Zhuang Rui didn't want to become a real-life character from "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," the guy who was trapped in a cave and died unjustly.
"What should we do?"
Zhuang Rui was a bit confused. He was unwilling to climb back up the cliff like this, but there seemed to be no good way to continue dragging it out. Besides, he didn't know when the female eagle that had been lured away by the white lion would return.
There are also male eagles out foraging for food, which could appear at any time. They don't even need to attack you; just a peck on the rope could send you plummeting down a mountain without a parachute.
"Xiaoxue, Xiaoxue," Zhuang Rui suddenly thought of Snow Leopard. He couldn't get in, but Snow Leopard was fine to finish.
The snow leopard poked its head out from the cliff and looked at Zhuang Rui suspiciously. It was now full and had little interest in harming the chicks; the little ones weren't even enough to fill its teeth.
The reason they initially caused trouble for the golden eagle was because heavy snow had blocked the mountain passes, and the snow leopard was starving and wanted to steal some eagle eggs to eat.
"Xiaoxue, come down, come down quickly..."
Upon seeing the snow leopard peek out, Zhuang Rui quickly waved to it.
Without hesitation, the snow leopard scrambled down the rock face. In its eyes, Zhuang Rui was even closer than its own mother. Little Snow had completely regarded Zhuang Rui as a family member or its master.
Although the rock face was almost a 90-degree right angle, the snow leopard could use any uneven spot for leverage. In just a few seconds, it reached the low tree below Zhuang Rui, its movements far more graceful and swift than Zhuang Rui's.
"Xiaoxue, carry that baby bird out. Remember, don't hurt them, and don't use your teeth to carry it..."
Fearing the snow leopard wouldn't understand, Zhuang Rui placed his hand over the snow leopard's mouth, stroking its upper and lower lips, and continued to instruct: "Use here, yes, right here, to take that baby bird out..."
On television, we often see animal parents carrying their cubs in their mouths to move them to a hiding place. There is actually a lot of skill involved in this. They don't use their teeth to bite, but rather they use their lips to hold the cubs. This is more common in large felines such as lions, tigers, or leopards.
Of course, there are also some rather rude parents. Some of them carry their cubs for a while before realizing that they have killed the cubs.
Zhuang Rui didn't know if the snow leopard understood him, but after he finished speaking, it darted into the cave.
Unlike Zhuang Rui when they were approaching the cave, the snow leopard was a real carnivorous beast. It had grown to such a size because countless animals had perished under its claws. As soon as they entered the golden eagle's den, the little ones immediately sensed the danger.
However, in the face of a snow leopard, the weak golden eagle chick had lost even the courage to cry out, cowering in its nest and trembling. The two were simply not even in the same league.
"Snow leopard, don't bite, please don't bite..."
As Zhuang Rui channeled his spiritual energy into the little creatures, he gave instructions to the snow leopard. He was extremely nervous, and his voice trembled as he spoke.
If the snow leopard doesn't understand his intentions and kills the little guys one by one with its paw, then Zhuang Rui's efforts will have been in vain.
"Ouch..."
The snow leopard's low growl not only made the four cubs in the den tremble, but also made Zhuang Rui shudder. If it weren't for the rope tied around his waist, he probably would have fallen.
Zhuang Rui couldn't help but yell, "Xiao Xue, hurry up and get that little guy out..."
Although Zhuang Rui cannot point with his hands, he can use spiritual energy to guide. Ever since the white lion, Zhuang Rui has discovered that animals are particularly sensitive to this spiritual energy in their eyes, and they seem to be able to sense it even without getting close to their bodies.
Zhuang Rui first gently touched the snow leopard with his spiritual energy, then looked at the strongest golden eagle chick. This little guy was much larger than its brothers and sisters, so it was easy to recognize.
Guided by the spiritual energy, the snow leopard reached its paws to several golden eagle chicks and "gently" nudged the chick that Zhuang Rui had locked onto out of its sights.
Fortunately, Zhuang Rui saw that the snow leopard was only using the pads of its paws to poke at the snow leopard, and its sharp claws and toes were not extended, which greatly relieved Zhuang Rui.
"Bring it out, bring it out..."
Zhuang Rui became a bit neurotic, muttering to himself. However, Xiao Xue seemed to understand what Zhuang Rui meant. She gently bit the baby bird with her lips and then turned back to the cave entrance.
"Give it to me, gently, very gently..."
Suppressing his excitement, Zhuang Rui gestured to the snow leopard to put the chick down. He had already seen the little creature struggling near the snow leopard's mouth, but it was not harmed at all.
"Haha, still trying to run away..."
Just as the snow leopard released its grip, the little guy flapped its wings, which hadn't yet grown feathers, trying to return to its warm den, but Zhuang Rui, who had been waiting for a long time, grabbed it in one go.
