Chapter 65 Hatching Eggs She kissed me, she actually kissed me...
"Heh~"
Zhong Jiuli smiled slightly, her smile carrying a profound meaning.
Bai suddenly realized what he had said, belatedly recalling the explanation about his wife that he had received inside the mushroom spirit's belly.
She quickly tried to salvage the situation: "Um, if I said that my wife didn't actually mean you're old, would you believe me?"
Zhong Jiuli asked leisurely, "Oh? What does that mean?"
Just as Bai was about to answer, she caught a glimpse of the Xuanbing Beast King opening its mouth to gather power, so she quickly grabbed Zhong Jiuli and flew up into the air.
Azure flames exploded beneath their feet. Bai hugged the person in his arms tighter and, amidst the raging flames, leaned down to whisper in Zhong Jiuli's ear, "I'll tell you what it means after I retrieve the Taiyin True Fire."
Zhong Jiuli's smile deepened, and she said gently, "Be careful. There's no need to touch the true fire directly. Just let Liu Xianyue absorb it on her own."
"I know, those Vermilion Birds love to devour all kinds of flames." Bai also picked a few Heavenly Origin Fruits from Xiao Lü's space and gave them to her.
He went on and on, explaining, "Don't worry about wasting spiritual energy. I have plenty of medicinal herbs in reserve. Your safety is the most important thing."
Zhong Jiuli took the Tianyuan Fruit and leaned down to place a light, fleeting kiss on her forehead.
"You too, be careful."
Her lips were slightly cool, carrying a chilling air, like icy snowflakes falling on his brow. The touch was fleeting, yet it felt like a thunderclap exploding in Bai Ye's mind.
She stared blankly at Zhong Jiuli, who remained calm after kissing her, with only one thought swirling wildly in her mind: She actually kissed me! She actually kissed me!
Bai, still dizzy, let go of the hand, even forgetting to say goodbye, and simply flapped its wings and plunged headfirst into the deep blue lake.
Seeing Bai leap into the lake, the Xuanbing Beast King immediately let out a deafening roar. It spread its wings, and countless ice arrows shot into the lake. Its massive body also swooped down towards the lake.
Zhong Jiuli formed hand seals, and silver law chains wrapped around the Xuanbing Beast King's limbs like swimming dragons.
"Roar!" The Xuanbing Beast King struggled frantically, the chains were stretched taut, it flapped its wings and dragged Zhong Jiuli toward the lake.
"Don't look at her, your opponent is me!" Zhong Jiuli's voice rang out in the frost-covered valley. She flashed and appeared in front of the Xuanbing Beast King.
A flash of silver light appeared on his fingertips, and another chain flew out, wrapping around the Xuanbing Beast King.
Zhong Jiuli wasn't incapable of defeating the beast king, but she didn't want to waste her spiritual energy. All she needed to do was hold off this big guy and buy Bai Ye some time.
On the other side, Bai had just rushed into the lake when the biting cold hit her, making her shiver and instantly cooling her feverish enthusiasm.
She fully regained consciousness and opened her eyes wide to look around. The lake water was a deep blue, unfathomable, and completely still; not even a mayfly could be seen.
There was no sign of the Yin True Fire, only boundless cold, so cold that thoughts froze, as if even time itself could be frozen.
"Hiss... It's so cold, it's so cold, many times colder than the valley at night." Bai Ye's teeth chattered, and bluish-white frost quickly covered her entire body. In the blink of an eye, she had turned into a human-shaped ice sculpture.
The three-legged golden crow in the dantian slowly flapped its wings, and the true fire of the sun circulated in the meridians. Bai in the frost blinked its eyes and suddenly exerted its strength to break free from the frost.
"That's a bit strange. I actually stood there obediently waiting to be frozen. It seems that this Taiyin True Fire is indeed something special," Bai muttered to himself.
Golden flames ignited in her eyes, piercing through the deep blue lake water and gazing into the depths of the lakebed.
