Chapter 5

Li Qingyun only knew that his grandfather practiced Xingyi Quan, which he had learned from a ragged Taoist in the deep mountains during the war. Around the town of Qinglong, there are still several ancient temples nestled among the mountains. Some are Buddhist temples dedicated to Sakyamuni, others are Taoist temples dedicated to the Three Pure Ones, and there are also small shrines for local deities, which are minor beliefs passed down through generations.

When he was six or seven years old, he often accompanied his grandfather into the mountains to gather herbs. In his vague memory, there was a temple near Lotus Peak at that time. The temple had four or five ascetic monks who did not accept offerings from devotees, and it was said to be a monastery for spiritual cultivation.

At that time, Li Qingyun secretly mocked the idea that this small temple, so far from Qinglong Town, would not accept offerings even if it wanted to, as few benevolent men and women could venture into the deep, beast-infested mountains.

Over the years, the number of wild animals in the mountains has decreased, and ordinary hunters have more opportunities to enter the deep mountains, seemingly disturbing their cultivation. As a result, they moved to even more secluded areas of the mountains. Now, even his grandfather doesn't know where they have moved to.

At this moment, Li Qingyun walked down the street, listening to the familiar calls of vendors, which brought his wandering thoughts back to reality. The market in Qinglong Town is bustling mainly because there are many farmers setting up stalls. Every household can bring their goods to the market to sell. Here, there's no need to worry about city officials chasing them away with sticks.

If outsiders from the police station or tax office tried to overstep their bounds, it could provoke the collective anger of the stall owners. About six or seven years ago, two civil servants from the city came to the tax office to gain experience and saw the potential for profit. They wanted to charge stall fees from the vendors. When they issued fines, the vendors refused to pay, and the officials tried to seize their goods.

This stirred up a hornet's nest, and the entire market erupted in chaos. The vendors called for help from their friends and neighbors, and people from nearby villages came to assist. Not only did they beat the two officials severely, but they also surrounded the entrance of the tax office, demanding an explanation from the chief.

The chief, a local, was terrified when he saw the angry crowd, which included some elders who he should call Aunt, Grandma, Uncle, Great-Uncle, and Second Uncle, among others. The chief didn't dare to be stubborn, and he bowed and apologized, shifting the blame onto the two new civil servants, claiming he was unaware and promising to handle them strictly. Only then did the villagers calm down.

The two officials fled back to the city that afternoon, disgraced and disciplined, and were laughed at for years.

As he walked toward the center of the street, more calls reached his ears, and the crowd grew denser. The eleven villages of Qinglong Town only gathered at this one market, which explains how lively it was.

Some sold vegetables from their own gardens, others sold solid wood furniture, and some young people hawked cheap clothes they had bought in bulk from the city. A few hunters sold small game like rabbits and pheasants.

Li Qingyun wanted to go to the west street to buy some live fish to raise in his space. He planned to keep a few for experiments, and for large-scale breeding, he would need to buy fish fry from a specialized place.

Suddenly, an old hunter's call caught his attention.

"Last two puppies, big sale! Five yuan each, ten yuan for both. These are the purest breed of our hunting dogs, capable of killing wolves in the mountains when they grow up. With these two hunting dogs, you can hunt in the mountains without fear of bears or wild boars, ensuring a safe and healthy journey."

The old hunter's voice was loud and enthusiastic, but the crowd laughed, and some even whispered among themselves.

"This old man is too cunning. These two puppies are seriously ill, curled up and about to die. He's selling them for five yuan each, but I wouldn't buy them even for fifty cents."

"Exactly, this old rascal is good at training dogs, but he's too stingy. He has over a dozen hunting dogs at home but won't sell any. Instead, he sells these sickly puppies. He sells them frequently, and I wonder who will fall for it today?"

Li Qingyun chuckled inwardly. The villagers in the mountains are not all simple and naive. This old hunter, who has dealt with wild animals all his life, is very shrewd. He is used to deceiving both animals and people.

When he pushed through the crowd, he saw two puppies curled up, trembling. They had no cage, only a black, tattered cloth on the ground for them to lie on. The puppies were probably just a month old, their eyes barely open, and they seemed to be observing the commotion around them. The black cloth was stained with the puppies' diarrhea, which was very noticeable.

In the mountains, there are no specialized veterinarians or medicines. If a dog gets sick, it usually dies. For puppies, the mortality rate is almost 100%, especially for those with diarrhea.

The old hunter, annoyed by the crowd's laughter, shouted, "If you don't want them, don't say such things. If you don't want them, someone else will. Go away, don't block the way for real buyers."

