Yun Ye had never liked the xun. When blown, it sounded like weeping. Yan Zhitui said that poets who heard this would wither their ruddy faces, and the entire gathering would be dressed in white mourning clothes.

Back then, he and the old gentleman had worn Fanyang bamboo hats, stepped in Hedong wooden clogs, dressed in plain clothes, carrying wooden staffs, passing through dense forests, crossing puddles. At midnight they knocked on a monk’s door. The cold monk had no meal to serve his guests, only a pottery xun melody to receive his honored visitors.

For a time, the rumbling in their bellies harmonized with the croaking of frogs. The guests in attendance wept tears—for no other reason than they needed to carry the old gentleman home. One piece titled “Mountain Ghost” and another “Su Wu Herding Sheep” made Yun Ye detest this pottery xun instrument. No matter who you were, after being tormented for half an hour by a ghost-like old monk’s sobbing melody, who then turned and left without even a greeting as if he had already given plenty of face—Yan Zhitui reached into Yun Ye’s sleeve, pulled out a large piece of pure gold, placed it on the meditation cushion, and loudly said, “Pardon the discourtesy,” then had Yun Ye carry him home. Giving people gold and still having to apologize—this was the kind of apology Yun Ye would very much like someone to give him.

Being able to blow a low, mournful melody so it became stirring and soaring into the clouds was also a skill. The eagle in the sky looked extremely pained, flying east for a while, flying west for a while, always unwilling to leave the area where Yun Ye was located.

The eagle trapped in the net also began thrashing about, its claws tearing up the deck with flying wood chips. Yun Ye thought for a moment, had Dan Ying hold the eagle’s head, and carefully felt around on the eagle’s head himself. Sure enough, a thin iron piece was right there on the back of the eagle’s head, constantly emitting a buzzing sound, very regular. When the xun’s sound became urgent, the iron piece vibrated strongly. When the xun’s sound became gentle and slow, the copper piece vibrated lightly.

After removing the iron piece from the eagle’s head, this eagle became much more docile, lying on the deck with both feet pointing skyward, looking at that eagle flying in the sky, calling out continuously.

“This thing controls the eagle? What is this thing?” Dan Ying’s simple mind was in complete chaos.

“Little Lingdang’s treasure box has a set of bells, eighteen in total. It’s a gift I gave to Little Lingdang. Go ask her for them and I’ll show you a magic trick.” Yun Ye didn’t answer his nonsense question, but instead had him go find Little Lingdang.

Soon, Dan Ying brought over an exquisite silver box. Little Lingdang followed behind uneasily, worried that Dan Ying might damage her treasure. This was a birthday gift from her husband.

Opening the box, many bells were arranged inside in a row, from large to small. Yun Ye first picked up a medium-sized one and shook it. Seeing the iron piece had no reaction, he picked up another and continued shaking. When he tested the fourth bell, that iron piece finally reacted. Shake it once, and the iron piece would vibrate once—very interesting.

Yun Ye smiled and stood up, shaking the bell for all he was worth. Amid a crisp tinkling sound, the eagle in the sky somersaulted and plummeted down, dropping halfway before flapping its wings and flying back up. Yun Ye suspended the bell in his hand, and as the pottery xun sound rang out, the bell actually chimed on its own without wind.

Yun Ye’s smile grew even more smug. He vigorously shook the bell in his hand again. Dan Ying and Wu She both looked up at the sky. That eagle kept tumbling through the air, seeming extremely pained.

“How’s this magic trick? This eagle can no longer threaten me. If possible, I’ll play it to death today.” He smugly shook the bell left and right, humming an incomprehensible song.

“Jingle bells, jingle bells, bells ring jingle…”

Seeing that eagle in the sky like a toy, sometimes harassed by the xun sound, sometimes confused by the chaotic bell sounds, continuously emitting frightened cries—Dan Ying, who had closed his eyes unable to bear watching, suddenly grabbed an eight-ox crossbow, lay his body on the ground, aimed the thick crossbow bolt directly at that eagle which had descended much lower, didn’t use the foot stirrup, and directly pulled the trigger with his hand. The massive recoil shook his palm area until blood flowed freely.

Three crossbow bolts howled into the sky. Dan Ying closed his eyes. He seemed to already see the scene of the eagle being struck by arrows. Yun Ye didn’t want this eagle to die like this—such a fun toy! Upon discovering Dan Ying’s intent, he quickly shook his bell. The eagle rolled painfully, and three crossbow bolts arranged in a triangular formation whistled past above its body.

The eagle on the ground suddenly cried out mournfully. The eagle in the sky swooped down like an arrow. Dongyu and the others quickly struck the eight-ox crossbows with wooden mallets, and a huge fishing net flew toward the eagle.

No one expected that this creature, using just its wings, would fan the fishing net down. Both Yun Ye and Dan Ying were thoroughly covered by the fishing net. In the confusion, they couldn’t untangle themselves from the net.

The eagle’s goal wasn’t to harm people, but to grab the eagle on the boat and fly away. Yun Ye, who had finally freed himself from the fishing net, stopped Dongyu and the others from preparing to attack again.