"Hey, it still hurts a little..."
The little guy was afraid of snow leopards, but not Zhuang Rui. Its slightly curved, sharp beak pecked heavily at Zhuang Rui's hand. Although it didn't draw blood, the area between Zhuang Rui's thumb and forefinger turned slightly red. If it had pecked any harder, it probably would have peeled off and drawn blood.
"What a troublesome little guy..."
Zhuang Rui helplessly used his spiritual energy to soothe the unruly little thing, but also gave up the idea of taking two more chicks. He figured this one would be enough for him to take care of from now on.
Chapter 751 All Things in the World Have Feelings (Part 2)
When Zhuang Rui was a child, in the 1970s and 80s, the city had not yet become a steel jungle. There were still farmlands not far from Zhuang Rui's home, and you could often see all kinds of birds and eagles flying in the sky.
Every autumn harvest season, countless sparrows, magpies, and other birds scavenge for leftover grain in the threshing ground or harvested fields.
At that time, what was most memorable was that an eagle flew across the sky, and then all the birds in the sky disappeared in an instant, leaving only the proud figure of the eagle in the high sky.
Those who had the means used air guns. Back then, lead air gun bullets could be bought in large boxes for just five cents. Even if your shooting skills were terrible, you could still shoot dozens of sparrows a day.
Those without air rifles used nets to catch them, managing to catch twenty or thirty a day to fry and eat. Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan, having nothing, could only try to catch the old sparrows from the nest.
Back then, those two mischievous boys often climbed trees to steal sparrow eggs, and occasionally they would manage to catch a couple of newly hatched chicks. Although they were full of longing and dreams, treating the sparrows like eagles, they never actually raised them to adulthood.
However, this did not hinder Zhuang Rui's love for birds, especially his longing for the divine eagles in novels that could tear tigers and leopards apart. Not only Zhuang Rui, but probably many people had the dream of raising a falcon when they were young.
Of course, this is just a dream, a dream that many people can never achieve in their entire lives, but Zhuang Rui has done it now, and the joy he feels is simply indescribable.
In short, Zhuang Rui is holding this little guy now, feeling like he's afraid he'll drop him if he holds him in his hands, and afraid he'll melt if he keeps him in his mouth.
"Snow Leopard, don't go any further, hurry back to the cliff..."
Several minutes later, Zhuang Rui finally came to his senses. By then, the little creature in his palm was completely captivated by Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy. It stopped struggling and chirping, and simply stared at Zhuang Rui with its big, shiny black eyes.
"Ouch..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the snow leopard darted out of its cave and quickly climbed to the top of the cliff, looking down at Zhuang Rui.
"Be good and don't move around..."
Zhuang Rui unzipped the backpack that he was wearing, which should have been on his back but was now worn backwards on his chest, and carefully placed the golden eagle chick inside. Even when he was playing with the priceless white jade tiger, Zhuang Rui had never been this careful.
After zipping up the zipper, leaving a small gap, Zhuang Rui gently touched his chest. He could feel the little guy making noises inside.
Having become a bird thief, Zhuang Rui figured he should leave some benefits for the golden eagle couple, considering it a way of protecting a national first-class animal. Before climbing up, Zhuang Rui increased his spiritual energy usage, taking turns combing through the bodies of the three little creatures.
Zhuang Rui believed that with this experience, these little guys would definitely be able to grow up safely and healthily, provided that creatures like snow leopards would not sneak up to prey on them in the future.
Using his feet to find a landing spot, Zhuang Rui exerted force with both hands, and the more than twenty meters of height was covered in just a few minutes. As soon as Zhuang Rui's feet touched the top of the cliff, Da Xiaoxue and Xiao Xue, who had been waiting above, immediately surrounded him and affectionately licked him with their tongues.
"Big and Small Snow, go find White Lion and go back to where we stayed yesterday..."
Zhuang Rui spent more than half an hour climbing down the cliff to retrieve the eagle's nest. Now he dared not delay any longer. After retrieving the rope that had been lowered down, coiling it together, he hung it on himself and ran up the mountain.
Just as Zhuang Rui rounded the mountain ridge, he heard a clear eagle cry. Looking up, he saw a golden eagle carrying a plump rabbit in its talons, flying towards its burrow.
"Damn it, I hope we don't get caught red-handed..."
As the saying goes, a guilty conscience needs no accuser, and Zhuang Rui felt a bit like that right now. He lowered his head and channeled a wisp of spiritual energy into his backpack to appease the little guy who wanted to please his father, and hurriedly headed up the mountain.
When descending the mountain, the snow leopard needs to identify the route, so it's not actually very fast. Now, Zhuang Rui is running like his life depends on it, running all the way up the mountain, and indirectly has to lower his head to give the little guy some treats.
