The two of them carefully followed the bloodstained weeds for a dozen paces but still found no trace of the tiger or the white-headed eagle.
Ergouzi swallowed hard and lowered his voice. "Zhu'ge, could the white-headed eagle have been taken by the tiger?"
No sooner had he spoken than Liu Tiezhu raised his hand, signaling him to be quiet, then pointed at the weeds swaying ahead.
At that moment, both of their hearts were pounding wildly.
In such an environment, claiming not to be afraid would be a lie.
Liu Tiezhu told Ergouzi to stay put and keep watch while he crept stealthily to the right.
When he was about a meter from the swaying weeds, he raised his pistol and peered through them.
Inside the weeds, the white-headed eagle was lying on the ground, struggling. A long gash on its lower abdomen was bleeding profusely.
Seeing this, Liu Tiezhu rushed in and carried the eagle out.
The wound on the eagle's lower abdomen was long, likely caused by a tiger's claw. The flesh on both sides was turned outward, looking terrifying.
Liu Tiezhu quickly took out the herbal medicine he carried, applied it to the wound, then tore a piece of cotton cloth and wrapped the entire eagle in it.
"Gouzi, we need to get back fast."
"The eagle's wound needs to be stitched up quickly, or it won't make it."
With that, Liu Tiezhu hugged the eagle and hurried back.
Ergouzi followed closely behind, staying alert.
He had seen the eagle's fighting prowess earlier.
If it were raised for a few more months, the tiger wouldn't stand a chance.
Such a powerful hunting companion—he had to find a way to save it.
Just then, the hunting dog started barking wildly again.
Liu Tiezhu knew the injured tiger must be nearby.
But at this point, he couldn't afford to care about that. He lowered his head and ran.
It took them three hours to return to the stone cave.
When they saw Liu Tiezhu carrying the white-headed eagle back, everyone exchanged puzzled glances.
"Second Uncle, bring out the needle and thread. The eagle is injured."
After saying this, Liu Tiezhu placed the eagle on the bed and unwrapped the cotton cloth covering the wound.
The eagle was still in decent spirits, struggling to stand up.
Seeing this, Ergouzi quickly pressed it down.
If it struggled now and the wound reopened, things would get complicated.
Taking the needle and thread from his second uncle, Liu Tiezhu had him help hold the eagle down and began stitching the wound.
Half an hour later, drenched in sweat, Liu Tiezhu finally finished sewing up the claw mark on the eagle's lower abdomen.
By then, the eagle had closed its eyes, its head drooping.
"Whether you make it or not is up to you now."
Liu Tiezhu muttered, then placed the eagle in a straw nest in the cave.
Second Uncle asked, "Zhu'zi, what happened? How did the eagle get so badly injured?"
"It was the tiger."
Gouzi recounted the entire battle between the eagle and the tiger in one breath.
After hearing it, Second Uncle and the others were all wide-mouthed, stunned for a long time.
Coming back to his senses, Second Uncle said, "That tiger must be badly hurt too. It probably won't live long."
"I plan to go back with Gouzi tomorrow and take a chance."
Liu Tiezhu had the same thought as his second uncle.
The tiger had taken so many blows from the eagle; it surely wouldn't survive either.
"I'll go with you tomorrow. More people mean more support," Second Uncle said.
"No, that won't work."
"Second Uncle, stay here and keep digging the escape tunnel with Big Brother."
"I predict that bandits will soon come to this area, so we can't slack off on our escape plan," Liu Tiezhu said.
His second uncle's body couldn't handle the strain.
If they ran into other wild beasts, he wouldn't be able to manage.
Hearing this, Second Uncle had to give up the idea of going along.
After dinner, Liu Tiezhu checked on the eagle's condition again before heading to bed.
In this environment, with no painkillers, the eagle would have to tough it out on its own.
The next day, Liu Tiezhu woke up early.
His first stop was the straw nest to check on the eagle.
The eagle was slightly better than the day before, but the situation was still grim.
"It looks like I'll have to go to town again."
Though the eagle had improved a bit, without painkillers and anti-inflammatory medicine, it might not pull through.
