Eat One?

The sound of something ripping through the air suddenly rang out!

Several azure feathers, like arrows shot from powerful bows and crossbows, tore through the morning mist and shot straight toward Shen Xiuhan's face.

So fast!

Shen Xiuhan's pupils contracted. Without thinking, he swung the fish basket from his back around in front of him.

Clack, clack, clack!

The freshly woven bamboo strips had been soaked in water and were extraordinarily resilient.

Although the few tail feathers came with the force of flying arrows, they only pierced halfway in before becoming lodged in the basket. Their tips still vibrated with a buzzing hum!

Its attack had missed, and the Azure Awl Chicken let out a sharp, piercing cry.

It spread its wings wide and swooped down from the air like a goshawk diving on prey. Its talons were hooked claws, reaching straight for Shen Xiuhan's face!

"Just what I wanted!"

Shen Xiuhan advanced instead of retreating.

His qi and blood surged into his right leg. Like a great bow drawn into a full moon, it arched high behind him, his instep taut as he kicked out violently!

A stone shot into the sky like a cannonball, hurtling straight toward the Azure Awl Chicken!

The beast's reaction was not slow. Its body dipped in midair, barely brushing past the stone.

But that evasive move caused its body to lose balance and sway for a moment. At the same time, it let out a pained and frantic hiss:

"Coo, coo, coo..."

Shen Xiuhan narrowed his eyes and looked carefully.

As the beast flapped its left wing, large drops of scarlet blood spilled down.

Its injuries have worsened!

A cold glint flashed in Shen Xiuhan's eyes!

The qi and blood throughout his body exploded like boiling water, surging through both arms in an instant.

He raised one hand. Three pebbles secretly held in his palm flew out in a triangular formation.

Gray shadows flashed like lightning, piercing through the morning mist!

The three pebbles—one above and two below—sealed off every path the bird could use to maneuver or retreat.

Visible panic spread across the Azure Awl Chicken. Its injured wing beat more desperately, but it no longer had the strength to dodge.

Puff, puff, puff!

The three pebbles sank precisely into the Azure Awl Chicken's body, carrying a spray of blood mist with them!

"Caw!"

The Azure Awl Chicken let out a shrill, tragic cry and crashed to the ground.

Blood seeped outward, staining the withered grass red.

But the beast's ferocity had not faded. Even with its injured wing broken, it still flapped and spun futilely on the ground, its dark-yellow vertical pupils staring fixedly at Shen Xiuhan.

Had it been an ordinary hunter, seeing his prey gravely wounded and fallen, he would probably have been relieved by now and prepared to beat a drowning dog.

But Shen Xiuhan had long known there were two Azure Awl Chickens here.

His gaze shifted slightly.

He caught sight of the Azure Awl Chicken that had endured in silence all this time. At some point, it had crept behind a small mound dozens of paces away, holding its breath as it crouched there, ready to strike.

What a clever beast... It truly lives up to one that has absorbed the workings of Heaven and Earth...

Shen Xiuhan felt a chill in his heart, but his face remained impassive.

Pretending not to notice a thing, he strode toward the injured one.

One step, two steps, three steps.

The hidden Azure Awl Chicken did not move at all. Its patience was astonishing.

Only when Shen Xiuhan was three steps away did it finally lose control!

Flap, flap!

The Azure Awl Chicken suddenly burst up. Its wings beat fiercely and its tail trembled. The moment it rose, it intended to shoot its sharpest azure feather at Shen Xiuhan.

Unfortunately.

Brother Shen had cheats.

Every movement of the Azure Awl Chicken fell clearly within his sight.

He halted and raised one hand!

A great cloud of lime crashed down over the Azure Awl Chicken, enveloping it the instant it took flight!

"Coo, coo, coo..."

This Azure Awl Chicken, clearly a size smaller, immediately let out a shrill, tragic cry.

Its eyes were seared by the lime and could not open. Its body went rigid as it fell from the air.

"What an opportunity!"

Shen Xiuhan's eyes lit up. Xu Chuan's words suddenly flashed through his mind:

If an enemy swoops down from the air to kill, never retreat. Strike after they move and overcome them from below!

"Cloud-Seizing Heaven-Cutting"!

