Before Ye Tiancheng failed to capture the black bird, the three of them had unanimously thought that catching a bird would be a simple matter.
They hadn't expected that there were still pitfalls waiting for them.
It made sense, considering the numerous and complex mechanisms within this tomb, none of which could be easily overcome. And for a bird, to suddenly have something so simple, it just didn't seem normal.
The little fox looked at the black bird.
When Ye Tiancheng tried to catch it, it immediately flew up. It didn't fly out of the room, but rather to a bracket on the highest part of the wall, perching there.
The little fox said with some worry, "If it's immune to spiritual energy cultivation, will there be a problem if we try to catch it directly?"
Liang Ping observed the black bird.
He hesitantly reached a conclusion, saying, "Based on this situation, this might not be an ordinary bird either. After all, being confined in such a place, ordinary birds should die easily."
"Perhaps this black bird is also quite special, perhaps it's not even a living creature anymore."
Only those with life are called living creatures; the dead can no longer be considered living creatures.
Ye Tiancheng stared at the black bird that had eluded him. After a long while, he finally spoke, "Regardless, we still have to find a way to get it down. Since it's immune to spiritual energy cultivation, little fox, you try using your talismans and props."
While they were talking, the bird suddenly flew down again, stopping at the same spot by the pool where it had previously perched.
Receiving Ye Tiancheng's instruction, the little fox immediately began to experiment.
The outcome, of course, was a complete failure.
Not only were the talismans and props useless, but the little fox even tried to grab the bird directly with his hands a few times. He missed, but the reason for the failure and ineffectiveness wasn't that the bird was too fast. It was because, after he had managed to grab it, the bird simply passed through the little fox's palm.
Indeed, it couldn't be touched physically.
Perhaps it was no longer a living creature. Even if it was once an ordinary bird in its lifetime, it was now something that had died, possibly existing in the form of a soul.
Of course, there should be some special aspects.
Otherwise, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox, both making a move, wouldn't have failed to catch such a small creature.
However, Ye Tiancheng and the other two also discovered a pattern.
They had initially worried that this black bird would fly around randomly during the capture attempt.
But in reality, there was no need to worry about that. For reasons unknown, this black bird had been repeatedly captured and pursued by Ye Tiancheng and the other two.
Yet, each time, the movement trajectory of the black bird had never changed.
When not disturbed by capture attempts, the black bird would land on a spot by the pool, a fixed location. After flying away each time, it would return to that spot after a period of time.
If it wasn't captured or disturbed, it wouldn't fly away and would remain there.
However, there was another point that was equally fixed.
When Ye Tiancheng and the other two attempted to capture the black bird, it would fly up and land on the highest bracket on the wall, the same bracket.
Even its flight path had never changed.
However, the change in flight path didn't make any difference in this situation.
In any case, Ye Tiancheng and the others couldn't hinder the black bird in any way. Whether it was a barrier constructed by spiritual energy cultivation, or attempts to capture it with talismans or props, or even with their hands.
The black bird could pass through directly without any obstruction.
To be precise, the black bird's flying around was more likely due to being startled by Ye Tiancheng and the others' interference, causing it to fly away, rather than being captured.
Ye Tiancheng looked at the black bird, and suddenly had an idea.
He suddenly spoke, "I know!"
The little fox and Liang Ping both looked at Ye Tiancheng and asked, "Do you know how to catch this bird?"
Ye Tiancheng nodded slightly, then said to the little fox and Liang Ping, "I do have an idea. As for whether my idea can succeed, it depends on whether that cage has any connection to this black bird."
"Whether there is any link between them."
After Ye Tiancheng finished speaking, the little fox and Liang Ping both became thoughtful and realized something.
Liang Ping thought for a moment and said to Ye Tiancheng, "You mean, perhaps that cage, if it is indeed related to this black bird, then that cage might be the only thing that can restrain this black bird."
Ye Tiancheng nodded slightly after hearing Liang Ping's words and said, "That's what I mean."
