Don't You Play Foolish! . . .
"I know you're addressing me, but I'm not quite grasping your meaning. Hmm... why should I even care? I should just go ahead and eliminate him, shouldn't I?"
Suddenly, the golden hawk plummeted from the sky, its talons aimed at Cha Eun Xiao.
Cha Eun Xiao awkwardly dodged, narrowly escaping the attack. - Crack! - His robe was torn. Cha Eun Xiao waved his hand and said, "Brother Hawk! You're the king of hawks! Can't you comprehend my words?"
This time, the golden hawk didn't hesitate. It lunged at Cha Eun Xiao, talons ready to strike. - Shoot! -
- Puff! -
Cha Eun Xiao evaded once more, but the hawk managed to snatch a piece of cloth from his pants.
"Brother Hawk! Please, can't you understand what I'm saying? You must!" Cha Eun Xiao was in despair. Communication with the hawk seemed impossible. What was he to do? Was he doomed to meet his end once more?
The hawk attacked again, but with less ferocity. Cha Eun Xiao noticed it. This time, he skillfully dodged the attack and remained unharmed.
He couldn't comprehend.
[Why?]
[Why would the hawk king show leniency?]
Little did he know that the hawk wasn't particularly interested in consuming humans. It was simply irritated.
The golden hawk had tasted human flesh and found it unpalatable.
Human meat was sourer than horse meat.
Some people even smelled awful. Once, the hawk had seized a person hoping for a savory meal, but the person had soiled themselves in terror. The hawk nearly gagged...
All in all, humans were far from being delicious in the hawk's opinion!
If Cha Eun Xiao had been aware of the hawk's perception of eating him, he would have been profoundly grateful. He would have loudly proclaimed, 'I'm a stinky man! I taste awful!'
He would have praised the person who had terrified the hawk so much with their excrement. 'My friend, your feces saved my life...'
Cha Eun Xiao narrowly evaded the hawk's strikes several times, his danger escalating. The hawk was growing increasingly infuriated, and its murderous intent surged.
[This was an attempt to be merciful... How dare you act as though you can genuinely challenge me?]
[Why won't you allow me to grasp you and end this? Why do you keep dodging? Very well, let's see how long you can endure...]
Cha Eun Xiao realized the hawk's attacks were intensifying. He reached inside his clothes and produced something red in his hand. "Brother Hawk! Look at this! Would you like to eat it?"
He was sweating.
This was his final opportunity.
If the golden hawk showed no interest, he might meet his demise.
The object in his hand was a red blood bead, emitting a faint aroma.
It was the blood bead formed by Erhuo using the Silver-scaled Golden-caruncled Snakes!
The hawk suddenly widened its eyes and plunged straight at Cha Eun Xiao without uttering a word.
Ferocity, intensity, and bloodlust emanated from it.
Before touching the ground, it stirred up a whirlwind of dust, as if something explosive was about to happen.
"Good heavens!" What occurred took Cha Eun Xiao completely by surprise. The hawk became far more aggressive. He hurriedly sprinted towards the cliff. [Maybe I should go back down and stay with Li Wuliang...]
[A few days later, I'll return. Will the hawk still be waiting? I have no way of knowing. I just can't remain here any longer... Not today...]
Suddenly, darkness descended upon him once more. - Shoot! - It gleamed with golden light. The hawk was descending.
It stopped right in front of Cha Eun Xiao, blocking his path.
Its large, round eyes fixed on Cha Eun Xiao with intensity. It gradually withdrew its massive wings, talons placed on two rocks, one higher than the other, like a man standing with crossed legs...
It merely stood on the rocks, but in Cha Eun Xiao's eyes, it seemed larger than a camel...
The golden hawk stared at Cha Eun Xiao as though he were the most delectable morsel in the world.
Cha Eun Xiao let out a sigh of despair. There seemed to be no escape from this perilous situation. The hawk was a lightning-fast predator, surpassing even his previous life's swiftness. Its remarkable speed was truly baffling; not even the legendary Xiao Monarch had any knowledge of such a creature.
"Whenever I'm in high spirits, something always comes along to utterly ruin the mood," Cha Eun Xiao lamented, a sense of misery welling up. "Is my existence forever cursed to be this wretched?"
After a while, the golden hawk remained passive, causing Cha Eun Xiao to raise his head and discover it was not gazing at him but rather at his hand. Perplexed, he queried, "Oh... What are you waiting for?"
The golden hawk continued to focus intently on his hand, faintly moving its talons and extending one of its immense wings, stretching it over ten meters across the sky. Then, the other wing reached over to the outstretched one, and it appeared to be engaged in a repetitive, self-inflicted tickling.
It was as if a person was amusing themselves due to boredom...
The sight left Cha Eun Xiao utterly flabbergasted. The hawk exhibited an eerie human-like quality.
[What manner of beast is this?]
[It lacks speech, yet it behaves like a human!]
[It tried to kill me just moments ago, and now it's acting so benignly...]
[Is it planning to toy with me? Drag me around in a game?]
[Play with me until my death?]
The golden hawk slightly turned its head, its expression one of bewilderment as it gazed at Cha Eun Xiao, before gradually growing agitated once more. Lowering its head, it let out a grunt, accompanied by more rhythmic wing-flapping.
Cha Eun Xiao was left utterly befuddled by this behavior. [What in the world is happening with this hawk? Why the dramatic change? Isn't it excessively theatrical?]
He attempted to voice something but was lost for words. Even if he spoke, the hawk wouldn't comprehend. So, all he could do was shrug helplessly.
The golden hawk, thoroughly irritated, appeared to be exasperated. [What's going on? Enough with the charades already!]
It strode purposefully toward Cha Eun Xiao, and its elongated beak precisely clamped onto Cha Eun Xiao's right hand.
Cha Eun Xiao was stupefied. [So it doesn't want me... It simply desires my hand... My fate is sealed... I shall become the One-Armed Xiao Monarch... A jest for all the heroes. I shall be the subject of laughter...]
However, he felt no pain in his right hand, as he had anticipated. In fact, his hand remained intact.
The golden hawk was searching within his hand. [You wicked man. You can't communicate in hawk language... I see. Why do you act like a fool...]
Cha Eun Xiao watched, utterly baffled, as the mysterious creature continued its peculiar actions.