Feng Qing walked over to Feng Yi with a puzzled expression.
“This is… a third-grade red turtle egg!”
Feng Qing’s pupils contracted sharply.
Pointing at the red egg in Feng Yi’s hand, the emotions on his face visibly cracked.
Feng Yi had no time to explain further. He shoved an empty basket into Feng Qing’s hands and pointed toward the marked direction. “There’s another nest over there! Hurry up and help collect them!”
Upon hearing this, Feng Qing quickly walked to the spot Feng Yi indicated. Seeing the densely packed red turtle eggs, he froze in astonishment.
“Feng Yi!”
Song Liuhua called from a distance.
Feng Yi promptly responded, swiftly gathering the current nest before scurrying over with his basket.
Only then did Feng Qing realize that all these red turtle eggs had been discovered by the madam.
Just as he began collecting, he heard the madam calling him from nearby again.
Feng Qing had no choice but to speed up his work.
Feng Shan grew curious. He had thought Feng Qing would only be gone briefly, but half an hour had passed with no sign of his return. From afar, he could see Feng Qing and Feng Yi crouched down, absorbed in some unknown task.
“Those two rascals. I’ll go check on them. Song Yuan, you rest for a while.”
Leaving Song Yuan behind, Feng Shan headed toward Feng Yi.
As he approached, a full basket of glowing red third-grade turtle eggs made him doubt his eyesight.
He rubbed his eyes vigorously, but the red turtle eggs remained.
Feng Shan let out a sharp exclamation, drawing everyone’s attention. Feng Yi looked up and shot him an annoyed glare. “What are you shouting for? Keep it down! Don’t let others notice.”
Feng Shan coughed awkwardly, then grinned and whispered, “How many have you collected?”
Feng Yi held up ten fingers. “All discovered by the madam.”
Feng Shan’s eyes lit up, his grin widening. “I knew from the moment the madam arrived that she was no ordinary person. See? I have a keen eye for recognizing talent.”
Feng Yi rolled his eyes. “Stop flattering yourself. The madam is calling me again, which means she’s found more red turtle eggs. Go help quickly.”
Feng Shan dashed forward with his basket, then worried about drawing suspicion and forced himself to slow to a leisurely stroll. Internally, he was itching to reach the spot immediately.
Song Liuhua seemed to have stumbled upon a red turtle nest—wherever her intuition led, she hit the mark every time. After repeated shouting, her throat grew dry and she grew tired of calling out. Instead, whenever she found red turtle eggs, she simply marked the spot with a stick, allowing Feng Qing and Feng Yi to collect them directly.
When Song Yuan emerged after drinking some water, he noticed Feng Shan moving farther away.
He couldn’t help wondering, “What are they dawdling over there for?”
“I should go check.”
Song Yuan approached Feng Shan, bent down, and tapped his shoulder. The sight of the nearly full basket of red turtle eggs made his jaw drop. “Feng Shan, this—”
The thunderous tone reached Feng Shan’s ears, and he instinctively hushed Song Yuan in a low voice. “Quiet! Don’t make a scene!”
Only then did Song Yuan realize his mistake. He rubbed his nose, glanced around like a thief, and promptly shut his mouth.
Seeing his furtive behavior, Feng Shan snorted. “Stop acting so suspiciously. You’re practically announcing that something’s going on here!”
Song Yuan saw the logic in this and tried his best to appear nonchalant, though the excitement in his eyes didn’t escape Feng Shan’s notice.
A sudden sense of superiority washed over Feng Shan. See? I handled it much better than him. I only got excited for a moment.
He then urged Song Yuan to join him in collecting the red turtle eggs.
On Feng Ci’s side, many were injured, and the spirit replenishing pills given by Qin Ye were nearly depleted. The catch of crabs and shrimp was dwindling. Many Martial Spirit Masters, lacking the pills, could no longer hold on.
The hunt had to be temporarily halted.
Green-shelled crabs and green-skinned shrimp, with their tender and delicious meat, were popular among both men and women, and their prices in the Mercenary Market remained consistently high. To be honest, Feng Ci was unwilling to simply turn back after learning of their presence here.
He had no choice but to let everyone rest for a while to recover their Spirit Power, while waiting for the two pharmacists to refine more spirit replenishing pills.
Feng Ci pinched the bridge of his nose.
