“Huh… what kind of egg is this?”
Mo Xiaoxing leaned in to look into the rock crevice. The largest egg she had ever seen was an ostrich egg, but this one was the size of a basketball.
She suddenly remembered that when the Black-Spotted Snake was first attacked by the Golden-Winged Eagle, it refused to leave this crevice. Could it have been guarding this egg?
Could this be the offspring of the Black-Spotted Snake?
Mo Xiaoxing stretched her arm as far as she could, but she still couldn’t reach it. Finally, she used a vine to make a loop and managed to fish it out.
“It’s actually quite heavy!”
She casually tossed it into the Mo Huo (Ink Calamity) and began climbing upward, wondering how she would cook this egg when she got back.
When she finally pulled herself up to the cliff’s edge, a pair of brocade-patterned Taoist robes suddenly appeared in front of her, giving her quite a start!
“Ah!”
Mo Xiaoxing leaned back, nearly letting go of the vines, her body dangling in the air.
The person before her leaned over, grabbed her arm, and with a slight tug, pulled her up.
“Junior Sister, why are you coming up from below? Below is the Fire Burial Mound; it is very dangerous.”
The man’s voice was gentle, like a breeze in the rain—very pleasing to the ear.
Mo Xiaoxing looked at the man. He was indeed very handsome, appearing to be only about twenty, yet there was a softness and stability between his brows.
This was her Senior Brother, Nanshan Lü.
Mo Xiaoxing immediately beamed, her happiness written all over her face.
“Senior Brother, are you here to take me back?”
Nanshan Lü sized up his Junior Sister for a moment. He was quite surprised… although he had received five letters in which his Junior Sister expressed sincere remorse, he hadn’t held out much hope.
But now, seeing her disheveled and covered in dust, as if she had suffered a great deal, could she truly have reflected on her actions?
“Answer my question first: how did you end up like this?”
Mo Xiaoxing brushed the dust off her clothes casually. “Oh, oh! I gathered a Red Silk Fruit, but unexpectedly encountered a Golden-Winged Eagle fighting a Black-Spotted Snake, so I got covered in dirt.”
Nanshan Lü frowned slightly. “And those two beasts?”
He took a step forward, looking somewhat guarded.
Mo Xiaoxing laughed, saying half-truthfully, “Senior Brother, you don’t need to be tense. The two beasts fell into the earth’s core fire together and perished. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have survived to come up.”
Nanshan Lü looked at Mo Xiaoxing again, feeling even more confused.
This Junior Sister of his had always been arrogant and unreasonable, unable to endure even the slightest hardship. Yet now, she spoke of such a dangerous situation with a laugh, brushing it off as nothing.
Could it be… that she is making it up? In any case, if the eagle and the snake had fallen into the Fire Burial Mound, there would be no way to verify it.
However, Mo Xiaoxing suddenly held out a pitch-black egg to Nanshan Lü, her small face smiling in a somewhat ingratiating way.
“Senior Brother, since you’re already here, take me out of here! Look, this is a Black-Spotted Snake’s egg. Take it back and nourish your body.”
Nanshan Lü looked at the egg and felt a sudden pang of shame. It seemed he had been wrong; his Junior Sister had indeed encountered the snake. However…
“Junior Sister, this is not a Black-Spotted Snake’s egg.”
Mo Xiaoxing: “Ah? That’s impossible! I saw the Black-Spotted Snake guarding it the whole time.”
Nanshan Lü said patiently, “A Black-Spotted Snake’s egg is white with black patterns.”
Mo Xiaoxing: “Oh, then what kind of egg is this?”
Nanshan Lü picked it up and examined it; the color of the shell was extremely black and rather strange.
After a long while, he shook his head. “I have never seen it before either.”
Mo Xiaoxing: “Whatever. It’s an egg, it’s all the same—you can boil it, fry it, steam it for custard, or stir-fry it.”
Just as she was speaking, the egg lying in Nanshan Lü’s palm suddenly jumped onto the ground!
