Chapter 47: Capturing Six Wild Buffaloes Alive!

“Move slowly, try not to let them eat too much of the branches—just a little at a time to lure them out!” Tang Jiancheng instructed as he carefully observed the wild buffalo’s condition.

Surprisingly, the herd was quite obedient, showing no signs of panic. Gradually, they were coaxed out of the mud pit, one step at a time, making their way toward the thicket.

Suddenly, a biting gust of snowy wind swept out from the thorny brush, swirling snowflakes in its wake. The buffalo lowered their heads and squinted against the chill before abruptly turning back and running toward the mud pit again.

“Not good!” Everyone’s hearts skipped a beat, anxious to chase after them and prod them with sticks.

But Tang Jiancheng remained calm and quickly whispered, “Don’t rush! Don’t chase! Don’t drive them! Don’t anger them! Let them return—we will find another way.”

Hearing his words, the others swallowed their shouts and slowly lowered their raised hands, all wearing anxious expressions as they looked toward Tang Jiancheng.

He scanned the mud pit, his gaze finally settling on the source of a hot spring.

The spring’s flow was still strong, enough to warm an area of about twenty to thirty meters around the mud pit.

“Dad, let’s dig a channel to divert this hot spring so it no longer flows into the mud pit. Over time, the pit will cool down, and then the buffalo will follow us,” Tang Jiancheng suggested.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone’s eyes brightened with understanding.

This was a decisive solution!

Immediately, they set to work.

Without hoes or shovels, they used machetes to dig and their hands to scrape.

To ensure the channel was sturdy, they brought stones to reinforce it. Where rocks blocked the way, they routed around them, determined not to let the warm water seep into the mud pit, ideally diverting it entirely beyond the thicket.

Soon, they had carved a simple channel.

The hot spring water flowed along it, emptying outside the thicket instead of flooding the mud pit.

Gradually, the mud pit’s temperature dropped and ice began to form. The six wild buffalo looked puzzled, lifting their heads and scanning their surroundings, surely wondering why the mud beneath them was no longer warm.

One of the largest buffalo let out a wild, frustrated bellow. Everyone tensed, fully alert.

Fortunately, the buffalo only vented its discontent with a roar and did not act aggressively before lying down again.

“Be patient, wait a bit longer,” Tang Jiancheng said, then began contemplating how to make the best use of the hot spring.

In his previous life, he had never heard of a hot spring here, meaning it had never been developed. Was it because overlogging years later caused the spring to dry up? Or had no one discovered it, so it remained untouched? Or perhaps the remoteness and poor transportation made development seem unprofitable, so no one invested?

The exact reason was unclear, but no one had ever developed this hot spring before.

Seeing the bubbling spring now, Tang Jiancheng thought it was worth investing in.

Building a mountain hot spring resort here, outfitting it with high-end facilities and a touch of mystique, making it membership-only for a select clientele—this could definitely be profitable!

Of course, the initial investment would be huge. With Tang Jiancheng’s current capital, it was unmanageable.

But he never planned to do it alone. Since his rebirth, he never wanted to work solo. One reason was that he had tasted loneliness in his previous life and never wanted to be alone again. Another was his firm belief that cooperation was the only path to mutual benefit and lasting success.

He was already thinking about partnering with Huang Tianyue, whom he believed would be very interested.

After more than an hour, even Tang Genshui and Tang Linbao, huddled in a wind-sheltered rocky hollow, were shivering uncontrollably. Tang Jiancheng, also uncomfortable, couldn’t help but laugh and scold, “We’ve been foolish to keep freezing here with these buffalo. We could’ve just found a spot to light a fire and warm up!”

Tang Genshui replied, “It’s no use saying that now. I think the mud pit has frozen solid, and the buffalo probably can’t stand it anymore—they’re ready to leave.”

Everyone looked up to see the buffalo slowly rising, preparing to depart.

“Move gently! Don’t startle the buffalo,” Tang Jiancheng urged excitedly.

They approached softly. Tang Genshui and Tang Linbao each led a cow, while Tang Jiancheng and the others used branches to guide the rest.

This time, no surprises occurred; the buffalo steadily walked out of the thicket.

Buffalo are gentle creatures but also rather stubborn; once they develop a habit, they rarely change it unless something major happens.

Right now, having been coaxed along the path and walked some distance, they would continue forward without sudden detours or panics.

They didn’t even need to be driven; they followed on their own.

As they neared Daping Village, Tang Linbao’s smile grew uncontrollable, his excitement mounting until his body trembled. The urge to boast welled up inside him, nearly impossible to suppress.

Tang Jiancheng came up beside him and teased, “Linbao, if you say a word now, I’ll shoot and scare all these buffalo away!”

Tang Linbao quickly waved his hands, “Grandpa Jiancheng, no, I promise I won’t say a word!”

True to his word, he fell silent.

Even upon entering the village and encountering villagers, he held his tongue tightly.

Seeing him almost suffocate from holding back laughter, Tang Jiancheng felt amused.

“Jiancheng, where are we driving these buffalo to?” Tang Genshui suddenly asked.

Tang Jiancheng replied, “Whose pigpen or cattle pen is the largest?”

Tang Jianbo said, “My pigpen is probably the biggest. I plan to raise a dozen pigs after the New Year, so I made it quite spacious. It’s still empty now.”

“Perfect. Let’s take them to your pigpen first,” Tang Jiancheng said joyfully.

They quickly changed course toward Tang Jianbo’s home.

His house was at the eastern edge of the village, almost outside it, so to get there, they had to cross the entire village.

This meant the whole village would soon know about their live capture of six wild buffalo.

Tang Xingde had just returned from the county with ammunition. Hearing the news, he was both shocked and heartbroken.

If only they had stocked more ammo before, he wouldn’t have needed to go to the county today, and without that, Tang Jiancheng wouldn’t have gone to find Tang Linbao. Then, this live capture of the buffalo would have included him!

Buffalo were worth far more than wild boars!

It was a huge loss.

From afar, the younger sisters and others spotted Tang Jiancheng and the group driving the buffalo and ran over happily.

Tang Jiancheng was startled and worried their sudden approach might scare the buffalo, so he hurriedly shouted, “Stop! Don’t run—walk slowly! Be gentle!”