Liu Tiezhu froze in place, not daring to make a rash move, slowly twisting his head back.
About two meters behind him, in a patch of withered grass, stood a white-headed eagle.
This white-headed eagle was a rare species in the mountains, capable of growing to around fifty jin when fully grown.
This bird of prey fed on various large animals, its sharp claws easily tearing through them.
The one before him was already an adult, estimated at about forty jin, its blood-red eyes fixed unblinkingly on Liu Tiezhu’s every move.
Cold sweat broke out on Liu Tiezhu’s forehead.
He couldn’t figure out why this giant raptor, which usually stayed hidden deep in the mountains, had come out.
Chirp, chirp, chirp…
Just as Liu Tiezhu was pondering how to deal with the white-headed eagle, a series of bird calls snapped him back to reality.
Beneath the white-headed eagle was a young bird, about ten jin in size.
So this raptor saw him as an intruder.
Grrr, grrr…
The white-headed eagle let out a low, guttural cry—a warning signal.
Liu Tiezhu abandoned the white-faced moorhen in front of him and bolted.
A raptor this big wasn’t something he could hunt.
If he messed up, he might lose his life.
The startled white-faced moorhens all took flight.
Liu Tiezhu ran over ten meters in one breath, not caring about snakes in the grass.
The white-headed eagle didn’t chase him but let out an even louder cry, asserting its territory.
Hearing the commotion, Second Uncle came over.
Seeing Liu Tiezhu’s pale face and gasping breath, he immediately asked, “Zhu, what’s wrong?”
“A raptor—I ran into a white-headed eagle,” Liu Tiezhu said, catching his breath.
A white-headed eagle?
Second Uncle’s eyes went wide: “Are you sure you didn’t mistake it?”
The white-headed eagle was the aerial overlord of the mountains.
Anything it targeted in the mountains rarely escaped its claws.
Even if it encountered a tiger, it would dare to fight.
Many hunters in the area had died from this raptor’s talons.
Liu Tiezhu swallowed hard and said, “Second Uncle, that thing weighs dozens of jin. How could I be wrong?”
“What’s going on? This kind of creature usually doesn’t leave the mountains.”
“Could something really have happened in the mountains?”
Second Uncle muttered a few words, then quickly shouted for Er Gouzi and Liu Tieshan to come back.
As he yelled, the birds in the grass took flight.
At this point, Second Uncle didn’t care about anything else—safety was paramount.
“Dad, what’s going on?”
“With that shout, the birds in the grass flew off.”
Er Gouzi came back carrying a net bag and immediately asked.
Liu Tieshan was also puzzled.
But he noticed Second Uncle’s grim expression and knew something had happened.
“Stop catching. There’s a white-headed eagle in the grass,” Second Uncle said.
“What… a white-headed eagle?”
Liu Tieshan and Er Gouzi broke out in cold sweat at the news.
“How… how did this damn thing get out?” Er Gouzi stammered.
As a child, he’d heard the village elders tell stories about the white-headed eagle.
This raptor had a wingspan of up to three meters and could lift a two-hundred-jin calf.
“Second Uncle, do you think there’s no food left in the mountains?” Liu Tieshan asked.
Lately, rare animals from the mountains had been coming out one after another.
This hinted that something was happening deep in the mountains.
“Impossible!” Second Uncle shook his head. “The mountains span millions of kilometers. If there were no food, it’d be a catastrophe.”
“I reckon it’s related to climate change.”
Everyone thought it over and agreed with Second Uncle’s reasoning.
“Zhu, tell me where the white-headed eagle is.”
“Is it alone, or is there a nest?” Second Uncle continued.
Liu Tiezhu said, “It’s alone, with a young eagle, about ten jin.”
“Are you sure it’s alone, with an immature young eagle?”
Second Uncle sounded excited, his voice trembling.
Liu Tiezhu nodded: “Yes, the young one was hiding under the adult’s belly.”
