Chapter 139 — The Green Ox in the Vegetable Plot

" Shen Mu was surprised: "In a vegetable garden?

Most likely it is a wild ox; otherwise who would put it in a vegetable garden to eat the greens? " "That is true enough. Young master, why would the dragon-qilin at the mountain gate want to eat this ox? " "I don't know.

I reckon this ox may have offended the dragon-qilin; it probably saw him stealing greens from the garden every day and grew annoyed.

" So Shen Mu conjectured.

Xue Hu'er brought him to the back mountain, where few people came; seldom did scholars come here, save for pairs of lovers. On the back mountain were several courtyards; it was said a few College Directors who loved the cool shade lived here, and besides the Directors' courtyards there was the dwelling of the old man who guarded the mountain.

Several vegetable plots had been opened on the back mountain.

Shen Mu and Xue Hu'er followed the crooked path down the slope, walked a good while, and saw a tile-red courtyard; to its front left a level patch had been cleared, five or six mu or so, fenced about with railings and planted with many vegetables. Just then a green ox stood in the vegetable plot eating the greens, lazily swishing its tail to drive off the mosquitoes and flies.

Shen Mu took one look and shivered. This ox was indeed a green ox, and Shen Mu was certain that even on Jade Mountain there was only one such ox — but he himself might not be able to beat it!

This green ox was all sinew, mighty beyond measure; it had risen on its two hind legs like a man and was leaning against a post, and its forehooves had become horny hands, gripping a bunch of glistening green vegetables, eating at its ease.

Shen Mu measured it with his eye: this green ox stood two or three times his own height, with scarcely any fat on it, all knots and bunches of muscle; and its green ox-hide had taken on a jade hue, glossy enough to reflect the light, bright as oil, like fine jade fondled for a dozen years.

Most frightful of all, when this green ox breathed, its nostrils issued two beams of white light, one in and one out; add to that the dragon scales growing on its neck, and Shen Mu was certain this green ox had cultivated on the mountain for many a year, breathing the qi of nine dragons, undergoing dragon transformation, and growing dragon scales.

"Who is spying on yours truly? " Suddenly the green ox spoke in a human voice, stuffed a bunch of peonies into its mouth, drew the white beams back into its nostrils, and looked this way with eyes like lightning; then it strode over, its muscle-knots bouncing at every step.

Shen Mu spat out a mouthful of foul air and said to Xue Hu'er: "It's only an ox. I grew up herding oxen — can I not deal with it?

Ling'er, you back away first, and when I tell you to run, run fast. Understand? " Xue Hu'er nodded and drew back.

Shen Mu drew a long breath, walked toward the green ox, and smiled: "Brother Ox.

. .

" The green ox, fiery of temper, charged him without a word and struck, sneering: "Brat with a face full of nasty grins — no good man, surely; who is your brother ox? " Xue Hu'er retreated up the mountain; suddenly from the vegetable garden came a crash like a thunderclap, and then boom, boom, boom, unending tremors; a moment later Shen Mu came pelting over like a wisp of smoke, crying: "Ling'er, run!

" Xue Hu'er fled in a panic, stealing a glance behind her: Shen Mu's eye socket was swollen, his nose was bruised black — plainly, in a few short moments, the cowherd boy of Yincan Village had been soundly thrashed by this green ox.

Xue Hu'er clicked her tongue in secret, thinking: "The young master is always so mighty, beating this one and that at the Academy — how is it he has been beaten by an ox?

" Behind them came the thud and thunder of hooves; plainly the ox was charging this way in fury, relentless and unforgiving. Shen Mu snatched Xue Hu'er up, set her on his shoulder, and ran for the mountain with all his might.

After a while, the green ox could not catch them and went back cursing. The moment the green ox reached the vegetable garden, from the tile-red courtyard nearby came the Libationer Bashan's voice, thick with sleep: "Why is it so noisy outside?

" "Master, someone is bullying your Ox-Ox! " The green ox hastily stooped and smiled ingratiatingly toward the courtyard: "He was going to steal from Master's vegetable plot too, and Ox-Ox drove him off.

" "Is such a thing possible?

"