4.8

After Qiao Chen drove Xiao Qinan away, he began to dress up the rooster. If not, then how else would he be able to successfully lure the steel winged eagle?

It was only after Qiao Chen learned about the steel eagle's characteristics from the system, did he think of the plan to disguise the rooster as a steel winged eagle to lure the real one out.

Qiao Chen first fabricated a large pair of wings from the other roosters. Then he attached it onto the largest one he had specially picked out. After, he painted some of the ink on the rooster and sprinkled a powdery substance to change the rooster's scent. In order to stop the rooster from crowing, Qiao Chen also fabricated a steel winged eagle beak to cover the rooster's mouth and tie it shut.

After Qiao Chen finished, he looked the creature over, and nodded his head in satisfaction. Even with him being this close to the rooster, it was still difficult to quickly find out that the animal was a fake.

When Prince Yong An's and the Xiao family's sides clamored up the mountain, Qiao Chen had long told his servants to secretly carry the painted rooster in a big bamboo cage up the mountain.

Qiao Chen asked Feng Bi to climb up the tree and tie the rooster onto a large and prominent branch. Then he put his special green net beside him.

Feng Shu hid under the tree with green leaves. He held the rope that was connected to the net. Qiao Chen and Feng Shu, on the other hand, hid behind a different tree to watch.

The steel winged eagle appeared and Qiao Chen was honestly worried. He wasn't 100% sure that his method would succeed.

The eagle had flown nearly all the way over to his trap, but had suddenly flown back away. Qiao Chen wondered, inwardly, 'Did the steel winged eagle find out it was a fake from so far away? The plan didn't work?'

Even though the eagle flew away so quickly, Qiao Chen still decided to wait and see. Fortunately, after a while, the eagle returned with a snake in its beak. Qiao Chen quietly smirked. It turns out that it left to grab a present.

The steel winged eagle landed on the branch beside the rooster and tried to gain the 'female's' favor. It stretched his head out and presented the gift. Qiao Chen gestured to Feng Shu to trip the trap.

Feng Shu tugged at the rope in his hands and the steel winged eagle, along with the rooster, was trapped in a net. Qiao Chen and Feng Bi quickly rushed over to help. The three worked together and pulled the eagle and rooster down from the tree.

Feng Shu and Feng Bi used iron clips to restrain the eagle's wings. Qiao Chen immediately followed with a special iron clamp and secured the beak shut.

Qiao Chen took out a big pair of scissors, squatted down, and said, "I'm so sorry. Not only did I deceive your feelings, but I'm clipping your wings too."

The steel winged eagle was trapped in the net and couldn't move. It had no choice but to let Qiao Chen cut a dozen of its big feathers. Qiao Chen put the cut feathers into the bamboo tube and had Feng Shu and Feng Bi let the eagle go.

After the trio removed the net and restraints, they quickly retreated to avoid injury. It wasn't easy to deal with an angry steel winged eagle. However, the released eagle didn't get angry nor did it fly away. Instead, it constantly nudged its head at the rooster as if to say 'let it go with me'.

Qiao Chen was speechless. He felt a bit helpless and said to the eagle, "Hurry up. You can't be that horny of a steel winged eagle, could you?"

Qiao Chen pushed the steel winged eagle with the iron clamps in his hand, but it still refused to leave. Qiao Chen said, "If it can fly, then I'll let it go with you. However, even though it has wings, it can't fly. You are destined not to love each other. Now hurry away or you won't live for much longer when those other people arrive."

Qiao Chen did all he could to persuade the beast, including slapping and pushing it. However, the steel winged eagle refused to leave. Qiao Chen heard the voices of people nearing and he had no choice but to ask Feng Shu and Feng Bi to wipe off the rooster's 'makeup'. Qiao Chen thought: Wait until you see its 'bare' face and see if you still like it as much.

Feng Shu and Bi quickly removed the fake wings and feathers from the rooster. Then they poured out some water and wiped the rooster down with a cloth. Finally, they also removed the fake beak and let it crow a few times.

The steel winged eagle immediately flapped its wings and retreated. However, it still did not leave immediately. Instead, it looked at the rooster who had been restored to its normal looks.