“Second Uncle, do you have an idea?”
“Zhu, have you ever heard of taming eagles for hunting?” Second Uncle asked.
Liu Tiezhu nodded: “Taming eagles is an ancient traditional training method.”
“You sew the eagle’s eyes shut with thread and train it through special means.”
“When it matures, you cut the stitches.”
“The hunter wears the eagle down by keeping it awake until it submits.”
Second Uncle added, “That’s right, but that’s the method for taming small hunting eagles.”
“The white-headed eagle, this giant raptor, is different. It’s highly intelligent and easier to train.”
“If we could get one, combined with your hunting dogs, our efficiency in the mountains would increase several times.”
Liu Tiezhu paused, immediately grasping Second Uncle’s plan.
“Second Uncle, do you know how to train a white-headed eagle?”
Second Uncle nodded: “Yes, your grandfather left a book with methods for training white-headed eagles.”
“Dad, you mean we’re going to catch that white-headed eagle?”
Er Gouzi, catching on, said excitedly.
“If you want to die, go ahead and catch it.”
Second Uncle rolled his eyes and said irritably.
Er Gouzi scratched his head: “Then what do we do? If we don’t catch it, what do we train?”
Second Uncle said, “Our target is the young white-headed eagle.”
“But the adult won’t leave easily.”
“So we need to find a way to lure it away.”
“Zhu, you’re resourceful. Think of a safe method.”
Liu Tiezhu thought for a moment, his eyes glancing at the game in the net bag.
“Second Uncle, what if we use the game to lure the adult away?”
“Er Gouzi and I will handle the luring; you and Big Brother grab the young one.”
“Once we catch the young eagle, don’t let it make a sound.”
“Otherwise, if the adult goes berserk, we’ll all be in trouble.”
“After catching it, we’ll meet downhill.”
The four discussed briefly and decided to take the risk.
Liu Tiezhu found two branches about three meters long and skewered all the white-faced moorhens on them.
Er Gouzi held a compound crossbow, staying close to Liu Tiezhu.
Everything ready, Second Uncle warned, “Zhu, remember, don’t force it.”
“If the adult doesn’t take the bait, we give up.”
Liu Tiezhu nodded: “Don’t worry, Second Uncle. If things go wrong, I’ll run with Er Gouzi.”
Second Uncle said nothing more and circled behind the white-headed eagle with Liu Tieshan.
The white-headed eagle wouldn’t flee with its young.
When Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi returned, it was still standing in the same patch of withered grass.
Seeing them, the eagle’s feathers ruffled, and it let out a low, guttural grrr.
“Damn, it’s huge.”
Er Gouzi jumped, his hands trembling.
Liu Tiezhu kicked him in the butt.
“Gouzi, can you calm down? My life’s in your hands!”
Er Gouzi swallowed and said, “Zhu Ge, don’t worry. If there’s danger, I’ll shoot this thing.”
When they got within four meters of the eagle, it spread its wings and opened its beak.
That was a signal to attack.
“Keep your eyes on it. If it lunges, shoot immediately, then run.”
Liu Tiezhu’s heart was in his throat. He told Er Gouzi, then slowly extended the branch with the moorhens toward the eagle.
The eagle tilted its head, then unceremoniously pecked off one moorhen and swallowed it.
Seeing this, Liu Tiezhu backed up five steps.
Tasting the treat, the eagle followed and pecked off another.
Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi exchanged glances, both grinning.
The eagle had taken the bait.
Three minutes later, the eagle had moved six meters.
Second Uncle and Liu Tieshan, hidden behind, rushed over, grabbed the sleeping young eagle, and ran.
After running about seven or eight meters, Second Uncle tripped on the grass and fell, startling the young bird awake, and it cried out.
The eagle, mid-meal, stopped, screeched, and lunged toward the sound of the young bird.
“We’re done for.”
Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi’s faces went pale, their hearts sinking to the bottom.