vstars Chapter 15 The hunting dog I've chosen is Tiger the Mountain Chaser!
Chapter 15 The hunting dog I've chosen is Tiger the Mountain Chaser!
Old Tao's face was grim, and the widow of the Chen family lowered her head, not daring to say anything more.
When Lao Tao saw that it was Li Ju'an, his face turned cold and he said, "Why are you so late? Come along."
Outside the old house, the north wind howled and snow fell heavily.
The production team that worked in the timber industry settled in the village, spending their time in their shacks drinking, bragging, or playing cards. The production team leader knew Old Tao and jokingly teased, "Old Tao went into the mountains again today, is he thinking of fighting the bear again?"
Old Tao remained silent, while the others in the production team, seeing the old man and the young man together, grinned and teased them.
"Didn't Master Tao retire from the business? Is he now mentoring newbies again?"
"Only Master Tao dared to go into the mountains during the Great Smoking Cult!"
"A newbie like that is reckless. What can you possibly hit with a big smoke bomb?"
Old Tao remained silent, while Li Ju'an listened with indignation. In his previous life, he would have definitely argued with the person to prove himself right, and might even have fought them. But now, after his rebirth, he was much more composed and knew that some things couldn't be resolved by fighting.
Li Ju'an winked: "What we catch will scare you to death."
The production team members were stunned. They didn't expect that this kid, who hadn't even grown his hair yet, would dare to talk back to them so arrogantly. After hearing Li Ju'an's retort, the group stopped playing cards, put down their cards, and burst into laughter.
In the midst of a blizzard, playing cards, bragging, and drinking are the best ways to pass the time, and it's also a fun thing for young people to do.
Seeing that the group was still making random jokes, Lao Tao coldly grabbed Li Ju'an and walked out.
Even after the two had walked far away, Li Ju'an could still hear loud laughter behind him.
Old Tao, his face cold, said in a hoarse, weathered voice, "You brat, what nonsense are you spouting? I told you to come along to see the dogs, not to go hunting."
Li Ju'an knew, of course, that they were going to see the dogs. Widow Chen had told him everything. Old Tao had been deeply affected by that incident ten years ago and no longer went into the mountains to hunt. When he argued with the production team members, it was just a verbal battle, and he would be done with it once he had his fun.
The dog training kennel is just ahead.
In the Xingan Mountains, winter temperatures often drop below -20 degrees Celsius. The kennels house three dogs—a sheepdog, a golden retriever, and a Chow Chow—that serve as guard dogs. They are kept outdoors and leashed throughout the winter without any problems. Judging from their condition, these three dogs thoroughly enjoy the harsh winter environment.
Li Ju'an was a little puzzled: "Brother Tao, is it okay to leave this mastiff tied up where it can't get any sun?"
Chow Chows have particularly thick fur and are housed in sheds lined with insulating material. However, the dogs simply don't like staying in the sheds. Regardless of day or night, wind or snow, they will sleep directly on the snow outside the sheds when they are tired.
Old Tao glanced at the mastiff from the side and replied simply, "I keep it on a leash to prevent it from being killed and eaten by dog thieves, and also to prevent it from running away and biting strangers."
Li Ju'an nodded.
He thought to himself, everyone in the village says Old Tao is a dog fanatic and loves to pick up dogs. These three dogs are probably ones Old Tao picked up from outside, either used as collateral by merchants from the south or purebred dogs brought back from dog meat shops.
Walking into the dog training kennel leads to the actual Qingchuan dog training area, where the dogs being trained are truly suitable for hunting and chasing mountain hunting.
More than twenty Qingchuan hunting dogs, with large, full heads, large, drooping ears, and thin, glossy fur all over their bodies.
If you look closely, you'll see that they come in both long-haired and short-haired varieties. Their colors include brown, black, yellow, white, and black and yellow.
Li Ju'an became interested, and his eyes widened.
He heard from the village elders that the best Qingchuan hunting dogs were those with a coffee-colored, black, or black and yellow coat. They were not only loyal to their owners but also beautiful.
To own a Qingchuan hunting dog that belongs to you alone, you need to spend many years with the dog and develop an emotional bond before you can have a good dog that will protect you.
The largest one should be Big Tiger, also known as the Mountain Chaser. One dog is stronger than ten dogs, and dares to compete with wild boars. It is known as the local "Jungle Warrior".
The tiger's ferocious eyes were piercing and piercing, making it the most majestic and awe-inspiring creature.
