Reborn in the 1980s: I made my fortune hunting wild game in Changbai Mountain

After receiving Li Fulin's nod of approval, Zhang Chaochao quickly led Evan and his translator and other entourage to the lounge.

The man in the white robe also arrived. Although he said no, his actions betrayed him. He wanted to know how Li Fulin had managed to do so many things during the palace raid.

After Evan entered the house, he immediately shook hands with Li Fulin with great respect.

“Dear Mr. Li! I believe my friend has already conveyed my thoughts to you. Could you spare a moment to discuss with you the technical issues regarding the domestication of birds of prey?” Evan said very politely.

Li Fulin listened to the completely incomprehensible English with a slight daze, but fortunately the translator was very efficient and quickly translated it into Chinese.

"Sure! But there are some things, my exclusive skills, that I can't teach to friends outside of our master-disciple relationship!"

Li Fulin's very first sentence effectively shut down any idea the other party might have of trying to steal his skills.

"Of course, top-notch professional skills are a very valuable asset, and any attempt to acquire them for free is unethical!"

I am a professional falconer and also work in management at a raptor breeding facility! If there is a fee for consulting with you, I would be very willing to pay for the training!

Evan immediately resorted to the money trick.

In other countries, this money-spraying tactic is usually very effective, but it failed against the traditional-minded Li Fulin.

Li Fulin smiled and shook his head: "My skills can only be passed on to my own apprentices!"

Our family has a strict rule that we can only accept apprentices from our own country! You are a foreign guest, so this seems a bit inconvenient!

Of course, I'm not completely keeping people at arm's length; you can ask any questions that are on your mind.

I will choose the questions that are easiest for you to answer. I hope you have a great time in China!

Upon hearing that Li Fulin only accepted Chinese apprentices and would not teach his skills to foreigners, Evan's initial joy turned to sadness again.

Evan nodded and asked, "Okay, I respect your customs and traditions!"
I'd like to know how you convinced that albino falcon to mate with the female falcon!

As far as I know, in the wild, small birds of prey will avoid medium-sized birds of prey at all costs!

Even if they belong to the same owner, if they get too close together or move around together, there's a high risk of a larger falcon attacking a smaller one!

Li Fulin smiled slightly when he heard this question.

Yesterday, when Yue Feng and Jin Long were inspecting the stacks and removing their caps, they asked a similar question.

It seems that professionals are concerned with roughly the same issues.

This doesn't involve specific techniques and details in training, so we can just talk about it briefly.

Li Fulin replied, "You're quite right. Under normal circumstances, it's difficult for large falcons and small falcons to get along harmoniously!"

In the wild, they are in a competitive relationship of predator and prey, making it difficult to get them to coexist peacefully, but it's not impossible!
My strategy is to first thoroughly raise and tame the falcon!
If a falcon is kept by a person for a long time, and if the effort is sufficient, it can develop into a very close bond with them.

They will recognize people, get used to cooperating with their owners, and make limited concessions to their natural instincts after being reinforced and guided.

For example, these falcons I have can still fly and train outside even after they've eaten and drunk their fill, with their crops still full, and their obedience remains excellent!

In Chinese terms, you have to raise the eagle until it understands human nature before you can proceed to the next stage of training!

"Understanding human nature?"

When Evan heard the word, he scratched his head in confusion.

"Yes, it's about understanding human nature!"
Just like your pet dog at home, it knows your mood, whether you are happy or angry, and will play games with you, play together, and so on!
Not all falcons can be trained like this; when selecting promising young falcons, you also need to choose the intelligent ones!

"Okay! I understand. So what?"
How can we address the issue of the Grey-backed Falcon's fear of large birds of prey? I feel this is a difficult problem, because it is naturally afraid, and a moment's carelessness could cost it its life!

Li Fulin shook his head with a smile: "Why should I be afraid? The albino grey-backed falcon I'm using is naturally unafraid of other birds of prey!"
It is a young eagle bred in our own captivity, not a wild individual!

"What? You've mastered the technology for artificially breeding Magic Falcons (the Grey-backed Falcon is known as the Magic Falcon abroad because of its comprehensive abilities), and you've even bred white Grey-backed Falcons??"

Upon hearing this crucial information, Evan completely lost his composure.

