Chapter 409 (2/2)

The underwater cage wasn’t just for hunting. It clued him into the environment. If he caught a crocodile, it meant the large guy wasn’t here. However, if he couldn’t catch even one in three days, that meant all the ‘smaller’ guys had been scared off. They would never stay to fight for food with the big guy.

“What now?” Shao Xuan waited for Heng’s idea. Since Heng often went out for trips, he must have had his ways.

Heng chuckled, then pulled out a wooden whistle. He blew it consecutively, three blows per beat.

“Beep--- Beep--- Beep---

The whistle was sharp-pitched, echoing across the forest.

Very soon, Shao Xuan looked up in the sky.

A huge, dark brown figure flew over. It was four meters long.

“Look, that’s our ride,” said Gongjia proudly as he looked at the bird in the sky, as if showing off.

It was a bird that looked like a stork. Most of it was dark brown with very little grey spots.

The bird did not land immediately. It stopped on a tree, eyeing the strange man, Shao Xuan, cautiously.

“Come down! This is Shao Xuan. He’s crossing the river with me today,” said Heng.

It didn’t seem like the bird understood. It looked at Shao Xuan, then at Heng. Then it squawked. But it did not come down the tree.

Gongjia Heng dragged out some animal carcass leftovers to lure the bird over.

“I called you down and you ignored me! And now you’re here the moment you see food? Asshole!” Heng kicked the bird as it landed to eat. However, he was gentle and did not hurt or scare the bird.

Squawk!

The bird squawked and then ignored him, pecking on its food quickly.

“Bring us over there when you’re done, do you hear me? Or I’ll squash you with my hammer!” Gongjia Heng held his hammer threateningly. Unfortunately, the bird did not even look at him. All it saw was food.

However, a keen eye would see that it would slightly cock its head at Heng when he spoke. It was indeed listening.

When he saw the bird ignoring him, Heng’s face darkened. He huffed and then tossed his hammer on the ground, sitting down. He talked to Shao Xuan about this bird.

“I caught it years ago using a trap. I looped a chain around its neck and planned to kill it that night. However, there was an avalanche that night in the mountains. A lot of rocks rolled down the mountains. The real danger wasn’t even the rocks, it was the panicked beasts. It was very chaotic and all my traps were useless then. I was almost knocked out by a fierce animal. I was lucky that day because I saw this bird struggling. So I took out its chain and climbed on its back.

“In the beginning, it kept trying to shake me off once it took off. After I pinched its neck a few times it calmed down a lot. After some time, when it was calmer on land, I forced it to land. I was thinking of using brute force if it did not listen. It was just a forest beneath me, plus I would not die if I have the bird under me. I didn’t expect this bird to listen though.

After everything was calm again, every time I returned from a hunt, if it was nearby, I would toss some meat for it. Then we got closer to each other. Sometimes, if it was hungry because I couldn’t find food, or hurt because it fought other birds, it would come to me for food. Now that I think of it, it’s been ten years!” Gongjia Heng looked nostalgic. “What do you think, isn’t it great! Although it’s not the most obedient bird, it has helped a lot. Without it, it would have been very difficult to cross the river. We would have to risk the crocodiles. Or maybe even meet the large guy.”

“Actually, I used to have one too. Bigger than yours, and very obedient,” reminisced Shao Xuan.

“Where is it now?” asked Gongjia Heng. He thought Shao Xuan was lying.

“I haven’t seen it in a year,” sighed Shao Xuan.

Gongjia Heng let out a snicker. “Yours has probably left with its flock already.”

“No, it’s a solitary animal,” said Shao Xuan. Giant mountain eagles lived in solitude unless they had a mate. Usually, they lived alone and would fight if they met each other.