Chapter 50: Picking Up a Bargain

[Hou Xiaoxiao: The clan leader made my family lend out our meticulously trained eagle!]

Hou Xiaoxiao secretly schemed to ensure her family wouldn’t participate in the operation against the Marquis family this time. Consequently, the clan leader assigned another family, the Qin family, to lead the action.

Emperor Qingning had promised numerous benefits, and in order to push this operation forward, the clan leader pressured Hou Xiaoxiao’s family, the Bai family, to lend their painstakingly trained hunting eagle to the Qin family.

The clan’s hunting eagles were so precious because, ever since the old bird trainer had passed away without finding a successor, no one else had been able to tame eagles anymore.

[Hou Xiaoxiao: I’m so mad! The Qin family must have predicted that dealing with the Marquis family wouldn’t be easy. They couldn’t bear to use their own trained eagles, so they set their sights on our scouting eagle instead.]

From Hou Xiaoxiao’s explanation, Jiang Lili learned that the hunting eagles raised by this Miao tribe were trained using Gu worms. Not only did they possess exceptional intelligence for reconnaissance, but they were also immune to all poisons, having consumed venomous insects and snakes since birth.

Immune to all poisons?

Jiang Lili locked eyes with the wise, sharp gaze of the eagle in Xin Che’s hands. If only this big guy could follow her commands—it would be incredible!

Jiang Lili took a photo of the eagle and sent it to Hou Xiaoxiao: [Sister Xiaoxiao, is this the one?]

[Hou Xiaoxiao: Yes! That’s my big son. How did he get injured? Who did this?!]

Jiang Lili recounted what had just happened.

[Hou Xiaoxiao: The swarm of hidden-winged insects was sent to test you. Be careful from now on. I’m on my way to rendezvous with members of the Qin family. Wait for my update.]

[Hou Xiaoxiao: I’ll entrust my eagle to you. Please take good care of him! Be cautious—this eagle is fierce, even to me. Ever since the old bird trainer passed away, no one’s been able to control him. He’s as hard to please as the venerable Buddha himself.]

Jiang Lili looked at the eagle and was just about to check its injuries when she noticed Xin Che whistling to the bird in a strange tone.

As Xin Che’s whistle filled the air, the eagle, which had been tense and alert, seemed to relax slightly.

Jiang Lili was surprised and guessed, “You know how to train eagles?”

Xin Che nodded. “I know a little. I spent a long time at the border and learned a few tricks from bird trainers.”

“But I only learned the basics. The true expertise lies with the bird trainers of the grasslands. They have ancient musical scores passed down through generations that can command eagles to do much more.”

Hearing this, Jiang Lili murmured, “I wonder if the Khan of the Grasslands has such a score.”

Xin Che overheard her and responded, “Of course he does.”

“As the highest symbol of authority on the grasslands, the Khan is always accompanied by the most experienced bird trainers. They use eagles to transmit messages and perform rituals.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili immediately sent a message to the Grasslands Khan:

[Jiang Lili: Young Master Yan, I urgently need a musical score for training eagles. It’s an emergency!]

[Yan Zhaoyue: Sister Lili, coming right up!]

Yan Zhaoyue, who still owed Jiang Lili a favor from when she delivered a wild goose across thousands of miles, saw this as the perfect chance to repay her kindness.

Two quarters of an hour later, Yan Zhaoyue sent a photo of the musical score in the group chat.

Jiang Lili couldn’t understand the strange symbols on the score. She copied one page onto paper and handed it to Xin Che. “Can you make sense of this score?”

Xin Che studied the scribbled notes that looked like a child’s scrawl. “I can barely make it out.”

Without hesitation, Jiang Lili copied the entire score by hand, one page after another.

After massaging her sore wrist, she shoved the stack of papers into Xin Che’s hands. “Here! It’s all up to you now, my personal eagle trainer!”

Xin Che took the score, already used to Jiang Lili’s resourcefulness. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, he immediately began studying the score.

Liao Ji, standing aside with his hands tucked into his sleeves, quipped, “Train eagles? Why don’t you do it yourself? Aren’t you a major in eagle (English) language?”

Jiang Lili was caught off guard by Liao Ji’s pun and shivered. “Kid, that’s not funny.”

Under Xin Che’s instructions, the eagle had calmed down somewhat—it had understood his commands but wasn’t interested in interacting with anyone. It remained high and mighty.

Xin Che sighed. “It understands us, but it just doesn’t want to bother with us.”

Jiang Lili, observing the cold, intelligent eagle, remembered that pet training usually starts with feeding. “Looks like we’ll have to tempt it with some food.”

Xin Che grabbed a mountain chicken and tossed it in front of the eagle. The eagle sniffed it, then turned its head away, clearly not hungry. It had probably eaten too much and wasn’t interested in the same old food.

Jiang Lili suspected the eagle had grown tired of the pure, natural diet and needed something different. She thought for a moment and had Zhang Xiaopang send over various canned meats and fish.

Sure enough, when Jiang Lili opened a can of tuna, the eagle’s bright yellow eyes flicked toward the scent. It was clearly intrigued by this unfamiliar aroma.

Jiang Lili and Xin Che exchanged a glance—this could work!

*

Meanwhile, the Qin family had sent two elite disciples, Qin Chuan and Qin Liren, along with their team to control the insect swarm remotely. However, when they realized the hidden-winged insect swarm had lost contact with them, both were left bewildered.

Their plan had been to use the insects to drive off everyone except for those from the Marquis family, then, amidst the chaos, control the poisonous bugs and snakes to strike when the time was right. But now, everything was in disarray.

Qin Chuan exclaimed, “How could they have been eliminated so quickly?”

Qin Liren, frustrated, blew the whistle to call back the eagle.

But no matter how many times she blew the whistle, the eagle didn’t appear.

“Oh no, the Bai family’s hunting eagle is gone.”

Qin Chuan tightened his lips. “How is this possible? Where did they get weapons from? Were the officials escorting the criminals so lax?”

“And as criminals, they’ve been starving and freezing along the way. How could they have the strength?”

Qin Liren pondered. “The information came from Hou Xiaoxiao. She wouldn’t deceive us, would she?”

“No, she’s had a long-standing grudge against the Marquis family Otherwise, the Emperor wouldn’t have trusted her with delivering the message.”

Qin Chuan shook his head. “And the clan leader also gathered intelligence. When they left the capital, they were frequently beaten by the officials, and their rations were often withheld. Going without food for a day or two was normal.”

The Qin family had imagined the Marquis family to be in a pitiful state—malnourished and sickly.

“Then we’ll have to wait until nightfall to get closer and assess the situation before making a move.”

Qin Liren sneered. “I don’t believe they can escape from our hands on our own turf.”

She wasn’t boasting, but the Qin family’s display of power was indeed terrifying. With fifteen people, each carrying a large basket filled with Gu insects, even dumping out the poisonous bugs and snakes from the baskets could overwhelm the Marquis family.

So, the Qin family members headed in the direction where the eagle had disappeared, waiting for night to fall.

<< _ >>

Related Posts

One thought on “Deity Ch.50

Leave a Reply