"Ow, holy shit!"
Second Uncle took a hard fall and couldn't help but curse.
Liu Tieshan quickly helped him up. "Second Uncle, forget the eaglet, let's run."
Second Uncle shoved the eaglet into Liu Tieshan's arms and pushed him away.
"You take the eaglet and run first. I've got a way to deal with this white-headed eagle."
Liu Tieshan didn't argue. He clamped the eaglet's beak shut and bolted, gritting his teeth.
Second Uncle, meanwhile, dove into the withered grass in the opposite direction from Liu Tieshan.
No sooner had they split up than a massive shadow burst from the undergrowth.
The white-headed eagle stood still, its blood-red eyes scanning the surroundings.
After searching and finding no sign of the chick, it immediately let out a screech.
Hearing the call, Liu Tiezhu grabbed Er Gouzi, who was about to sprint back.
"We don't need to go over there. Second Uncle and the others are safe."
"Quick, head back."
"If that eagle goes berserk, we're in danger."
Er Gouzi skidded to a halt and followed Liu Tiezhu in a frantic dash.
Over a dozen minutes later, the four regrouped at the base of Changling Slope.
Their faces were grim.
Running flat out in the freezing cold had nearly left them gasping for air.
"Hahaha, we got the white-headed eagle."
"If we train this thing right, when it's grown, it can help hunt down wild beasts."
Second Uncle grinned, revealing a row of yellow teeth, his breath puffing out in white clouds.
"Let's hurry back, or the eagle—"
Before Liu Tiezhu could finish, his expression shifted drastically.
A sharp, piercing cry made them all look up.
The white-headed eagle's massive form circled overhead. Its blood-red eyes swept over them, and then it dove straight down.
"Second Uncle, Big Brother, find somewhere to hide."
"Gouzi, let's run."
Liu Tiezhu shouted, grabbed his compound crossbow, and took off at a sprint.
"Holy crap..."
Er Gouzi wailed, clenched his teeth, and followed close behind.
They ran with every ounce of strength, not even caring about snakes on the ground.
Er Gouzi farted as he ran, nearly shitting himself in fear.
The *pfft pfft* sounds made Liu Tiezhu both annoyed and amused.
"Damn dog, you're such a coward."
"Brother Tiezhu, this is life or death! How can I not be scared?"
"And that beast—it's just a chick, right?"
"It can always make another one. Why the hell is it trying to kill us?"
Er Gouzi cursed as he ran, his adrenaline spiking to the max.
The white-headed eagle locked onto the two runners, swooped down in a flash, and stretched out its sharp talons toward Er Gouzi's back.
"Mother of God!"
Er Gouzi nearly pissed himself, somehow speeding up even more.
Just as the eagle struck, he rolled sideways like a donkey, barely dodging by a hair's breadth, tumbling over a meter away.
Liu Tiezhu skidded to a halt and unloaded his crossbow's bamboo arrows at the eagle.
These arrows, strong enough to pierce a wild boar, barely fazed the bird.
"Son of a bitch, this thing's feathers are too tough!"
Seeing that, Er Gouzi took off running again.
Liu Tiezhu didn't dare linger either, reloading arrows as he ran.
The eagle soared back up and resumed its chase.
They sprinted another thirty meters.
Er Gouzi's face went pale, and he dropped to his knees, vomiting.
"Brother Tiezhu, I can't go on."
"If I keep running, my lungs are gonna burst."
Liu Tiezhu wasn't much better off, his heart pounding like a drum.
His face was as white as paper.
"Screw it, let's fight this bastard."
With no other option, Liu Tiezhu gritted his teeth.
"Fight it! I refuse to believe this thing is invincible."
Er Gouzi steeled himself and pulled out the hatchet tucked in his belt.
Liu Tiezhu didn't have a hatchet, so he grabbed a rock from the ground and aimed his crossbow at the eagle as it prepared to dive.
"Gouzi, get ready. Don't let it catch you."
As the eagle closed in, Liu Tiezhu warned him.
Er Gouzi nodded, aimed his own crossbow at the eagle, and gripped his hatchet with a slight tremble.
Facing a bird of prey like that, saying he wasn't scared would be a lie.
*Screech!*
A sharp cry rang out as the eagle folded its wings and dove at full speed.
This time, it targeted Liu Tiezhu, moving incredibly fast.
"Come on, you beast."
Liu Tiezhu fired arrow after arrow at the eagle's head.
The eagle showed no fear of death. Even after taking two hits, its dive speed didn't drop.
Liu Tiezhu's scalp tingled. After emptying his arrows, he hurled the rock and dove to the right.
The eagle struck the ground, leaving deep, terrifying claw marks.
Missing Liu Tiezhu, it didn't pause and took off again.
Er Gouzi spun around and fired a volley at the eagle.
"Damn it, this thing's too clever."
Cursing, Er Gouzi quickly helped Liu Tiezhu up.
That's when he noticed a gash on Liu Tiezhu's right leg, blood streaming down.
"Brother Tiezhu, what happened?"
Er Gouzi's eyes went wide in shock.
Liu Tiezhu waved it off, forcing himself to stand despite the pain.
"It's nothing. I hit a rock when I fell."
"We need to run."
Just then, the eagle circled back and dove at them again.
"Gouzi, see that ridge over there?"
"We're heading to it."
Liu Tiezhu pointed at a ridge about six meters away.
It had a two-meter drop, perfect for cover.
If they hugged the ridge, the eagle couldn't ambush them from behind.
If it attacked from the front, they had hatchets and crossbows to fight back.
Er Gouzi nodded and sprinted ahead to draw the eagle's attention.
"Come on, you bastard, chase your dog master!"
Er Gouzi yelled as he ran, cursing up a storm.
In all his life, he'd never been this pathetic.
The eagle immediately veered toward him.
Liu Tiezhu darted out and raced for the ridge.
Once in position, he quickly readied his crossbow.
"Gouzi, dive to the right!"
Hearing that, Er Gouzi threw himself sideways, not caring if there were rocks or not.
At almost the same moment, the eagle's talons slammed down where he'd just been.
Liu Tiezhu's arrow followed, burying itself deep in the eagle's thigh.
The eagle screeched in pain, flapped its wings, and took off again.
Er Gouzi felt like his soul had left his body, his face deathly pale.
If those claws had caught him, they'd have ripped out his bones.
"Gouzi, what are you waiting for? Get over here!" Liu Tiezhu shouted urgently.
Snapping out of it, Er Gouzi scrambled over, moving faster than ever.
Once behind the ridge, he gasped for air.
"Son of a bitch, I almost met my ancestors just now."