Zhuang Rui grabbed Qin Xuanbing's hand and saw the bruised finger marks on it, realizing it was his handiwork from yesterday. His face immediately flushed.
Before Qin Xuanbing could reply, Zhuang Rui let go of her hand, waded through the grass, and then stomped down a section of grass about a meter square before beckoning Qin Xuanbing over.
"We're gentlemen, not villains. Well, we can't do things like spying, but taking a look doesn't seem like a big deal, right?"
Zhuang Rui stood three or four meters away from Qin Xuanbing, listening to the soft sound of flowing water. He was engaged in a fierce internal struggle. Just as his desire to peep won out, he found that Qin Xuanbing had already stood up. He was filled with regret and wished he could use his spiritual energy to scan Qin Xuanbing's body to make up for it.
Qin Xuanbing's heart was pounding like a deer's, and her face was flushed as she ran past Zhuang Rui and back to the Hummer.
"Wood, let's go. Are you going to stand there and herd sheep?"
Liu Chuan's voice came from the Hummer. Zhou Rui had already started the SUV, identified the road, and was preparing to leave.
The two vehicles drove one after the other into the depths of the grassland. Since Zhuang Rui was injured, Bai Meng'an naturally returned to the off-road vehicle, while Liu Chuan and Lei Lei took turns driving the Hummer. In fact, including Qin Xuanbing and Bai Mengyao, everyone's driving skills were better than Zhuang Rui's.
"Aww...woof, woof, vomit..."
When the car had traveled about fifty kilometers, a pitiful wolf howl suddenly rang out a few hundred meters ahead, seemingly mixed with the low growls of dogs. Zhuang Rui, who was sitting in the car eating eight-treasure porridge, immediately tensed up, picked up the gun beside him, and crouched down to walk to the passenger seat.
Chapter 75 The Battle of the Wolf and the Mastiff (Part 2)
"Brother Zhou, what's going on up ahead?"
Zhuang Rui picked up the walkie-talkie and asked, but that was an unnecessary question, since he had already seen what was happening ahead.
This was a battle between wolves and Tibetan mastiffs. Seven or eight wolves were tearing at a Tibetan mastiff in the open space in front of them. The howls of wolves and the barks of dogs were deafening, and blood and fur were splattered everywhere.
The SUV driven by Zhou Rui stopped a dozen meters away from the wolfhound's battlefield. Liu Chuan drove the Hummer forward and parked it alongside the Desert Prince.
Seeing the two vehicles suddenly appear, the Tibetan mastiff and the steppe wolf, who were in the middle of their fight, ignored them. Liu Chuan rolled down the car window and raised the Remington rifle in his hand.
"Liu Chuan, stop!"
Zhou Rui also rolled down the window of the SUV and waved to Liu Chuan, signaling him not to fire. At this moment, the grassland wolf and the Tibetan mastiff both looked at Liu Chuan, making low growling sounds in their throats, their eyes full of ferocity.
"Damn it, I'm trying to help you, and you're glaring at me."
Liu Chuan looked at the Tibetan Mastiff in the arena, put away his gun, and cursed sullenly, but his eyes revealed a look of affection for the dog.
Aside from seeing it on TV and in pictures, this was the first time Zhuang Rui had ever seen a Tibetan Mastiff in person. He was quite shocked. The Tibetan Mastiff in front of him didn't look like a dog at all, but more like a lion. Even when facing more than ten hungry wolves, it was still majestic and agile.
It's described as resembling a lion because this Tibetan Mastiff has a broad, arched head. The mane around its head and neck stands upright, about 20 centimeters long, and is golden in color. It stands a full meter tall and is about 1.2 meters long, making it look as majestic as a male lion. None of the several wolves surrounding it dared to attack it head-on; instead, they surrounded the Tibetan Mastiff and relentlessly harassed it with harassment tactics.
As the saying goes, "A dog that stands four feet tall is a Tibetan Mastiff!" Zhuang Rui only understood the meaning of this saying after seeing a Tibetan Mastiff with his own eyes. The so-called wolfhounds that he and Liu Chuan used to raise were no match for this Tibetan Mastiff. The difference was immense. Zhuang Rui now understood why the Song army was willing to pay such a high price for a purebred Tibetan Mastiff. With such a large dog guarding the house, probably no thief would dare to steal anything.
