My 1995 Small Farm.

"A leopard? The leopard came down from the mountain too?"

"A few days ago, wolves came down from the mountain, and now leopards are coming down... This snow in the first month of the lunar calendar is really making things unbearable."

"Wealth and honor, is this some kind of bad omen? Is this year going to be a year of disaster? I've heard people say that when crimson appears in the north, all beasts are terrified, children are sold, and there is no grain in the fields."

Upon hearing that the leopard had come down the mountain, Chen Ling and the others didn't react much, but the villagers who had come along were quite nervous.

A rainbow appearing in the northern sky is a bad omen.

There's another saying: "Boom in the east, rain in the west, people from Nanjiang come out to sell their children..."

The meanings are roughly the same.

"A year of disaster? You're absolutely right, this year really is a year of great disaster!"

Chen Ling sighed inwardly.

If 1998 hadn't been a disaster year, there wouldn't have been any disaster years at all.

This is the year with the most widespread floods and snowstorms.

Of course, the snow disaster was insignificant, with only a limited number of cities in the north experiencing continuous snowfall for nearly a month.

The roads and power lines were all damaged by the freezing temperatures.

In an era when information was scarce and candles were lit in many places at night, the impact was not as significant as one might imagine.

Only in mountainous areas can it be called a snow disaster.

"There's no use talking about this now. Let's go and see what's going on with that leopard that ran down the mountain."

Chen Ling waved his hand, calling over the pack of dogs and Er Tuzi's three falcons as well.

Large felines are generally very nervous and cannot tolerate stimulation.

Although the farm has no shortage of 'guards', it would be bad if we encountered a neurotic leopard that was like a fool who knew no fear and would rush over and hurt people, or even rush into the farm and hurt people.

Therefore, we must be prepared and have them all on standby.

Even the little white calf and the little blue horse were no exception.

"It has to be Uncle Fugui. With this kind of setup, we wouldn't be afraid of anything, not even a tiger, let alone a leopard!"

Upon hearing Chen Ling's call, all the dogs in the farm barked and the eagles cried out.

While Wang Wenchao and the others looked on with envy, they also felt a sense of relief.

I felt extremely at ease.

The sheer scale of Chen Ling's home, coupled with Chen Ling's own ruthlessness, made the situation even more dire.

His record of single-handedly wiping out a wolf pack speaks for itself; everyone feels at ease when he takes action.

"The animals kept by the wealthy, whether they are dogs, eagles, or horses, all love to fight, and they are not afraid even if they are injured and bleeding."

Seeing the group of guys looking so aggressive and full of fighting spirit, Zhao Yubao couldn't help but marvel.

Everyone was indeed puzzled as to why all the creatures they were raising were so aggressive.

The dogs and eagles were one thing, but even the horses they kept were restless, howling excitedly at the sound of a fight.

The little blue horse had already been pulling on the reins, kicking restlessly in the snow.

"Alright, that's enough. The village dogs are starting to bark. It must be a leopard approaching the village. Let's go out and see what's going on."

Chen Ling slapped the little blue horse on the forehead to signal it to behave, then mounted the horse and galloped away.

The pack of dogs behind them moved in unison, barking and rushing out after them.

Er Tuzi, accompanied by two henchmen, also braved the wind and snow to ascend into the air.

The weather is cold now, the wind is very cold, the snowflakes are much smaller than a few days ago, but the temperature is even lower.

When I went outside, everything was a vast expanse of white.

The rolling mountains were covered in snow, and the wheat fields were also weighed down by the heavy snow.

In the vast expanse of white snow, several leopards cautiously trudged along on the thick, white snow.

They looked like a few large tabby cats trying to sneak into the village.

By this time, they had already approached the local temple.

"What's going on? Wasn't it just one leopard? How come there are suddenly several?"

After Wang Wenchao and the others came out, they were also stunned.

"No, something's not right. The leopards behind are a bit smaller and shorter. Could they be the smaller leopards that came down the mountain with us?"

The lynx narrowed its eyes and guessed.

"Huh? A little leopard?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was even more stunned: "In this heavy snow, for the little leopard to come down the mountain, isn't that just asking for trouble?"

It's frightening when wolves come down from the mountain in heavy snow.

But if leopards come down in packs, or with their families, then everyone doesn't need to be afraid.

It was a snowy day, and the snow was deep.

Leopards aren't wild animals that fight in packs, and this one even brought its cubs with it.

The snow was too thick, making movement difficult.

Those kids will only be a burden.

So, in the end, it's the lynx who have the experience.

Even though they were far away and couldn't see the situation at the local temple clearly, they still managed to guess pretty accurately.

When Chen Ling rode his horse and charged forward with his pack of dogs, he was slightly taken aback.

It was indeed an adult female leopard, leading several cubs through the snow-covered wheat field.

Those leopard cubs look like they're almost fully grown.

It's about four months old, and its body is about to fully develop.

If you're far away, you can't see it clearly at all.

"Wang Wang Wang!"

Upon seeing the leopard family, the dogs barked excitedly and rushed forward to surround them before Chen Ling could give the order.

The mother leopard was so frightened that she bared her teeth, arched her back, and panted incessantly. The cubs all hid behind their mother, peeking out and howling menacingly, looking both fierce and timid.

