Chapter 1049, Jump

Translator: Silavin

 

The Peak Eagle beat its massive wings and soared through the sky, Yan Hua and Sha Lan seated on its back. They had set out three days prior and had been travelling steadily in the direction of the Hunting Ground.

 

“I wonder how much longer it’ll take.” Sha Lan mused, blinking her blue eyes with characteristic openness.

 

“Probably another day. Judging by Ah Hen’s flying speed, that seems about right.” Yan Hua estimated.

 

“If it’s another day, that’s not too bad. We haven’t been out for long.” Sha Lan nodded thoughtfully.

 

The hot air balloon had taken over a few days to reach the Hunting Ground before. Ferocious Beasts flew considerably faster than hot air balloons, which meant one more day was probably accurate. Even without travelling on foot, sustained flight was its own kind of exhaustion.

 

The Peak Eagle could only carry two people at a time, which meant the other two, Bai Si and Yue, were still making their way in the hot air balloon behind them, some distance back from Sha Lan and Yan Hua.

 

They had all set off at the same pace to begin with, but the Peak Eagle kept flying ahead on instinct.

 

Its size had grown considerably, and its flight speed had increased accordingly. It would surge far ahead without thinking, then slow down again each time it was reminded. That pattern wore on everyone eventually, so they had agreed in advance that the Peak Eagle would take Yan Hua and Sha Lan ahead to scout, while Bai Si and the others followed steadily behind in the hot air balloon.

 

This was actually the safer arrangement.

 

“Bai Si and the others haven’t arrived yet anyway. Should we start looking for flying Ferocious Beasts?” Yan Hua suggested.

 

Yan Hua was restless with boredom, and they did have a mission to carry out. They had not reached the Hunting Ground yet, but there was nothing stopping them from working towards it on the way.

 

As long as they found a flying Ferocious Beast, it did not matter where they caught it.

 

“That’s what I was thinking too, but we haven’t spotted any large Ferocious Beasts along the way. It might be more difficult than we think.” Sha Lan said, scanning the surrounding sky.

 

Nothing was out there. As far as she could see, they were the only ones in the air.

 

“That’s strange. Even without reaching the Hunting Ground, there shouldn’t be absolutely nothing up here. Not even a single beast… not even a wild one…” Yan Hua muttered.

 

*Screech screech screech…*

 

The Peak Eagle cried out sharply at that moment, as though offering its own explanation.

 

Sha Lan turned her blue eyes thoughtfully and offered, “Could it be because of you, Ah Hen? Is that why there’s nothing flying anywhere near us?”

 

The Peak Eagle’s frame was enormous. Its wingspan stretched a full ten metres across. At its current size it looked as large as a motor vehicle, and with those wings fully extended, it was truly imposing.

 

“Of course. That makes sense. Ah Hen is a Ferocious Beast, after all. The birds would naturally be frightened of it.”

 

Yan Hua understood immediately. “Does that mean… we have to land and search on foot? That would be difficult though.”

 

“We’ll have to wait until we reach the Hunting Ground. There are far more Ferocious Beasts there, which gives us many more options.”

 

Sha Lan flicked her cat tail on instinct. “Besides, the Shaman said the Ferocious Beast we bring back needs to be able to carry a large number of people. A Ferocious Beast of Ah Hen’s size probably would not be enough.”

 

Ah Hen was still young. Technically, still a fledgling. This was why it could only carry two people at present.

 

“That makes this quite difficult. If we already struggle to deal with something of Ah Hen’s size, something even larger is going to be far more challenging to deal with.”

 

It was only now that Yan Hua fully grasped the severity of this mission. There was a real chance of injury.

 

Yan Hua also understood, in that moment, why the Shaman had been so determined to stop her from coming. The danger level was simply too high. In the end, Su Bai had been unable to talk Yan Hua out of it, and had simply given her several extra Shaman Bone Tablets.

 

“I have an idea. Though, it’s a risky one. Want to hear it?” Sha Lan asked.

 

Sha Lan’s expression had turned serious. Clearly, whatever she had in mind was genuinely dangerous.

 

“If it helps us complete the mission the Shaman gave us, we have to try everything.” Yan Hua was someone who thrived on risk. She had no reason to refuse.

 

“I knew you wouldn’t say no. Even when we reach the Hunting Ground, we should be selecting targets from the air rather than from the ground. We’ll never find anything suitable from down there.”

 

Before Yan Hua could respond, Sha Lan pressed on. “We could fly above a Ferocious Beast larger than Ah Hen and drop down onto it, then immediately deploy the Shaman Bone Tablet. What do you think?”

 

“That sounds ridiculously dangerous, but I think it’s worth trying.” Yan Hua agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

 

“Oh… right.” Sha Lan blinked, thrown off completely. She had expected some pushback. She had been preparing to walk through the full tactical details, and now she found herself standing there, at a loss.

 

“Is something wrong?” Yan Hua asked, entirely unaware that her straightforwardness had left the other girl momentarily dazed.

 

“No, nothing. Then we’ll go with that plan, but only on the condition that we guarantee our own safety first.” Sha Lan’s blue eyes were utterly serious. “The Shaman told us our personal safety comes first. So, when the moment comes, you follow my judgement.”

 

Sha Lan had no expectation that Yan Hua would exercise any caution on her own. She would simply have to manage it herself.

 

Sha Lan knew perfectly well that without a clear signal from her, Yan Hua would spot a Ferocious Beast and leap without a second thought. There would be no hesitation whatsoever from the cow horned girl’s part.

 

They had grown up together, so Sha Lan knew her through and through. The responsibility of keeping everyone safe rested squarely on her shoulders.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll do exactly what you say. The moment you give me the signal, I’ll jump.” Yan Hua grinned, showing a row of bright white teeth.

 

Yan Hua trusted Sha Lan completely.

 

“Let me go first. Watch me do it once, then you follow.” Sha Lan instructed.

 

“No. My reflexes are better than yours. I should be the one to do it.” Yan Hua refused without even thinking.

 

Yan Hua’s physical ability was the finest among all the Totem Warriors who had awakened that year.

 

“Fine. We’re not there yet anyway. Let’s work out the details properly before we reach.” Sha Lan conceded.

 

There was no point arguing over who jumped first when the Hunting Ground was still a day away.