There, a ball of blue-white mist moved slowly like a living thing, sometimes expanding and sometimes condensing, just like it was breathing.
"Found you!" Bai took out a handful of spiritual herbs from his storage ring and stuffed them into his mouth haphazardly, not caring what they were, just to replenish his spiritual energy first.
The herbs she ate were low-grade spiritual herbs that the Chu sisters and A-Lian had picked earlier. Since they couldn't go back for the time being, Bai borrowed them to use.
When we get back, I'll dig some more for them. As for the high-grade spiritual herbs in the little green space, I've left them all for Zhong Jiuli and Liu Xianyue. They need those spiritual herbs with abundant spiritual energy even more.
The depleted spiritual energy in his dantian was replenished, and the true fire of the sun circulated around his body, keeping out the omnipresent chill. Bai also moved his frozen hands and feet before stepping on the lake water and diving to the bottom of the lake like a fish.
As they descended, the surrounding temperature dropped lower and lower, and even the true fire of the sun covering their bodies was forced back into their bodies by the extremely low temperature.
This does not mean that the true fire of the sun is weaker than the true fire of the moon; it is just that Bai did not obtain the original source of the true fire of the sun, but rather a wisp of the true fire of the sun contained in the Fusang fruit.
Right now, she is facing the source of the Taiyin True Fire. Legend has it that the Taiyin True Fire is cold on the outside but blazing on the inside, and can freeze everything in the world, including time and the primordial spirit.
Bai dared not be careless and circulated the True Fire of the Sun to protect his heart meridian, lest he be frozen into an ice sculpture again without realizing it.
After preparing, Bai took out the Vermilion Bird Egg and tapped the shell lightly with his knuckles, as if knocking on a door. "Liu Xianyue~ Wake up and have breakfast. I've prepared a big meal for you."
As soon as the little Vermilion Bird woke up, it shivered from the omnipresent chill. The crimson-gold patterns on the eggshell flowed, and the True Fire of the Sun and the Divine Fire of the Vermilion Bird ignited simultaneously.
"You're awake, aren't you? Let's go!" Bai chuckled, and before the little Vermilion Bird could reply, he swung his arm and smashed the little egg towards the ball of blue and white flames.
As soon as the little egg came into contact with the Yin True Fire, the quiet, flickering blue and white flames suddenly became restless.
A giant hand emerged from the flames and, like slapping a ball, directly slapped the Vermilion Bird egg back.
"Ouch!" Bai exclaimed, hurriedly catching Liu Xianyue, who was dizzy from the beating.
The man and the egg flew backwards through the lake, only coming to a stop when they crashed into the rocky bottom of the lake.
Ignoring the pain in his back, Bai nervously picked up the small egg to examine it, carefully stroking the shell to make sure there were no cracks before letting out a long sigh of relief.
"Can't you eat it?"
The little egg rolled sadly in Bai Ye's palm, even the fire patterns on the eggshell dimmed a bit, the meaning was clear: the baby had been hit and was very aggrieved.
"Alright, alright, I'll help you." Bai also touched the little Vermilion Bird's eggshell to comfort her. "Let's go together. I don't believe a tiny flame can turn the world upside down."
She stomped heavily on the rock face, transforming into a bolt of lightning, and charged straight at the blue-white flame with overwhelming force.
"boom!"
The moment the Thunder Incarnation collided with the Yin True Fire, it was as if a nuclear bomb with a yield of 10,000 tons exploded at the bottom of the lake.
Centered on the area where the Taiyin True Fire was located, the surrounding area within a hundred feet became a vacuum zone.
At the epicenter of the explosion, Bai was covered in frost, holding the little Vermilion Bird egg in one hand and grimacing as he stuffed Taiyin True Fire into his mouth with the other.
Only after the flames entered his mouth did he realize how awful this stuff was. The hot and cold flames burned all the way from his throat to his dantian, twisting and deforming Bai Ye's soul.
