If you can't make it on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace), you'll end up losing your whol

Chapter 176 Old Niu, let's run side by side

The Wen family's house is closest to the stream.

The deep voice startled the alert and quick-witted members of the Wen family.

The group hurriedly left the house and followed the sound.

Wenwen dashed to the front.

Upon reaching the stream, they were surprised to see a wild buffalo drinking water, tilting its head back and mooing as it drank.

Under the cool moonlight, the bison's limbs are thick and large, its head is also very large, its forehead is broad, and its horns are thick and sharp in an arc shape. Overall, it looks huge and gives people a feeling of strong fighting power.

The Wen family members hid in the shadows, talking quietly.

"That old ox really knows how to pick his time and place."

"At this hour, with the departure date fast approaching, who can still eat so much meat?"

"Hey, stop pretending."

"Don't you want to eat beef?"

"I want to eat it, but now is not the time."

Wenwen suddenly said, "It's definitely not the right time; someone's coming."

The group hid in the darkness.

After a while, several yamen runners and soldiers came running this way.

"Look, there really is a cow. No wonder the adults called us to come quickly."

"Quickly, go and call the Wen family. The master said to capture him alive."

A tall, thin constable hurriedly ran towards the Wen family's residence.

A moment later, Wen Qilin arrived late with Wen Wen and her siblings.

"Wen Qilin, the lord has ordered that we capture him alive; this old ox will be of great use to us."

The Wen family members immediately understood.

It's certain that we won't be able to eat beef right now, and if we want to have a bite in the future, we'll probably have to spend a lot of money.

However, capturing them alive is a bit difficult.

Wen Qilin secretly gave the others a look, and they quickly ran towards the old ox.

When the group reached the old ox, they scattered and surrounded it.

The old ox was leisurely drinking from the stream when suddenly a sharp gust of wind blew in, and several people appeared around it. The ox's eyes flashed, and it raised its head and opened its mouth: "Moo..."

It raised its head, turned its hoof, and leaped over the weakest point in the encirclement, fleeing into the distance.

The Wen family members turned around and rallied to catch up.

The constables and soldiers behind them realized what was happening and chased after them as well.

Unfortunately, they were a step too slow. Halfway there, they watched helplessly as the shadowy figures of the Wen family members slowly dwindled into tiny dots.

The Wen family chased after the old ox, running across a wasteland and a stream, until they had left the constables and soldiers far behind.

Then the group exerted their strength and ran forward shoulder to shoulder with the old ox.

The old ox panicked for a moment, swinging its horns and raising its hooves, trying to kick the person.

The old ox truly couldn't understand...

What's wrong with these people? We won't kill or torture them; we'll just run away with them.

But it has never run side by side with humans before. Are these people crazy?

If it keeps running, it will run out of energy.

Seeing that the old ox was slowing down, Wen Qilin said, "Alright, stop running, or you'll go too far."

Wen Chengbin looked like he hadn't had enough. "Uncle, run a few more steps with it. I haven't had enough yet!"

These words made the Wen family members chuckle.

If Old Niu could understand what he was saying, he would probably be even more frustrated.

Old Niu: Good lad, if that's not enough, go run off by yourself, don't follow me.

Wen Qilin said helplessly, "You guys run away, I'll wait for you here."

Wen Chengjian raised an eyebrow. "Second brother, I'll be waiting for you."

Wen Chengxi and Wen Chengfeng agreed, "Second brother, keep it up!"

Wenwen tossed something to Wen Chengbin, saying, "Second brother, catch this. That's enough."

In the darkness, Wen Chengbin caught the object that was thrown at him. The feel in his hand and the fragrance coming from his nose told him that it was a piece of Star River Grass.

Wow, this is great stuff! Now he knows how to tame this old bull.

In the blink of an eye, Wen Chengbin sprang up and straddled the bison.

The sudden weight drove the old ox into a frenzy of running and swinging.

Watching the man and the ox run away, Wen Qilin led the group back slowly.

Braving the cold wind, the group had only walked halfway back when Wen Chengbin's loud voice came from behind.

"Uncle, brothers, sister, look at me, hahaha..."

When the group turned around, they saw Wen Chengbin standing on the back of the ox, sometimes standing on one leg, sometimes sitting cross-legged, and sometimes standing upside down.

In just a short while, he changed positions several times, and he had a smug look on his face. It was unbearable to watch, and his childish behavior made the others disgusted.

"Erlang, be careful not to fall and get trampled flat by the old ox."

"Second brother, you have so many tricks up your sleeve, I admire you!"

"Second brother, come down here and let us go upstairs and sit for a while."

The younger children were surprisingly very supportive.

Finally, Wen Chengxi, Wen Chengfeng, and Wen Wen rode the old ox back to the riverbank.

At this moment, a sliver of dawn appeared on the horizon, and it was already getting light.

The people on the riverbank, seeing the three siblings riding back on an old ox from afar, all craned their necks to watch in amazement, and the group was very excited.

"Ah, cow, beef."

"My goodness, it's huge."

"Sigh, you're saying we should go back? How many kilograms of meat would each person get?"

Some people have wild ideas; upon seeing an old cow, they immediately think of dividing up the meat.

His dream was shattered as soon as he opened his mouth, by the people nearby: "Divide my ass! I just heard the adults say that this cow isn't going to be slaughtered, it's going to be used for hauling goods."

"What, not killing? Taking cargo?"

"Hmm, no killing. What kind of cargo are you hauling?"

"Sigh... I don't know."

The dream of getting their share of the meat was shattered, and all the prisoners' excitement and passion vanished instantly.

Not only the prisoners, but also some of the yamen runners and soldiers lost their smiles instantly.

Lord Zhu could clearly see the changes in everyone's expressions.

He whispered something to his assistant.

Yang, the constable, came out to deliver the order and said frankly, "Everyone, don't be in a hurry. This ox will only be spared for now. Let it live a few more days and help pull goods and people. It's not too late to eat its meat when it's tired and thin and exhausted."

Just as he finished speaking, the old ox was led to the front.

Whether the old ox was a spirit or not, it snorted at Yang, the yamen runner, and its hoof suddenly lifted up.

The loud noise and the raised ox hooves startled Yang, the constable, so much so that his legs went weak and he almost fell flat on his face.

Seeing this, Wen Chengbin quickly reached out to comfort the old ox.

After a while, the old ox calmed down, wagged its tail, and stood quietly to the side.

Among the yamen runners were some capable individuals who, in full view of everyone, led the old ox away and quickly put a nose ring on it.

From then on, the cow lost its freedom and became a laborer who needed to work hard to earn three meals a day.

Yang, the constable, instructed his men, "Alright, hitch it onto a cart and get it ready."

Several yamen runners, following instructions, busied themselves with tidying up.

A moment later, a simple and practical oxcart appeared before everyone.

All the prisoners looked at each other, wondering what the oxcart was for.

Someone urgently needed confirmation, "Sir, what is this vehicle used for?"

"That's a good question. Please listen to what I have to say."

Yang, the bailiff, paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over all the prisoners present.

He opened his mouth, then continued speaking.