The eagle couldn’t drag away that net—Yun Ye had already nailed the large net trapping the eagle to the deck. No matter how hard it tried, it couldn’t drag it away. The rope was stretched taut, but unfortunately could only rise three feet off the ground. Seeing it couldn’t take it away, it had no choice but to reluctantly let go. Dongyu was about to shoot the eight-ox crossbow’s long arrow with a lewd smile, but was kicked away by Dan Ying. Seeing Dan Ying’s reddened eyes, he could only accept his bad luck. Dan Ying was not to be provoked, and a desperate Dan Ying was even less to be provoked. You only had to see the Marquis putting on an air of nonchalance to know he didn’t want to provoke Dan Ying at this moment.

The eagle soared into the sky—truly formidable. In the blink of an eye it vanished, hiding in the clouds. But in an instant, a black dot plummeted straight down from the clouds. Looking at its head-down, feet-up posture, it clearly didn’t plan to survive! Yun Ye grabbed the bell box and immediately dove into the cabin. Dan Ying shouted loudly, and the remaining crossbowmen immediately prepared. Three layers of defensive nets covered the bow. If it really smashed down like this, it might even blast a huge hole in the ship.

With two thumping sounds, the first two fishing nets were easily torn open. The third large net, which was also the thickest and strongest, with thumb-thick ropes stretched taut—several strands of rope had already snapped, but at least it stopped the eagle.

The large ship kept rocking. Yun Ye stuck his head out and discovered that eagle’s head drooping limply down through a hole in the fishing net, swaying weakly. The eagle on the ship kept using its long beak to nudge its head, making continuous chirping sounds. By the looks of it, this was a pair of eagle mates.

“How do you distinguish male and female eagles?” Yun Ye asked Wu She, scratching his nose.

“Get lost!” Wu She was also very angry. These people were all losing their minds. The pest had been eliminated—they should be happy. Dan Ying’s horizontal blade flashed with a sheet of snowy knife light, and those fishing nets were immediately sliced into sections by the blade light. Walking up to that eagle, Dan Ying lowered his head and dug out a similar iron piece from behind the eagle’s head. He was about to throw it away casually, but Yun Ye took it. This was a good thing. Young people didn’t know how to treasure good things at all—such a waste!

The eagle seemed dead. Everyone on the ship except Yun Ye, who was somewhat happy, all had solemn expressions, as if their fathers had died. Yun Ye secretly cursed in his heart.

Dan Ying also released the other eagle. This eagle didn’t flee either, just stayed dully beside that dead eagle, its long beak pecking here and there in its feathers, as if grooming them. He’d heard that eagles had only one wife or husband for their entire lives. Once married, they remained faithful unto death. He wondered what kind of reaction this surviving widower or widow would have? The poem “Yanqiu Ci” put it well: “Ask the world, what is love? That it teaches life and death pledges? Flying north and south, old wings through how many winters and summers.” Now it was good—they no longer had to fly back and forth being ordered about by people. Yun Ye very much looked forward to this eagle staging a scene of either dashing itself or mournful wailing, and then he would recite “Yanqiu Ci” in celebration. This way they wouldn’t have walked this world in vain.

Dan Ying closed his eyes, unable to bear watching, unable to bear hearing that eagle’s low cooing. A hero at the end of his road—just like this. Think of how the Hegemon-King, before his suicide at the Wu River, sang “Farewell My Concubine” with Lady Yu. Thinking of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Yang Guifei’s tragic parting in the wilderness, Yun Ye’s heart filled with the impulse to recite poetry. Hurry up! The farewell time was a bit long. Using the iron claw, or bashing its head against the deck could both achieve the goal. Personal suggestion: use the iron claw—that would be more tragic and heroic.

The eagle delayed its suicide. Yun Ye even thought this fellow might have changed its mind. He couldn’t help but put on a sorrowful expression and walk forward, preparing to observe up close whether this eagle’s emotional state was suitable for suicide.

Just as he approached, a sudden change occurred. That eagle that had clearly already died actually flapped its wings, beating them vigorously. One wing swatted Yun Ye flying over the ship’s rail. Dongyu shouted frantically to save the Marquis and dove headfirst into the water himself.

Dan Ying rolled on the spot. Before he could stand firm, the other eagle also began flapping its wings, so he had to retreat again. The two eagles, like gliders, ran two steps on the deck then flew out from the ship’s rail. In an instant they had flown far away. The pottery xun sound rang out once more in the distance, very gentle this time. Unfortunately, the two eagles ignored it completely and flew toward the depths of the great lake. No matter how the pottery xun’s sound changed, they paid no attention. Clear eagle cries came from afar, the sound filled with joy. This flight seemed to have no intention of turning back.

Yun Ye was tossed onto the deck from the water by Dongyu, his belly swollen high. Just now he’d been knocked unconscious by the eagle’s wing and didn’t know how much water he’d drunk. Wu She hung Yun Ye upside down, and great gushes of lake water spurted out from his mouth and nose. Little Lingdang cried even more miserably than that eagle just now.

A long gasping sound came, and everyone finally relaxed. Yun Ye opened his unfocused eyes and ordered, “Don’t let those two eagles go. This Marquis wants to swallow them alive and strip them raw.”

Everyone was looking in the direction of the sun. Wu She said with a mocking tone, “Can’t catch them anymore. Once the kings of the sky reach the sky, who has a way to catch them?”