But in order for Liu Xianyue to grow beautiful fur quickly, she still went all out.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey." Bai spat out ice shards, then plucked a clump from the ball of flame and stuffed it into his mouth, just like eating cotton candy.
"Waaah... Why did you eat me? You're all bad guys." A childish voice, trembling with tears, suddenly echoed in Bai Ye's mind.
Bai paused in his chewing, looked down at the little flame, and asked hesitantly, "Are you talking?"
"Hmph, you're just like that annoying ghost vine. I've already hidden here, and you still want to eat me," the little girl sobbed.
"I'm so unlucky. I'm just a little flame. Why does everyone want to eat me? Waaaaah!"
Bai never expected that the mysterious Taiyin True Fire would give rise to such a crybaby.
She looked at the flame in her hand and awkwardly put it back.
"Uh... then I won't eat it, here you go."
The little flame stopped crying instantly. She quietly stretched out a small fiery hand and rubbed the spot where Bai Ye had pinched her. The whole ball of true fire looked aggrieved.
"You just said that the Ghost Vine wants to eat you?" Bai asked.
"Yeah, that bastard has a huge appetite. It eats everything in sight, so we little guys can only hide from it," said Taiyin True Fire.
“But hiding here won’t do you any good.” Bai also glanced at the lake. “This lake is only so big, and there’s no spiritual energy on the island. You won’t grow any bigger anyway. Once the ghost vines grow up, won’t they come and eat you?”
"I...I do absorb spiritual energy at night," Taiyin True Fire muttered softly.
"So, you stole our spiritual energy last night, didn't you?" Bai also caught the key information.
Taiyin True Fire said coyly, "I only stole a little bit."
Bai Ye's eyes darted around, and she forced a smile, like a wolf in sheep's clothing coaxing a child, "Do you want to come with me? When I leave this island, I'll take you outside to places with abundant spiritual energy."
"No!" The little flame shrank back warily. "You want to eat me, but that little Vermilion Bird wants to eat me too."
"Alright then." Bai sighed with a hint of regret, even though she really wanted Liu Xianyue to consume the Taiyin True Fire to accelerate her growth.
But this little flame is clearly a baby too; she wouldn't harm an innocent and naive little life just to satisfy her own selfish desires.
"Don't worry, I'll eliminate the Ghost Vine before I leave, then you won't have to worry about anyone eating you."
Bai didn't lie to the little guy. They definitely had to get rid of the Ghost Vine. The Ghost Vine they saw now was still in its seedling stage. If left unattended, one day, this Ghost Vine would grow into a ferocious beast that could devour the entire Kyushu Continent. It would be difficult to manage it then.
"Oh!" the little flame responded blankly.
"Then I'm leaving." Bai Ye said, turned around and left without a trace of regret.
Most importantly, she couldn't linger. She really couldn't hold on any longer. Her meridians were starting to freeze, and the golden core in her dantian was covered in frost. If she didn't get away from that little flame soon, she and Liu Xianyue would probably perish here.
With a "splash," Bai burst out of the water like an ice sculpture.
Zhong Jiuli had been keeping a close eye on the lake. The moment Bai Ye emerged from the water, she flew over and grabbed the two of them, who looked like popsicles. The chill she felt made her shiver.
This coldness reaches deep into the soul.
"Let's go, let's leave first," Bai said, his voice trembling.
"Okay." Zhong Jiuli replied, picked up Bai Ye, and flew away.
With its hands and feet bound, the Xuanbing Beast King could only watch helplessly as the two left, letting out two angry roars in frustration.
The two returned to the front of the cabin, and Bai, with trembling hands, pushed her, saying, "Just put me on the ground, don't let you get too cold."
"It's alright, I'm not afraid of the cold." Zhong Jiuli continued to hold her.
"I was afraid you'd get a high fever again tonight, so I insisted on taking off my clothes..."
