Days later
Sitting in his study, Jun Mohan had not had a proper rest for days and nights, searching for his bride. His sharp purple eyes were bloodshot, and he looked particularly haggard.
He suddenly stood up and walked out, through a corridor to the marital chamber he shared with Leng Ruoli.
He gently pushed open the door and slowly stepped inside. The room's furnishings were exactly as they were when Leng Ruoli was abducted. He walked to the bedside and sat down, glancing around the chamber with a mix of emotions.
“Li’er, where are you now?”
He had searched all the mountains where the demon had disappeared these past few days, but still found no trace of them.
As Jun Mohan was lost in thought, a small golden eagle flew into the room.
“Coo…”
Hearing the sound, Jun Mohan turned around and was surprised. Who in his royal manor kept such a rare golden eagle?
As he was pondering this, an anxious shout reached his ears.
“Little golden eagle, little golden eagle, where did you run off to?”
Xing’er and Ling’er, their faces flushed and anxious from running, were searching for the little golden eagle.
“Sister Xing’er, this little golden eagle is usually so well-behaved. Why is it running all over the courtyard today?” Ling’er said as she searched.
“Alas, I don’t know either!”
In this cold weather, she had run until she was sweating. Xing’er wiped her brow with her sleeve and said helplessly.
Afterward, the two young maids continued to call out for the little golden eagle in the courtyard.
Moments later, they arrived outside Jun Mohan and Leng Ruoli’s marital chamber. Looking up, they saw that their young lady’s door was open, and the little golden eagle they were looking for had flown into Leng Ruoli’s chamber.
Xing’er and Ling’er hurried into Leng Ruoli’s chamber. Xing’er, with quick hands, scooped up the little golden eagle.
“Little golden eagle, little golden eagle, why are you so naughty to run into miss’s room? Miss hasn’t returned yet.”
Xing’er chided the little golden eagle a few times.
Ling’er gently stroked the little golden eagle’s feathers.
“Sister Xing’er, let’s quickly close miss’s door,” Ling’er said softly.
Xing’er nodded slightly.
At this moment, a clear, cold voice emerged from the room. His voice was low, and sounded devoid of any emotion.
“Wait!”
The two young maids were startled by the sudden voice.
Jun Mohan rose from the bed and walked towards them.
Xing’er and Ling’er, upon clearly seeing the person inside the room, immediately knelt down nervously and paid their respects.
“Your servant pays respects to Your Highness!”
“Rise,” Jun Mohan said calmly.
“Who raised this little golden eagle?” Jun Mohan asked curiously.
“It is… it is my young lady, oh no, it is the Princess Consort’s pet,” Xing’er stammered.
“The Princess Consort’s pet?” Jun Mohan murmured.
Xing’er and Ling’er nodded vigorously.
“Leave it here for now, I’ll watch it.”
“But… but Your Highness, the little golden eagle hasn’t eaten for several days. We were just about to feed it raw chicken pieces.”
“It’s alright, you two go and fetch the raw chicken pieces and give them to me. I will feed it myself.”
As soon as Jun Mohan finished speaking, he waved them away, signaling them to go back and get food for the little golden eagle.
A moment later, the two young maids brought a small wooden basin filled with raw chicken pieces before Jun Mohan. It was estimated to be about twenty jin of chicken meat, which instantly stunned Jun Mohan, his purple eyes widening.
“Can it finish such a large basin of raw chicken pieces?” Jun Mohan asked, full of astonishment.
“Replying to Your Highness, the little golden eagle has a rather large appetite. This amount of raw chicken pieces is barely enough to fill its stomach,” Xing’er replied astonishingly.
“What? So much raw chicken only barely fills its stomach? This fellow can really eat! If your Princess Consort raises two more eagles, my royal manor will be eaten bankrupt by them,” Jun Mohan joked.
But this made the two young maids’ faces turn pale, and they trembled all over, immediately kneeling down and promising, “Your Highness, your servants dare not do this again, truly dare not.”
“…”
Seeing the two young maids suddenly kneel before him, Jun Mohan was somewhat perplexed.
“What are you two doing?”
“Your Highness, your servants… your servants will never chop so much raw chicken to feed the little golden eagle again.”
Uh…
They must have misunderstood him, thinking he was blaming them for chopping so much raw chicken to feed the eagle.
Alas, these two were too timid. Their disposition was certainly not like someone that woman would have raised. It seemed he needed to remind Li’er later to build up the courage of her two young maids.
“How can my royal manor not afford to raise an eagle? From now on, however much raw chicken the little golden eagle eats, chop that much for it.”
“Now, you can both withdraw.”
After saying this, Jun Mohan immediately squatted down, picked up the raw chicken pieces from the wooden basin with his hand, and fed the little golden eagle piece by piece.
Subsequently, the two young maids withdrew from the room.
After the two young maids left, Jun Mohan, while feeding the little golden eagle, said, “Little golden eagle, do you know where your master is now?”
Upon hearing this, the little golden eagle responded with two “coo” sounds and ate two pieces of raw chicken.
Unfortunately, Jun Mohan could not understand bird language.
Afterward, Jun Mohan squatted on the small steps by the door, contemplating matters, while continuously feeding the little golden eagle until he had finished the entire basin of raw chicken pieces.
Only now did Jun Mohan truly experience what the two young maids meant by “this little golden eagle has a large appetite.”
At this moment, the little golden eagle suddenly extended its small wings, flapped Jun Mohan’s back with great force, and then flew into the air, cawing at him incessantly, leaving Jun Mohan completely bewildered and clueless.
Until the little golden eagle circled Jun Mohan in the air two or three times, Jun Mohan then understood that this little golden eagle was meant to lead him.
So, Jun Mohan said to the little golden eagle, “If you are going to lead me to your master, flap your wings hard. If not, don’t.”
Later, the little golden eagle truly flapped its wings twice towards Jun Mohan, and only then did Jun Mohan believe that the golden eagle could understand him.
“Let’s go, we’ll find your master now.”
Immediately, Jun Mohan summoned his flood dragon mount, mounted it, and flew out, following the little golden eagle.
After half an incense stick’s time, the eagle, the flood dragon, and the dragon arrived and circled around the cliff where the large black eagle had disappeared that night.
“Little golden eagle, are you sure your master is around here? But I have searched this area more than ten times and still found no trace.”
Upon hearing this, the little golden eagle cawed at him twice, then suddenly flew rapidly into a cave entrance on the cliff face. Jun Mohan followed.
When Jun Mohan entered the cave, he was immediately stunned by the scene before him.
This inconspicuous cave on the cliff face was actually a hidden paradise.
The cave was bright, filled with various exotic flowers and plants, as well as many bushes. In the depths of the cave, there was a waterfall, looking quite spectacular.
However, Jun Mohan searched the entire cave but still could not find Leng Ruoli here.