Eat One?

A sharp whistling split the air!

Several azure feathers shot forth like arrows loosed from powerful bows, tearing through the morning mist as they flew straight at Shen Xiuhan's face.

So fast!

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

Crack! Crack! Crack!

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

Though those tail feathers flew with the force of arrows, they sank only halfway in before becoming lodged in the basket, their ends still buzzing and trembling!

Having missed its strike, the Azure Awl Chicken let out a sharp, piercing cry.

It spread both wings wide and swooped down through the air like a hawk diving upon its prey, its hooked claws aimed straight for Shen Xiuhan's face!

"Good!"

Instead of retreating, Shen Xiuhan surged forward.

Blood and vitality flooded into his right leg, which drew back like a great bow pulled to the full moon. With his instep taut, he lashed out fiercely!

A stone shot skyward like a cannonball, hurtling toward the Azure Awl Chicken!

The beast reacted quickly. Its body dipped in midair, barely slipping past the stone.

Yet that evasive maneuver threw it briefly off balance, and it let out a pained, agitated screech.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck..."

Shen Xiuhan narrowed his eyes and looked closely.

As the beast flapped its left wing, great drops of crimson blood spilled from it.

Its injuries have worsened!

A cold gleam flashed through Shen Xiuhan's eyes!

The blood and vitality throughout his body erupted like boiling water, instantly coursing through both arms.

With a flick of one hand, three pebbles concealed in his palm flew out in a triangular formation.

Gray shadows flashed like lightning, piercing the morning mist!

One pebble flew high, two low, sealing off every route by which it could dodge or retreat.

Visible panic appeared in the Azure Awl Chicken's eyes. Its damaged wing flapped ever more frantically, but it no longer had the strength to evade.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The three pebbles buried themselves precisely in the Azure Awl Chicken's body, kicking up a spray of blood mist!

"Caw!"

The Azure Awl Chicken gave a miserable shriek and crashed to the ground.

Blood spread across the earth, staining the dead grass red.

Yet the beast's ferocity had not faded. Even with its crippled wing broken, it still flapped and spun uselessly on the ground, its dark yellow vertical pupils fixed unblinkingly on Shen Xiuhan.

Had it been an ordinary hunter, seeing his prey grievously wounded and fallen, he would likely have settled his heart by now and stepped forward to beat the dog already in the water.

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 remained patient and held back all this time. At some point, it had crept behind a small hill dozens of paces away, concealing its breath and crouching low, ready to strike.

What an intelligent beast... no wonder it has absorbed the creations of heaven and earth...

Shen Xiuhan inwardly shuddered, but his expression remained unchanged.

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

One step, two steps, three steps.

The lurking Azure Awl Chicken did not move in the slightest, displaying remarkable patience.

Only when Shen Xiuhan was just three steps from it did it finally lose its restraint!

Flutter!

The Azure Awl Chicken suddenly sprang up, violently beating its wings and quivering its tail as it immediately prepared to fire its sharpest azure feathers at Shen Xiuhan.

Unfortunately.

Big Brother Shen had cheats enabled.

Every movement of the Azure Awl Chicken lay plainly before his eyes.

His steps halted, and he flicked one hand!

A great cloud of lime came crashing down over its head, instantly engulfing the Azure Awl Chicken that had just taken flight!

"Cluck, cluck, cluck..."

This noticeably smaller Azure Awl Chicken immediately gave a miserable cry.

Its eyes were seared by the lime, leaving it unable to open them, and its body fell stiffly from the air.

"Perfect!"

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

If the enemy dives from the air to kill you, never retreat. Strike after they do, and use the lower to overcome the higher!

Cloud-Seizing Heaven-Cutting!

His five fingers surged with force as blood and vitality poured into them. Like a true eagle claw reaching through the air, they precisely seized the Azure Awl Chicken's slender neck!

Violent struggling instantly traveled into his palm.

Two black-glinting sharp claws frantically raked at the back of his hand, their strength far surpassing that of the Silver-backed Fish from that day!

A cold glint flashed in Shen Xiuhan's eyes as his five fingers suddenly tightened.

"Crack, crack..."

A series of bones breaking rang out.

The Azure Awl Chicken that had been struggling desperately only moments ago went limp at the neck, its entire body hanging powerless.

"Cluck..."

Not far away, the injured Azure Awl Chicken gave a low, mournful cry, then slowly fell silent as well.

Yet Shen Xiuhan did not rush forward.

With a thought, he waited until the information representing "Azure Awl Chicken" disappeared.

Only then did he step forward and gather the two Azure Awl Chickens together.

He had not noticed it before, but now that the two Treasure Beasts lay before him, Shen Xiuhan immediately sensed the abundant blood and vitality within the Azure Awl Chickens.

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

"What domineering blood and vitality... truly worthy of Treasure Beasts!"

Shen Xiuhan silently praised them, barely suppressing the thought.

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

Treasure Fish were creations of heaven and earth. Eating them carelessly would waste their medicinal potency; the proper method was to combine them with herbs and refine them into pills.

Treasure Beasts were likely much the same.

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

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

But as soon as the thought arose, another problem surfaced in his mind.

A few days ago, merely catching a Silver-backed Fish had nearly brought him a fatal disaster!

And now, without anyone knowing, he had caught two more Treasure Beasts...

Such things might not amount to much in the eyes of great clans.

But to low-ranking martial artists desperate for blood and vitality, they were like a child carrying a gold brick through the marketplace, showing it off to all.

In the entire martial arts school, there were only two or three people Shen Xiuhan could truly trust.

The outer court was crowded and full of prying eyes. There were fellow disciples from ordinary backgrounds, as well as collateral descendants of wealthy and powerful families hidden among them.

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

Should I bring them into the city separately, in batches, after a few days apart?

The thought had barely formed before he rejected it.

His master had said that once spiritual creatures like these died, the blood and vitality in their bodies would rapidly dissipate.

If too much time passed and their medicinal potency scattered, they would be 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 flickering as a bold idea rose from the depths of his heart.

"Why not... make a fire right here and eat one directly?!"

Though eating it this way would waste more than half of its precious medicinal potency.

It would also let him conceal the truth and give himself a plausible explanation!

While out fishing, he had happened to see a strange chicken badly injured as it fell from the sky. Seeing it crash into the mountains, he chased after it and finished it off from afar with a stone...

Perfectly reasonable, right?

As for the smaller Azure Awl Chicken, he could roast it right there.

Though that would waste more than half its blood and vitality, there would still be plenty left.

He would eat half himself.

The rest would be just enough to bring home for Madam Zheng and Momo to nourish their bodies.

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

Treasure Beast meat was rich in blood and vitality, making it perfect for nourishing them.

Of course, ordinary people probably could not handle too much. One leg for each of them would be enough.

Killing three birds with one stone—everyone would be happy!

He acted as soon as he decided.

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

He plucked the Azure Awl Chicken clean of its azure feathers, tore open its belly with his bare hands, removed the innards, then threaded it from head to tail onto a sharpened wooden stick and slowly turned it over the fire.

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

"So fragrant!"