After breakfast, Liu Tiezhu abandoned the idea of hunting for the tiger.
For now, the eagle was the priority.
When they heard Liu Tiezhu was going to town, Second Uncle and the others looked worried.
"Zhu'zi, going to town right now is too risky," Second Uncle said.
"Zhang Mingtao's camp is set up on the road into town. If he spots you, he'll send the whole camp to catch you."
Not long ago, he had raided Zhang Mingtao's camp for supplies. The Zhang family wouldn't let that slide easily.
Going to town now was far too dangerous.
Liu Tiezhu said, "Second Uncle, don't worry."
"Zhang Mingtao won't expect me to dare go to town at a time like this."
"Besides, the road into town isn't just through Denglou Village."
"I can take a longer route, passing through Liujia Village instead."
Seeing that Liu Tiezhu had made up his mind, Second Uncle didn't try to stop him further.
Besides, the eagle's condition was dire. Without painkillers and anti-inflammatories, it might not survive.
Having finally trained such a skilled hunting partner, he didn't want to watch the eagle die either.
"Zhu'ge, I'll go with you," Ergouzi said.
This time, Liu Tiezhu didn't refuse.
The two geared up, mounted their horses, and galloped out of the mountains.
Three hours later, they tied the horses to a bamboo grove behind the village and sneaked back home through the rear.
When they arrived, the house had been leveled to the ground, with several piles of feces stinking to high heaven.
On the courtyard wall, a message read: "Kill Liu Tiezhu's whole family," signed by Zhang Jingyang.
Seeing this, Ergouzi's eyes turned red with rage.
"Damn his mother's grave! One day, I'll catch that bastard and take a dump on him."
Liu Tiezhu's face was grim too, but he signaled Ergouzi to focus on the task at hand.
The feud with the Zhang family was now a fight to the death. There would be plenty of time for revenge later—no need to rush.
Leaving home, they took the narrow field paths behind the village.
Despite their caution, they were spotted.
Shortly after they left, a middle-aged man emerged from a small alley next to Liu Tiezhu's house.
This was Liu Yiming, an old bachelor from Liu Family Village.
He had once followed Liu Changhai to Liu Tiezhu's house to "borrow meat," but after seeing Liu Tiezhu beat up Liu Changhai, he hadn't dared come near again.
Recently, though, Zhang Jingyang had put out a bounty: anyone who spotted Liu Tiezhu or his family and reported it would get fifty dollars.
For days, Liu Yiming had been lurking near Liu Tiezhu's house, hoping to get lucky.
And today, his luck had finally come.
Watching Liu Tiezhu and Ergouzi disappear into the distance, he quickly headed toward the village entrance.
Now that Liu Family Village was back under Zhang Jingming's control, a checkpoint had been set up at the entrance.
"Brother, I've got huge news to report!"
Liu Yiming's voice carried before he even reached the spot.
The man in charge of the checkpoint was Zhang Donglin of the Zhang family army.
Seeing it was that old bachelor Liu Yiming, his face immediately soured.
That bastard had been coming around for days, trading useless information for food just to scam a meal.
So when Liu Yiming claimed to have huge news, Zhang Donglin wasn't impressed.
"Liu Yiming, spit it out if you've got something to say."
"I'm warning you now—if you're messing with me again, I'll skin you alive."
"Brother Zhang, this time it's absolutely huge news."
"Liu Tiezhu and Liu Ergou are back," Liu Yiming said, panting.
Hearing this, Zhang Donglin perked up immediately.
"Where are they?"
Liu Yiming said, "Give me the fifty-dollar reward first, and I'll tell you."
Zhang Donglin was straightforward. He pulled out fifty dollars and slapped it into Liu Yiming's hand.
"Hurry up and talk, damn it. If you're lying to me, I'll break your legs."
Taking the money, Liu Yiming said, "Liu Tiezhu and Liu Ergou are on the field path behind the village, heading toward Liujia Village."
"Everyone, mount up! Follow me and kill those two bastards!"
Zhang Donglin bellowed, mounted his horse first, and charged straight toward Liujia Village.