His gaze fell upon his wife strolling leisurely on the beach, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
He had intended to protect her, but instead, he found himself benefiting from her efforts first.
The day’s catch of green-shelled crabs and green-skinned shrimp, combined with the thousand or so pounds of Rabbit-like Beast and over a thousand Seven-Colored Wild Chicken Eggs his wife had gathered, was more than enough to make up for the level-four Silver-Striped Deer stolen by the Li Family yesterday.
At this thought, Feng Ci’s expression softened, and he quickened his pace toward her.
With a few more people helping, Feng Yi’s burden was greatly reduced. After finishing gathering one nest, he straightened up and stretched. Spotting Feng Ci passing by, Feng Yi’s eyes lit up, and he hurried over with a basket of red turtle eggs.
He presented the basket as if offering a treasure. “Young master, look what this is!”
On his delicate, boyish face, a pair of dimples looked as if they had been drilled out with an electric drill.
In the bamboo basket, blood-red eggs were piled together, strikingly vivid. Feng Ci was inwardly startled but maintained a calm expression, praising, “Very good.”
Delighted by the praise, Feng Yi eagerly recounted how the red turtle eggs were discovered. “It was all the Madam’s find. She’s really good at spotting things. I’ve already gathered ten baskets, and this is the eleventh. Feng Qing and Feng Shan are also gathering some over there.”
Even someone as composed as Feng Ci was taken aback, a rare look of astonishment flashing in his eyes.
With so many red turtle eggs, even if only thirty percent succeeded in enhancing the clansmen’s abilities, their overall strength would still advance significantly.
His gaze shifted to the distant figure already darting across the beach on a flying sword, and Feng Ci’s expression grew complex. This reliance on his wife… had caught him off guard.
Song Liuhua, standing on her flying sword, saw Feng Ci and sped over, throwing herself into his arms. A few strands of wind-tousled hair tangled lightly around his collar, carrying a subtle fragrance. Tilting her fair, delicate face upward, she whined softly, “Feng Ci, I’m so tired.”
Feng Ci held her soft, delicate form close. Where their bodies pressed together, warmth seeped through the fabric, slowly permeating his being. His slender fingers gently brushed aside the slightly disheveled strands from her pale, tender face. As their eyes met, the woman’s petal-like red lips parted slightly. Feng Ci’s throat moved, a shadow of intensity flickering in his gentle gaze.
Finally, he chuckled softly and gently brushed the sand from her dress.
“If you’re tired, go back and rest.”
Song Liuhua glanced at Feng Yi and the others bustling with activity and sighed. “Let me wait a bit longer. I want to dig out all the red turtle eggs here first.”
Feng Ci frowned, disapproving of her neglecting her well-being. “The red turtle eggs aren’t going anywhere. Be good and rest for a while.”
With that, he picked her up firmly and headed toward the flying boat.
“Feng Ci, put me down!”
Song Liuhua struggled slightly, her delicate brows furrowing as her pitch-black eyes fixed firmly on him.
Her fair, tender face wore a serious expression, and Feng Ci could see stubbornness in her gaze—as if she would sever ties with him unless he released her.
Feng Ci was momentarily taken aback. Pressing his lips together, he slowly set her down.
Observing his slightly darkened handsome face, Song Liuhua reflected: Had she been too harsh just now?
A look of grim determination flashed in her eyes. Tugging at Feng Ci’s sleeve, she affected a coquettish tone, “Of course, good things should be secured first. What’s a little exhaustion for me? Once you grow stronger, I can simply enjoy the rewards. Please, let me go.”
The sickly sweet, oddly pitched voice coming from her own mouth made Song Liuhua shudder with disgust, her body involuntarily swaying.
Seeing her sparkling eyes, Feng Ci finally couldn’t hold back a helpless smile.
“Go ahead, go ahead. I appreciate your thoughtfulness, my lady.”
Song Liuhua chuckled and resumed her treasure-hunting journey.
On this continent where food meant survival, even if these red turtle eggs weren’t critically important, she still had to do her utmost to thoroughly search the area—especially since they held a high likelihood of enhancing a Martial Spirit Master’s cultivation.
Though Feng Ci had never made her any explicit promises, she had eyes and could see his actions and words. As the saying goes, “Offer a peach, receive a jade.” Besides, she was the one who had first provoked Feng Ci—so she would try trusting him this once.