54: Chapter 54: The Emissive Eagle

At this moment, Ye Jing was no longer the kind-looking old man he had been. The fierce aura emanating from him made Zhang Youqiang not dare to show even the slightest hint of defiance.

What he didn't know was that in his youth, Ye Jing had traveled far and wide and was by no means a gentle person; he had only restrained his sharp edges as he grew older, wanting to enjoy his later years in peace.

The rejuvenating effects of the Immortal Willow had not only given him a youthful physique but also meant he no longer needed to wear that facade of gentleness.

"Yes, yes, yes! I will definitely deliver the message! Definitely!" Zhang Youqiang kowtowed repeatedly. "Old Master Ye, please spare my life. I'll leave right now!"

Ye Jing's gaze was as cold as frost. He slowly raised his axe, stepped aside to clear a path, and spat out a single word: "Scram."

Zhang Youqiang felt as if he had been granted a great amnesty. How could he dare to stay a moment longer? He scrambled to his feet, clutching the wound on his chest, and ran out of the woods without looking back.

He only wished his parents had given him two more legs. He sprinted all the way, only stopping to lean against an old willow tree and gasp for breath once he was far enough away to confirm that Ye Jing wasn't chasing him.

At the thought of the gruesome sight of the severed head earlier, his stomach churned, and he couldn't help but squat on the ground and dry heave.

Only when the sound of Zhang Youqiang's footsteps had completely vanished into the night did Ye Jing turn around. His gaze fell back onto Zhang He's corpse in the pool of blood, his brow furrowing slightly.

These two had come to investigate his family's assets on their own initiative, clearly harboring ill intentions. Killing Zhang He was also a clear warning to the Tang Family, letting them know he was not to be trifled with.

He looked around; the small grove was secluded and deserted, so no one would discover what had happened here.

Thus, Ye Jing went home, fetched a hoe, found a hidden spot deep in the woods, dug a hole, and buried Zhang He's body, cleaning up the site completely.

After finishing all this.

Ye Jing stood up. He decided he couldn't just sit around and wait for death any longer.

Since Young Master Tang Shaojie was still hell-bent on coming after him and had even sent people to assassinate him, he wouldn't show any mercy either.

While there was still time, it was better to strike first.

That night, Ye Jing bid farewell to his two daughters-in-law and his son, saying only that he had business in the city, and then left in the horse carriage.

About a few hours later, Ye Jing arrived at Yanggu County.

As soon as he arrived in the city, he immediately went to find Guo Zhengning.

Seeing that it was Ye Jing, Guo Zhengning hurried to invite him into the martial arts hall.

Ye Jing immediately told Guo Zhengning everything that had happened over the past few days. Upon hearing it, Guo Zhengning was instantly enraged.

"That damned Young Master Tang Shaojie! He still hasn't given up!" Guo Zhengning clenched his fists and shouted in anger.

He asked, "Uncle Ye, don't worry. I'll invite Young Master Zhao over right away. We can't let the Tang Family be so arrogant anymore!"

Hearing this, Ye Jing said, "There's no need for Young Master Zhao to step in. I want to ask Director Guo, how much do you know about this young master, Tang Shaojie?"

Guo Zhengning was stunned, then looked at Ye Jing in disbelief. Ye Jing followed with a serious nod.

Guo Zhengning then sucked in a breath of cold air: "Uncle Ye, you really are daring!"

With that, Guo Zhengning said solemnly, "Since Uncle Ye is thinking this way, then I will tell you everything I can."

"This Young Master Tang Shaojie doesn't have many other hobbies; his favorite is hunting in the mountains. He basically sticks to a fixed hunting ground in the forest. At those times, he only has a few attendants with him. If you really want to strike, you might as well wait for him to go hunting."

Hearing this, Ye Jing immediately thought of the White Eagle that had caused his golden spirit rice cultivation to be exposed. Recently, his Mountain Delicacy Chickens had been pecked at by some kind of raptor for several days.

If even a Essence Spirit like Xiao Chi couldn't stop it, then it must be that White Eagle!

A plan suddenly came to Ye Jing's mind.

At night, in the forest where the Ye family raised the Mountain Delicacy Chickens.

A massive White Eagle landed in the woods. Although the Red Fox was quite fearful, it still wanted to rush forward and attack.

The Red Fox was fast, but the White Eagle was even faster, dodging the fox's attack.

It immediately turned to pounce on the Mountain Delicacy Chickens scurrying frantically on the ground. Just as its Sharp Talons were about to touch a Mountain Delicacy Chicken.

A sharp arrow flew over, shooting straight for its claws.

The White Eagle let out a long cry toward the sky, dodged the arrow, and then flew into mid-air, staring at Ye Jing, seemingly very angry.

