Chapter 96
Chapter 96
Inside the cave, everyone remained busy with their assigned work.
Xiao Che glanced at the sky. Dawn was approaching.
“My good daughter, can you see how far away the people chasing us are?”
Jin Bao blinked, and the pursuers’ location immediately appeared in her mind.
“Daddy, they aren’t moving anymore. They’re eating meat-meat.”
Xiao Che breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared they were resting.
Judging by Lu Dachang’s progress, his men must have traveled through the night to catch up. Their Snow Mastiffs were undoubtedly exhausted. They would need to rest for at least half a day, giving Xiao Che’s group half a day to prepare.
Moreover, the coniferous canopy overlapped in dense layers. No matter how skilled Jin Bao was with a bow, their obstructed view meant they could not guarantee a flawless one-shot kill.
Once the aerial scout realized it was being targeted, it would become even more cautious. Attacking it a second time would be far more difficult. They had only one opportunity and had to strike true.
“We’ll wait until daybreak.”
Xiao Che looked at the gray sky, then carried Jin Bao back inside.
“My good daughter, can you find a relatively open place with few trees, somewhere we can clearly see the sky?”
After receiving Xiao Che’s conditions, Jin Bao immediately searched the map in her mind.
“There is one! It’s ten li from here. Lots and lots of trees fell down, and there’s a big open space. Is that the kind of place Daddy means?”
Xiao Che was delighted. Back when he fought in the Southern Frontier, he had often battled in forests. Open spaces like that were usually created by lightning strikes. With no young trees having grown yet, the clearing would remain open for some time.
“Yes, that’s exactly the place. Can you take Daddy there in a little while?”
“Mm-hmm! Baby knows the way. Baby will lead!”
Xiao Che immediately returned to the cave and ordered every man to stop working, take up his weapon, and follow him.
He intended to lead some of them in a false migration to deceive the pair of eyes in the sky.
In the end, Xiao Che and Old Han led more than thirty people out of the cave. Guided by Jin Bao, they headed toward the clearing.
“Marquis, the aerial scout Lu Dachang trained is known on the Northern Frontier as an Ironfeather Sparrowhawk. The Ironfeather has exceptionally sharp eyes, flies high, possesses tremendous endurance, and can track a target for days and nights.
It seems our entire journey has taken place under its gaze. As long as it remains silent, it is nearly impossible to notice inside the forest.
Even if we lure it to an open area, we won’t be able to shoot it down unless it descends.”
Old Han knew something about Ironfeather Sparrowhawks and could not help feeling worried.
“That’s not right, Grandpa Han. The big bird doesn’t always fly way up high. Sometimes it flies low too. Baby can see it!”
A spark flashed in Old Han’s cloudy eyes. “Really? You can see it, little girl?”
“Mm-hmm! Baby can see it. Baby will shoot it down!”
Old Han was overjoyed. Their odds of success had just improved.
It took everyone half an hour to reach the clearing Jin Bao had described.
The place lay on a hillside, where an enormous swath of trees had fallen. Their trunks were completely black, so lightning had almost certainly struck them. From their appearance, it had happened more than half a year ago.
The area was now covered in snow. Only a few yellowed, scorched treetops remained exposed.
“Daddy, the big bird followed us. It’s just a little way behind. Can Daddy see it?”
Baby whispered the question into Xiao Che’s ear.
Xiao Che nodded but did not dare turn around, afraid the creature would notice.
“Everyone, rest here.”
Without needing to be told, everyone deliberately chose open ground to settle on.
They rested for fifteen minutes without catching even a glimpse of the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk.
“Marquis, this creature is far too cautious. It refuses to reveal itself. Even with abilities that defy the heavens, we can’t drag it down from the sky.”
Old Han was growing anxious. If the people who had followed them remained here much longer, they might suffer from the cold.
The entire area was buried in snow, leaving nowhere to build a fire. Everyone was simply enduring the cold.
Xiao Che’s expression grew grave as well. Food probably would not lure the creature down. Could it truly be impossible?
“Daddy, put Baby down, quick!”
Jin Bao anxiously patted Xiao Che’s shoulder.
Xiao Che knew an opportunity had appeared.
He hurriedly set Jin Bao down in the snow.
Jin Bao had a bow taller than she was strapped to her back and held an arrow in one hand.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she ran into the open, crossed the clearing, and entered the forest on the opposite side.
Once among the trees, Jin Bao climbed a massive trunk wide enough for several people to encircle. She nimbly reached the crown, then lay motionless along a branch, seeming to merge with it.
The Ironfeather Sparrowhawk did not notice Jin Bao. It began circling continuously in the sky.
Jin Bao silently bared her little teeth in a grin. Her senses had been right. The big bird’s eyes had remained fixed on her all along.
The feeling of being constantly watched, spied upon, and violated made Jin Bao deeply uncomfortable. That gaze felt like a cold blade scraping back and forth across her body.
Jin Bao decided to strike first. She had to shoot down this big bad bird that kept spying on her.
The Ironfeather Sparrowhawk followed a pattern in flight. Its endurance was indeed remarkable, but it had a weakness. Once every thirty minutes, it descended and tilted its body.
All of this appeared clearly in Jin Bao’s mind. She had already observed the big bad bird for an hour.
Now was the moment it would descend.
Jin Bao nocked the arrow, drew the bow, and silently took aim at the sky.
“Stinky big bird! How dare you spy on Baby? Baby’s gonna stew you!”
Jin Bao seized the opening and drew the bowstring fully taut.
Whoosh-
The feathered arrow carried immense force. With a faint whistle, it tore through the air.
Screeech-!
A piercing cry exploded overhead. Then a black shape plummeted straight from the sky.
Jin Bao’s eyes lit up. “Got it!”
She slid down the tree in a flash and, without pausing, raced toward the spot where the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk had fallen.
Xiao Che and Old Han both heard that anguished screech and exchanged a glance.
“Did she get it?”
“She did.”
They ran toward the sound as well.
With the map inside her mind, Jin Bao found the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk’s body without the slightest error.
The arrow had struck the center of its chest without deviating by even an inch.
Jin Bao lifted the arrow, raising the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk with it.
“That’s what you get for spying on Baby! Baby’s gonna roast you for lunch. You’ll definitely smell delicious, right?”
Jin Bao had never eaten a bird before. This would be her first time, and she was already looking forward to it.
She cheerfully carried her prize out of the forest. When she spotted Xiao Che and Old Han searching for her, she dashed over to meet them.
“Daddy, Grandpa Han! Baby caught the big bad bird!”
Holding the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk’s body aloft in one hand, Jin Bao charged toward them excitedly.
Xiao Che hurriedly caught his daughter and lifted her into his arms.
“My girl, you were amazing.”
Now that they had removed the troublesome eye in the sky, it was time to fight back.
His daughter, Jin Bao, was now the ruler of the Black Pine Forest.
Since Lu Dachang enjoyed chasing them so much, he could stay here forever.