Before Bai could finish speaking, she was thrown onto the grass with a "thud." She wasn't angry; instead, she cheerfully rolled over, looking up at the bright sunshine above.
Zhong Jiuli sat down next to her with annoyance, condensing spiritual energy at her fingertips to help her dispel the cold energy in her body.
Bai shook his head and refused, "No need to waste spiritual energy, I can do it myself."
After she finished speaking, she closed her eyes and focused her mind into her body. The wisp of Taiyin True Fire that she had swallowed earlier surged through her meridians, and wherever the small flame went, frost formed.
Bai also drew out the true fire of the sun in his dantian and drove it to chase after the chaotic true fire of the moon.
The two true fires chased each other within her body. The small flame, unfamiliar with the place, was quickly blocked by the true fire of the sun. It did not devour the true fire of the moon, but rather intertwined with the small flame like old friends who had been separated for a long time, and finally slowly returned to the dantian together.
"What a troublesome little flame." Bai also let out a soft breath, his body temperature gradually rising, and the white breath he exhaled from his mouth and nose became fainter.
Zhong Jiuli reached out and gently stroked her still somewhat pale cheek. The temperature from her fingertips was still icy, but at least it wasn't the kind of bone-chilling cold.
Are you feeling better?
Bai also lifted his eyelids and looked at Zhong Jiuli sitting against the light. Sunlight fell from above her head, and every strand of her hair was radiating a faint golden light.
"I'm much better now. My brain was numb from being at the bottom of the lake."
"That ball of Yin True Fire has already developed sentience, and I feel a little reluctant to let it go." Bai also briefly explained what happened at the bottom of the lake.
Looking back now, she thinks that the low temperature environment may have really affected her brain; otherwise, she should have been able to remember to ask Liu Xianyue for some True Fire Essence.
“It’s alright. If she’s unwilling, then there’s no need to force her.” Zhong Jiuli’s tone was extremely nonchalant.
Bai also propped herself up on her arms and sat up. Flowers all over the mountain swayed in the wind, and petals of various colors fluttered down onto their shoulders.
The two sat side by side, looking at the sea of flowers in the valley. Bai sighed, "This place is really nice, but it's a pity we can't stay here."
Zhong Jiuli glanced at the sky, stood up, and stretched out her hand to Bai Ye, "Since we're going to change places, we should hurry up."
Bai also grasped the hand extended in front of him and stood up with her help. "If I had known, I would have stayed just one night. I wouldn't have gone through so much trouble building the wooden house yesterday."
"If you can't bear to part with it, we can take the cabin with us?" Zhong Jiuli said casually.
Bai shook his head and chuckled, "These wooden stakes are driven into the ground. If you take them away, the wooden house will fall apart. Wait for me to go in and put the bed away."
Once inside the cabin, Bai put away the beast-shaped bed. On this island, having a proper bed to rest in is extremely important. Moreover, this wasn't just any bed; it was a bed that could be used for high-speed travel.
The two walked through the sea of flowers and arrived at the narrow exit. Vines entwined the exit, tightly sealing off the entire valley.
Stepping out of the valley, the scene before us changed abruptly. Thick fog enveloped us all around, reducing visibility to less than ten feet.
"I was wondering why the island I saw when I fell down that day was shrouded in thick fog, but it wasn't in the valley. Turns out it was blocked out," Bai muttered to himself.
Zhong Jiuli was unaware of this; she had completely lost consciousness at the time, and when she woke up again, she found herself in a valley.
Bai didn't wander around blindly. Instead, he first used his divine sense to explore the surrounding environment. After finding a target, he took Zhong Jiuli's hand and pointed to the southeast, saying, "There's a cave on that cliff face, halfway up the mountain. It looks very safe. We should be able to stay here for a while."
Zhong Jiuli chuckled and teased, "Young Master Bai seems quite reliable now."
Bai chuckled and said, "I've always been reliable."
The two walked along the dense forest, with the sound of something cutting through the air coming from above, followed by the mournful cries of seabirds.