"One, two, three, four... four little leopards, about four months old, half-adults. These half-grown bastards will eat their father out of house and home. No wonder they came down the mountain."

Chen Ling smiled and sighed.

Needless to say, these leopards came down from the mountain in search of food.

It's not necessarily that they want to enter the village.

Pheasants and other animals are extremely easy to catch in the snow.

Picking up just two is enough for a meal.

The number of pheasants outside Chenwangzhuang is ridiculously high.

The villagers braved the wind and snow every day to collect them, but some were still missed.

"Fugui, what's going on? You saw leopards, why didn't you go and fight them? Even if you didn't fight them, you should at least chase them away. Otherwise, if the children come out to play and are accidentally carried off by leopards, wouldn't that be terrible?"

Some elderly villagers who were hiding in their homes and watching from the sidelines were very anxious and puzzled when they saw this scene.

"Don't worry, everyone. There's a little leopard following them. Fugui has his own plans."

The lynx that rushed over explained to the villagers.

Then he asked Chen Ling what had happened.

Chen Ling shook his head: "It's hard to tell what's going on right now, but we definitely have to drive them away, otherwise the villagers won't be able to come out and move around."

"In the dead of winter, these leopard cubs are almost grown up. Why haven't they been driven out of the nest by their mothers to survive independently? Instead, they're out hunting with them. It's so strange."

The lynx was very puzzled.

Unlike pack animals like jackals, felines are driven out of their enclosures when their cubs reach a certain age to survive and roam the wild alone.

Whether they live or die at that time, I won't care anymore.

This is due to instinct and nature.

Just like in human society, people get married when they reach a certain age.

Otherwise, it would seem very incongruous for someone in their thirties or forties to still live with their parents and rely on them for food and survival.

"I don't know, but what's certain is that something happened in the mountains. Otherwise, those wolf cubs who were with Erhei and Yinai wouldn't have come over for no reason."

Chen Ling looked towards the Qinling Mountains.

The vast Qinling Mountains hold many unknown secrets.

Ferocious wild beasts appeared one after another.

"You mean, there are even more ferocious beasts wreaking havoc, taking advantage of this heavy snow to drive away other wild animals?" The lynx's eyes widened slightly.

"It's not necessarily because they were driven away. It could also be because of the heavy snow, which reduced the prey. Powerful animals have invaded the territory of other wild animals. The wolf cubs from before, and the mother leopard with cubs now, were forced to come down the mountain to find food because their living space was squeezed and they had no opportunity to obtain prey."

In the past two years, Chen Ling has been going into the mountains more often and dealing with wild animals more frequently. He has gradually come to understand that there is a set of little-known survival rules among different kinds of wild animals in the mountains, which are also not understood by humans.

In other words, it's a battle of kings against kings, and generals against generals.

Those seemingly magical bloodline level suppressions are real.

"So, what are your thoughts now?"

Upon hearing this, Lynx immediately felt that Chen Ling was probably right.

"Let's drive this leopard down the mountain and see how they react..."

Chen Ling chuckled, a surge of heat rising in his chest.

Seriously, I've been holding back all winter.

My muscles and bones were practically rusted, but it's good that there was trouble in the mountains this time; it's a good opportunity to stretch them out.

Besides...

We were originally going hunting.

The unexpected situation is a pleasant surprise for Chen Ling.

Going on an adventure in the mountains to eliminate potential dangers for family and villagers is both exciting and meaningful.

He couldn't wait any longer.

"call out--"

Chen Ling pursed his lips and whistled loudly.

The pack of dogs immediately began barking in unison.

The fiercer the dog, the closer its bark is to that of a wild beast, and the more terrifying it is.

It was a truly awe-inspiring cry.

The barking of the dogs was deafening, like a pot boiling over.

Heiwa's roar was like rolling thunder, like a lion's roar or a tiger's howl, making people's hearts tremble.

The mother leopard and her four cubs were utterly shocked. Surrounded and barked by the pack of dogs, they had no power to fight back or even the will to defend themselves. Their eyes were wide with fear, and they looked just like four big tabby cats, only able to howl and whimper as they retreated step by step towards the foot of the mountain.

"Oh my goodness! Look, look over at the Earth God Temple! Boss Chen's dog is chasing away a leopard."

"Wow, how come he keeps so many dogs? These dogs are so scary, they even scared the leopard into looking like a cat."

"Wait a minute, director, these dogs are so fierce, why don't they go and kill the leopard? Why do they just drive the leopard down the mountain and never pounce on it?"

"Yeah, it's really strange. These dogs aren't supposed to be vegetarians."

This was the first time the crew had ever seen such a scene, the first time they had ever faced hunters, hunting dogs, and wild beasts in the mountains, especially a ferocious leopard. They were all incredibly excited.

People couldn't help but discuss it.

They talked back and forth for several minutes, and the leopards were almost driven into the forest.

The assistant director belatedly slapped his forehead in realization.

He gritted his teeth in regret and said, "Damn it, I forgot to bring the equipment. If only I had brought it this time, this scene would be a rare sight, no matter how much money I have."

"Yes, director, yes, we don't have big equipment, but we have cameras."

"Oh right, the camera's there! Quick, get it here! Hurry up and get it here, or the leopard will run away!" (End of Chapter)