Hearing this, the tense Liu Tiezhu immediately broke into a grin. He quickly loaded a bamboo arrow onto the compound crossbow, pressing his body tight against the ridge of the field. "Dogzi, remember—don't stick your head out." "This beast came at us from behind, so it'll definitely pounce from the front." "If it dares, I'm taking it down tonight for stew." Er Gouzi nodded, swiftly loading his own bamboo arrow while gripping his hatchet tightly.
The white-headed eagle circled once, and seeing it couldn't attack from the rear, it immediately reversed direction. "Come on, you beast. If you're not afraid to die, then dive down, you bastard." Liu Tiezhu brandished the compound crossbow, cursing at the eagle circling above. The eagle, having taken a few arrows, was cunning and didn't rush to strike. It circled unhurriedly in the air, waiting for the perfect moment to attack.
Watching this, Er Gouzi couldn't help but swear. "This bastard's practically a demon—knows how to outlast us with patience?" As the sky darkened and the temperature dropped, they couldn't stay out here much longer. "Looks like we need to provoke it," Liu Tiezhu said, thinking it over before shouting for his uncle.
From the other side of Changling Slope, his uncle heard and immediately responded. "Uncle, bring the eaglet over." "Be careful when you come—that beast is watching from above." Liu Tiezhu yelled, not forgetting to warn his uncle. He was out of other ideas now. The only way to leave this place was to use the eaglet as bait and take down the adult white-headed eagle.
His uncle and eldest brother arrived quickly. The two crouched low, scrambling and rolling as they rushed toward Liu Tiezhu. The eagle above kept screeching. Whether it hadn't spotted the two or was wary of the crossbow in Liu Tiezhu's hands, it didn't attack.
Once the four regrouped, they all pressed themselves tight against the ridge. His uncle pulled out the dry grass they'd gathered, lit a fire, and then brought out some strong liquor to share. The whole ordeal had worn them out—cold and hungry. "Everyone alright?" his uncle asked after taking a couple of swigs. Er Gouzi said, "I'm fine, but Brother Tiezhu banged his right leg."
At that, everyone's eyes turned to Liu Tiezhu's leg. By the firelight, they saw his cotton pants were stained a large red. Liu Tieshan was startled and quickly asked, "Tiezhu, what happened?" "Probably hit by a rock," Liu Tiezhu said as he slowly rolled up his pant leg. He hadn't felt the pain earlier from the tension, but now that he'd relaxed, it hit him hard, making him wince.
When he pulled the pants up to the wound, they saw it wasn't a rock—it was a piece of glass, with shards still embedded. Glass in a place like this was a bad sign. It was usually from broken pesticide bottles. "Damn it, what kind of bastard is so heartless, tossing pesticide bottles here?" his uncle cursed. Liu Tiezhu said, "Uncle, don't get worked up." "That glass has been buried in the soil for a while." "Even if it's from a pesticide bottle, the poison's oxidized by now—shouldn't be a big problem." "For now, we need to deal with that beast up there, or we'll be spending the night here."
"How do we deal with it? That thing's too clever—if it won't come down, we can't get up," his uncle said. "My idea is to use the eaglet as bait to lure it down." "What do you all think?" Liu Tiezhu asked. "I think it'll work," his uncle said after a moment's thought, nodding directly. "With all of us grown men working together, I refuse to believe we can't take down this beast." "Big brother, bring out the eaglet." "Uncle, you take the hatchet and cover the right side." "Dogzi, you cover the left." "I'll handle the front." "Everyone, stay calm—don't accidentally hurt each other."
Once Liu Tiezhu finished, everyone got into position. Liu Tieshan, seeing this, pulled the eaglet from his chest. As soon as it was out, it let out panicked cries. Hearing this, the white-headed eagle circling above flashed its blood-red eyes with a fierce glint. It screeched twice, then folded its wings and dove straight toward the eaglet.
"Uncle, Dogzi, get ready." "Big brother, wait for my signal." "When I yell 'run,' you bolt to the right." Liu Tiezhu gave the order, stepping in front of his brother, aiming the compound crossbow at the eagle's chest. That was its weakest spot. If a bamboo arrow pierced through there, the eagle would soon suffocate and die.
Almost as soon as Liu Tiezhu finished speaking, the eagle was upon them. "Big brother, run!" Liu Tiezhu shouted, quickly pulling the crossbow's trigger. Bamboo arrows flew out one after another, striking the eagle's chest and splattering blood everywhere. But the eagle's speed didn't falter—it still lunged at Liu Tiezhu. "Bastard!" Er Gouzi yelled, swinging his hatchet hard at the eagle's wing. The eagle spread its wings, blocking the blow, but the hatchet tore off a chunk of feathers and flesh. On the other side, his uncle's hatchet also struck the eagle's wing, carving out another piece.
Despite the hits, the eagle remained ferocious. Its talons grabbed Liu Tiezhu's cotton coat and ripped it apart, while its sharp beak aimed for his eyes. With a tearing sound, the coat was shredded. Liu Tiezhu's soul nearly fled his body. He kicked his legs back, throwing himself flat to the ground, narrowly dodging the deadly peck. Failing that, the eagle's talons reached for him again.
"Uncle, chop its legs!" Liu Tiezhu yelled, rolling over and scrambling forward. His uncle reacted fast, swinging his hatchet at the eagle's left leg. At the same time, Er Gouzi's hatchet came down on the right leg. The eagle shrieked, flapping its wings and leaping up, causing both hatchets to miss, while its wings slammed hard into the two men.
"Damn, this thing's possessed!" Er Gouzi, clutching his swollen face, charged again. "Screw your ancestors—I'll kill you today!" Dogzi wrapped his arms around the eagle's neck, using all his strength to pin it down, his legs coiled tightly around its belly. The eagle lost its balance, toppling over and thrashing wildly.
His uncle struggled a few times before getting back up. With lives on the line, he couldn't stop. Once upright, he grabbed his hatchet and hacked at the eagle's legs. Liu Tiezhu lunged over at the same time, snatching the hatchet Er Gouzi had dropped, and severed the eagle's neck.
Even with its legs and neck cut, the eagle still flailed. "Fuck you, fuck you!" Er Gouzi, still not satisfied, kicked the eagle's corpse repeatedly. Liu Tiezhu and his uncle exchanged glances, both wearing relieved smiles of having survived. Especially Liu Tiezhu—if his cotton coat hadn't been so thick, that grab might have ripped out his heart.