Mo Xiaoxing exclaimed, fearing the egg would shatter!
But it didn’t. The egg began rolling across the uneven ground on its own—and it was rolling uphill! It stubbornly bumped and tumbled forward, as if desperately trying to escape its fate of being boiled, fried, steamed, or stir-fried!
Mo Xiaoxing immediately chased after it. “You stop right there! You’re an egg, how can you run away!”
Nanshan Lü stood at the edge of the cliff with his hands behind his back. Watching his Junior Sister chase the egg, he remembered the image of her kowtowing repeatedly in the letters and couldn’t help but smile slightly.
Seeing her chasing it until she was out of breath, he suddenly pinched a spell with his fingers, conjured a small whirlwind, picked up the egg, and sent it to Mo Xiaoxing.
“Caught you at last.”
Mo Xiaoxing hugged the egg tightly. She noticed that even after being caught, the egg was still kicking and jumping desperately.
“Senior Brother, here.”
She had promised to give it to Nanshan Lü, so even if the egg was strange, it was his!
Nanshan Lü smiled. “No need. You keep this egg. It can understand human speech and had already developed intelligence before even hatching. It must be the lost offspring of a high-level beast. You don’t need to think about eating it; high-level beasts are not easily found, and if you tame it in the future, it will be of great help to you.”
Mo Xiaoxing hadn’t expected that the random egg she picked up would be the offspring of a high-level beast!
“Thank you, Senior Brother.”
She stroked the eggshell and said, “Don’t move around anymore. I won’t eat you. Come to think of it, I’m your savior! If it weren’t for me, you would have been eaten by the Black-Spotted Snake or the Golden-Winged Eagle long ago!”
The black egg seemed to be pacified and slowly calmed down.
“Junior Sister, I came today to take you back.”
Mo Xiaoxing: “Thank you, Senior Brother!”
Nanshan Lü mounted his sword and beckoned Mo Xiaoxing to step on it.
Mo Xiaoxing jumped onto the flying sword, and they instantly soared into the clouds.
She was quite excited; this was her first time standing on a flying sword, weaving through mountains and clouds. It was so carefree and joyous—this must be the happiness of being an immortal!
Before she could fully savor the experience, they landed on the ground.
Mo Xiaoxing felt a bit regretful, though she was too embarrassed to say she hadn’t flown enough.
Nanshan Lü escorted Mo Xiaoxing directly back to her cave dwelling.
The house was built on a water pavilion with winding corridors and the fragrance of lotus flowers. As the breeze blew, ripples spread across the water’s surface.
Set against the mountains and waters, the environment was exquisitely beautiful. Qin Yu really didn’t know how to treat herself poorly.
“Junior Sister, although your confinement is lifted, you must restrain your behavior. Try not to go out for these next few days.”
Although he knew Qin Yu likely wouldn’t listen, Nanshan Lü still offered a few words of caution.
However, Mo Xiaoxing nodded very obediently.
“I know… Senior Brother, has the Master come out of seclusion yet?”
Nanshan Lü looked at Mo Xiaoxing and sighed softly.
“Indeed. You were confined in the back mountain, so you don’t know what has occurred. The Blood Dragon Sect united with over a dozen demonic sects and secretly infiltrated Ruian City. While the whole sect was defending against the enemy, the seal of the Demon Realm Gate was somehow breached.
The Master appeared in time to seal the gate, but there had been no news of him for a long time. He only returned three days ago.”
Mo Xiaoxing: “Ah? Is the Master injured?”
Nanshan Lü: “There is no major harm now.”
Mo Xiaoxing twisted her fingers together. “Then, has the Master said how he will deal with me?”
Seeing Mo Xiaoxing’s awkward demeanor, Nanshan Lü suddenly felt his heart soften.
Perhaps she realizes now how much trouble she caused? If she could curb her temperament because of this, it would be a good thing.
He only said, “The Master has been in seclusion for over a year, and there are many urgent matters in the sect, so he cannot attend to you for the time being. In a few days, when the Master is free, I will take you to see him.”