"Can you see now? Do you see yet? You two are completely different races. You can't be together. Hurry and leave, ok?" Qiao Chen said loudly to the steel winged eagle.

The steel winged eagle hung its head low. With a few flaps of its wings, it flew away in a very gloomy mood.

As a result, when everyone arrived, they saw the trio of Qiao Chen and his servants standing there. The steel winged eagle had flown not too far in front of them.

"Ai." Qiao Chen sighed as he looked at the steel winged eagle flying away. "I personally orchestrated this trans-racial abuse. I must repent to Master Kong Wu when I return."

Feng Shu and Feng Bi looked at each other. They felt that their young master was really becoming more and more profound.

"How did the steel winged eagle fly away again? What's going on?" The Xiao father walked quickly towards them and asked hurriedly.

Qiao Chen turned around, shook the bamboo tube in his hand, and said, " I already have the feathers, so I would naturally let the eagle go."

"You got it?" The Xiao's father wasn't the only one surprised, the others also looked at Qiao Chen with disbelief written all over their faces. So many of them failed to capture the steel winged eagle, but Qiao Chen and his two servants were able to get the steel winged eagle's feathers unharmed? What that even possible?

Qiao Chen took out a feather from the bamboo tube and shook it, "Believe it or not, I'll take you to the mountain lake tomorrow. Then we can see if it can lure the water monster out of the lake. Then you'll see whether or not it's truly the steel winged eagle's feather."

"Since it was Jingyun who obtained the feathers, then it is up to Jingyun to decide who would be able to catch the water monster." Prince Yong An smilingly said. He believed that if Qiao Chen had obtained the feathers, then that meant that he obtained the feather as well.

Xiao Qinan looked at the big rooster on the ground and the two big bamboo cages beside it. Even though he didn't know how Qiao Chen did it, it seemed as though Qiao Chen really did use the big rooster to lure the steel winged eagle down.

"Since we're going to catch the water monster tomorrow, then let's save that matter for tomorrow. No one should bother me today about it or else I'll burn the feathers up." Qiao Chen said. Then he took his bamboo tube and walked away under the crowd's gaze.

Feng Shu quickly put the rooster back into the bamboo cage, and Feng Bi strapped it to his back. They both hurried after Qiao Chen.

The Xiao's father knew that the Cheng family sided with Prince Yong An. Unfortunately, he didn't know about the relationship between Qiao Chen and Xiao Qinan. He was only able to watch Qiao Chen leave with an ugly face.

Prince Yong An proudly smiled towards the Xiao's father. Then, he turned and happily left with his men.

Due to Cheng Jinrui's pole and iron cages failure, he didn't catch the steel winged eagle. To make matters worse, their failure caused a huge mess. Two aristocratic families' children were bitten by the tiger striped snakes. They were currently in a critical condition.

Prince Yong An originally wanted to teach Cheng Jingrui a lesson, but Qiao Chen had obtained the steel winged eagle's feathers. Since Qiao Chen was Cheng Jingrui's brother, Prince Yong An didn't scold him on the behalf of Qiao Chen's honorable contributions. Prince Yong An instead arranged for the royal doctor to work overtime on treating the two victims. He also had Cheng Jingrui send more silver to appease the two families, so they wouldn't look into the matter.

Cheng Jingrui knew that Prince Yong An didn't reprimand him because Qiao Chen obtained the eagle's feathers. However, he was still very uncomfortable because of Qiao Chen's brightness. As a modern man, how was it that he was outdone by Qiao Chen every single time? He felt that there was surely something going on with Qiao Chen.

Qiao Chen slept soundly throughout the night. When he awoke the next morning and rode his horse up the hill, the men from both the Xiao family and Prince Yong An were already waiting outside.

Qiao Chen looked at the two factions of people standing and waiting, but couldn't tell how long they had waited. He rode his horse to the middle of them and said, "You're all adopting such a stance. Is this you all waiting for me?"

People from both sides probably had a dispute just now. They were looking at each other like they were sworn enemies. No one answered Qiao Chen's words, but many of them thought: With the steel winged eagle's feathers in your hands, who else would we be waiting for? They had all quarreled for a long time before they saw him appear.

"Although I have the steel winged eagle feathers in my possession, I don't have the ability to capture a water monster." Qiao Chen took out the tube containing the feathers and said. "It's better to give the feathers to someone who can."