Some people, intimidated by the old hunter's fierce demeanor, laughed and dispersed, while others remained. Li Qingyun didn't move either; the scars on the old hunter's face didn't scare him.

The so-called hunting dogs the old hunter mentioned were a type of Chinese rural dog, often called a "native dog." They are not suitable for hunting but are excellent for guarding homes. However, since the villagers couldn't afford expensive hunting dogs, experienced hunters had bred some good varieties over generations. Individually, they are not very strong, but a pack of these dogs would fight wolves to protect their owners.

It was hard to say if these two puppies were purebred, but their golden fur was very beautiful. They looked like two golden coins on the black, tattered cloth, very appealing. However, some dogs change their fur color as they grow, and their appearance might resemble wolves.

Some say the dog that looks most like a wolf is the Husky, but a certain type of rural dog actually looks more like a wolf. However, the bloodline of rural dogs is too mixed, and no one pays attention to them. In the countryside, almost every one of a hundred rural dogs looks different.

"Are they just a month old? If they weren't sick, they would look quite good." Li Qingyun moved closer, squatted down, and touched the puppies.

The puppies made cute "whimpering" sounds, extending their little tongues to lick his fingers, clearly hungry.

The old hunter, seeing Li Qingyun's interest, his eyes lit up, and he examined his clothes carefully before saying, "They weren't sick before. I got up early today, brought them out in the mountain breeze, and they drank cold water, which caused the diarrhea. They are the biggest in the litter, eating and drinking the most, so they are more affected, but it's not a serious problem. If they weren't sick, I wouldn't sell them for fifty yuan each. If you want them, buy them quickly, or someone else will."

"Sir, I'm from Li Family Village in the north, not the city. I've raised many native dogs at home, and I know what's wrong with them." Li Qingyun wanted to buy them but wasn't foolish. He could save a few yuan, so he decided to haggle. Despite living in the city for a few years, he still had a farmer's mindset.

"You... from Li Family Village?" The old hunter frowned, his eagle-like gaze fixed on Li Qingyun's eyes, trying to see if he was lying. His stare was intense, and most people couldn't withstand it. In the mountains, this stare could even scare away a wolf in an emergency.

Li Qingyun's heart skipped a beat, but his expression didn't change. After being cleansed by the space spring water, his soul and spirit were much stronger than an ordinary person's, and this had little effect on him.

"Is this a joke? Who would make up a story about their ancestors for two puppies?" Li Qingyun was a bit angry, and his tone wasn't very friendly. The old man's words were too disrespectful. While other things could be joked about, matters of origin were serious. If someone lied about their ancestors, they would be shamed in the village, and their family would lose face.

Forget it, no haggling, I'll just give him ten yuan. If I feed these puppies with the space spring water, they should survive. Didn't I save those two goldfish the same way? Li Qingyun thought, reaching for his money.

The old hunter suddenly stopped him from taking out his money, laughing, "Ha, young man, you're angry? I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Now I remember, you're the grandson of Doctor Li, right? If you had said so earlier, I would have given you these puppies for free. If you can't raise them, it's no big deal. In about twenty days, another litter will be a month old. You can come to my house and take as many as you want."

"Huh... why?" Li Qingyun was confused. This cunning old man didn't seem generous.

The people around, who were ready to laugh, were stunned. What was going on? The notoriously stingy old hunter Zhang Man仓 (Mancang) was being so generous, allowing people to choose puppies from his home? Was the sun rising in the west today?

"Your grandfather saved our whole family's lives! Take the puppies, and give my regards to your grandfather." With that, the hunter patted the dust off his clothes and walked away.

The crowd finally understood what was happening, and some began to talk to Li Qingyun, asking if he was the first person from Qinglong Town to get into university. Li Qingyun's face turned red. In fact, before him, some people from the town had been admitted to junior colleges elsewhere, but compared to Sichuan University, the difference in prestige was significant, so he was called the only high-achiever in recent years.

This was a claim made by the teachers at Qinglong Town Middle School (Junior High). Even though his face was red, Li Qingyun didn't dare to complain to his former teachers. In his heart, only those who went to prestigious universities like Tsinghua and Peking University could be called high-achievers. He had the confidence to apply to Peking University, but he heard that the living expenses in Beijing were too high, and he was worried about the financial burden on his family, so he applied to Sichuan University instead. After the college entrance exam results came out, his total score exceeded the admission line for Peking University by nine points, which made the principal of Lingshan County No. 1 High School furious. He didn't scold Li Qingyun but severely reprimanded his Grade 12 homeroom teacher.

Li Qingyun responded a few times, holding the two puppies, and hurriedly escaped the overly enthusiastic crowd. After a few years of schooling and over a year as a professional programmer, he still wasn't used to such complex social situations.

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