Chapter 170 Black Feather
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The sound of bowstrings rang out.
The arrow flashed a cold light in the air, and the big bird circling in the air fell down, flapping its wings, and fell into the grass not far away as fast as a stone.
"Wow, it really hit the target!"
Shen Yuexi jumped up with joy, not forgetting to give Xiao Zhuo a thumbs-up to express her admiration, and then ran towards where the bird had fallen. Qiang Lin led several secret guards and followed behind her.
Xiao Zhuo looked at her jumping figure, his lips curled up slightly, and he handed the bow to Qiu Liming who was standing behind him.
It's been a full week since I left Xiaogang Village and headed west. Since yesterday, I've been seeing these birds flying in groups of two or three, over the trees ahead and heading west.
Chen Yuexi, bored by the journey, became interested in these birds. However, they flew too high to see clearly what kind of birds they were, so she urged Xiao Zhuo to show off his archery skills and shoot one down for her...to have a snack.
It’s too monotonous to eat noodles and dried meat every day.
In the past, to protect increasingly scarce wildlife, every country had strict laws. Even universal manufacturing machines had built-in legal query modules, prohibiting the arbitrary harm of animals.
For Shen Yuexi, who is a foodie, occasionally tasting wild game is also a kind of reward for herself.
She ran to the grass and the big bird had stopped flapping its wings. Xiao Zhuo's arrow accurately pierced its bare neck.
The bird was even larger than a domestic rooster. Unlike other birds, it had no hair on its neck and its head was completely bald, making it look quite ugly. Only a circle of fluffy brown feathers surrounded the base of its neck, like a scarf.
"What's the name of this bird?" Shen Yuexi squatted in front of it and thought hard.
She wasn't a zoologist, and spent most of her time inventing in the lab. She remembered seeing this ugly bird, but couldn't remember its name.
"Master, step back." Qiang Lin's voice sounded behind her, "This bird is extremely poisonous."
"Poisonous?" Shen Yuexi was a little unconvinced, but still stood up obediently and took a step back.
Qiang Lin was from Xirong, so he must have known something about this bird. She turned to look at Qiang Lin and said, "Qiang Lin, what's the name of this bird?"
"Vulture," Qiang Lin replied, drawing his sword and moving forward to poke the bird's body with the tip of the sword. "Master, there's a powerful poison in the vulture's body that can even dissolve our swords. So don't get close. Let me see if there's any venom leaking out first."
Shen Yuexi gasped, "So powerful?"
She couldn't recall any poison that could dissolve metal; only strong acid could do that. Could Qiang Lin be talking about poison?
"Master, please look."
After Qiang Lin finished the inspection, he bent down and pulled the feather arrow out of the vulture's neck and showed it to Shen Yuexi.
As he said, part of the arrow shaft had turned black.
"It seems I can't eat it." Shen Yuexi stuck out her tongue.
This bird has so much poison in its body, what if it gets poisoned? She doesn't want to die young.
Qiang Lin threw away the feather arrow and said to Shen Yuexi, "Even if my master wants to eat it, he can't. The meat of the vulture is too hard to chew. We Xirong people will not touch this kind of bird unless it is absolutely necessary."
Shen Yuexi thought, then let Daxiong make a pressure cooker. Is there any meat that can’t be cooked?
She glanced at the sword slung around Qiang Lin's waist.
There was no iron ore here for her to squander. If she wanted to make a pressure cooker, she had no idea where to get the raw materials for the sealing rings and other parts. Besides, she had no idea how many knives she would need... Forget it, she decided to go back and eat some bread.
"Since Qianglin said we can't eat it, let's go back." She stood up and walked back.
Qiang Lin waved to the secret guards around him, signaling everyone to follow their master.
As they walked, Shen Yuexi asked, "Since yesterday, I've been able to see these vultures flying overhead. I don't know how many have flown by. Where are they going?"
"They are looking for food." Qiang Lin followed her three feet away.
"Food?" Shen Yuexi stopped and looked at the sky above her head where several vultures flew by. "What do they eat?"
"carrion."
"Carrion... birds that eat carrion." Shen Yuexi looked towards the west. "What's that place over there?"
"We're almost in Leshan County."
Shen Yuexi was stunned for a moment, then quickened her pace back to the front of the convoy and said to Xiao Zhuo, "Husband, how about we rest after we pass the woods ahead? We're almost at Leshan."