Upon hearing the conclusion reached by Ye Tiancheng and Liang Ping, the little fox quickly said, "Then let's quickly bring that cage in and try it. We've been quite troubled trying to catch this black bird."
Ye Tiancheng and Liang Ping immediately took action and brought the large cage from outside.
However, bringing the cage in was not a problem, but how to use this cage to capture the black bird seemed to be another issue.
Even if they directly placed the cage there, would the black bird be so foolish as to fly directly into the cage?
After discussing it, Ye Tiancheng and the other two decided to test whether the black bird's flight path would change due to the presence of the cage.
Without delay, they lifted the cage again and walked towards the location of the black bird.
As they approached, the bird flew up and once again landed on the highest bracket on the wall.
Ye Tiancheng and the other two paid no mind to it; this was within their expectations of the black bird's possible reactions.
Ye Tiancheng and the others placed the cage in the spot by the pool where the black bird would return after a while, and then they walked some distance away.
This was because if they stayed too close to that spot, the black bird wouldn't come down.
Fortunately, this experiment was finally effective.
Shortly after Ye Tiancheng and the others left, the black bird flew down as usual. The door of the cage happened to be in the bird's flight path, so the black bird flew directly into the cage.
As soon as the black bird flew into the cage, the cage door closed on its own, followed by a click, and the cage door was locked.
After the black bird landed and entered the cage, it seemed to quickly realize what had happened. It tried to fly away again, but this time, it could no longer escape the confinement immediately.
This cage, made of some unknown material, had indeed managed to restrain and trap this strange, black bird.
Ye Tiancheng and the others were somewhat emotional.
"It's done!"
However, the matter didn't seem to end there.
After discovering that it was confined, the black bird tried desperately to escape, but was always blocked by the cage. After multiple failed attempts, the black bird began to ram the cage.
This black bird, despite having no physical form, was bleeding profusely and injured as it repeatedly hit the cage with its body.
Ye Tiancheng and the other two fell silent for a moment.
Looking at the miserable state of the black bird, as normal humans, they couldn't help but feel some compassion.
Moreover, this black bird had been tricked and caged by their own hands, which made them feel even more reluctant. If it weren't for their need to leave this place and the fact that they couldn't stay trapped here for too long, they might have released the black bird.
However, saying that wasn't entirely accurate.
Because, under normal circumstances, Ye Tiancheng and the others wouldn't capture small animals without reason.
Furthermore, such birds are protected animals in the outside world. If caught, they would be reported and imprisoned for life.
But seeing the bird in such a state, they truly couldn't bear it.
The little fox turned his head away with some reluctance and said, "If it keeps hitting like this, it'll hit itself to death, won't it?"
Liang Ping frowned, looking at the scene before him.
He said, "It's the same in the outside world. Most wild birds, if captured by humans, will try their best to escape and gain freedom, never to be tamed."
"If birds find they cannot escape, they will ram the cage, self-harm, or even starve themselves."
"In short, if wild birds are captured by humans, they will die quickly. Except for some rescued chicks, most, if confined in a cage, are very likely to get into trouble."
"Because of such issues, our rescue efforts for birds can sometimes face insurmountable problems."
This is because if they want to rescue birds, humans need to control the birds to treat them, otherwise, the birds would definitely fly away.
But if the birds are confined, they lose their freedom, and as mentioned before, they will self-harm and starve.
Sometimes, not rescuing them leads to death, and rescuing them also leads to death.
It's a dilemma.
The little fox let out a somewhat sentimental sigh.
He said, "Perhaps this black bird, in its lifetime, also departed this world in such a manner."
This was a very likely scenario.
This black bird certainly didn't appear here for normal reasons, and moreover, it had become so special.
However, Ye Tiancheng and the other two didn't dare to waste any more time.
They immediately moved the cage and the bird out of this place.
Currently, the rooms they had previously entered did not have any use for this combination of cage and bird. Therefore, if there was a place where it could be used, it might be the stone door they had opened last.
They had not yet entered the room behind that stone door.
Moreover, Ye Tiancheng and the others felt that it was not good for the bird to continue like this.