HLnovel Chapter 351 Live Animal Training: Heading to the Gobi Desert
Chapter 351 Live Animal Training: Heading to the Gobi Desert
At that time, most people in the village grew corn. The old hunter's sharp eyes spotted the rabbit's tracks. The rabbit nimbly darted through the cornfield, trying to escape under the cover of the crops.
The experienced hunters, relying on the swaying of the crops, would pinpoint the hiding place of wild rabbits and pull the trigger. The gunshot would ring out, often followed by a piercing scream. Villagers working bent over in the cornfields were often accidentally wounded.
An old hunter's life is always accompanied by unknown dangers; even chasing a weak, helpless, and injured rabbit can lead to a series of unexpected disasters.
Something happened in the village back then: an unlucky rabbit accidentally fell into a long-forgotten dry well on the edge of the village. The well was only two or three meters above the ground.
At this moment, Uncle Lu, the third son of the Lu family, with his impatient nature, gripped his hunting rifle, his eyes burning with the fervor of a hunt. He held the weathered rifle tightly, aimed the muzzle at the rabbit at the bottom of the dry well, and fired. A deafening gunshot rang out, but fate seemed to be playing a cruel joke.
The steel balls fired from the homemade hunting rifle encountered the hard stone wall in the narrow space at the bottom of the well and bounced back, striking Uncle Lu's arm squarely. Instantly, he let out a piercing scream, and then, with the villagers' frantic help, he was taken to the village clinic.
The incident quickly spread throughout the village, becoming a topic of conversation and inspiring Sun Quande. He spontaneously composed a catchy rhyme to mock the Lu family for hunting rabbits, only to end up hitting their own relatives and fellow villagers – a perfect example of "rabbit eating rabbit meat, rabbit flavor."
Hearing his explanation, Chen Xiangqian broke out in a cold sweat. He patted his head, no longer daring to joke, and obediently put on a respectful expression, following Li Ju'an to visit the falconer, Master Zhao.
As the barking of dogs rang out, an old man came out of the house carrying a large bag; this was Old Man Zhao.
Li Ju'an noticed that Old Master Zhao only kept one dog, and there was no eagle perched on his back.
“Master Zhao, we were introduced by Zhao Pao. We want to learn some eagle training techniques.”
He explained his purpose, but Old Master Zhao, who was hard of hearing, had to listen several times before he understood. He stared at the two falcons perched on Li Ju'an's arm, praising them repeatedly, and waved his hand happily, saying, "What skill is that? Just messing around when I was young."
He warmly invited the two into the house, brought out stools, and poured hot tea.
The old man was very talkative. Li Ju'an had initially thought he looked to be in his early sixties from the doorway, but upon asking, he learned that Grandpa Zhao was actually 85 years old.
This startled the two of them.
Chen Xiangqian cautiously winked at Li Ju'an and said, "Goodness, this is even older than my great-grandfather."
Seeing that Li Ju'an was so focused on eagle training, Grandpa Zhao stopped beating around the bush and spoke frankly: "Our old man is an expert at eagle training. In the end, the essence of eagle training lies in wearing down its wildness and making it recognize you as its master, just like training a horse."
Having said that, his gaze casually swept over the two eagles perched steadily on Li Ju'an's arm, then gestured for Li Ju'an to demonstrate. Li Ju'an understood immediately, gently untying the thin iron chains wrapped around the eagles' legs, and then whistled. The whistle was clear and rhythmic.
As the whistle sounded, the two falcons seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, instantly spreading their wings and soaring into the sky. They flew under the azure sky, their sharp eyes piercing through layers of clouds, locking onto every inch of the land below, occasionally letting out high-pitched and loud cries.
Chen Xiangqian said proudly, "Uncle Zhao, Li Pao has only been training eagles for less than a month, and he can already make the eagles catch live prey. He's really capable."
Grandpa Zhao squinted at the two falcons flying crookedly in the sky, smiled and said, "It's still early, we've only just begun."
Training a hawk is difficult, and there are many more challenges to follow. It's about how to make the hawk work in perfect harmony with its owner until it can accurately capture prey, and then teaching it to follow the rules and not to greedily share the spoils.
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Zhao nodded slightly, already having a rough idea of Li Ju'an's falconry skills. He gestured for Li Ju'an to recall the two eagles soaring in the sky.
As Li Ju'an whistled softly, a melodious tune pierced the air. After a few breaths, the two falcons returned, slightly unsteady. This scene brought a smile to Grandpa Zhao's lips.
He already had a plan in mind, so he turned and went into the backyard, bringing out a female pheasant that had been imprisoned for several days. This pheasant, which he had captured himself a few days ago, was now becoming a key player in testing Li Ju'an's eagle-taming skills.
He had caught the pheasant a few days ago, and Li Ju'an and Chen Xiangqian found it quite unusual. Sometimes hunters would specifically hunt live prey, especially females, and keep them in their backyards.
This pheasant was raised by Grandpa Zhao for a while. He had to start training it from a young age, feeding it, and getting it used to receiving food from people. Only after the pheasant was trained and accustomed to this could it be released into the mountains.
This female pheasant's call in the mountains attracts a group of male pheasants.
Grandpa Zhao shouted, "Li Pao, release the hawk!"
Li Ju'an seized the fleeting opportunity and gently waved his hand, releasing two well-trained falcons into the sky. These two falcons, having undergone countless trials with live prey, possessed the keen senses of cheetahs for even the slightest movement, especially towards the noisy flock of pheasants, their eyes gleaming with an uncontrollable hunting fire.
Hunger made every feather of these two falcons yearn for the blood of their prey.
Just then, Grandpa Zhao's deep voice pierced the air: "What are you all standing there for? It's going to bite!"
At low altitude, a majestic male pheasant flaps its wings, vying with another for the attention of a female pheasant. Its arrogance undoubtedly makes it the perfect target in the eyes of a falcon.
Almost simultaneously, two dark shadows streaked across the sky, locking onto their target with pinpoint accuracy. Two falcons, one on the left and one on the right, each seized a wing of the male pheasant, pulling it upwards like in a tug-of-war, their sharp beaks already slightly open, gleaming with a cold light, poised to strike.
Li Ju'an blew his whistle at the opportune moment, a language only he and the falcons could understand. As the whistle faded, the two falcons had already firmly grasped the unfortunate male pheasant under their claws, but hadn't yet made a move to bite it.
Urged on by his loud whistle, the two falcons reluctantly released their beaks, flew back, and brought back two male pheasants, which landed on his arm.