When the 100,000-strong Western Rong army besieged Leshan, Xiao Zhuo led 9,000 cavalrymen to rescue the King of Western Liang. This was the battlefield between the two sides. She had already anticipated the scene ahead.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhuo looked up at the woods to the west, which were not too far away, and said to Qiu Liming:
"The convoy will continue to move forward and rest after passing the woods."
The convoy set off again, passing through the woods.
Shen Yuexi sat in the carriage, feeling uneasy. As soon as she passed through the woods, she ordered the driver to stop the carriage, opened the door, and jumped out.
Several vultures took off from the ground near the carriage, chirping and flying into the distance.
They had just been fighting over the remains of a dead horse, the flesh of which had been gnawed away by the vultures, leaving only bones caked with brown blood and a saddle scattered on the ground.
The air was thick with the smell of decay. Shen Yuexi covered her mouth and nose as she stood on a high slope, her eyes wide open, staring in shock at the scene before her.
Under the gray sky, countless vultures circled in the air, and from a distance they looked like a flurry of black feathers flying all over the sky.
In the distance, the ground was dotted with swarms of vultures, their wings flapping as they fought, stirring up clouds of dust. As far as the eye could see, the ground was littered with corpses and the skeletons of dead horses. Armor and weapons reflected the sun's rays. The armor belonged to both the Western Liang and Western Rong armies.
A brutal battle had taken place here, and the corpses scattered across the ground attracted countless vultures.
At some point, Xiao Zhuo stood beside her.
Shen Yuexi rested her head on Xiao Zhuo's chest: "I don't want to watch it anymore."
Every corpse on the battlefield represents the destruction of a family. She had also experienced many battles and was mentally prepared, but she was still shocked by the scene before her.
Xiao Zhuo gently stroked her long hair: "When King Doma sent cavalry here, we fought here."
Shen Yuexi looked up at Xiao Zhuo in surprise.
The cold wind blew his black hair, and his eyes drooped on his jade-white face, his long eyelashes trembling slightly. His thin lips were pressed into a line.
Everything in front of him seemed to have no effect on the man.
However, the tragedy here was caused by him alone.
"The enemy has 20,000 cavalrymen, and we have 9,000. Either they die or I die," Xiao Zhuo said in a deep voice, "If anything unexpected happens, you can find me here today..."
Shen Yuexi put her hand over his mouth and said, "Don't say such unlucky things. War is a life-and-death struggle. I'm not a child, I understand."
When two armies fight, there is no time to show mercy to anyone except fighting to the death.
Having experienced so many battles, she already understood the cruelty of war.
Xiao Zhuo whispered, "Do you regret following me?"
Shen Yuexi shook her head: "No. I hope that one day, my husband can let everyone live a peaceful life."
War was clearly not something that could be achieved by either side. If they truly wanted to bring peace to this chaotic world, Xiao Zhuo was someone capable of doing it, and Xiao Beiheng might be able to do it as well. However, in her opinion, Xiao Beiheng was far too cruel.
Xiao Zhuo had also made such a move before, nearly killing 5,000 surrendered soldiers. But she would not allow him to continue. As Xiao Zhuo's wife, she would never watch her husband become a tyrant.
Xiao Zhuo nodded and said, "As the Crown Prince of Great Yan, all the people in the world are my subjects. Naturally, I must pacify the troubled times and comfort all living beings."
At this time, Doctor Hua, supported by two secret guards, also stood on the high slope.
Doctor Hua also came along on this trip to Yongwei. Firstly, Dr. Hua was a skilled doctor, and Shen Yuexi needed him. Secondly, he also happened to be going to Yongwei to check on Mei Pu's recovery.
Doctor Hua asked Hua Duoduo to arrange for his wife and children to stay in Xiaogang Village, and he came happily.
"The King of Xiliang is truly...sigh." Doctor Hua looked at the corpse-strewn battlefield and shook his head repeatedly. "He was besieged at the time, and it's understandable that he escaped and retreated to Yongwei. Now that the battle is over, he hasn't sent anyone to collect the bodies, but is busy arranging the Crown Prince's wedding."
It was obvious from his words that he was extremely disappointed with the King of Xiliang.
Shen Yuexi thought so too.
Is such a person really qualified to rule Xiliang?
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