readsfreenovel Chapter 233: The strange behavior of the leader
Chapter 233: The strange behavior of the leader
Although the south side of the hillside was also covered with a lot of snow, it was much thinner than the north slope and the valley. The dead grass was dense and dry. Although covered with snow, it could still burn, but it burned very slowly and spread around little by little.
The flames stretched out like a red dragon, and the white smoke rose like a white bird, emitting warm waves in the cold air.
The horses were very smart, and they all pulled their ears and hooves towards the fire. Once the coldness was gone, they started to become active again.
Coincidentally, the southern slope was covered with dense vegetation, most of which had dried up in the winter and was very easy to burn; and the layer of snow on it had a slowing effect. Otherwise, if the fire was too big, it would easily burn people and horses to death.
The fire spread wider and wider, and the entire southern slope began to warm up. Many military horses and wild horses that were originally frozen to the ground and thought to be dead actually stood up from the ground miraculously. The "dead horses" came back to life again, and everyone was so excited that they jumped up.
When Chu Xiaomu saw this scene, tears almost rolled out of his eyes.
The spread of the fire scared the birds and animals in the mountains, causing them to flee in all directions. There were deer ants, rabbits, tree rats, wild boars... many of which I couldn't even name, as I had never seen them before.
Some small animals escaped a little slowly and were unfortunately burned to death in the forest fire. When a few wild horses saw this, they picked up the animal carcasses, chewed them, and then swallowed them into their stomachs.
Everyone was surprised when they saw this. They never thought that herbivorous horses could actually eat meat.
Wherever the flames passed, the hillside that was originally covered with snow was turned into a scorched earth. The herd of horses slowly moved forward following the flames. It seemed that there was no need to worry about the following severe cold.
The sky gradually brightened, and the cold night was about to end. The people also found many small animals that had been burned to death in the charred ashes after the fire. There was enough food for the next few days, and they saved the time of hunting.
Zhang Hou gave Chu Xiaomu a thumbs up and said, "Xiaomu, you are amazing. How did you come up with this idea? Not only did it save the horses, but it also made me feel more energetic."
Chu Xiaomu smiled and said, "It's thanks to you that you didn't set up the tent. Otherwise, we would have been hiding in the tent. It would have been so cold at night. I'm afraid the horses would have frozen to death."
Zhang Hou laughed loudly and said, "It seems that I have foresight. The gods have issued a decree, telling me not to set up the tent, saying that something big will happen at night..."
Zhou Weide cursed: "Shut up, you stinky ass, you stinky fart, being lazy is being lazy, what bullshit is God's will? Yingdan said that you are good at talking nonsense, and she was absolutely right!"
Zhang Hou wanted to argue again, but Chu Xiaomu stopped them in time and said sternly: "We don't need to worry about the cold weather for now. I'm afraid there will be greater dangers..."
Seeing that he was hesitant to speak, Yingdan quickly asked, "Is there any other danger?" Everyone also asked.
Chu Xiaomu said with some concern: "This is the Beast Mountain..."
Everyone then understood. They all thought that there were many vicious beast spirits in the Beast Mountain, and they heard that many of them liked to kill and eat people. They burned this place to ashes, although it was only the edge of the Beast Mountain. However, once discovered by the beast spirits, they might come out to retaliate against the people who set fire to the mountain.
It was probably only a matter of time before he was discovered by the beast spirit.
Chu Xiaomu added: "Fortunately, this place is close to Biyuan and far from the hinterland of Beast Mountain. The snow on the mountain is thick, so the fire will not only burn slowly, but also won't burn too far. But everyone should still be more careful, keep an eye on the horses and don't let them run around, and be careful of any abnormalities..."
Everyone was silent, and the timid Su Mishun was shaking with fear.
Wangang put his arm around his shoulders and said, "Don't worry, Shunzi. As long as we're all together, there's nothing to be afraid of."
The snow kept falling for more than ten days in a row. The snow at the foot of the mountain was so thick that it blocked the way back to the grassland.
The horses followed the wildfire, and in addition to turning over dry grass on the snow-covered ground to chew on, they occasionally ate small animals killed by the fire.
In this extreme cold, the role of the lead horse seems to have faded a lot, and the herd has become somewhat scattered, far from the vigorous and vigorous vitality when the god horse was here.
At the beginning, when the snow was not very thick, the wildfire could still burn continuously. Later, as the snow became thicker, the wildfire would go out from time to time. People had to knock the snow off the dead grass and trees before they could reignite the fire.
Although it was simple to start a fire by beating the snow, it was inevitable that as soon as one place started to light a fire, another would go out. Everyone was running around, complaining bitterly.
Fortunately, after more than ten days, the snow gradually subsided, and after another two days, it stopped completely.
Chu Xiaomu thought, "It's only mid-winter now, and there are still more than two months before the weather turns warm in mid-spring next year. The deep cold of winter is still long, and I can't burn down this beast mountain to keep the horses warm... If we want to get out of the current predicament, no one here can do it except Shenma."
But the Shenma had been missing for several days. Everyone had looked around, but not only did they not see its figure, they didn't even find a single footprint on the ground, as if it had suddenly disappeared from the world. Chu Xiaomu could only sigh.
At noon that day, everyone was extremely tired and was sitting together roasting a few pheasants and rabbits that were killed by the wild fire. The reddish-brown leader of the wild horses suddenly walked behind Chu Xiaomu, kicking and shaking his head.
Zhou Weide said impatiently: "Go away, you guys are all full and satisfied, but we are all hungry and don't have the energy to play with you."
Lin Zhen said jokingly: "Brother De'er, I guess he doesn't want to be the top horse anymore and plans to give this position to you."
Zhang Hou laughed and said, "That's right, brother De'er, look at it, it's bowing and kowtowing, as if it's begging you to agree quickly."
Zhou Weide was still angry with him and said angrily: "Xiao Zhen can make this joke, but who do you think you are? If you keep talking nonsense, I will tear your mouth apart!"
Zhang Hou didn't take it seriously and said with a smile: "I am a human being, so of course I am not as cheap as you guys." Everyone laughed, but Zhou Weide was furious and stood up to hit him.
Chu Xiaomu quickly pulled him to sit down and said, "The horse is like this, there must be something wrong. I'll go with it to take a look." After saying that, he stood up.
The red-headed horse really bit his clothes and dragged him out. Chu Xiaomu smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll go with you." The horse then let him go.
The red-headed horse carried Chu Xiaomu down the hillside and came to a narrow valley under two ridges.
The valley was shaded by trees, and the snow on the trees and the ground was very thick, so the fire did not spread down. The red-headed horse led the way, and Chu Xiaomu followed behind it, walking with difficulty, one foot deep and one foot shallow. Fortunately, there were fewer dead grass and trees than on the hillside, otherwise it would be difficult to move forward.