Ye Jing looked at it, the ground littered with the remains of Mountain Delicacy Chickens, and felt quite helpless: "You've eaten so many of my Mountain Delicacy Chickens; you really are a glutton!"

The White Eagle charged down angrily. In its eyes, this old human had no threat at all and could easily die under its talons.

Seeing that the White Eagle didn't dodge and just charged straight at him, the corners of Ye Jing's mouth curled up slightly.

Was it looking down on him, an old man?

Ye Jing jumped back, his body quickly dodging backward, just barely avoiding the White Eagle's fierce attack.

The White Eagle's talons missed. Its wings flapped violently, and its eagle eyes locked onto Ye Jing, filled with surprise and suspicion.

It probably hadn't expected this old human to have such swift movement techniques.

"It seems you, a Essence Spirit, are a bit more formidable than I thought."

Ye Jing let out a cold laugh and shouted to Xiao Chi nearby, "Xiao Chi! Attack it!"

Xiao Chi, who had been dodged by the White Eagle so many times, immediately rushed up in a rage and bit down on the White Eagle's wing.

Xiao Chi's bite force was incredibly powerful, directly drawing blood from the White Eagle's wing and slamming it heavily to the ground, with faint flames flickering on its body.

"Don't use fire!" Ye Jing hurried to stop it.

Ever since Ye Jing had used fifty points of Immortal Light to tame Xiao Chi, Xiao Chi had gained a skill where flames would sprout from its fur, which was very powerful.

Xiao Chi's Bloodline Awakening skills were: Flame Body and Wisdom.

Flame Body was easy to understand, but Ye Jing didn't quite understand what Wisdom meant.

But Ye Jing didn't want it to scorch the White Eagle's feathers and ruin its coat. How else would it attract that young master of the Tang Family?

The White Eagle let out a series of shrill cries, but Ye Jing immediately threw a rope over it, pressed it hard to the ground, and bound it tightly.

Ye Jing's strength now far exceeded that of ordinary Second-Stage Martial Artists. Combined with the fox Essence Spirit, Xiao Chi, he managed to narrowly subdue the White Eagle.

Ye Jing looked at the White Eagle and saw written above its head: "Low-level Spirit Monster, Snow Eagle, untamed, domestication requires fifty points of Immortal Light."

With time being short and the task heavy, Ye Jing needed to tame it immediately.

So he picked up the Snow Eagle and returned home.

The Snow Eagle was quite heavy; carrying it on his shoulder felt like carrying a small calf.

Seeing Ye Jing carry in a giant eagle, Wu Guiyun and Liu Xianglan were no longer surprised.

Ye Tianyao, however, looked at the eagle curiously: "Grandpa, are you going to tame another beast?"

Ye Jing smiled and said, "Yes, Yaoer. Go tell your mother that I won't be eating dinner tonight. Don't let anyone disturb me!"

Ye Jing hung the White Eagle upside down in his room and then just stared at it.

He prepared to stay up all night with the eagle. This was a method for training eagles he had seen some theatrical troupes use during his travels in the past.

Staying awake with an eagle for a long time without rest to teach it obedience.

Ye Jing was going to have to suffer through it as well.

One night passed, and the White Eagle showed no reaction.

Two nights passed. Ye Jing kept watch with his eyes wide open, gnawing on Mountain Delicacy Chicken.

Having been starved for several days, the eagle began to waver.

After the third night, the White Eagle began to wail.

On the fourth night, the White Eagle's eyes became clear.

Ye Jing struggled to look at the White Eagle; the "tamed" mark appeared above its head.

He also let out a long sigh of relief. If this eagle still hadn't reacted, he would have passed out himself.

Ye Jing didn't hesitate. A wisp of Immortal Light condensed at his fingertip and was directly injected into the Snow Eagle's head.

"Consuming fifty Immortal Light to begin domesticating the Low-level Spirit Monster, Snow Eagle."

The Immortal Light entered its crown and spread through the Snow Eagle's head. It only felt a warm yet majestic power slowly merging into its soul.

Once the Immortal Light had completely entered its body, the Snow Eagle stopped struggling, and its originally fierce eagle eyes became docile.

"Low-level Snow Eagle, domesticated. Skills: Gale Dive, Sharp Talons."

Ye Jing untied the Snow Eagle's rope and stroked its head. The Snow Eagle obediently lowered its head.

Ye Jing took out some previously prepared ointment and applied it to its injured wing.

"From today on, your name is Xiao Yu. Recover well; you'll be of great use in a few days."

The Snow Eagle blinked as if it understood, walked to the corner, curled up, and began to rest silently, with no intention of running away.

For the plan to go smoothly, besides the White Eagle as bait, there was also...

Thinking of this, Ye Jing looked at the row of concealed daggers arranged on the wooden cabinet, each one extremely sharp.

It seemed it was time to try using the flying daggers he had been practicing for so long.