His five fingers sprang open as qi and blood flooded into them. Like the claws of a true eagle reaching through the air, they clamped precisely around the Azure Awl Chicken's slender neck!

A violent struggle instantly surged through his palm.

Two talons gleaming with dark light clawed frantically at the back of his hand. Their strength far exceeded that of the Silver-backed Fish he had encountered that day!

A cold gleam flashed through Shen Xiuhan's eyes, and his five fingers suddenly tightened.

"Crack-crack-crack..."

A series of bone-breaking sounds rang out.

The Azure Awl Chicken, which had still been struggling desperately a moment ago, suddenly had its neck flop limply. Its entire body hung down without strength.

"Coo..."

Not far away, the injured Azure Awl Chicken let out a low, mournful cry, then gradually fell silent as well.

Shen Xiuhan did not hurry over.

His thoughts stirred. Only after confirming that the information representing "Azure Awl Chicken" had disappeared did he move.

He walked over and gathered the two Azure Awl Chickens together.

He had not noticed it earlier, but now that the two treasure beasts lay before him, Shen Xiuhan immediately sensed the abundant qi and blood within their bodies.

His stomach was clearly not hungry, yet an inexplicable urge arose to roast and eat one of them on the spot.

"What overbearing qi and blood... No wonder it's a treasure beast!"

Shen Xiuhan praised it inwardly, barely suppressing the impulse.

His second senior brother, Xu Chuan, had mentioned it before.

Treasure Fish were creations of Heaven and Earth. Eating them casually would waste their medicinal power. The proper method was to supplement them with medicinal herbs and refine them into pills before taking them.

The same should probably apply to treasure beasts.

Shen Xiuhan decided to take them back to the martial arts school and ask his master whether they could be refined into qi-and-blood pills.

If that truly worked, he would not have to worry about cultivation resources for some time.

But as soon as that thought arose, another problem surfaced.

A few days ago, he had caught one Silver-backed Fish and nearly invited disaster upon himself!

Now, he had quietly caught two treasure beasts as well...

These things might not be worth mentioning to the great lineages.

But to lower-level martial artists desperate for qi and blood, they were undoubtedly like a child parading a gold brick through a busy marketplace!

There were only two or three people in the entire martial arts school whom Shen Xiuhan could trust.

The outer court was crowded and full of prying eyes. It contained both fellow disciples from ordinary backgrounds and branch descendants of wealthy and powerful clans hidden among them.

Shen Xiuhan did not dare gamble on how they would react if they learned of this.

How about... bringing them into the city in separate batches, with some time between them?

The thought had barely arisen when he rejected it.

His master had said that once such spiritual creatures died, the qi and blood within them would rapidly dissipate.

After enough time passed, their medicinal power would be completely gone, leaving them no different from ordinary birds.

Then what should he do?

A moment later.

Shen Xiuhan stared at the two Azure Awl Chickens on the ground. His eyes flickered as a bold thought rose from the depths of his heart.

"Why not... make a fire right here and eat one on the spot?!"

Although eating it this way would waste most of its precious medicinal power,

it would also let him conceal the truth and give him a perfectly reasonable explanation!

While he was out fishing, he had happened to see a strange chicken with severe injuries fall from the sky. He had watched it crash into the mountains, chased after it, and finished it off from a distance with stones...

That sounded perfectly reasonable, right?

As for the smaller Azure Awl Chicken, he could simply roast it on the spot.

Although most of its qi and blood would be wasted, plenty would still remain, wouldn't it?

He would eat half.

The rest would be just enough to take home and nourish Madam Zheng and Momo.

Although the mother and daughter had not lacked food or drink lately, their bodies had been depleted for years, and ordinary food restored them too slowly.

The flesh of a treasure beast was brimming with qi and blood, making it perfect for nourishment.

Of course, ordinary people probably could not bear to eat too much. One leg each would be enough.

That would accomplish three things with one stone, making everyone happy!

Once he decided to act, Shen Xiuhan acted at once.

Shen Xiuhan gathered some dry branches into a woodpile and lit them.

He plucked away all the azure feathers from the Azure Awl Chicken, tore open its abdomen with his bare hands, removed the organs, then threaded a sharpened wooden stick from head to tail and set it over the fire to roast slowly.

In less than half an hour, the aroma of meat filled the air and drifted away on the wind.

"It smells so good!"