Li Ju'an immediately pointed to the tiger: "Brother Tao, I want this one."
Old Tao's eyes widened in surprise, and his voice immediately turned cold: "Except for Big Tiger."
Da Hu was the most outstanding hunting dog he trained at the kennel after he retired from hunting. His reputation as the "Dog Commander" was well-known in the Xing'an Mountains because of Da Hu's prowess, attracting many merchants from the south to come to the village by oxcart to buy hunting dogs.
Li Ju'an was also puzzled and raised his voice.
"Brother Tao, what's wrong with you? I've already paid the money and covered all the expenses. You were the one who told me I could choose any dog I wanted from the kennel. What, are you backing out now and can't afford to play along?"
Old Tao, his temper flaring, swung his cheek and yelled, "Don't try to provoke me with those useless words! Da Hu is no good, that's all!"
Li Ju'an sneered: "Old Tao, you don't go into the mountains to hunt, and you don't allow your hunting dogs to go into the mountains to hunt either? Can a hunting dog that doesn't go into the mountains still be called a hunting dog? Da Hu is already so old, you don't want to confine such a good hunting dog to such a small kennel to death, do you?"
A strange and complex emotion flashed in Lao Tao's eyes as he looked at Da Hu.
Da Hu, the best mountain dog in the Xing'an Mountains, whimpered and looked up at Lao Tao. As the two stared at each other, something quietly shattered.
Old Tao spat fiercely, his old face contorted as he cursed, "Forget all that nonsense, Da Hu is just no good!" He quickly turned into the depths of the kennel and pulled out several more Qingchuan dogs, each about six months old.
Don't let their young age fool you; these Qingchuan dogs have undergone rigorous selection and training, and their temperament is impeccable. At only six months old, they are already unfazed by sudden loud noises, focusing solely on sniffing their target – truly promising hunting dogs. Taking them away at six months also allows for better bonding.
Old Tao held several promising young Qingchuan dogs, sighing and looking very reluctant to part with them.
He glared at Li Ju'an, as if to say: You got off easy, you brat!
Li Ju'an remained unmoved, pointing intently at the largest and strongest tiger: "I want tiger, no matter how good the others are, they won't do."
"You brat! Don't push your luck!"
"Brother Tao, how about we make a bet?"
"What are we betting on?"
"I'll take down the mountain with eight spears before dark. If I come back empty-handed, you can keep the bear meat and the flying dragon from last time. If I come back with eight spears, you can give me the big tiger."
Hunters share common industry jargon: hunting a doe is called "hunting a goose's neck," hunting a buck is called "hunting a stag with eight forks," a newborn fawn is called "extra-legged," and a doe giving birth is called "swinging the navel." Hunting wild boars and black bears is called "hunting black-haired animals," while hunting deer and roe deer is called "hunting yellow-haired animals." Hunting squirrels is called "hunting greyhounds."
Old Tao glanced at the blizzard raging around the big smoke cannon and Li Ju'an's novice, untrained gear, and couldn't help but grin, revealing his yellow teeth, as if he had heard the funniest thing in the world.
"You don't even have a single hunting dog, what kind of bullshit are you talking about? You little rascal, you lied to me last time saying you had Big Yellow and Big Spotted hunting dogs, it was all a load of bull!"
He could tell that Li Ju'an didn't have a single guard dog, let alone a big spotted hunting dog or a big yellow dog. His boasting last time was all bullshit and an act of putting on a show.
Li Ju'an stopped pretending and said, "Old Tao, it's not good for us to just sit here and wait. Just tell me if you want to bet or not."
"If anyone's going to die, it's you going into the mountains to die. What does it have to do with me?"
"Fine, let's bet. Forget about hitting eight, even if you catch a jumping cat today, I'll be impressed. If Big Tiger is willing to go with you, then take it with you."
Li Ju'an straightened his back and said seriously, "Okay, Brother Tao, don't forget what you said."
He turned and strode away, his figure disappearing into the blizzard. In the extremely low visibility outdoors, his figure quickly vanished without a trace, and his footprints were covered by the blizzard.
Old Tao whistled at Da Hu, the Qingchuan dog, and the clever and courageous Da Hu immediately sat up and barked.
"Big Tiger, look at him, another one who's got a death wish."
In his view, Li Ju'an going into the mountains during a day of heavy smoke and fire was tantamount to suicide. Forget about prey; just surviving would be a miracle!
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