heaven money

The primeval forest is dense and gloomy, with poisonous insects lurking in the woods. The roars of beasts are deep and thunderous, and the stench left by fierce tigers, snakes, and other creatures wafts through the air, sending chills down one's spine.

"Ow..."

A thunderous roar echoed from the depths of the mountains, causing rocks to tumble down, the sound to rumble, the trees to sway violently, and leaves to fly wildly. In the distance, a large, ferocious beast was lurking.

A group of children, their faces pale, had already left Stone Village some distance away. They had come out without telling the adults and entered the old forest, thankfully without venturing into the true habitat of the ferocious beasts.

“Brother Dazhuang, the mountains are too dangerous. We are still young and cannot go any further.”

"A child said in a trembling voice."

They grew up guarding the primeval forests, so they naturally knew the dangers there, the various ferocious creatures. Even their fathers had to be careful when entering the forests, or they would lose their lives.

The group of children were all quite young, numbering about a dozen. Leading them was Shi Dazhuang, who had once lifted a thousand-pound bronze cauldron. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and large, muscular hands and feet; true to his name, he was almost as tall as an adult. He looked at another child and said:
"Little monkey, how much further?"

The monkey, named Shi Zhonghou, was skinny but incredibly strong and clever. He said:

"I heard from Uncle Lin Hu and the others that the cliff is not far from the village, in this direction, we should be there soon."

"Shi Hao, do you have any opinions?"

Shi Dazhuang asked.

In the past, Shi Hao was just a follower of a group of older children. But ever since he lifted the bronze cauldron, even the adults have come to regard him as a little monster, let alone the children. He has suddenly become one of the "key members" among them.

"It would be very dangerous to go any further."

Xiao Shihao spoke in a clear, crisp voice, his large, bright eyes sparkling with black and white light, and he spoke truthfully.

"But it's really not far from there."

Shi Dazhuang said.

More than half of the children were interested and wanted to continue.

"If you want to go, I'll go with you."

Little Shi Hao said in a childish voice.

And so the group of children set off again, walking for another mile or so. The trees became thinner, the vegetation became less and less, and the boulders gradually increased, with a menacing aura spreading around them.

However, they were unaware that a figure was following them from afar, constantly alert to everything around them.

It was Shi Ziling. When he came to find Shi Hao, he happened to see a few kids wanting to go out of the village to play. Since he didn't have anything to do at the moment, he also wanted to use this as a training opportunity for Shi Hao and the others. With him following along, there would be no real danger to their lives, so he stayed far behind.

The mountains are rugged and the stone forest is vast and silent. Scattered on the ground are the remains of some giant beasts, which are snow-white and astonishing.

The monkey looked around and whispered:

"It's right here. I heard from Uncle Lin Hu and the others that its nest is built on the cliff deep in the stone forest."

Shi Dazhuang also lowered his voice and reminded all the children, saying:
"These bones might have been left behind when it ate a wild animal. Although it shouldn't be in its nest during this time, we still have to be careful and don't get caught, or we might lose our lives!"

The dozen or so children had all grown up in the wilderness and were extremely alert. Like little mountain beasts, they swiftly and nimbly hid in the crevices of the stone forest to protect themselves.

After observing for a moment and sniffing the air, they nodded to each other and, like monkeys, nimbly rushed into the deepest part of the stone forest.

Along the way, they saw many skeletons, snow-white and huge, including bird bones five or six meters long and beast skulls the size of millstones. These were the result of wild beasts and birds of prey in the mountains being torn apart and eaten alive. The place was deathly still.

"It really intends to settle here. If it continues to do so and reproduces, the people of Stone Village will face a deadly threat when they enter or leave the mountains!"

"Uncle Lin Hu and the others have been discussing it for several days and have already observed its habits."

These children were whispering and speeding at extremely fast speeds, rushing into the depths of the stone forest like a dozen small whirlwinds.

A stone cliff stretched out in front, making the place even more silent. Not a blade of grass grew there. At the very top of the cliff was a huge nest, built of black wutong wood, which gave people a very oppressive feeling.

The children watched cautiously from a distance, hiding among the rocks. The black nest was a full ten meters in diameter, enormous, and it was obvious that it was the nest of a strange and ferocious bird.

"It's really here!"

"This blue-scaled eagle has been wandering here for a long time, and now it has built a giant nest. Is it true that it has laid eggs as Uncle Lin Hu said?"

The children's eyes lit up; this was their main purpose for coming here!

Shi Ziling watched the children from afar, shook his head slightly, and sighed that these children were really bold. If he hadn't been able to sense that the Azure Eagle was not in its nest, he would have already taken the children home.

