Chapter 91: A Flock of Winged Folk

We had made all necessary defensive preparations. I released the protective shield, and as the dark mass approached, I realized—these weren't strangers; they were the bird-men I'd seen near the Black Dragon Pool. There had only been three back then, and they'd left me seriously wounded. Now, their numbers had swelled—at least a thousand, perhaps more. This was surely the end. Were they here to avenge their fallen comrades? That couldn't be; when I killed the bird-man, it was inside the cave, unseen by anyone except the octopus spirit—whom I called Uncle Zhang. He had no reason to betray me, and they didn't seem to be allies, one belonging to the water, the other to the sky. They were not two insects on the same string.

“Old Li, what should we do?” Feather Realm stood with his short sword raised before his chest, scanning around warily. Murong Xue, however, faced the impending disaster as calmly as if Mount Tai had leapt before her. The white silk ribbon danced lightly in her hands—so delicate in appearance, yet who knew how many lives it had claimed, still retaining its pure, spotless whiteness.

“Everyone, move to the edge and find a place to hide,” I said. Perhaps these bird-men weren’t here for us; judging by their frantic behavior, they seemed to be fleeing some danger or rushing somewhere.

I leapt from the mountain summit—not truly jumping off, for below was a sea of fire. Pressing myself against the rock face, I gripped the edge of the summit, peering out to observe. The Feather Realm group was alert, imitating my actions and crouching at the mountain’s edge. The bird-men circled overhead. A group of them departed, but several lingered, unwilling to leave.

“Look, they're coming this way,” called the Nine-Tailed Fox. Only then did I notice two bird-men, after whispering with their companions, flying straight toward us. Since we'd been discovered, there was no point in hiding. I vaulted up, concealing my revolver in my space ring.

The two bird-men landed and surveyed us before turning away to discuss something. After a moment, their deliberation ended. The curly-haired bird-woman approached, a mischievous smile on her face. Their appearance resembled the eagles I’d seen; they wore no clothes, feathers covering their bodies—perhaps there was no attire suited to them. The curly-haired bird-woman spoke: “Who are you?”

I stepped forward. “We escaped from the south. May I ask your names?”

“We are from the Feather Tribe, sent by order of the Feather King. Please, come with us,” she replied, smiling inscrutably.

“Stop wasting time. Grab them and let’s go,” the male bird-man said, seizing my arm. His talons pierced my skin, pain flaring. I hadn’t expected him to change demeanor so quickly. I tensed, channeling inner strength to keep his claws from digging deeper. I didn’t wish to provoke a conflict—after all, they far outnumbered us. Still, if they had sinister intentions, I would be ready to fight to the end.

Feather Realm approached, short sword in hand. Sensing trouble, I knew the boy would cause problems. As expected, Feather Realm sliced through the bird-man’s arm. The bird-man collapsed, wailing in agony, rolling across the small summit until he tumbled off the cliff and was swiftly consumed by the flames below. The curly-haired bird-woman, seeing the situation deteriorate, took to the air, colliding with a group of bird-men above. Since we’d already started, we might as well finish the job—eliminate these bird-men before those overhead, flying high, noticed us. Hopefully, we could deal with them before being discovered.

I dared not use a gun, fearing the sound would alert those above. Gripping the Ice Sword, I exchanged glances with Feather Realm and the others; they nodded, understanding, and launched the attack. The bird-men's abilities seemed unimpressive, not enough to throw us into chaos. The curly-haired bird-woman circled us warily, uncertain of her intentions. Then one of the men suddenly attacked me fiercely, perhaps recognizing I was the leader. Frankly, his assault meant little to me—I dodged, kicked him to the ground, and unexpectedly, he let out a piercing scream.

Alarmed, I immediately smashed his head with a punch, but it was already too late—everyone knew that was a call for help. Sure enough, the bird-men above swooped toward the summit. Murong Xue swiftly dispatched another bird-man. Of the remaining three, two fell to Feather Realm’s short sword, while the third—the curly-haired bird-woman—looked terrified, clutching herself. Feather Realm moved to finish her off, but I shouted to stop him. Keeping her alive might provide leverage; I had no desire to be swarmed. With their numbers in the thousands and only four of us, any fight would be hopelessly one-sided.

Above the summit, bird-men had gathered until the once clear, cloudless sky was darkened, wings buzzing ominously. I realized we had stirred up trouble and quickly summoned a protective shield, ready to use the curly-haired bird-woman as a hostage. If they refused to negotiate, we’d have to run—there was no other way.

Just as I prepared to threaten them with the bird-woman, the bird-men above swooped down, two or three dozen at once, filling the small summit.

“We’re finished now. They’ve surrounded us. What should we do, Young Master Li?” The Nine-Tailed Fox clung to my arm, while my other hand held the curly-haired bird-woman’s throat in a tight grip.

“What do you want from us?” I demanded, staring at the bird-men. Some hovered in circles, others remained suspended, watching us intently.

“Hmph, what do we want? You ask me?” sneered a broom-headed bird-man, followed by wild laughter. He finished laughing and gradually tightened the encirclement. It seemed a battle was inevitable.

I thrust the curly-haired bird-woman before me: “Stay back, or I’ll kill her.”

The broom-headed bird-man halted, as did the others. I counted—twenty-three in all, not including the one in my grasp. The broom-headed bird-man approached, glaring coldly. “You killed my tribe’s brother, and now dare to threaten me with one of my own? Today is your death day—prepare to die!”

I hadn’t expected the situation to escalate so dramatically. Ignoring the hostage, the broom-headed bird-man led the twenty-three bird-men in a simultaneous attack.