Everyone's eyes focused on the bamboo tube when Qiao Chen threw the tube in the air. It flew over just above Xiao Qinan's head. Xiao Qinan reached his arm out and caught the bamboo in his hand.

Except for Qiao Chen and Xiao Qinan, everyone was stunned. No one thought that Qiao Chen would give the bamboo tube to Xiao Qinan.

"Hy-ah." Qiao Chen took the lead in riding away and Xiao Qinan followed closely behind. The Xiao family's side watched Xiao Qinan leave and hurriedly followed after. As the left, they all threw a proud look at Prince Yong An's faction.

Prince Yong An was shocked and angrily questioned Cheng Jingrui beside him, "What's going on?"

Cheng Jingrui was confused about Prince Yong An's sudden anger towards him. These were things done by Qiao Chen's hand. How was that his fault? Furthermore, how could he even know what was going on?

"I don't know what happened." Cheng Jingrui innocently looked at Prince Yong An.

"Go." Prince Yong An didn't believe that Chen Jingrui, as Qiao Chen's younger brother, would have no clue as to why Qiao Chen did this. However, when he looked at those that had long left, he had to hold back his anger and bring everyone along with him to catch up. They had to first see if the other side could catch the water monster.

The Xiao family's soldiers prepared the perimeter for Xiao Qinan's capture attempt. They had 20 archers set up all around the edge of the lake to protect Xiao Qinan's safety as well.

According to the mountain people, the man who was dragged away by the water monster was washing up in the lake water with the eagle feather. Then he shook his hands while in the water. This might have been the action that helped entice the water monster out.

Xiao Qinan tied the steel winged eagle feathers on the top of his pike. Then, he walked onto the wooden boards on the water's surface. He stretched the pike over the water's surface and splashed the lake's water. The Xiao soldiers nervously observed the situation from the shore while Prince Yong An's faction did the same further back.

Under Xiao Qinan's continuous shaking and splashing, the originally calm water began to vigorously bubble and ripple.

However, the bubbles suddenly disappeared and the water once again returned to its placid state. Xiao Qinan and the people on the shore were confused. However, Xiao Qinan didn't stop the splashing.

Just as everyone's eyes were burning from staring so hard, they suddenly saw a huge black shadow leap from the water. Xiao Qinan quickly retreated a few steps back and several soldiers immediately attacked. They pulled the rope in their hands and an enormous metal frame full of nails immediately stood in between of Xiao Qinan and the water monster.

The water monster against the steel nail from the metal frame. Xiao Qinan quickly stepped forward and stabbed the water monster's flesh with his pike. The water monster violently swung and jumped back into the water. Black and red blood oozed out of the monster's body and out onto the lake's surface.

The water monster seemed to be infuriated. It quickly swam in the water and was threatening to jump and attack at any time.

Xiao Qinan stood at the edge of the wooden planks. He saw a chance and once again stabbed his pike into the water monster. The monster swung its long body with a larger motion. Xiao Qinan was lifted and thrown into the air because of the water monster's actions.

Fortunately, Xiao Qinan safely landed on a wooden board by tumbling midair. He still held onto the pike that pierced the monster's body.

Over the course of the confrontation between Xiao Qinan and the water monster, waves were created and continuously pushed ashore. People on the shore kept getting splashed in the face. The water monster was long, dark, and ugly. It looked so putrid that even the water spat threw at people would smell bad.

The Xiao family's faction was worried and nervous. They all hoped that Xiao Qinan would be able to quickly subdue the water monster. Prince Yong An's side, on the other hand, hoped that Xiao Qinan would fall into the lake be dragged away by the water monster.

Even though Qiao Chen knew how capable Xiao Qinan was, he was still worried about Xiao Qinan's safety. He made a small gun barrel and hid it in his sleeve as a backup plan. However, he couldn't use it easily and wanted to save it as a last resort.

The water monster jumped up again. This time, however, it jumped much higher than the metal frame. The archers on the lake perimeter immediately shot their arrows at the water monster.

The arrows turned the water monster into a hedgehog.  When the water monster fell down, Xiao Qinan's pike was already pointed at its body. He made a long slash and more black and red blood dripped out of the water monster's body once it landed in the water.