Chapter 968: Beginning the Eagle Training

The first to put down their spoons were the two younger sisters. Wang Xiaomei said

"I'm done eating. It's so salty it hurts my throat."

Wang Xiaoli also put her spoon down and said

"I don't want to eat any more either. It's way too sweet."

After the two young girls finished speaking, they turned and ran outside.

Immediately after, Wang Yi and Wang An also put down their spoons; they clearly couldn't eat any more either.

It was exactly as Wang An had expected. Although honey tastes good, if you eat too much of it, you'll feel cloyingly sick.

Of course, while the four of them couldn't eat any more, Mu Xueqing hadn't had enough. She asked Wang An and Wang Yi with a strange look

"Honey is so delicious, why can't you two eat any more?"

Watching Mu Xueqing continue to stuff honey into her mouth, Wang An and Wang Yi shook their heads and said

"We're done. You eat it yourself."

He had to admit that when Mu Xueli said her eldest sister loved honey the most, she wasn't wrong at all.

After finishing the honey, just as Wang An was pondering whether to cast a few nets for fish to throw into the pond or to do something else, he suddenly remembered that there was a major task that needed to be put on the agenda now.

That major task was training Da Jin, Xiao Jin, Da Cang, and Xiao Cang.

One must realize that these four eagles were key to whether he could catch Hanging Sheep in the future and thus drink Hanging Sheep blood.

It had been nearly three months—two and a half months to be precise—since Wang An had brought back these two Goshawks and two Golden Eagles.

Consequently, the four eagles had fully grown into adolescents. In other words, they were completely ready to start trying to learn how to fly and undergo training.

Because they had been eating Spirit-Opening Powder since they were small, and because Wang An had consistently followed the methods described on the silk cloth—communicating with them and cultivating a bond whenever he had time—these four eagles now possessed human-like emotions and could understand some simple commands.

For example, if Wang An gave a whistle, the four little fellows knew he was summoning them and would flap their wings and run toward him.

For example, if Wang An said "down," they would crouch on the ground.

To be honest, Wang An felt that raising eagles wasn't much different from raising cats or dogs.

Going to the storehouse, he tied two pieces of leather he had prepared onto his shoulders, placed Da Jin and Xiao Jin upon them, and then grabbed Da Cang in one hand and Xiao Cang in the other. Wang An strolled over to the old courtyard.

In truth, the ones Wang An most wanted to train were Da Jin and Xiao Jin, because only the strength of Golden Eagles could seize larger prey like Hanging Sheep or foolish roe deer.

As for the Goshawks, they didn't grow very large even after reaching adulthood; they could only catch things like foolish half-chickens, rabbits, or flying dragons.

Put simply, the reason Wang An raised Goshawks was nothing more than for fun; their actual utility wasn't very great.

Upon arriving at the old courtyard, Wang An casually placed Da Cang and Xiao Cang into his satchel and climbed the ladder onto the roof.

The way captive eagles learn to fly is different from the way wild eagles do.

Wild eagles are taught by their parents, who provide constant demonstrations to the eaglets, allowing the young birds to learn quickly.

However, humans cannot fly. Therefore, to make an eagle learn to fly, one must force them to learn it themselves, bit by bit.

Once Wang An climbed onto the roof, he unhesitatingly threw the two Goshawks out.

Yes, he threw them, and he threw them high.

After Da Cang and Xiao Cang were thrown out, they didn't know to spread their wings at first. It wasn't until their descent speed increased that the two little fellows realized they needed to spread and flap their wings.

Unfortunately, they didn't know how to fly yet, so before they could react, they crashed straight onto the ground.

The two little fellows lying on the ground looked bewildered, sprawling with their wings open, unable to get up.

Wang An gave a whistle, and only then did the two little fellows stand up and walk back toward the house, standing under the eaves and calling out to Wang An.

Wang An looked down and felt that the two little fellows seemed fine, so he ignored them.

Actually, in this situation, even if an eagle broke a bone, it didn't require attention, because breaking bones is perfectly normal when eagles are learning to fly.

Turning to look at Da Jin, Wang An casually took Da Jin off his shoulder and threw him straight out. Immediately after, Xiao Jin was thrown out in the same manner.

Since they also couldn't fly, Da Jin and Xiao Jin naturally fared the same as Da Cang and Xiao Cang, flapping their wings a few times before crashing to the ground.

After another loud whistle, Da Jin and Xiao Jin also stood up and ran toward Wang An.

Whether it is human infants or animal and bird offspring, they all share a common trait: dependency.

To put it simply, it's a case of "whoever feeds me is my mother."

When you raise a child or an animal offspring, no matter how you mistreat them, they will always believe in you.

This point applies equally to humans and animals.

After throwing the four eagles, Wang An climbed down the ladder, placed Da Jin and Xiao Jin back on his shoulders, put Da Cang and Xiao Cang in his bag, and climbed back onto the roof.

Once on the roof, Wang An continued to repeat the previous actions.

It must be said that an eagle teaching an eagle to fly and a human forcing an eagle to fly are two completely different concepts.

After repeating the process an unknown number of times, the four eagles finally learned to fly in a clumsy fashion.

To be precise, it couldn't be called "learning to fly"; it should be called "learning how to stop crashing."

Simply learning not to crash certainly wasn't enough, so Wang An continued. Moreover, he threw them with more force and higher each time.

And so, for an entire morning, Wang An repeated the same motions: climb the roof, throw the eagles out, climb down the roof, pick the eagles up, and then climb back up to throw them out again.

It wasn't until it was time to make lunch that Wang An finally went home to cook.

There was no other way; Mu Xueqing's belly was now very large, and she truly couldn't do any work.

While Wang Yi also knew how to cook, the food he made could only be given one evaluation: "edible."

As for the taste, there was no need to discuss it.

Actually, it might be necessary to mention it, because Wang Yi's cooking could be said to have a very distinct local characteristic. Not only did it have local characteristics, but it manifested those characteristics perfectly.

If one were to summarize this characteristic, it would take only nine words

"Burnt black, sticky glue, salty as brine."

He didn't know how Wang Yi had learned to cook, but no matter what dish he made, it could be evaluated with those nine words.

After returning to the house, Wang An steamed some rice and simply made four dishes: bear meat stewed with eggplant and potatoes, stir-fried bear meat with zucchini, braised pork with green beans, and soy-braised Gayan fish.

Finally, he washed some garlic sprouts, green onions, and lettuce, and the meal was complete.

(End of Chapter)