"Is this the Ghost Vine hunting?" Bai looked up, his eyes gleaming with golden light. Through the thick fog, he could see that the Ghost Vine in the sky was much larger than it had been a few days ago.
Zhong Jiuli guessed, "You said back then that the old man from the Wang family was entangled by the ghost vine?"
Bai paused slightly, and the two looked at each other, both getting the answer from the other's eyes.
That old man from the Wang family must have been eaten by the Ghost Vine. The essence and blood of a Mahayana cultivator would definitely be a great tonic for it.
So in just a few days, it has grown a lot.
Bai also took Zhong Jiuli's hand and said, "There's no use worrying about this now. Once we're healed, we'll crush it."
“Hmm, crush it.” Zhong Jiuli followed her words. The little tiger always came up with some strange words, which were sometimes quite apt.
As the sun gradually set, the two somewhat disheveled individuals emerged from the dense forest.
When the two left the valley, it was still noon. According to the distance, it would only take one or two hours to cross the dense forest.
However, they accidentally bumped into the roots of the ghost vine along the way and were chased around the forest, which caused them to waste a lot of time.
"Ever since we arrived on this island, every day has been either a flight to safety or a journey to safety." Bai Ye smiled bitterly, spread his wings, wrapped his arms around Zhong Jiuli's waist, and slowly rose up along the mountain wall.
She dared not make too much noise, otherwise she would attract the ubiquitous vines again.
"Wait outside for a bit, I'll go in and clean up." Bai put his wife down at the door and rolled up his sleeves before going into the cave.
The cave was drier and more spacious than he had imagined. Bai casually cast a fireball spell and threw it into the cave, burning away the tangled spider webs. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a gentle breeze swept away the fallen leaves and dust that had accumulated inside the cave.
After tidying up the place for the night, Bai returned to the cave entrance, took out the snow rabbit he had hunted on the way there, quickly started a fire, and looked at Zhong Jiuli expectantly.
"Really, you never forget to eat, no matter what." Zhong Jiuli shook her head and chuckled, taking the prepared snow rabbit from her hands.
Even when being chased around in the forest, this little guy didn't forget to clean up his prey while hunting.
The night was as dark as ink, but a warm yellow light shone from the cave in the cliff face. Inside, the campfire crackled and popped, filling the air with the enticing aroma of roasting meat.
The two sat leaning against the fire. Bai rested his chin on his hand, tilted his head, and stared intently at Zhong Jiuli beside him.
"Although it's a bit unlucky to fall into this godforsaken place, I'm also very happy to be surviving in the wilderness on this island with you."
Bai's voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for Zhong Jiuli to hear clearly.
She gently turned the roasted meat in her hands, the grease dripping onto the burning firewood and crackling.
"Do you like it here?" Zhong Jiuli asked casually.
Bai shook his head, "It's not that I like this deserted island, it's that I like the feeling of adventuring with you."
"Just like the protagonists in a storybook, after we saved the world, we were framed by villains and forced to live in seclusion on this isolated island, becoming a divine couple."
"You're not going to be my lizard companion anymore?" Zhong Jiuli looked at her amusedly.
Bai was speechless for a moment, then awkwardly laughed and said, "If you can be a human, then don't be a lizard. After all, being covered in scales is nothing like human skin, which is warm and soft."
"So this is your reason for taking advantage of the situation?" Zhong Jiuli glanced at the restless paws with a half-smile.
Bai blushed a little and stammered, unsure how to explain. She had been chatting and hadn't been paying attention, but her hands kept fiddling with something.
"Stop hesitating, eat up." Zhong Jiuli handed over the golden-brown, crispy roasted meat, the fat still sizzling.
Bai also took it, tore off a rabbit leg and handed it to Zhong Jiuli, while she hugged the rest and ate it.