This is a very fierce and powerful exotic bird. It has blood inherited from an ancient demonic bird, making it very difficult to deal with. Ordinary beasts and ferocious creatures that are targeted by it will die and have no chance of survival.

"According to Uncle Lin Hu and the others, the male Green-scaled Eagle has not appeared for several days. It may have died in an accident deep in the mountains. Every day at noon, the female bird goes out to hunt for food on her own. If you want to get close, the opportunity is right in front of you."

"That's what the monkey said."

A group of children clenched their fists, clearly nervous, but also with anticipation and excitement in their eyes. Children who grow up in the mountains are all very brave; otherwise, they wouldn't have taken it upon themselves to come to such a dangerous place.

Shi Ziling's heart stirred slightly, and he made a plan. These children were too audacious and might cause trouble at any time. Therefore, he might as well use the Azure Scaled Eagle to teach these children a lesson and let them know that they should be cautious and respectful in the Great Wilderness.

"Everyone hide in the crevices, I'll throw a stone in and see!"

A dark-skinned boy spoke up. His name was Shi Meng, but the villagers called him Er Meng. During a martial arts demonstration in Shi Village, he had single-handedly taken down a giant bull and nearly lifted a bronze cauldron weighing a thousand catties. Among the children, he was second only to Shi Hao and Shi Dazhuang.

With a whoosh, a large rock flew up and hurtled into the distance, finally landing with a loud thud on the pile of rocks in front of the cliff.

Everyone was startled, but thankfully there was no movement on the cliff.

"Er Meng, don't be so reckless. Be more careful."

"Let me check if it's in the nest. It seems fine now. Let's hurry up!" Ermeng said, and was about to rush over.

"Second Brother Meng, wait a moment." Xiao Shihao said, grabbing a rather large stone and throwing it forcefully. The stone flew up the cliff with a whoosh and landed near Wuchao with a loud thud.

After a while, the cliff remained quiet; the Azure-Scaled Eagle had not appeared. "Let's go!"

A group of children, like a pack of wild beasts, howled and rushed toward the rocky cliff. Once they got close, they divided their tasks in an orderly manner: some stood on the boulder, watching the sky and keeping watch in case the ferocious bird suddenly appeared, while others prepared to climb the cliff.

"Big Zhuang, you all wait here. I'll go up and take a look first," Shi Hao said.

“You’re still a baby, just watch from the sidelines, we’ll go,” Shi Dazhuang said. The group of children laughed. The little one was still drinking animal milk and was often teased by them.

"I've been eating meat for a long time, I just drink it occasionally like water!" the little one said angrily, wrinkling his nose and glaring with his big, black, gem-like eyes.

Of course, the little guy was smart; he knew that the older children weren't really laughing at him, but rather taking care of and protecting him, not wanting him to be the first to go up and risk his life.

"I'm faster than all of you, and I can escape quickly if there's danger." Before they could even speak, the little one, like a little monkey, swiftly climbed up the rocky cliff with a whoosh, agile and nimble.

"Don't let him take the risk, let's go too!" Shi Dazhuang, Er Meng, and Pi Hou all followed closely behind, chasing after them like monkeys.

There were many crevices in the cliff face, which allowed the children to use as leverage to quickly climb upwards. Growing up in the mountains, surrounded by primeval forests, their climbing skills were naturally very strong, not much inferior to the demon apes in the mountains.

"Phew... We're finally up!"

The cliff was 300 meters high. After Little Dot came up, he waited for the other three for a while until they all popped their heads out before they walked together toward the giant nest.

"What a huge bird's nest!" exclaimed the monkey.

Standing up close to it is incredibly impressive. The nest is a full ten meters long, built of black paulownia wood, and occupies most of the cliff top, making it even bigger than the houses in Shicun Village.

In addition, there are some large bones covered with blood on the cliff, each of which is thicker and longer than an adult, which is creepy.

Especially on the animal bone as big as a millstone, there were several horrible claw holes and blood stains, which looked extremely hideous.

"These are the remains of a dragon-horned elephant. It's terrifying that such a ferocious bird would dare to eat a giant elephant!" Er Meng exclaimed in shock.

"Never mind that for now," Shi Dazhuang said, climbing towards the black bird's nest.

Upon reaching the nest, one immediately senses a chilling aura and smells of blood. The edges of the nest are dark red, indicating that the Azure-Scaled Eagle often feeds along its perimeter. Over time, the area has been steeped in the blood of various beasts, resulting in a strong malevolent energy.

"That fierce bird isn't here!"

