The goshawk also noticed Lu Xunguang, this "uninvited guest". Its pair of sharp yellow hawk eyes fixed on the long stick in his hand, and all its feathers fluffed up.
It loosened its claws from the swiftlet it had been firmly stepping on. The swiftlet tilted and fell off the cliff. Li Ying almost let out a startled cry of "Ouch". Afraid of scaring the hawk and distracting Lu Xunguang, she gritted her teeth and tightly covered her mouth.
Thankfully, the swiftlet had a strong will to survive. Even though one of its wings was damaged, it still flapped and flew up clumsily, then managed to drill back into its nest and shelter the little fledglings under its body.
The bird's nest was safe, and Li Ying let out a sigh of relief. She held her breath and watched intently as Lu Xunguang fought with the goshawk.
He grabbed the vine with one hand and waved the somewhat clumsy wooden stick with the other, hitting the hawk's head vigorously. The stick whistled through the air.
While the hawk was fully focused on dealing with the stick, Lu Xunguang saw the right moment. He quietly took out another vine he had prepared in advance from his bosom and threw it straight at one of the hawk's claws!
The hawk's claw stepped right into the noose. This noose was specially made. The more it struggled, the tighter it would be tied.
Lu Xunguang yanked hard, and the noose tightened. The goshawk was caught off guard. It let out a plaintive cry, its wings stiff as stones, and it plunged straight down.
This goshawk, weighing over a hundred catties, had an irresistible downward force. Before Li Ying could even get excited about Lu Xunguang subduing the raptor, she saw him stagger and then fall off the cliff with the hawk!
"Lu Xunguang!"
Li Ying didn't care about anything else. She hugged Mao Mao tightly and rushed straight to the cliff edge!
"A Ying... I'm... fine... sorry to make you worried..."
Lu Xunguang's intermittent voice came from below the mountain.
Thank goodness.
At the critical moment, he was quick - witted. He drew out the dagger hidden in his boot and stabbed it hard into the cliff wall, barely managing to stabilize his falling momentum.
Li Ying held onto the vine tightly, her eyes red with anxiety. Lu Xunguang grabbed the vines and the protrusions on the rocks, then took a deep breath and climbed up steadily step by step.
"A Ying..."
Before he could say anything else, Li Ying threw herself into his arms. Her usually bright and gentle voice now had a sob in it.
"Lu Xunguang! Do you know how worried I was about you!"
Just now, when she saw him fall off the cliff, she truly understood what it felt like for the blood in her whole body to freeze instantly.
"A Ying, don't be afraid... I just wanted to get that bird's nest for you..."
Lu Xunguang stroked her temples and coaxed her gently.
The charming girl in his arms was sobbing and shrugging her shoulders. Her little hands were as cold as if they had been frozen in the coldest winter, without a trace of warmth.
She looked up at him seriously and said word by word.
"The bird's nest is indeed precious, and I do love money. But those worldly possessions are not worth a fraction of you! Lu Xunguang, I don't want you to take risks for these unimportant things."
"I'm afraid of losing you."
She didn't hide her panic at all. Lu Xunguang was stunned for a moment, and then a bright light shone in his eyes.
"It's my fault, A Ying. I won't take risks and make you worried anymore. I promise you'll never lose me."
The two were so tender and affectionate that it seemed as if everything in the world had become a passing cloud. There was only each other in their eyes.
Mao Mao looked at them disdainfully as they were being so intimate. It stretched out its fluffy little paw and patted Li Ying's calf with its paw pad.
Only then did Li Ying notice that there was the bird's nest from the cliff in the little cat's mouth. The whole family of swiftlets were huddled inside, shivering.
Mao Mao loosened its sharp little teeth, put the bird's nest on the ground, and pushed it towards Li Ying's feet. Its proud little cat face was beaming, obviously waiting for Li Ying's praise.
Li Ying couldn't help but laugh.
She had been worrying about how to deal with this family of swiftlets, but now, thanks to Mao Mao, it was all taken care of.
She let go of Lu Xunguang, helplessly stroked Mao Mao's head, and then bent down to check the swiftlet's injury.
Thankfully, it was just a wing injury. With careful care, it should be able to recover.
Lu Xunguang tore off a piece of his clothes, and Mao Mao also brought back a mouthful of herbs. Li Ying carefully bandaged the swiftlet's wound, and even split two small twigs to make a strange - looking splint for the broken bone in its wing.
This family of swiftlets consisted of either fledglings or the injured. After being "raided" by Mao Mao, they probably wouldn't survive for two days if they stayed here. Li Ying thought for a moment and made up her mind.
Take them back to the village and raise them!
No one knew how Mao Mao "communicated" with the swiftlet couple, but after this little kitten meowed a few times proudly, the swiftlets stopped chirping. They were as docile as hand - raised birds that had been domesticated since childhood. They rubbed their little heads against Li Ying's hand.
Under the cover of her sleeve, Li Ying hid the bird's nest in her space for safekeeping. Lu Xunguang noticed something strange but said nothing, pretending not to see.
After everything was settled, the two took out some dried meat and tea from their backpacks and gobbled them up.
Mao Mao also got a chicken leg. It pressed the bone with one little paw and ate it with great enjoyment.
This trip had been too thrilling. Li Ying only took two bites and was full. She stood up, thinking that since they had explored a new area, they should check if there were any spices or crops that could be transplanted on this island.
Not far away, the goshawk that had attacked the swiftlets and Lu Xunguang still had the noose tightly tied around its ankle. Maybe it had been injured when climbing the cliff, and its feathers were in a mess. It looked rather embarrassed.
It was lying on the ground, its proud and unruly hawk eyes glaring at Li Ying disdainfully.
Mao Mao let out a "meow" and rushed over, showing its sharp little cat claws and mercilessly punching it.
"This hawk hasn't eaten for a few days, A Ying. You might as well try feeding it some strips of meat. If it's willing to eat, there's a chance to tame it."
Lu Xunguang stood beside her and explained in a low voice.
Li Ying looked at the sharp and shiny hawk's beak. She was a bit eager but also a little nervous.
Lu Xunguang saw her timidity. He smiled slightly, held her little hand, tore off two strips of chicken meat, and tentatively offered them to the hawk's beak.
This eight - treasure roasted chicken was specially prepared by Li Ying before they set off.
The dried mushrooms and black fungus were stir - fried with sesame oil and then stuffed into the chicken belly with scallions and ginger. The chicken was roasted until golden and shiny. The unique freshness of the mushrooms permeated every strand of the meat. It smelled delicious as soon as it came out of the oven.
The hawk had been hungry for several days and had no fat in its belly. Now that it smelled such a strong aroma, how could it resist its foraging instinct?
With Mao Mao slapping it from time to time to encourage it, even though it was proud - tempered, it finally couldn't resist the temptation and obediently swallowed the meat strips.