Chapter 60

When Zhang Tianyuan returned after washing up, everyone had already prepared everything and was ready to set off. It was morning, the best time to travel. The dew had gradually dissipated, the sun had risen higher, and the weather had become slightly warmer.

"Professor Wang, do you understand those green-haired monsters? Do you think they might appear again?" Zhang Tianyuan asked while they were on the move.

Professor Wang shook his head and said, "I can't be 100% sure, but the green-haired monsters yesterday were probably attracted by the smell of our grilled meat. As long as we are more careful from now on, there shouldn't be any problems."

Although he had experienced such an incident yesterday, he did not lose heart and was still very energetic today.

"Professor Wang, you really don't seem scared at all," Zhang Tianyuan said with a smile.

"Who am I? You are the truly impressive one! You dared to fight that monster bare-handed. It seems that a few years of university life haven't dulled your rural wildness. Not bad, not bad! Nowadays, many rural kids forget their roots after going to university. Sigh," Professor Wang gave Zhang Tianyuan a thumbs up.

Lan Fenghuang also hurriedly said, "That's right. If it weren't for Brother Zhang yesterday, Professor Wang and I might have become the monsters' victims."

After that incident, Lan Fenghuang's impression of Zhang Tianyuan improved even more. If she had previously thought he was just strong and considered it a kind of fate, now her heart was truly moved.

Shelun also sighed, "What happened yesterday was too sudden, even I, a professional soldier, was a bit stunned. You, on the other hand, immediately boosted everyone's morale. If you hadn't been so determined, the outcome yesterday might not have been so good."

Zhang Tianyuan was a bit embarrassed by the praise and quickly humbly responded. He liked being praised, but too much of it was a bit overwhelming.

Fortunately, at this moment, something special happened that drew everyone's attention.

"There's a path ahead!"

Where there is a path, there are people. This basically means that where there is a path, there are people!

The path ahead, though not very wide, was wide enough for a wheelbarrow or a cart to pass through. Three people could walk side by side without much trouble. The road was paved with bluestone, which was the most noticeable. It was hard to believe this wasn't man-made.

"What's that?" Liu Mengxun suddenly exclaimed, running to the front and pointing to a wooden pole by the roadside.

The pole wasn't very thick, about the size of an adult's thigh, and not particularly noteworthy. The key was what was tied to the top of the pole.

"Is that an eagle?" Mou Ying asked.

Shelun looked through his binoculars and nodded, "Yes, it's a goshawk, a relatively large type of eagle. But why is it tied up, and its wings seem to be broken. Who could be so cruel?"

Women are naturally sympathetic. When Liu Mengxun heard Shelun's words, she felt a bit sorry and said, "Why don't we let it down? It will die if we leave it like this."

Of course, Liu Mengxun only spoke; she didn't take any drastic actions, mainly because she didn't want to cause trouble for others. After all, encountering signs of human activity in Shenluo Valley might not be a good thing.

Shelun shook his head, "Let's not. We don't know if this is a local custom. If we rashly try to save the eagle, we might get into trouble. Everyone, be careful. Don't assume everything is fine just because you see signs of human activity. It might be even more dangerous."

As a soldier, he had compassion but also knew that he couldn't act rashly. Otherwise, he might not only fail to save the eagle but also risk his own life, which would be troublesome.

The eagle, seeing people passing by, let out a piercing cry, making everyone feel a bit sorry. But including Liu Mengxun, they all forced themselves to endure and continued walking.

However, perhaps it was fate. Just as everyone was about to walk past, a sudden gust of wind blew, and the wooden pole, which wasn't securely planted, fell down.

Zhang Tianyuan, with his sharp eyes, saw that the pole was falling towards Liu Mengxun. He quickly rushed over, shielding her with his body and using his uninjured arm to block the pole.

Fortunately, he was wearing thick clothes, so the pole didn't injure him. But if it had hit his neck or face, even a hat wouldn't have protected him.

"Are you okay?" Liu Mengxun asked anxiously, fearing that Zhang Tianyuan might be injured.

"I'm fine. Let's take a look at the eagle. Since it has fallen, it's a kind of fate," Zhang Tianyuan smiled and went to check on the eagle.

Fortunately, the eagle was still alive, but its condition was very poor. It was not only severely injured but also seemed to have gone a long time without food, looking very hungry.

Shelun, who was skilled in handling wild animals, untied the rope from the eagle's leg and used a small stick to support its broken wings. Although he wasn't sure if this would help, he felt he had to do his best.

Zhang Tianyuan gently stroked the eagle's head and quietly used the "Bu" technique to channel earth energy to repair the eagle's broken bones and nervous system.

He did it skillfully, not letting the eagle fully recover, but if it was well cared for, it would certainly be able to fly again.

He had two reasons for doing this: one was that he didn't want to scare people. If he had healed it instantly, it would have made everyone suspicious. The other was that he liked the little eagle and didn't want it to fly away. Even if it did, its future was uncertain.

"This is still a young eagle. Who could be so cruel to a little thing like this?" Shelun said, frowning as he treated the eagle's injuries.

Liu Mengxun tried to pick up the eagle, but it suddenly pecked at her, startling her.

Lan Fenghuang, Mou Ying, Xu Gang, and Professor Wang all tried, but the young eagle seemed to recognize none of them, pecking at anyone who approached.

Only Shelun, who was treating its injuries, and Zhang Tianyuan, who had used earth energy to heal it, were not pecked. The eagle even seemed quite affectionate towards them.

"I'm puzzled. It makes sense that the little thing doesn't peck Shelun, since he treated its injuries, but old classmate, what did you do to make it so fond of you?" Mou Ying asked, a bit envious.

Zhang Tianyuan, of course, couldn't tell the truth. He smiled and said, "Maybe it's fate... By the way, is it allowed to keep eagles in our country?"

"Well, strictly speaking, it's not allowed, especially in cities. But in this world, nothing is absolute. As long as you go through the necessary procedures, you can keep an eagle of this size. What do you want to do? Take it back and keep it?" Shelun asked.

"I have that idea. This little thing has a connection with me," Zhang Tianyuan smiled, and the eagle, as if understanding his meaning, even rubbed its face against his.