"Caw, caw!" The familiar cry immediately jolted Qiao Mu's senses, putting her on high alert.
With a graceful flick of her hand, a delicate crow repeating crossbow materialized in Qiao Mu's palm.
From the horizon, the cooing sounds were unmistakable.
Raising her gaze, Qiao Mu spotted seven to eight massive beaked birds with ebony wings soaring towards their ship.
Simultaneously, the entire expanse of the Spring River became cloaked in an intricate lattice of lightning.
In the heavens above the Spring River, lightning bolts weaved a dark tapestry of purples and blacks, ominously hinting at an impending storm.
Holy Son Miyan found himself momentarily speechless before muttering, "Flying is strictly prohibited in the airspace above the Spring River. No living creature should be able to take flight over these waters."
So, what were these colossal birds doing, suddenly taking to the sky?
Qiao Mu shot Holy Son Miyan a piercing look. "Aren't these your birds?"
His response was a mix of surprise and defensiveness. "How could these be my birds?"
"Don't play ignorant!" Qiao Mu scoffed. "You're well aware of the clandestine activities of the Lunisolar Shrine."
The Holy Son grew even more incensed at her words. He opened his mouth to protest but then noticed that Qiao Mu had turned away, as if uninterested in further arguments. His frustration deepened.
Qiao Mu extended her arm and steadily aimed the crow repeating crossbow. She loosed a crow-gold arrow, which shot through the night sky like a streak of white lightning, homing in on the lead bird as if it were a meteor pursuing the moon.
The arrow found its mark!
The massive bird emitted a deafening cry and fought to stay aloft before ultimately plummeting from the sky.
It crashed into the water with a resounding splash.
Simultaneously, the nightcaw birds, which had been circling in the sky, found themselves bombarded by the lightning above the Spring River.
The night air was pierced by the shrill cries of the birds as seven to eight nightcaw birds zigzagged through the air, continuously struck by the furious quilt-like lightning.
Qiao Mu exchanged a puzzled glance with Mo Lian.
Had these nightcaw birds lost their way?
Why had they chosen to appear in an area like the Spring River, where flying was strictly prohibited?
Whom were they targeting? Or had someone, in their haste, unintentionally lured them here, forgetting about the flying restrictions over the Spring River?
Qiao Mu turned her gaze toward Nie Yaoguang and gave her a sidelong look.
While Nie Yaoguang's expression revealed nothing, Qiao Mu couldn't shake the strange feeling that this situation might be the result of the Holy Daughter's lack of judgment.
"Hey, look! What kind of peculiar bird is that? It's swimming in the water!" exclaimed a student from Hong Estate Academy, who was leaning against the deck's railing.
All eyes turned in the direction he pointed, and they observed that the few large birds that had fallen into the river were now partially folding their wings and merrily paddling in the water, occasionally pecking at the ship's hull.
A chorus of curses and astonished gasps echoed from the onlookers as they leaned over the railing to get a closer look.
"Oh no! These crash-landed birds are pecking at the hull of our ship."
Just as the nightcaw birds appeared ready to take action, the unruly storm, which had been building, finally descended with a vengeful fury.
A lightning bolt as thick as a bowl precisely struck the head of one nightcaw bird, sending it tumbling into the water.
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