Compared to the other beasts in the forest, this fat duck was closer to humans. Sometimes it would fly off into the distance but it would return before dark to rest in the forest on the other side of the river. During the day, it would continue to roam around the river and the forest on the other side of the river. Because this area was close to the Flaming Horn tribe, there were no other dangerous beasts around so it was safe for the duck.
Once it grew bolder and got used to the environment, it would start to get restless.
According to the people who often observed the fat duck, it disappeared for half a day at first. When the people at the foot of the mountain were worried that it was missing and were about to report to Shao Xuan, they found that it had returned with another bird. After the two left, the fat duck returned with another bird.
Just like that, it brought back a bird every one or two days. These birds didn't all look the same. Some had sharp beaks, some had flat beaks, some had long wings, some had short wings, some had bright feathers, some had dark feathers, some liked to rest in the trees, some liked to rest in the grass. Even though the birds brought back by Fat Duck were all different, they were similar in form. They looked very similar to ducks and might be related to one another in history.
In the past, the tribesmen would definitely hunt down the birds when they saw them. It would be a waste not to take prey that was delivered to their doorstep. But that fat duck belonged to Shao Xuan so no one dared to touch it. No one touched the other birds either.
The people at the foot of the mountain were now interested in counting ducks. Whenever they had time, they would go to the river to see if there were more ducks today.
"Hey, how many are there now?" asked a warrior on patrol duty.
"Seventeen. There were fifteen yesterday," said another warrior happily.
"I can't believe these birds increased by themselves!"
"What are you talking about?! Elder Shao Xuan's bird lured them here. As expected of an elder, he only brought back one bird and now there are seventeen! "said the man enviously.
"But these birds don't look tasty. They're small and don't have much meat. They look like normal birds too. What does Elder Shao Xuan need so many birds for? "Someone was puzzled.
"Since Elder Shao Xuan did this, he must have his reasons. Let's not think too much about it. We just have to keep an eye on those birds and make sure they don't attack them."
"Stop talking, it's time to take a detour!" The leader scolded.
Compared to the fat duck, the others were more timid and vigilant. After all, the fat duck had interacted with humans before, so it was easier for it to adapt to human territory. However, the others were different. If someone approached the river, those that were still swimming in the water would immediately scream and run away. They would only return after a long time, and some would disappear for days.
Therefore, in order not to scare the birds away, even if the people at the foot of the mountain went to count, they would keep a distance. After a long time, they also figured out a safe distance. As long as they were outside this distance, the birds would not be scared away. For this reason, when the people on patrol walked to the river, in order not to scare the birds away, they would change their path.
Therefore, when the hunting team returned, a flock of ducks happened to pass by. With a series of quacking sounds, the flock of ducks that were swimming on the river all flew up, screaming and running away.
The hunting team returned with a full load. Someone wanted to shoot a few down with a bow, but as soon as he took out his bow, he saw the patrolman in the tribe rush over like the wind and punch the person holding the bow away.
The rest of the hunting team were speechless. What happened when we weren't around?
When the patrolman told them what had happened, the hunting team quickly put away their bows. However, the flock of ducks that had been scared away could not be called back for now.
"Will they come back?" Duo Kang asked.
"Yes … I guess, but it will take a while. If the Elder's flock only comes back, then the others will probably come back too." The leader of the patrolman hesitated.
"Young Elder wants to keep birds?"
"The Elder doesn't care. Those birds flew here on their own. At first, there was only one, but then there were more and more of them. I counted twenty today!" The leader of the patrolman smiled, but when he thought about whether those birds would be scared away by the hunting team and not come back, the smile on his face faded. He was worried. After all, the hunting team was still covered in blood and murderous aura. It was different from usual.
Worried, the leader of the patrolman went up the mountain and told Shao Xuan about what had happened.
"Don't worry. As long as the fattest one comes back, even if the others don't all come back, there will be more members joining us in the future." Shao Xuan said.
Hearing Shao Xuan's words, the leader of the patrolman was not worried anymore. However, every time he was on duty, he would glance at the river to see if the birds had come back, and how many had come back.
The flock of ducks was probably really scared. This time, they came back much slower. Only fifteen of them came back. However, when everyone saw that the fattest green one was still there, they were no longer worried. As long as that one was there, it would attract more of them.
Shao Xuan did not expect this at all. He thought that if the fat duck settled down near the tribe, it would attract a few female ducks. However, Shao Xuan still underestimated the ability of the fat duck. It actually attracted a flock of ducks! Now, the fat duck's harem was still expanding.
It seemed that bringing the fat duck back was the right choice.
If the female ducks laid eggs in the future, and the ducklings hatched, maybe some of them would inherit the fat duck's detoxification ability. The male ducks could be eaten, and the female ducks could be slowly tamed. Let's see if they could lay as many eggs as possible.
It did not matter if the second generation ducks would develop as Shao Xuan expected. It was still early. There were not even eggs yet, let alone second generation ducks.
One day, Shao Xuan had just returned from the tribe's copper workshop when he saw people guarding the door. There were two warriors patrolling the foot of the mountain, a woman, and a child who did not even reach Shao Xuan's waist.
"What's wrong?" Shao Xuan asked.
Seeing that Shao Xuan had returned, the woman who had been waiting there excitedly walked up to him and took out something carefully wrapped in animal skin.
"My child found this in the river last night. It should be yours." The woman handed the egg to Shao Xuan.
Usually at night, the ducks would leave the man-made river and enter the forest to rest in their nests. Some of the ducks built their nests in trees, while others built their nests in the grass. Shao Xuan had seen them before.
No matter what kind of wild duck it was, they would not lay eggs as often as domesticated birds.
"Where did you find this egg?" Shao Xuan asked the child.
"In the grass by the river." There were no ducks in the river at night. Sometimes, children like them would go to the river to play out of curiosity. He did not expect to find an egg in the grass by the river last night. He was overjoyed. After telling his parents, he went up the mountain to find Shao Xuan with the two patrolling warriors.
Shao Xuan looked at the egg and saw that it was cracked. He returned the egg to the child. "Take this egg back and eat it. Eat a little first. If there's nothing else, eat the rest."
Looking at the egg in front of him and seeing that Shao Xuan did not seem to be joking, the child grinned. "Thank you, Elder! When I find more eggs, I will send them to you, Elder! "
With this first egg, when the flock of ducks left at night, many people went to look for them. However, they rarely found any more eggs. Shao Xuan did see a few ducks in their nests, ranging from a few to a dozen eggs.
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