Based on the information Evan obtained from his interactions with Zhang Chaochao's team, the domestication and artificial breeding of raptors in China is still in a very primitive and nascent stage.

Even a hawk that Evan could casually discard and was about to be phased out could fetch a six-figure price from Zhang Chaochao.

But now, to my dismay, people at the exhibition have managed to cultivate albino cyprinids through artificial breeding, which is something Evan finds very difficult to accept.

"Is there a problem with that? Didn't you notice my albino anklet?"

Li Fulin curled his lip, somewhat unimpressed by the American's exaggerated expression.

Language can deceive, but the closed leg bands on a raptor's talons cannot.

Fitting a live, adult eagle with a closed metal leg band is technically extremely difficult; the only feasible method is to put it on it at a very young age.

Evan nodded: "Okay, I wasn't paying attention just now! Please continue? If the Grey-backed Falcon isn't afraid of the Great Eagle, what's the next step?"

"Feed the eagle well, and then gradually test each other's condition. At the same time, conduct a test of their compatibility!"
Put in more effort and observe the situation closely. Once the eagle stops targeting the falcon and gets used to its presence, you'll be fine!

This is a very long process that requires a great deal of patience and a bit of luck.

If the eagle's temperament isn't right, even with great effort, it might be difficult to achieve this!

Li Fulin was quite accommodating, and gave Evan a serious answer to one of his questions.

After listening to the rest, Evan was able to begin to understand the logic behind it.

To achieve the performance just now, you need both training and to select the eagle's personality; both aspects are equally important.

"Okay, thank you for your answer! My second question is, how did you get the Grey-backed Falcon to grab the other party's hat?"

Evan pressed his advantage and asked another crucial question.

When asked about this, Li Fulin smiled and shook his head: "It's a secret! Sorry!"

"Uh, okay! Then let me ask you a different question. How do you make the eagle not land to eat immediately after a successful hunt?"
"I see that your hawk and hounds aren't very interested in the prey they've caught!" Evan continued to inquire.

Li Fulin smiled and nodded after listening: "The answer is simple, because eagles aren't hungry!"

"Not hungry? You mean your falcon doesn't feel hungry when it goes hunting?"

"Correct!"

“This…” Evan was quite surprised to hear this answer.

At this moment, the man in the white robe next to him couldn't hold back any longer: "I disagree with your statement. I think you're joking!"

Upon hearing the translator's words, Li Fulin frowned slightly and glanced up at the man in the white robe: "I'm joking? What's so funny about this!" "Relying on birds of prey for hunting has always relied on their own hunger and their loss of fear of humans—two core foundations!"

If it's not hungry, why would it cooperate with you in hunting? That doesn't make logical sense!

The man in the white robe was very serious and argued quite fiercely.

Li Fulin couldn't understand the white-robed man's foreign language, but he could understand his tone. After patiently listening to the translator finish speaking, he curled his lip and said, "Who told you that raptor hunting is only based on hunger? Ridiculous!"

"What else can we rely on besides hunger? Is it emotions?"

The man in the white robe felt that the truth he had firmly believed in for so many years had been offended, and his expression turned ugly.

"Of course, if you want an eagle to cooperate with a person, what else can you rely on but feelings?"
You claim to be experts in eagle training, but can you achieve the level of performance our country just gave?
If your understanding is correct, why are you here listening to me instead of me asking you questions?

Li Fulin became more and more excited as he spoke, and the pride in the bones of this old-school player could no longer be contained.

The situation reached a stalemate, and even Zhang Chaochao stood there awkwardly.

Seeing that things were not going well, Jinlong turned around and left the house, quickly calling Yuefeng over.

"Xiaofeng, come over here quickly, or there might be a fight inside!"

"Ah? What's wrong?"

Yue Feng immediately came over and asked curiously.

"Uncle Li, go in and calm things down with that guy in the white robe inside. He's a foreign guest, after all. Don't let things get out of hand. Brother Jianjun is busy entertaining other people and can't come over!" Jinlong urged.

"Don't worry, I'll go check it out!"

Yue Feng gave Jinlong a reassuring look, then pushed open the door and went into the lounge.

When Zhang Chaochao saw Yue Feng enter the room, she immediately gave him a pleading look.