About half an hour later, he heard the low growl of the white lion coming from ahead. The growl was different from usual, and seemed somewhat suppressed.
"Hmm? A white lion?"
With a whistle, the white lion and the two snowmen appeared before him.
However, to Zhuang Rui's astonishment and heartache, the white lion was actually injured. On the white lion's snow-white back, there was a deep claw mark that revealed the bone, and the blood had stained the white lion's fur red.
Perhaps because it was frequently nourished by Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy, when Zhuang Rui saw the white lion, the white lion's wound had stopped bleeding. However, the exposed, blood-red wound still gave people a shocking feeling.
"White Lion, don't move..."
Zhuang Rui had the white lion lie down in front of him, and hurriedly took out Yunnan Baiyao spray from his bag to spray the wound. At the same time, the spiritual energy in his eyes surged into the white lion's back as if it were free.
The purple-gold spiritual energy, combined with Yunnan Baiyao for treating external injuries, allowed the white lion's wounds to heal rapidly. The low growls emanating from the white lion's throat gradually transformed from pain into pleasure.
Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy is definitely more effective than opium; it can give people or animals an ecstatic feeling at any time.
However, Zhuang Rui only dared to use spiritual energy so recklessly on animals. If it were a human, he would not only do it secretly, but also do good deeds anonymously, making him a modern-day Lei Feng.
Zhuang Rui spared no expense in treating the white lion. Even though the wounds on the white lion's back had healed, spiritual energy continued to flow into it until Zhuang Rui's eyes became dry and sore, at which point he stopped.
"Good buddy, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault..."
Zhuang Rui wrapped his arms around the white lion's neck, ignoring the little chirping creature in the bag. Seeing the white lion's horrifying wounds, Zhuang Rui almost burst into tears. All of this was caused by Zhuang Rui's lust for the little chick.
"Waaaaah... Ouch..."
A gentle light flashed in the white lion's eyes, and it let out a series of low growls, as if comforting Zhuang Rui. It stuck out its large tongue and gently licked Zhuang Rui's face, then buried its head in Zhuang Rui's arms, something it loved to do most when it was a kitten.
Zhuang Rui, his eyes slightly red, raised his hand to wipe them. He felt less soreness and then poured the remaining spiritual energy into the white lion's body until tears wet his cheeks before stopping.
It seemed that the affection between Zhuang Rui and the white lion could be felt. Neither the big and small snowflakes nor the golden eagle chick in the backpack made any sound. They just quietly watched the man and the mastiff hugging each other.
"Gah!"
A sharp cry from a falcon broke the silence of the snow-capped mountain. The small animals that were foraging in the grass were frightened and hid in their burrows. Zhuang Rui, who was lost in thought, also raised his head at the sound.
"Damn it, I stole one of your chicks, and you fucking injured my white lion. That evens things out. Don't blame me for killing protected animals again. I've never even eaten eagle meat before..."
Seeing the two golden eagles flying in from the horizon, Zhuang Rui's eyes immediately turned red. He no longer knew what fear was. He drew the machete from his back and started cursing at the two golden eagles.
The snow leopard and the female mastiff, who had been lying nearby, arched their bodies as if facing a formidable enemy, letting out low growls as a warning to the two golden eagles that were flying closer.
On one side were the snow leopards and Tibetan mastiffs, who reigned supreme on land, and on the other side were the golden eagles, who ruled the sky. The land creatures were powerless against the sky creatures, and the sky creatures dared not launch a rash attack, circling continuously a hundred or two meters above Zhuang Rui's head.
"Hmm? White Lion, well done, you didn't suffer any losses..."
Zhuang Rui focused his eyes and saw that the slightly smaller female eagle was flying very unsteadily, and there was a deep bloodstain under its wing, which must have been caused by the white lion.
"Gah..."
Suddenly, something very unexpected happened to Zhuang Rui. The female eagle seemed unable to bear the injuries any longer and slid down from the sky, landing about forty or fifty meters away from Zhuang Rui.
The mother eagle flapped her wings, trying to stand up, but after several attempts, she ultimately failed.
Seeing his mate fall to the ground, the male eagle disregarded the several predatory beasts below and swooped down to the female eagle, letting out mournful cries and glaring sharply at Zhuang Rui.
"White Lion, no, come back..."
Just as the white lion and the snow lions were about to pounce, Zhuang Rui called them back.
From the cries of the two golden eagles, Zhuang Rui sensed a deep sorrow—the sorrow of a mother losing her child and a husband losing his wife. This emotion deeply affected Zhuang Rui.
Did I do something wrong?
Zhuang Rui was somewhat bewildered at this moment. He could imagine the scene of this severely injured mother eagle, after discovering that she had lost one of her children, enduring her injuries to come out and search for them. Now, the mother eagle was clearly on the verge of death.