"Brother Zhou, look at this Tibetan Mastiff, isn't it a purebred iron-clad gold dog?"
Liu Chuan looked on with delight, constantly examining the Tibetan Mastiff in the arena, and asked Zhou Rui in the car next to him.
“I don’t understand what you mean by ‘iron-clad gold,’ but this Tibetan Mastiff should be a purebred, and a king of mastiffs at that. Do you see the red collar around its neck? That’s the mark of a king of mastiffs. There are probably some herders around here. Once they’ve finished fighting, we can just follow this mastiff.”
Zhou Rui's eyes also lit up as he looked at the Tibetan Mastiff, making no attempt to hide his affection. However, he showed no intention of helping out, instead watching the fight between the wolf and the mastiff with indifference.
"It's a pity. This Tibetan Mastiff is an adult dog and can't be tamed. Otherwise, if this Tibetan Mastiff were brought back to the mainland, it would be worth at least five million. Alas, what a pity."
Liu Chuan shook his head as he looked. Purebred Tibetan Mastiffs are different from mixed-breed or less purebred Tibetan Mastiffs. Purebred Tibetan Mastiffs are fiercely hostile to strangers, but extremely loyal and affectionate to their owners. They only recognize one owner for life, remaining loyal and devoted until they die. If their owner dies, the Tibetan Mastiff will refuse to eat or drink until it starves to death.
In the eyes of a Tibetan Mastiff, its status within the large group is second only to its recognized leader (owner), and it will only obey this person's commands. It is equal to other family members and can live peacefully with them, only baring its teeth as a warning if intentionally provoked. If a Tibetan Mastiff believed its status was lower than all family members, it would obey anyone. But in reality, a Tibetan Mastiff will never think this way.
Such Tibetan Mastiffs are not only coveted by wealthy urbanites, but also a source of pride for herders on the grasslands. However, due to the unique living environment of the grasslands and the herders' weak awareness of bloodline protection over the years, the bloodlines of the original Tibetan Mastiffs have merged with those of local sheepdogs, resulting in a decreasing number of purebred Tibetan Mastiffs and causing their prices to skyrocket.
Liu Chuan knew that within a certain circle of wealthy people, someone had once declared they were willing to pay 10 million RMB to buy a purebred Tibetan Mastiff from the grasslands, not for breeding purposes. Furthermore, they insisted it be a puppy. This led many to flock to Tibet to try their luck. The price Song Jun offered Liu Chuan wasn't actually for a purebred Tibetan Mastiff; he simply hoped to obtain a relatively purebred Tibetan Mastiff, and be satisfied with a hybrid Tibetan Mastiff bred with an excellent sheepdog.
Seeing outsiders watching, both the purebred Tibetan Mastiff and the steppe wolf became agitated. The wolf pack's strategy of surrounding and attacking changed, and they charged forward all at once. The battle suddenly became fierce, and the Tibetan Mastiff's wounds gradually increased. However, there were already five steppe wolf corpses on the ground, all of which had been bitten through the throat by the Tibetan Mastiff.
The Tibetan Mastiff's primary weapon is its sharp teeth. It completely ignores the attacking wolves and bites them with lightning speed, then bites the wolf's throat with lightning speed, and then, as if throwing a toy, it bites through the wolf's throat and throws it to the ground.
"Brother Zhou, why aren't these wolves running away? They're clearly no match for this Tibetan Mastiff."
Zhuang Rui was somewhat puzzled. Yesterday, when they faced these wolves, they were extremely cunning, always ambushing them from the shadows. After the wolf king died, they scattered and fled. But now five of them were dead, and the remaining three were still fighting with the ferocious Tibetan mastiff. It was clearly a fight to the death.
Zhou Rui smiled and said, "They are natural enemies. When they meet, it will always be like this. One Tibetan Mastiff can subdue nine wolves. But even if this Tibetan Mastiff encounters a pack of dozens of wolves, it will not run away. It will definitely fight to the end."