"Look, there are several eggs!"

The children exclaimed in surprise. They were incredibly audacious. After overhearing the adults' conversation in the village, they had taken it upon themselves to come for the eggs of the ferocious bird.

"Great! Let's move quickly and take them back to the village to hatch. In the future, powerful birds of prey will hunt down wild beasts for us and bring back prey!" the monkey exclaimed excitedly.

The nest was lined with soft golden grass, which looked very comfortable. Three crystal-clear eggs, as clear as jade, were quietly placed there, with some patterns and spots on them, shimmering with luster.

The eggs laid by this fierce bird are each as big as a water basin, translucent and shiny, as green as agate, and the patterns on them gleam in the sunlight.

Er Meng, with his dark skin, grinned foolishly, drool almost dripping from his mouth. He strode forward and said, "This is the biggest bird's nest I've ever raided. I've never seen an egg this big in my life."

"Hehe, that's right, it's only satisfying to raid bird nests like these." The skinny monkey laughed dryly, looking just like a mountain monkey.

"So beautiful!" Little Shi Hao blinked his big eyes, his long eyelashes trembling as he looked at the three ferocious bird eggs, which were warm, crystal clear, and sparkling with light. He couldn't help but feel happy. As the youngest child, he was very curious and wanted to pick them up and take a closer look.

Ermeng approached, but as soon as he reached out and touched the giant egg, he immediately cried out "Ouch!" and felt a tingling sensation in his arm, as if he had been electrocuted.

"What's going on?!" The children were all startled.

On the jade-like, crystal-clear eggshell, the spots and patterns shimmered like stars, incredibly beautiful, and a mysterious power seemed to flow within them.

"Wow, that's amazing! The Azure Scaled Eagle is a descendant of an ancient demonic bird. Even though its bloodline is no longer pure, there are still some broken runes inherited in its life imprint." The little one, who studies bone script every day, noticed something and blinked his big eyes, speaking in a clear, mature voice.

The children were both surprised and delighted. The stronger the ferocious bird, the rarer and more noble the chicks it hatched would be. In the future, they could protect the village and perhaps even be on par with the sacrificial spirits.

"It's just the spots on the eggshell that are shimmering. Be careful not to touch those areas. Put it in the animal skin bag; we need to leave quickly." Shi Dazhuang, a tall, strong, and steady man, urged the group on, saying there was no time to waste.

Clearly, they were prepared. Each of them carried a leather bag, which they quickly opened and carefully placed the eggs of the ferocious bird inside. There were three jade eggs, each the size of a basin. Except for the little one, the other three each carried one on their backs.

"Great! We actually succeeded!" Er Meng was overjoyed, his snot almost coming out of his nose from laughing.

Pi Hou grinned and said, "From now on, our Stone Village will be protected by a powerful ferocious bird. The clan chief and Uncle Lin Hu will definitely be convinced and look at us differently."

"Ouch!" Shi Dazhuang stumbled and almost fell, but was caught by the little one.

The nest of the fierce bird was covered with golden silk grass, which was very soft, but there were also a few scales that shimmered with a cold metallic luster. Shi Dazhuang was not paying attention and stepped on it. His shoe sole was pierced and some blood flowed from his foot. Fortunately, it was just a cut.

"Such sharp scales!" Little Shi Hao collected several blue scales in his hand, each the size of a baby's palm, gleaming with a cold light.

"These are the scales of a mature ferocious bird. They are indeed extraordinary. I estimate that even a broadsword weighing several hundred pounds would have a hard time cutting through them!" said the skinny monkey.

The children dared not linger and slid down the cliff face as quickly as geckos. Soon they reached the ground, wiped their sweat, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, did you find anything?" A group of children gathered around.

"We succeeded! We stole a whole nest of bird eggs, hahaha..." Ermeng laughed loudly.

The children lifted the leather bag and peered inside, where they saw bird eggs the size of a basin, glistening with a mysterious, clear light, and they were all amazed.

"Great, it worked!"

"These are the eggs laid by a powerful and ferocious bird. Our Stone Village will soon have flying warbirds."

"Let's go!"

They were both happy and excited, leaping through the stone forest like a group of small mountain beasts, incredibly swift, and soon they were out of the stone forest, just in time to leave before the Azure Scaled Eagle returned.

"This went really smoothly, let's hurry up and go!"

The forest was dense, with fallen leaves piled up a foot thick, making it soft underfoot. Towering trees blocked out the scorching sun, and ancient vines, like dragons, meandered along the giant trunks. From afar, the occasional roar of a beast echoed, shaking the mountainside. (End of Chapter)