The crow came back and sat comfortably on Tang Ning’s head. Having witnessed its ferocious attack on the snake, Tang Ning was no way thinking to bother the crow. Instead, she focused on moving her way up the branch and onto the cliff landing.
When Tang Ning’s feet touched solid ground, she exhaled a sigh of relief. She reached up for the crow on her head, but the crow fluttered its wings and perched itself on a branch not far from Tang Ning, and continued watching her intently with its beady eyes.
The crow’s cocky look was as if saying, “Catch me if you can.”
Tang Ning said to the crow, “Anyways, you did save my life earlier. So I guess we’re even now.” As she spoke, she rubbed her head where the crow was standing before. The crow’s claws had lightly dug into her scalp, and the scratches were beginning to hurt now.
Tang Ning realized that she was still bleeding from injuries she had sustained earlier on, so she quickly found a place to sit down. She took out the herbs from her bundle and applied them to the wound and simply bandaged the wound by wrapping it.
The crow was still watching Tang Ning with its head tilted to one side. Its eyes darted and swirled about from time to time as if countless thoughts churned in its small mind.
Seeing that the crow was not going to attack her, Tang Ning stood up and surveyed her surroundings.
This landing was like a little protrusion on the cliff wall with long and messy vines growing everywhere, and a thick layer of moss covering the cliff. It was probably impossible to climb the cliff wall to the top.
Tang Ning turned around and looked down the cliff, she thought she heard faint sounds of wild beasts and monsters roaring through the swirls of mist from below. Since going up was not a possibility, Tang Ning’s only choice was to go down. Without further delay, she strapped the bundle onto her back and wrapped both of her palms with strips of cloth. She held one of the long vines and started to slide down.
“Why did you say that crows were messengers of good luck?”
A voice suddenly echoed through the silence, startling Tang Ning, and she lost her footing. She hastily grabbed onto another vine in a panic and quickly looked up. There was no one around and then her eyes fell on the crow. It was flapping its wings and looking like it was following her. Tang Ning speechlessly stared at the crow.
“Was that you talking?”
“Yes, it’s me talking. Why did you say that crows were messengers of good luck?” The crow flapped its wings while looking at her seriously. It’s expression clearly showed that it had asked a serious question and was also seriously waiting for her answer.
Tang Ning was taken aback, and thought to herself, “Can beasts or monsters speak human language? I don’t remember that they can.”
Tang Ning paused briefly, and then answered with a smile, “Crows are filial birds. When the crow babies are mature enough, they feed their parents. In ancient times, a crow was regarded as a celestial bird. However, because crows feed on carcasses, the smell of blood and rotten meat often lingers around them. Gradually, people began treating them as ominous beings, believing their cries to be a sign of bad luck and misfortune. Of course, that’s not true.”
Tang Ning recalled what she had said when she first saw the crow, and asked, “You helped me because I said that crows were messengers of good luck?”
After hearing Tang Ning’s explanation, the crow’s body soared a bit with its head up high, swelling with pride. Its beady eyes swirled around excitedly as if to say, “Finally, somebody appreciates me.”
The crow then replied to her question, “Caw! Caw! You are the first person to say that crows are messengers of good luck!”
Tang Ning could not help but burst out laughing. “I see!” It seemed she brought good luck upon herself without realizing it!
The crow fluttered its wings and flew about in front of Tang Ning, studying her from different angles. It appeared as if contemplating a decision. Then the crow spoke in a majestic tone, as if it were bestowing a gift upon Tang Ning, and announced, “Dear human, considering your brilliant insight and wisdom, I have decided, I want to contract with you!”
Tang Ning had started to climb down the cliff again but stopped when she heard the crow. She stole a glance at the crow then some thoughts quickly ran through her mind. If she rejected the crow, would it tear up the vine she was holding on to, and cause her to plummet to the ground and be smashed to pieces?
After thinking for a while, Tang Ning cleared her throat, and said to the crow with a serious face and tone, “I would really love to contract with you too. But it’s not possible because you are a bird, and you belong to the sky, not to me.”