sbdcsierra Chapter 368 The Golden Eagle That Shoots Down the Barley Field
Chapter 368 The Golden Eagle That Shoots Down the Barley Field
Zhang's nephew was terrified. He'd been pecked by golden eagles countless times over the years.
He felt incredibly wronged. It was clearly his uncle who provoked the golden eagle and stole the eaglets from its nest. Why was he the one being pecked all these years?
Zhang's clever nephew swiftly placed a porcelain basin on his head, shaking his head like a drum being rattled in the wind, and shouted, "We're not getting involved in this!"
No sooner had the words been spoken than a powerful eagle's cry suddenly rang out from the sky, sending a shiver down one's spine. The two eagles that had been circling leisurely were terrified at the sound of the adult golden eagle's majestic call, their feathers standing on end like hedgehogs.
Li Ju'an involuntarily looked up at the sky, and his heart sank. He saw a huge golden eagle rushing towards Zhang's nephew with the force of a thunderbolt. Its speed was so fast that even the moment of chasing prey could not be compared to it.
Upon seeing this, Zhang's nephew turned pale with fright and turned to run into the house, shouting urgently, "Quick! Get inside! The stones are about to fall!"
The golden eagle didn't try to catch him, knowing it couldn't handle such a heavy thing. Instead, it picked up stones and threw them down from high above.
Li Ju'an stepped onto a stool and slowly entered the deer cellar. Then, he carefully covered the trap with a lid ingeniously woven from tendons, dry grass, and twigs. The lid was as if it had grown naturally, fitting perfectly without revealing any flaws. Fine wire mesh was cleverly interspersed on it, further enhancing its concealment.
He turned around and called out to Zhang's nephew, who was hesitating not far away, "Little Zhang, come quick, lie down and hide."
Upon hearing this, Zhang's nephew's face changed drastically. He tightly hugged the porcelain basin above his head and turned to flee back to safety.
At this critical moment, the high-pitched and piercing cry of the golden eagle echoed from the sky, shaking the air and foreshadowing misfortune. Unusually, this time the golden eagle did not hurle stones as usual. Instead, it spread its wings, its sharp talons fully exposed, and like a black lightning bolt, it pointed directly at Zhang's nephew and suddenly swooped down.
Seeing no hope of escape, Zhang's nephew was terrified, but his feet seemed to be nailed to the spot, unable to move.
Seeing that he couldn't run back in time, Zhang's nephew was so anxious that he stamped his feet and spun around in circles. When he heard Li Ju'an calling him, he actually turned around and ran towards the deer pit trap, shouting, "Li Pao, save me!"
Li Ju'an gave him a low, urgent command, gesturing for him to lie prone on the carefully laid trap. The trap's lid was sturdy and reliable, the iron mesh taut and tightly covering the open top of the deer cellar, forming a silent defensive line.
Suddenly, a high-pitched and sharp eagle cry rang in Zhang's nephew's ears. The sound pierced the sky and struck his heart, causing him to tremble violently. Driven by instinct, he leaped without hesitation, his entire body slamming heavily onto the trap's cover, unable to move.
Just at this critical moment, a golden eagle with a wingspan of over 1.8 meters suddenly flapped its wings in the sky, like dark clouds pressing down, carrying an invincible pressure, and swooped down with the force of Mount Tai collapsing.
Its massive body cast a shadow that shrouded the ground in gloom, its imposing presence awe-inspiring.
Zhang's nephew was terrified, his eyes wide open, bloodshot as if they could drip blood. In this critical moment, he could only helplessly endure the invisible pressure from the overlord of the sky, his heart filled with despair and helplessness.
He covered the porcelain basin above his head to shield the back of his head. He could almost feel the golden eagle's beak aimed at his back, its neck snarling, ready to tear the seams of his fur coat.
Suddenly, at this critical moment, beneath the trap's cover, a pair of strong arms swiftly pierced through the gaps in the long wire mesh. Li Ju'an concealed himself in the dark depths of the deer cellar, while Zhang's nephew, like bait, lay prone on the cover, becoming an eyesore in the eyes of the aerial overlord, the golden eagle.
He waited patiently for the right moment, until the golden eagle swooped down with overwhelming force, its sharp claws aimed directly at the back of Zhang's nephew's neck, and the crisis was imminent.
In that critical moment, Li Ju'an, like a dragon emerging from the abyss, suddenly unleashed his power from below. His arms, as solid as rocks and covered with thick leather gloves specially made for taming falcons, reached out without hesitation towards the golden eagle's sharp talons.
His movements were fluid and precise, as if he had practiced a thousand times. He reached out and grabbed the golden eagle, accurately restraining its attack. The whole process was smooth and seamless.
He gripped the upper part of the golden eagle's talons tightly with both hands and pulled downwards with all his might. The golden eagle's talons could no longer be used, and its sharp beak sank into the cover made of dry grass and twigs, pressing its entire head downwards.
Li Ju'an roared, "Xiao Zhang, get up!"
Zhang's nephew suddenly looked up, his eyes still filled with terror. His fingers were still tightly gripping the porcelain basin, his only shield, pressed firmly against the back of his head. He cautiously opened one eye, and the sight before him made him freeze in shock.
The once arrogant and domineering golden eagle was now firmly restrained, struggling helplessly on the ground like a dejected free-range chicken that had lost its sky.
A smug smile curled at the corner of his lips. He then snatched the porcelain basin and hurled it at the golden eagle without hesitation, accompanied by a hearty curse: "Hmph, I finally caught you, you feathered beast! Still thinking of pecking me? Go ahead and peck, go ahead and peck!" The porcelain basin drew a perfect arc in the air and landed precisely on the golden eagle with a crisp sound.
The commotion startled the villagers in the barley field, who rushed over from all directions to watch. The once fearsome golden eagle was now lying on the ground, its neck twisted, its head pinned to the ground, its eyes still gleaming with an indomitable light, seemingly unwilling to accept its fate.
Captain Zhang was incredibly excited when he heard the news from Old Lady Zhang.
He hurried along the road and finally arrived at the scene at the crucial moment. His eyes were like torches as he pointed directly at the bound golden eagle. He angrily scolded, "You damned thing! I tolerated you pecking at me for a year. But five or six years have passed, and you're still acting like this!"
The golden eagle was now firmly bound by Li Ju'an, the rope tightly binding its sharp talons, and its wings were also bound, rendering it unable to move. The once majestic golden eagle now resembled a dejected free-range chicken, its head hanging low, devoid of its former arrogance. Its beak, however, still refused to yield, occasionally struggling to open and peck at its enemy again.
Li Ju'an took out a roll of thin hemp rope from his pocket and skillfully tied the golden eagle's beak in a few strokes, saying, "Captain Zhang, I'm taking this bird back with me."
Captain Zhang still felt a little regretful. He wanted to keep the golden eagle, pluck its feathers, and make soup so that his family could vent their anger.
But when he thought about how many hunters in Golden Eagle Village had failed to kill it, and how it was ultimately Li Pao from Lijiatun who managed to do it, he felt both surprised and puzzled.
He asked, "How did you shoot this bird down?"