In the following days, Ye Lian and Bai Xue roamed Huaguo Mountain together, picking wildflowers, digging up polygonatum, harvesting tree fruits, drinking from mountain springs, and feasting without restraint, their lives filled with endless joy.
During this time, Ye Lian didn’t forget to visit the monkey troop to mingle and make herself known.
Because she was originally a monkey, born from an immortal stone, infused with the Essence of Sun and Moon and the Essence of Heaven and Earth, Ye Lian possessed an innate strong affinity.
Not only did the monkeys accept her, but most animals were also very friendly toward her.
Thanks to the nourishment over these days, Ye Lian’s strength had increased more than tenfold compared to when she had scared off the fierce tiger.
Not only had her agility become exceptional, but her strength had also grown to an unimaginable degree.
At the same time, she realized that this body was like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.
Rather than feeling troubled by this, Ye Lian chuckled to herself for a long time.
Because it meant her body held nearly limitless potential!
Yet, a few days later, Ye Lian distinctly felt a bottleneck—eating ordinary food no longer easily boosted her strength.
“Ye Lian, why are you stealing the Sky Tyrant’s egg!”
In the forest, a monkey and a fox ran as if chased by something terrifying, dashing at full speed.
“Because there’s an egg there!”
Ye Lian held in both hands a Bird Egg as large as a watermelon, answering Bai Xue’s question while watching the sky above.
(Strange, it feels like Bai Xue and I have been on a similar adventure before? What a surreal feeling.)
Bai Xue shot her a look: “I don’t understand a word you’re saying! Now we’re in big trouble!”
“Gah!” A sharp, piercing screech sounded from high above, filled with fury.
“Ah, the Sky Tyrant noticed the egg is missing!”
The Sky Tyrant referred to a Divine Eagle.
Every year, it came to Huaguo Mountain to lay its eggs.
***
After learning this from a monkey, Ye Lian had immediately decided to steal an egg.
She waited painstakingly for the Divine Eagle to go hunting, then took one egg, and now trouble had come.
“Bai Xue, let’s quickly find somewhere to hide!”
Ye Lian accelerated like an arrow released from a bow.
“Wait for me!” Bai Xue was clearly slower.
“Get on my shoulder!”
If this continued, Bai Xue would surely be caught, Ye Lian called out hastily.
“It’s coming!” Bai Xue jumped up, clutching Ye Lian tightly.
Ye Lian didn’t even have time to reply, ghostlike she dashed through the forest with all her might.
“Whoosh!”
The screech was deafening, a storm swept the area—the Divine Eagle was coming!
“Ye Lian, there’s a Stone Cave over there!”
At that moment, Bai Xue pointed ahead.
Ye Lian looked up to see a towering boulder with a stone cave about two meters wide, three meters high, and unknown in depth.
Looking at the cave, an inexplicable sense of déjà vu flooded her mind.
(I feel like Bai Xue and I have been on a similar cave adventure before…)
“Forget it, let’s go in!”
Faced with the Sky Tyrant above, there was no point hesitating; escaping was best.
With a light touch of her toes, Ye Lian shot forward, leaping straight into the cave.
“Phew…” Inside, Bai Xue exhaled deeply, “We’re safe.”
Ye Lian didn’t relax her vigilance and only sat down once she confirmed they were alone inside.
Outside, the fierce wind howled and the screeching continued.
“You’ve really gotten us into trouble!” Bai Xue scolded, patting Ye Lian’s head in displeasure.
Ye Lian smiled helplessly, “I didn’t know it was this strong.”
“You have the nerve to say that!” Bai Xue rolled her eyes at her.
If she had known beforehand that Ye Lian was going to steal the Sky Tyrant’s egg, she definitely would have done everything to stop her.
With a sigh, Bai Xue asked, “What should we do with this egg? Return it secretly to the Sky Tyrant, or…”
“Of course we eat it. If you steal something with strength, why would you return it?” Ye Lian said matter-of-factly.
“We’ve already caused this big a mess, and you’re still thinking about eating it? You greedy little thing!”
“Don’t you want to eat it? If not, you don’t have to.” Ye Lian stroked the Bird Egg, grinning mischievously.
Bai Xue hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly said, “Who said I don’t want to!”
Outside, the Sky Tyrant was furious beyond measure.
But after all the commotion, it finally calmed down and flew back to its nest.
Seeing the Divine Eagle’s aura disappear, the monkey and the fox breathed a sigh of relief, their gaze falling on the Bird Egg.
“Ye Lian, this egg really tastes better when cracked open!” Bai Xue jumped down from Ye Lian’s shoulder and touched the egg with her little paws.
“Eat it raw…”
As a modern person, Ye Lian rarely ate raw meat or eggs and had no interest in eating it raw.
“Yeah! Raw!
That thick egg juice, that fragrant aroma, that incredibly smooth texture.
Slurp!!!”
As she spoke, the little fox’s two snowy white tails wagged happily, her eyes shining brightly, a droplet of saliva slowly appearing at the corner of her mouth.
Ye Lian pondered for a moment, imagining the monkey and fox licking the egg liquid, then shook her head immediately, “No, this egg can’t be eaten raw.”
“Why?” Bai Xue tilted her head. “Do you have a better way to eat it?”
Ye Lian smiled proudly. “Of course! But before that, let’s head back; maybe other animals live here.”
Her eyes landed on some black fur on the ground.
Leaving the cave, the fox and monkey returned safely to the Rong Tree.
“Let’s roast the Bird Egg.” Ye Lian proposed, placing the Divine Eagle’s egg into a tree hollow.
“Roast a Bird Egg?” Bai Xue looked puzzled. “Is that tasty?”
“Tasty, incredibly tasty!”
“Ye Lian, you’ve never eaten roasted Bird Egg before, how do you know it’s good?”
In recent days, Bai Xue had been following Ye Lian closely and knew all about her eating habits.
Thinking for a moment, Ye Lian just made something up: “I heard from those monkeys. When they talk about roasted Bird Egg, they drool everywhere!”
“Is that so? Then let’s roast the Bird Egg.”
Bai Xue nodded. If picky monkeys had eaten it, it must be delicious.
Before long, they started a fire.
Staring at the flickering flames, Ye Lian became momentarily lost in thought, as if the firelight had transported her into a dream.
A strange sense of discord lingered in her heart, unable to dissipate.
Lately, she had been dreaming—strange dreams about entering a dream world to fight nightmares.
(That said, I haven’t logged off for more than ten days. Can this game last that long? Or is game time not equal to real time? Maybe outside, only a few minutes have passed…)
“Ye Lian, your fur is catching fire!”
Just then, Bai Xue’s voice came from her side. Ye Lian looked down and saw the fur on her hand was burning.
“Ahhh!” She hurriedly slapped at the fire, jumping around like she was dancing.
“Hahaha, Ye Lian is really funny!”
By the stream, the monkey’s screams and the little fox’s clear laughter blended together in perfect harmony.