As the two were talking, the battle between the wolf and the Tibetan mastiff ended. Several prairie wolf carcasses lay scattered on the ground, while the Tibetan mastiff was covered in wounds, its golden fur was disheveled, and blood kept seeping from a wound on its foreleg. It was also unsteady on its feet, but it always held its head high, appearing so arrogant and domineering to everyone.
With a loud bang, Zhou Rui got out of the SUV and slowly walked towards the Tibetan Mastiff.
"Brother Zhou, what are you doing!"
The people in the car became anxious. They had all witnessed the ferocity of this Tibetan mastiff. It had killed seven or eight wolves one by one. If Zhou Rui stepped forward now and the mastiff took it as a provocation, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"roar……"
A powerful and deep roar came from the Tibetan Mastiff's mouth. Its fur stood on end, its eyes gleamed with ferocity as it stared intently at Zhou Rui. Its sharp claws began to dig into the ground, as if it were about to pounce.
Everyone on the bus tensed up, their hearts pounding in their throats.
Zhou Rui did not stop, but slowed down considerably. He also put his hands in a fighting stance. Just as the Tibetan mastiff leaped up, he nimbly turned to the side and grabbed its scalp with lightning speed.
The Tibetan Mastiff's head was firmly stuck by Zhou Rui, preventing it from biting. Just as it was trying to break free, Zhou Rui flipped its entire body to the ground. Zhou Rui also fell down, his whole body pressing down on the side-lying Tibetan Mastiff. The Tibetan Mastiff, whose hind legs were not touching the ground, could not break free no matter how hard it tried.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Zhou Rui's hands gripped the Tibetan Mastiff's head like pincers. After a full seven or eight minutes, the mastiff began to whimper. Only then did Zhou Rui release his grip and stand up. At this point, the mastiff became extremely docile, drooping its head and licking its wounds with its tongue.
"Liu Chuan, bring down the Yunnan Baiyao."
This sudden scene left everyone in the car stunned. They knew Zhou Rui was very skilled, but no one expected that he could subdue a Tibetan mastiff with his bare hands, even though it was an injured mastiff. It is well known that injured wild animals are often more ferocious.
It wasn't until Zhou Rui shouted Liu Chuan's name that everyone snapped out of their daze and got out of the car.
Liu Chuan, holding the bottle of Yunnan Baiyao spray, had only approached the Tibetan mastiff within five or six meters when the previously tamed mastiff immediately turned its head towards Liu Chuan, letting out a low growl. Liu Chuan was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly; he didn't have Zhou Rui's skills.
Zhou Rui took the spray from Liu Chuan, held the Tibetan Mastiff's head with one hand, lifted its forelegs, and sprayed the medicine on it with the other. However, the wound was too deep, and the sprayed medicine was washed away by the flowing blood. It seemed that the bleeding had to be stopped first. However, Zhou Rui frowned, obviously not having a good solution. If this continued, even if the Tibetan Mastiff didn't die, its forelegs would probably be ruined.
Zhuang Rui's heart skipped a beat. It would be such a waste to let such a powerful Tibetan Mastiff go to waste. The spiritual energy he saw had already been proven to have an effect on the human body, but Zhuang Rui had never conducted experiments on animals and did not know if it would work. However, he could only try his luck now.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Rui slowly moved closer to the Tibetan Mastiff. However, the Tibetan Mastiff reacted very quickly. Just as Zhuang Rui reached Liu Chuan's side, the Tibetan Mastiff glared fiercely at him. However, his body was held by Zhou Rui and he could not move. He could only threaten Zhuang Rui with a "woof" sound from his throat.
When Zhuang Rui got a little over a meter away from the Tibetan Mastiff, he didn't dare to get any closer. He was afraid that the injured Tibetan Mastiff would suddenly attack and hurt someone. However, at this distance, he could use his spiritual energy to look around. After looking around and finding that everyone's attention was focused on the Tibetan Mastiff, Zhuang Rui lowered his head slightly and focused his attention on the wound of the Tibetan Mastiff.
Chapter 076 Young Mastiff
Zhuang Rui released only about one-third of the spiritual energy he used to heal himself, because he was afraid that the effect would be too obvious and attract attention. When the spiritual energy in his eyes seeped into the Tibetan Mastiff's wound, the blood that had been flowing uncontrollably immediately stopped.
