The Legend of Qingpeng: Starting from the Costinus

A remote corner of Shuzhou.

Aries Mountains.

On a steep, white mountain peak, a handsome gyrfalcon with dark brown feathers with snow-white spots and pitch-black eyes flew back to its nest carrying a white rabbit in its beak.

Chichi!

Several young birds in the nest looked up at the gyrfalcon and chirped.

As soon as the gyrfalcon put down its prey, several little ones rushed over impatiently.

One of the eyes was slightly bright and revealed a sense of spirituality.

Afterwards, the gyrfalcon pecked off chunks of meat from its prey and fed them to its young.

Li Qing was eating the gutted white rabbit in front of him, feeling sad about the impermanence of life.

He had eaten rabbit meat once upon a time, but now he had a different taste.

'It's not bad to be a gyrfalcon. At least I'm not at the bottom of the food chain.'

Thinking of this, Li Qing tried even harder to squeeze past his brothers and sisters next to him, trying to grab a few more bites.

Eat more and have a strong body to survive in this animal world where the strong prey on the weak.

After a full meal, Li Qing lay in the nest, stroking his belly with his two furry wings, his eyes slightly narrowed, enjoying the warm breeze comfortably.

Hum!

Looking at the other hungry young birds, the Gyrfalcon could only let out a long cry and then fly down the mountain, ready to start hunting again.

……

Time flies.

It was four months later.

There is a village outside the Aries Mountains. Because most of the houses are built with black rocks, it is named Black Stone Village. Most of the villagers here make a living by hunting.

On this day, hunter Sun Wang went into the mountains to check the hunting traps as usual.

Looking at the empty traps, Sun Wang looked troubled. This had happened countless times.

Hum!

A bird chirped, as if mocking his incompetence.

Sun Wang looked up and saw a handsome falcon with white feathers all over its body, with only black spots on its wings and back, and even its beak and claws were white, circling in the sky.

Looking at the jade-clawed Saker Falcon hovering in the air, Sun Wang could do nothing but catch it.

I still remember that a month ago, I had the opportunity to see it once, so I found someone to help me catch it. At that time, I was dreaming that I could get rich by selling it to the old man in the city.

But every time we organized a team and went into the mountains together, we couldn't see even a bird feather.

After a few times, the team disbanded directly, so Sun Wang also lost the prey that could be eaten for several days. After all, only Sun Wang had seen it, and the others thought that Sun Wang was just an illusion because he was crazy and poor.

Sun Wang had no choice but to set a trap and hope that the Saker Falcon would take the bait. Unfortunately, the Saker Falcon was too intelligent. So he could give up after this and just hunt honestly.

"I don't know what's wrong with Old He lately. He still wants to go up the mountain to collect herbs at such an old age."

A murmur sounded.

Thinking about interesting things in the village is the best way for Sun Wang to pass the time in this secluded mountain.

In the sky, Li Qing looked at Sun Wang below with a smile in the corner of his eyes.

This person was the one he used to play the role of the boy who cried wolf.

As the days passed, Li Qing also discovered his own uniqueness. He was the famous Saker Falcon, and also the rarest jade claw.

Remembering that ancient emperors had started wars because of a jade claw, Li Qing could only think of ways to protect himself. Hiding was definitely not an option, as he would be discovered sooner or later every time he went hunting, and then he took this action.

From now on, if someone says they have seen jade claws, people will just assume they are lying.

Flying away from that area, Li Qing floated in the air, enjoying the freedom that he could not feel as a human.

The strong wind was just a help to Li Qing, and it helped him fly higher.

Looking at the mountains that looked like vast primeval forests on the ground, Li Qing was looking for the lucky person who could meet him today.

Finally, he hovered over an open space, looking at the young foxes foraging for food below. Li Qing found the right moment and fell from the air, his speed already reaching its peak.

Finally, a pair of sharp and long claws hit the young fox's head. The powerful impact caused it to fall to the ground, and its life or death was unknown.

Inertia made Li Qing fly forward for a while, and then he returned to catch his prey after a while.

First he cut open the belly and ate the internal organs. At the same time, Li Qing was observing the surroundings. This moment was a bit dangerous. As the saying goes, a phoenix that has fallen to the ground is no better than a chicken.

But there was no other way, the prey had to be dealt with first. Li Qing had just become independent not long ago, and it was difficult to carry larger prey, so he could only deal with it on the spot.

After eating the tenderest internal organs, Li Qing did not grab the remaining food and return to the nest. Instead, he flew into the air, waiting for prey attracted by the smell.

Soon a few crows flew over.

'This routine really works every time.'

While thinking in his mind, Li Qing did not slow down.

A few crows didn't cause any waves.

In a moment, two crows and a fox were carried back to the nest by Li Qing one after another.

This is a place on a high mountain. Li Qing finally found a small cave here, which is just right for sheltering from wind and rain and building a nest.

It's winter now, so it's a good idea to stock up on some food.

After putting down the prey, Li Qing lay comfortably in his own bird's nest, pecking at the fox meat bite by bite until he was full.

Looking at the scenery under the mountains, I feel very comfortable.

……

Blackstone Village.

After picking herbs, Lao He returned home. It was a rather dilapidated mud house with a yard surrounded by a fence. It was out of place with the sturdy black buildings in the village.

At this time, a child about ten years old came forward to help him unload the bamboo basket.

"Grandpa, I caught another fish in the river today so we can have meat to eat."

A bright smile appeared on the boy's face, and he looked forward to the praise from the white-haired old man.

"Xiao Chong, you are amazing. Grandpa will depend on you from now on."

Old He stroked Xiao Chong's head, but his face showed reluctance, and there seemed to be a few more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

"Xiao Chong, grandpa wants to tell you something very important today, please close the door first."

Xiao Chong listened to his grandfather's serious tone, closed the door obediently, and sat on the kang with his grandfather.

"then……"

Old He looked reminiscent, and a story of the past slowly unfolded.

Ten years ago, Lao He opened a escort agency in a big city. He was one of the best fighters in the world. His descendants also worked hard. The eldest son in the family inherited his talent for martial arts and often accompanied the old man on escort missions. Lao He was also happy to take his eldest son to gain more experience.

Unfortunately, the convoy was robbed during one of its missions, leaving only Lao He Gou alive.

While escaping, he found a hidden cave and planned to go in to avoid pursuit.

There was a seriously injured immortal lying unconscious in the cave. Lao He took care of him for several months. After the immortal recovered his mobility, he gave three immortal talismans, spoke a few words, and then flew away.

Old He also returned to the city safely, but what he saw was a scene of his family being torn apart and his relatives being killed. Fortunately, a loyal old servant in the family was clever and took the young master, now Xiao Chong, through a tunnel and hid in the slums on the day of the incident, thus escaping the disaster.

After experiencing so many changes in just a few months, Old He was disheartened. He gave most of his remaining property to the old servant and left alone with Xiao Chong.

After that, there was Old He from Heishi Village and his little grandson Xiaochong.