Their goal for the day was to climb Qianran Peak, then observe the terrain of the entire Hundred Beast Valley from above, assess the situation in each area, and then search for places where the monsters might appear based on their habits.

After climbing the mountain for a long time, the forest gradually thinned out from being lush with vegetation. In the pine forest, we saw several pine trees jumping up and down.

The two rested several times before approaching the summit. At this moment, they heard several loud cries. Following the sound, they found a golden eagle circling above a cliff not far away, its cries mournful, and it would occasionally swoop down, indicating that something was in danger at its nest.

They quietly approached the cliff, and upon closer inspection, they saw a large, red-scaled python, as thick as a bowl, coiled around the nest, flicking its tongue at the several bird eggs and the newly hatched chicks.

However, wary of the golden eagles in the sky, they dared not enjoy their meal with peace of mind.

Golden eagles were originally the nemesis of these snakes, but the python's coiled body tightened around the nest, and the eggs were in grave danger. She dared not approach the python easily. The golden eagle's call quickly attracted another golden eagle back, but it was still helpless in the face of the situation.

Although Ajahn wasn't afraid of snakes, he disliked their soft, slippery bodies and felt sorry for the golden eagle family, so he secretly hoped that the golden eagle would win.

The golden eagle that had just returned was noticeably more majestic and fierce, and also larger in size. Its several dives posed a threat to the red python, and the giant python gradually showed signs of retreat as it watched the two golden eagles in the sky.

But this beast also had its own thoughts. It deliberately overturned half of the bird's nest, then slid down the rock face and disappeared into the crevice of the valley.

With a mournful cry, the golden eagle swooped down toward the nest, attempting to save the tilting structure. Fortunately, it arrived in time to prevent it from being completely destroyed.

Little did they know that beneath the bird's nest, a boy had covered a bird's egg with his clothes. It turned out that while Ah Jiang wasn't paying attention, Little Fatty had sneaked under the bird's nest.

"what to do?"

Little Fatty held a bird egg in a daze. The egg was bluish-white with faint yellow lines, and there was a life force emanating from it, as if it was about to hatch.

A-Jiang tapped him on the head: "You dared to go and pick up such a dangerous mountain road? Are you out of your mind? What if that python fell on your head? That golden eagle might even gouge out your eyes if it sees you."

He shrank back, looking aggrieved: "I didn't think that much at the time, and the golden eagle was pitiful."

A-Jiang tried to change his mind: "Then think about it from another angle. When this golden eagle grows up, it will also eat cute little rabbits. Isn't the rabbit mother pitiful?"

He thought for a moment and nodded.

"That's right. We humans have more advantages and stronger abilities than animals, but we can't arbitrarily interfere or try to save anything from a certain perspective. Nature has its own rules."

Little Fatty, holding the bird egg, asked, "What about this one?"

“Take it back to the academy. The golden eagle will be even more anxious about its nest now, and we probably can’t get close. Besides, if you don’t save it, it’s already broken. So from now on, you’ll be responsible for this bird egg.”

Little Fatty held the bird eggs, his eyes filled with joy.

Ajahn felt he really liked the golden eagle family, and since they had indeed formed this bond, it was a good thing.

The two chatted and laughed as they walked down the mountain.

Before they had gone far, Little Fatty stopped in surprise, looking at the bird eggs in his hand.

It shook a few times, and a sound came from inside.

With a "snap," the egg was pecked open.

The opening continued to widen, and a bird's head emerged from it, its round eyes surveying the outside.

It slowly crawled out of the eggshell, rested briefly, then shook its tiny body and tried to stand up. It took a few unsteady steps, each step revealing the fragility and courage of newborn life, which amazed Ji Yi.

Looking at the little guy, A Jiang said, "The 'General Knowledge of Spirit Beasts' says that some special monsters have ancient bloodlines. As they advance, their bloodlines will awaken and develop into various strange beasts. Your little golden eagle looks very impressive; it might become very powerful in the future."

Ji Yi was too busy laughing to pay any attention to what she was saying.

Ah Jiang nudged him: "It's time to go back and eat."

"Oh, okay, by the way, what does this little bird want to eat? It's hungry too."

"These golden eagles are very fierce. I heard that there was a Garuda (Golden-Winged Eagle) by Buddha's side. In the past, it ate people, city after city!"

A-Jiang deliberately exaggerated, continuing, "These young birds probably have a small appetite. At first, feeding them a finger or a piece of meat should be enough. But once they grow up, they'll eat people. I doubt the entire Zhaoxian Taoist Academy could feed them even once."

Ji Yi looked at A Jiang with tears welling up in her eyes, appearing utterly devastated: "Is this real? How could this happen!"

"Of course it's true. Would I make up a story to lie to you? So you need to think it over carefully. Do you want to cut off the fingers of your left hand or your right hand today?"

After saying that, A Jiang deliberately glanced at Ji Yizi's fingers, as if trying to help him figure out which one to cut.

Ji Yi's hand trembled as she stared at him, and the little bird fell to the ground. Fortunately, A Jiang caught it quickly, otherwise the newly hatched bird would have gone to see Buddha.

Seeing that Ji Yi was about to cry, A Jiang didn't dare to frighten him anymore and hurriedly said, "Then you can take him as a spirit pet and order him not to eat people but only insects, wouldn't that be fine?"

"That's fine then, but is it a spirit beast?"

"Give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll wait until it's a bit bigger. Let's take it back first."

Unexpectedly, I ran into two classmates in the mountains and forests.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!