Upon seeing this, Zhou Rui assumed that the bleeding had stopped on its own and didn't think much of it. He quickly treated the wound with Yunnan Baiyao spray and then wrapped the Tibetan Mastiff's injured thigh with gauze.
Zhuang Rui breathed a sigh of relief, which meant that the spiritual energy in his eyes was not only effective for humans, but also had unexpected benefits for animals. However, the quantity of spiritual energy had always been a problem for him. But Zhuang Rui had decided that after his trip to Tibet, he would return to Zhonghai and devote himself to searching for antiques with spiritual energy in order to increase the total amount of spiritual energy in his eyes.
Just as Zhuang Rui released his spiritual energy into the Tibetan Mastiff's body, the Tibetan Mastiff, which had been struggling and growling slightly under Zhou Rui, suddenly quieted down. Its huge head turned towards Zhuang Rui, and its eyes stared at him suspiciously. If anyone could read what animals were saying from their eyes, then this Tibetan Mastiff's eyes probably contained a mix of emotions, including doubt, surprise, and gratitude.
“Brother Zhou, what do you need these things for? They’re not worth much money and they’re just too much trouble.”
After Zhou Rui finished bandaging the Tibetan Mastiff, he took a small knife he had hidden somewhere and began skinning the wolf on the ground. This action puzzled everyone, and the bloody skinning scene made Qin Xuanbing and the other girls uncomfortable, so they all hid in the Hummer. Bai Meng'an, who hadn't experienced yesterday's battle between humans and wolves, behaved even worse. She ran to the back of the Hummer and vomited for a long time before quickly jumping into the SUV and refusing to get out.
Liu Chuan was quite engrossed in watching Zhou Rui dissect the wolf carcasses, as it was a very entertaining sight. He saw Zhou Rui make a few cuts on the neck and limbs of the wolf carcass with his small knife, and then tear off a neat wolf skin with both hands. Before long, Zhou Rui had skinned all eight prairie wolves.
"This stuff is useless to us, but for the herders in the Tibetan area, wolf pelts are a treasure. After drying them in the shade and then tanning them, they can use them to make wolf pelts or coats for winter. They're very warm and can even cure rheumatism. We'll probably be heading to our winter camp soon, so consider these wolf pelts a gift."
While washing his hands with mineral water, Zhou Rui explained to Liu Chuan, who was acting like a curious child.
However, Zhou Rui's peripheral vision was fixed on the Tibetan mastiff lying on the ground. He knew that Tibetan mastiffs were extremely protective of their food and had a strong sense of territory. He had only temporarily intimidated the dog by using its strength when it was weak, but it had not subdued him. While skinning the wolf, he had been on guard, fearing that it might suddenly attack him.
However, what Zhou Rui saw startled him, because he discovered that the Tibetan Mastiff had gotten up at some point and silently ran behind Zhuang Rui. This sent a chill down Zhou Rui's spine, and goosebumps appeared on his skin. He knew that Tibetan Mastiffs were extremely aggressive and might bite off Zhuang Rui's throat at any moment.
"Liu Chuan, give me the gun..."
Zhou Rui whispered to Liu Chuan, afraid of angering the Tibetan Mastiff.
"You still have wolf blood on your hands, it's not clean yet. I'll just hold the gun. Hey, Wood, how did the Tibetan Mastiff get behind you?"
Liu Chuan followed Zhou Rui's gaze and also noticed the Tibetan Mastiff behind Zhuang Rui. However, Liu Chuan was too careless and shouted out as soon as he saw it.
Zhuang Rui was leisurely watching Zhou Rui skin the wolf when Liu Chuan shouted, startling him so much that he turned around and saw the Tibetan Mastiff standing up, its massive head lunging at him.
At this moment, Zhuang Rui wasn't holding a gun, or even a machete. Uh, he seemed to be holding a half-empty bottle of eight-treasure porridge. He closed his eyes and sighed inwardly, "Damn it, I'm still a virgin."
Liu Chuan was also anxious, but he was holding a Remington gun, which could fire a wide area. Zhuang Rui was currently engaged with the Tibetan Mastiff, so he didn't dare to fire.
