't have taken effect too quickly. It was just that it was startled by people and tried to attack them, causing this whole mess.

That's why this consequence occurred.

However, Chen Ling wanted to capture the leopard alive.

Now that the veterinary medicine had worked, it was impossible to let Fourth Grandfather and his companion ruin the leopard's life.

He quietly released the leopard, which seized the opportunity and immediately leaped out from under him.

Upon seeing this, Chen Gannian and his companion quickly threw the stones in their hands at the attacker.

But there was no way to hit it; the leopard had already run away in a flash.

The two men stared wide-eyed in exasperation: "That damn leopard..."

Then he quickly went to Chen Ling and looked him over with concern: "Fu Gui, are you alright?"

"It's alright, it's alright, Fourth Grandfather, Uncle Yongsheng, I injured this leopard earlier. I'll go see where it ran off to. If I can kill it, I will, otherwise if it stays on the mountain, we won't be able to go up the mountain."

Chen Ling picked up his hunting rifle and, without waiting for the two to say anything, hurriedly chased after the leopard.

"Wealth, oh, wealth..."

"Fugui, come back soon."

The two tried to chase after Chen Ling and stop him.

But Chen Ling had already grabbed his hunting rifle and disappeared quickly through the fallen leaves and weeds in the forest.

The father and son were so anxious that they could only wipe the cold sweat from their foreheads and stomp their feet in place.

……

The western mountain is not as steep as the northern mountain, but it is still quite sloping.

Chen Ling chased the leopard with considerable effort before finally reaching a dry, overgrown, rocky ditch.

The leopard lay motionless beside the grass in the rocky ditch.

Whether out of fear or something else, when Chen Ling saw the leopard, it was already collapsed in the grass, panting heavily, defecating and urinating, leaving a large mess behind it.

Chen Ling didn't care about any of that now. He waved his hand and put the leopard into his cave, then fed it some spiritual water and left it alone.

Then, after emerging from the cave, I looked around at my surroundings.

"Oh, so this is the place. No wonder it looked so familiar."

This is actually the fox den from before. The fact that the badger had its eye on this fox den before shows that although the entrance is not big, the inside is actually quite large. There is more than enough room for a leopard to live in this den.

Moreover, under the trees on this side of the stone gully, the rocks and the tangled roots of the large trees make the cave very solid and reliable, providing a natural environment for shelter.

It's normal for this leopard to use this place as a short-term habitat.

"No matter what, we finally caught them."

Chen Ling lingered around the fox den for a while, but found nothing particularly interesting, before returning the way he came.

I thought to myself, this is a male leopard. When will I catch a female one to make a perfect pair?

(End of this chapter)