"Xiaofeng, you've finally made it!"

"Can you do me a favor? My friend seems to be having a bit of a disagreement with Mr. Li. Could you help mediate?" Zhang Chaochao asked.

"No problem, what's going on, Brother Chao!" Yue Feng immediately took charge.

"Stop arguing, all of you. I've called Xiaofeng over. He's a highly regarded eagle trainer, highly regarded by both Master Li and me. Listen to what he has to say!" Zhang Chaochao said, trying to smooth things over.

"Guests are welcome, this is just a discussion, everyone please calm down!" Yue Feng grinned and reassured everyone.

"Mr. Yue Feng, I would like to ask you a question. Do you think it is possible for an eagle to develop a bond with its master?" the man in the white robe asked, looking at Yue Feng.

Yue Feng smiled and nodded: "Of course! What's there to argue about? If eagles don't have feelings for humans, how can the subsequent training be carried out? Just through starvation?"

"Is not it?"

"Of course not! Even eagles with relatively lower intelligence can become more and more affectionate towards humans if they are kept in cages for a long time!"

Of course, even with family members, there's a limit to how well this thing can perform. If it were a saker falcon or a gyrfalcon, the situation would be much better!

A falcon that is fully trained and tamed can have a very good relationship with people! Even if it's not hungry, it will obey its master's commands! Yue Feng said calmly.

"That's impossible! Our traditional falconry culture has been passed down for thousands of years!"
No falconer has ever been able to achieve what you described—making the falcon develop an emotional bond with its handler!

"That's because you're ignorant and lack skill! When it comes to falconry, we Chinese are the ancestors!"

My eagle can fly freely with a large crop on its head, and can be called down at will, obeying commands!
Xiaofeng, you stay here and chat with them. My head hurts; I need to find a place to rest!

Li Fulin interjected somewhat excitedly, then stood up from his seat, greeted the guests, and left the lounge while holding his head.

The scene became somewhat awkward as the two sides started arguing over a professional issue.

Yue Feng reached out and pressed down: "Respected Mr. Salman, perhaps it is indeed your training methods that differ from ours!"

I have an emotional attachment to my own falcon! I can show you that during the live-fire demonstration this afternoon!

"You're just using the excuse that eagles have feelings for humans to seek a sense of superiority in your words. I don't believe it!" The man in the white robe remained extremely stubborn, shaking his head firmly.

Seeing how stubborn the big dog was, Yue Feng's competitive spirit instantly flared up.

"You don't believe me, right? Okay, then I can demonstrate it for you now. Please wait a moment, I'll be right back!"

Yue Feng immediately got up and left the lounge, went to another locked room next door, unlocked the door, put the big black eagle inside on his hand, closed the door and locked it again.

When Yue Feng pushed the door open again, everyone in the room turned to look at him and the large black eagle in his hand.

"This is……"

When Zhang Chaochao saw the black falcon, which resembled a raven, was as black as ink and shimmered with iridescent colors, his eyes widened instantly.

The Americans, the ones in white robes, were the same; when they saw the big black eagle, their eyes were glued to every detail.

"This is my own main combat falcon!"

As Yue Feng spoke, he casually pinched the tassel on the eagle hat, removing it to reveal the large black eagle's jewel-like eyes.

This guy had already become a complete spirit. Seeing that no one in the room reacted at all, he only adjusted to the indoor light for a while before his feathers became fluffy and he squatted down on Yue Feng's hand to preen them.

"Big Black Hawk, go stand in the chair across the table!"

Yue Feng pointed to an empty chair with a backrest.

The black eagle immediately flapped its wings and flew directly to the designated location.

"Good, come back!" Yue Feng praised, and called the other person back again.

The black eagle immediately turned around, leaped again, and flew back into Yue Feng's hand.

This single move completely stunned Salman.

An eagle is not a crow, much less a parrot or other birds.

This creature is naturally aloof. Even when trained, it can only cooperate with its master in hunting to a limited extent. If not careful, it will fly away.

But this top-class bird of prey, under Yue Feng's care, is like a flying puppy.

It can even understand simple human speech, who could stand that!

Whether the claim that eagles have feelings for humans is true or false is no longer important compared to the great black eagle's actual behavior. (End of Chapter)