"Damn, were you trying to scare me, buddy?"
Zhuang Rui, who was lying on the ground thinking he was going to die, suddenly felt a rough tongue licking his face, as painful as a knife scraping his face. Then he heard Liu Chuan's words, opened his eyes and saw that the Tibetan mastiff was lying on top of him, spitting on his face.
"Damn, it stinks. It really stinks..."
This was Zhuang Rui's first impression. The Tibetan Mastiff's breath smelled really bad, almost making him vomit up the eight-treasure porridge he had just eaten. Seeing that the Tibetan Mastiff didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards him, Zhuang Rui boldly pushed it away from him, snatched the mineral water from Zhou Rui's hand, and, not caring that it was cold, poured it directly on his face.
Liu Chuan walked up to Zhuang Rui with a grin, patted his uninjured shoulder, and teased, "Woodhead, this is your first kiss, isn't it? And you gave it to this big guy. You didn't even know if this Tibetan Mastiff was male or female. You've really made a mistake."
Before Zhuang Rui could answer, the Tibetan Mastiff suddenly let out a low growl and pounced on Liu Chuan. Its mouth was wide open, and its sharp teeth were clearly visible. Liu Chuan had no doubt that this guy wanted to kill him.
Fortunately, when Liu Chuan approached Zhuang Rui, he was on guard against the Tibetan Mastiff lying at Zhuang Rui's feet. Just as the Tibetan Mastiff got up, he had already moved far away without even turning his head, and ran to the Hummer in a disheveled state.
Zhou Rui also walked over to Zhuang Rui's side, looked Zhuang Rui up and down, and muttered to himself, "Strange, why does this thing get along so well with you? It doesn't make sense."
Seeing Zhou Rui approach, the Tibetan mastiff didn't pounce, but it seemed a little restless, its eyes fixed on Zhou Rui with ill intent.
The behavior of that Tibetan mastiff could only be seen in its owner, and Zhuang Rui was clearly completely unrelated to this Tibetan mastiff. After thinking for a long time, Zhou Rui still couldn't figure it out, so he shook his head, took the wolf skins, and got into the off-road vehicle.
Zhuang Rui knew in his heart that dogs are said to understand human nature, and this Tibetan Mastiff must also have a spirit, knowing that he had saved it, which was why it showed him kindness. He couldn't explain this to others, so he could only pretend to be confused.
Seeing that everyone had returned to the car, Zhuang Rui turned around to get in as well, but when he lifted his foot, he didn't move. When he looked back, he saw that his trouser leg was being bitten by the Tibetan mastiff, which was also tilting its head and pulling at it.
"Hey big guy, why are you pulling me like that?"
Zhuang Rui was clearly no match for the dog's strength. After struggling twice without success, he could only turn around, rub the Tibetan Mastiff's bushy head with his hands, and mutter to himself, hoping it would let go.
Seemingly understanding Zhuang Rui's words, the Tibetan Mastiff released its mouth and took two steps back, but its eyes, which looked extremely like those of a wolf, were still fixed on Zhuang Rui, making him feel a little uneasy. "Zhuang Rui, it wants you to follow it."
Zhou Rui, who was in the SUV, spoke.
"You guys are riding in the car, and I'm supposed to run alongside you? I'm not doing that."
Zhuang Rui understood what the Tibetan Mastiff meant, but he already had a shoulder injury and definitely couldn't keep up with the guy's speed. As he was talking, he tried to slip into the car, but found that his trouser leg was being bitten again. This scene made everyone in the car burst into laughter.
"Fine, I'm scared of you, okay? I knew I shouldn't have saved you, you're such an ingrate."
Zhuang Rui helplessly raised his hands, indicating that he would go with it. Only then did the Tibetan Mastiff release its mouth, grab a skinned prairie wolf, and slowly run forward. Perhaps because of its leg injury, it was not fast. As it ran, it kept looking back at Zhuang Rui.
On the vast grassland, a scene unfolded: a tall and mighty Tibetan mastiff trotted ahead, followed by a young man with his arms slung over his shoulder, and then two cars following closely behind. Without a doubt, these were Zhuang Rui and his group.
"Zhuang Rui, stop. Don't go any further."