frightfiction Chapter 638 A Lifetime of Memorable Scenery
Chapter 638 A Lifetime of Memorable Scenery
Xu Ning looked at this teenage girl. In Sumeru City, girls like her were still studying hard to enter the Academy of Teachings, sitting in bright and clean study rooms reading the classics of the ancients, and occasionally going out to coffee shops with their classmates to spend their days leisurely.
How could the people there have imagined that in this vast desert, there would be a girl her age carefully rummaging through the droppings of a ferocious carrion vulture in pursuit of it?
"Isn't it dirty?" Xu Ning asked in a low voice.
Tadella crumpled the dung in her hand and smiled, "No, this can mask the smell when hunting, it's very useful... and according to my father, it can also be eaten if supplies are lost in the desert... Alright, let's hurry up and set off, if a storm comes up nearby, we'll have a hard time seeing the Red Vulture under the cover of sand and dust."
Xu Ning couldn't help but smile when he saw Tadella throw away the excrement in her hand and start running faster.
With me here, how could there possibly be a storm?
Following the trail of the red eagle, the terrain gradually became more complex.
The red vultures' nests are built in crevices in the cliff face, and one must have sufficient climbing ability to enter them. This alone filters out many enemies and ensures the safety of the red vulture clan.
But for humans, such a choice seems to have no meaning.
At least Xu Ning and Tadella almost always reached their desired destinations easily by using the occasional protrusions on the cliff face.
Tadella was initially worried that Xu Ning wouldn't be able to use the wind to soar high in such terrain as she could.
But then she saw Xu Ning soaring gracefully between the cliffs like a bird, a sight that made her envious.
“This is the Red Vulture’s nest.” Tadra looked around. “Judging by its speed, it should have arrived here before us. It’s very likely that it sensed our presence and hid. It seems we also have to hide and test our patience with it.”
Xu Ning glanced at Tadra speechlessly, realizing that his biggest weakness was patience.
"Since this is a nest, there should be bird eggs or something, right? If I go out and smash a couple, that should force it out, right?"
Xu Ning scratched his head and started coming up with bad ideas.
"I didn't see any bird eggs here, so it probably doesn't have a mate. And even if it did have a mate and eggs, I wouldn't be able to defeat it by myself. Two red vultures risking their lives for their offspring—even the older generation of falcons in the clan wouldn't be able to handle them alone."
Tadella shook her head. "If that's the case, I can leave now."
Xu Ning clicked his tongue in regret.
“But…” Tadella hesitated for a moment, “There is a way to force it out. There’s something shiny in that corner called ‘Fool’s Gold,’ which is Red Eagle’s own treasure…”
Xu Ning scoffed, "Ha! Why didn't you say so sooner?"
With one step, Xu Ning rushed to the wall and picked up a piece that looked like brass.
"You're not talking about this, are you? This isn't real gold."
Tadella shook her head and said, "Of course not, but they can't distinguish between useless junk and real gold..."
Hearing the flapping of wings and the angry cries of birds whose homes had been robbed from above, Xu Ning chuckled and said, "Lacking discernment, yet so greedy for money, how is it like a person? And with birds dying for money, it's even more like one."
Tadella was ready to attack the moment Xu Ning picked up the piece of brass.
After all, she already knew that this action would definitely anger the Red Eagle, and she didn't do it simply because she didn't want to fight a mindless, feathered beast.
But now Xu Ning was standing under the eagle's claws, and Tardella immediately summoned the Evil Spirit from her weapon to join the battle.
Xu Ning walked away slowly, stood by the nest, and admired Tadra's fighting posture.
The evil spirit in her weapon was a wind-borne demon kite, which worked in perfect harmony with her bow and arrow, pinning the red eagle to the ground in no time.
Xu Ning tossed aside the copper ingot in his hand and clapped at Tadra, saying, "A beautiful and precise battle."
Tadella tilted her head slightly, seemingly a little uncomfortable with being praised like that, but she quickly composed herself and went over to start cutting up the red eagle.
"Are you only taking these few feathers?"
Tadella responded, "Feather is proof of passing the trial. We need to collect some more flesh and blood. Scorpions love the scent of fresh flesh and blood, which will be useful in the next step."
Xu Ning watched as Tadra skillfully processed the Red Eagle's corpse. After she finished, he silently raised the gourd and asked, "Would you like me to wash your hands for you?"
Tadella quickly waved her hand, "No...no need. Anyway, we'll be hunting scorpions, and it'll get dirty. Water is very precious in the desert, and we can't just use it to wash our hands."
Even Lilupal, standing beside Xu Ning, couldn't help but chime in, "He has a whole ocean in his mouth! Besides, even a falcon should know how beautiful its feathers are, and it's no big deal to maintain them occasionally."
Tadella shook her head and said stubbornly, "A falcon's eyes should only be on its prey; a bird that cares about its feathers is destined to be made into a specimen."
Even Lilupal was unwilling to say anything more.
Scorpions are nocturnal creatures, and even with the temptation of flesh and blood, the two waited until late at night before the scorpions came out to feed.
The pupal fat mixed in with the flesh and blood, along with the powder from the poisonous mushrooms, paralyzed the scorpions, making Tadella's hunt exceptionally easy.
Xu Ning clearly sensed that Tadella appeared relaxed and happy while dissecting the scorpion.
Skillful hands carefully removed the useless internal organs, while the venom glands were carefully preserved, and a section of the scorpion's tail was cut off as proof of passing the trial.
By the time all this was done, the night was deep.
Tadella declined Xu Ning's invitation to enter the cave, so Xu Ning simply stayed outside with Tadella.
The two lit a fire, and Xu Ning had Qingyi cook a few simple but substantial dishes, which he then shared with Tadra.
"Thank you. I thought this would be a very tough trial."
By the firelight, Tadella ate the food she had never experienced before and thanked Xu Ning, saying, "This will be a coming-of-age ceremony that I will remember for the rest of my life."
Xu Ning waved his hand and laughed, "Don't say that. You have a long life ahead of you, and there will be many more things worth remembering. Learn to live for yourself, learn to explore more possibilities, and you will find that there are many different landscapes worth exploring and remembering."
Tadella lowered her head and murmured, "But I am just a falcon, born for the tribe, and destined to die for the tribe. I cannot survive alone..."
Xu Ning chuckled and said, "If a monster wipes the Tanit tribe out of this desert tomorrow, you could easily survive using your hunting skills, but would you rather die with the tribe?"