"Mmm, this smells so good!" Bai exclaimed indistinctly. Underneath the crispy skin was piping hot meat juice. She smacked her lips as she took big bites of the grilled meat.
Seeing that Bai was eating with relish, Zhong Jiuli reached out and wiped the spices off her cheek. "Slow down, no one's going to take it from you."
Bai said nonchalantly, "It's okay, I'll wipe it off after I finish eating."
Although this little snow rabbit wasn't very big, it was still about the size of a piglet. Zhong Jiuli only ate one leg, and Bai Ye ate the rest of it clean.
However, although snow rabbit meat is delicious, it contains very little spiritual energy, which is why they are able to survive on this perilous island.
After dinner, they cleaned up. Bai moved closer to Zhong Jiuli and asked softly, "Want to look at the stars together?"
"Go."
The night was as dark as ink, and the Milky Way hung low.
The two sat side by side at the entrance of a cave on the cliff. The night wind blew, and their hair tangled in the wind.
A rustling sound came from deep within the dense forest; it was unclear whether it was the evening breeze or the ghost vines hunting again.
Bai looked up at the bright moon over the sea and said with a light laugh, "When I was little, I always thought that being able to watch the moon with someone you like was the most romantic thing in the world."
Zhong Jiuli didn't look at Mingyue; her gaze fell on Bai Ye's profile. "If I remember correctly, when I met Young Hero Bai, wasn't it when you were a child?"
“Not this childhood, but when I was even younger.” Bai shook his head. “It’s the childhood before you met me.”
Zhong Jiuli nodded noncommittally. No matter which time it was when they were children, in her eyes, Bai was always still a little tiger.
The night breeze grew cooler, and the once-brilliant stars were now obscured by thick clouds, leaving only a few dim rays of starlight.
“The stars are asleep, we should rest too.” Zhong Jiuli patted Bai Ye’s shoulder, then stood up, turned and went into the cave.
Bai also patted her bottom and stood up. She wasn't in a hurry to go to sleep; she hadn't fed the birds yet today.
"There are two hibiscus fruits left. Jiaojiao can eat one, and you can have another one," Bai said as he took out the hibiscus fruits.
Holding the Vermilion Bird egg in her arms, she drew out the true fire of the sun from the Fusang fruit to feed the little bird. The fiery red eggshell became transparent again, and it could be seen that the little bald bird had grown some fine downy feathers, making it look less obviously ugly.
After feeding her the hibiscus fruit, Bai also fed her a wisp of Taiyin True Fire.
After the little Vermilion Bird had eaten and drunk her fill, Bai took a stunning photo of her from every angle. Only then did Bai nod in satisfaction, transform into a little tiger with a swift movement, and carefully climbed onto the eggshell with her furry paws.
Zhong Jiuli leaned against the bed, her eyes slightly closed, her peripheral vision constantly watching Bai Ye's side. She had originally thought that Bai Ye would go to bed to rest after feeding Liu Xianyue.
And then I saw this guy actually take on the role of a tiger mother and start incubating the eggs, which almost made me laugh out loud.
"I was just saying it casually, how did you actually start hatching eggs?" Zhong Jiuli propped herself up, her voice somewhat helpless.
Bai Ye understood the implied meaning from the zither music. She jumped onto the bed with the Vermilion Bird Egg in her arms and curled up next to Zhong Jiuli. "Can't you sleep alone? I'll come up and keep you company."
Zhong Jiuli felt a throbbing pain in her temple and reached out to poke Bai Ye's pink nose. "She is a descendant of the Vermilion Bird, what are you, a white tiger, doing hatching eggs?"
"I won't incubate the eggs, and you don't have any fur to incubate them, so I'll have to do it." Bai was still thinking about incubating the eggs.
In her mind, chicks can only hatch successfully by being under their mother's belly and enveloped in her body heat.
She would reluctantly agree to be Liu Erhong's mother for once!
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Author's Note: [Sprinkling flowers] Today is Tiger Mom's day for incubating the eggs.
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