Chapter 11: Trimming the Hooves

“What should we do now?”
Everyone began to talk at once.

Some suggested going to the county to find a cattle doctor.

Others said perhaps they should invite Grandpa Third over to take a look.

Since inviting Grandpa Third would be faster than going to the county, someone ran to fetch him, and before long, Grandpa Third arrived.

After Li Mu took his hand off the big blue ox’s head, the strange voice disappeared, and the ox immediately grew agitated again. It tossed its head and flicked its tail, and it took several villagers to restrain it, soothing it constantly.

When Grandpa Third tried touching the ox’s leg, it shuddered and let out a threatening “moo,” forcing him to let go.

“It appears to be a hoof injury, but I don’t really know how to treat that… And with the ox in this state, it won’t let anyone near its hoof. If we try to force it, it might go berserk and hurt someone… We’ll still have to go to the county,” Grandpa Third said with a frown.

“But the ox is in such pain. The county is dozens of miles away—can it even make the journey?”

“Should we use an ox cart?”

“Are you stupid? Whose ox cart could possibly fit a beast this size?”

The villagers argued noisily.

Aunt Ninth looked deeply troubled as well. She wasn’t worried about the money; she was worried about the ox itself.

“Ninth Uncle is out again? Maybe we should wait for him to come back before making a decision? He’s a strong man; with him handling the ox, it won’t dare make trouble. The rest of us just don’t have the nerve,” someone suggested.

No one paid much attention to Li Mu.

But after standing there in a daze for a while, Li Mu suddenly exhaled and said to Aunt Ninth, “Auntie, let me try.”

“Hm?” At his words, everyone instinctively turned to look at Li Mu, their faces full of surprise.

“Mu, are you feeling better? The ox is hurt—what can you do?” Sixth Aunt asked, bewildered.

Li Mu let out a slow breath. There was something he needed to confirm. He said, “After all, I’ve been herding cattle for many years, and I’ve picked up a few tricks for dealing with them… Maybe I can figure something out about the hoof.”

Scenes from videos he’d seen in his past life on hoof trimming flashed through his mind. But those people had professional tools and equipment to restrain the ox. He had nothing.

Still, he had to verify what he’d just discovered. Without hesitation, he grabbed a handful of grass from the ground and approached the big blue ox, which was growing more agitated by the minute due to the crowd.

“Mu, don’t do anything reckless! Be careful—the ox might hurt you!” Aunt Ninth called out, finally regaining her senses.

But Li Mu was already before the ox, holding the grass to its nose with one hand while the other hand gently touched its head.

At that moment…

The once-crazed blue ox instantly became calm.

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

“Hurt… it hurts!”
At the same time, as Li Mu touched the ox, the voice reappeared in his mind.

“I know you’re in pain. I’ll find a way to help you. Be good and lie down first…” Li Mu tried to communicate with the ox, speaking softly as he gently patted its head.

Although the big blue ox was still somewhat agitated, he stayed vigilant, prepared to retreat if his efforts failed and the ox became violent.

But what happened next exceeded his expectations—and everyone else’s.

When Li Mu finished speaking, the ox blinked at him, and then, despite its previous agitation, obediently lay down, quietly ate the grass from Li Mu’s hand, and finally lifted its injured hoof toward him.

“This old ox… actually understands what Mu means?”

“What… what…”

Everyone stared in disbelief. When the blue ox lost its temper, it was never easy to calm down. Yet now, Li Mu had only patted its head and told it to lie down—and it obeyed?

“Mu… you have a way with animals?”

“Remarkable…”

The crowd’s eyes were wide with amazement at this magical scene.

Li Mu himself felt dazed for a moment.

There was no doubt—the blue ox could understand him, most likely… because of that painting of Uncle Ox in the Demon Slayer’s Almanac.

Could it be that he could roughly understand the thoughts of animals?

But he couldn’t recall any mention of such an ability in the Demon Slayer’s Almanac.

He pondered this, but quickly composed himself. There would be time to consider it later—right now he had to treat the hoof.

He looked at the ox’s raised hoof. It was caked in manure and mud, forming a thick layer. But looking closely, he noticed that pressing a certain area made yellowish fluid seep out.

It needed to be trimmed—expose the wound.

“Aunt Ninth, do you have a sharp knife?” he suddenly asked.

She hesitated. “What do you need a knife for?”

“There’s pus seeping from the hoof. There must be a wound inside. I need to treat it—and I’ll need a knife.”

She wanted to ask more, but seeing the old ox lying quietly, gazing at Li Mu, she hesitated, then gritted her teeth and said, “Alright, I’ll fetch one. But you must be careful—not to get hurt by the ox.”

“Don’t worry, Auntie.”

She nodded and hurried inside. Soon she returned with a small, sharp dagger.

“Will this do?” she asked.

Li Mu examined it and, seeing no better option, nodded. “I’ll give it a try.”

He took the knife, and with his right hand still stroking the blue ox’s head, said, “I’m going to treat your wound. It’ll hurt a bit, but you must bear it and not hurt me, alright?”

He looked at the ox.

It gave no response, just chewed the grass, blinking at him.

Li Mu cautiously took his hand off its head, but the ox remained lying down.

He breathed a sigh of relief and carefully touched the injured hoof.

The instant he touched it, the ox flinched, startling him, but it did not get up or show signs of aggression. Calming himself, Li Mu recalled the steps for hoof trimming.

He began to pare the hoof with the dagger.

His hands still ached, and squatting made it hard to use force, so he stood, carefully cradling the hoof to find a better position.

Although the ox groaned with pain, it remained lying down, which reassured him.

The dagger was sharper than expected. Despite his aching hands, he barely needed any force; large shavings came away easily.

Relieved, Li Mu focused on trimming the hoof, careful not to cut too deep.

When the outer layer was removed, he found a small stone deeply embedded in the fresh keratin of the hoof. The surrounding area was blackened, and a foul-smelling fluid oozed out.

At first, the villagers watched from a distance, but gradually they inched closer, holding their breath so as not to disturb man or beast.

Seeing the blue ox allow Li Mu to work without struggle, they could not help but marvel.

And when they saw the small stone embedded in the hoof, someone exclaimed softly, “So a stone got stuck in its hoof? Well, I’ll be…”

For most of them, it was the first time witnessing a hoof trimming, and they were filled with curiosity and wonder.