34 So it WAS an egg

Using some of his internal force, Xian Wu pumped Lai Yiteng's chest and got his heart to flow and function properly, the entire process took a few minutes. Although it was true that it was a dangerous situation, Xian Wu knew that Lai Yiteng would not kick the bucket so easily! Ugh, otherwise he'd feel too guilty for eating a dumpling during that time he was dying.

At the end of it Lai Yiteng faintly crinkled his brow, his lips parting as he coughed up another bout of bad blood.

"…what am I going to do with you," Xian Wu chided softly. He wiped the blood off his face.

Sweat dotted Xian Wu's brow. He felt like his stress-free life for the past two years had just been a false calm, now all the stress he was required to undergo in this life had amassed for that fateful day that he met Lai Yiteng.

Speak of the devil, Lai Yiteng's lashes trembled, seeming as though he were about to awaken. Xian Wu soon locked gaze with two blurry and empty pupils.

Xian Wu smiled reassuringly despite his inner aggrievements until Lai Yiteng closed his eyes again, falling into an even deeper state of unconsciousness.

…in the end, it was not Lai Yiteng's fault that his life turned to shit. At least, Xian Wu didn't think it had been his fault. He wasn't sure of the circumstances but doubted that many crimes warranted being held prisoner in another sect, and the younger had even mentioned being betrayed.

Alas.

In any case, Xian Wu sure hoped Bo Penglai would build a house before Lai Yiteng awoke!

Ah, but this was a good opportunity. Xian Wu rifled through Lai Yiteng's discarded clothes and picked out the strange iridescent stone he'd found. Although…weighing it in his hand, it really didn't seem like a stone. It was an egg, right? But what sort of egg would be this dark in color?

Mildew who had been quietly preening on a tree started cawing.

"Caw caw!"

Xian Wu was examining the egg, poking at it with a finger, when a crack appeared.

"…shit." He didn't touch it again, but tiny cracks kept fanning out from the initial break. Xian Wu had a bad feeling about what was inside.

The egg shuddered in his palm as the creature inside tried to find its way out, rolling back and forth slightly. Xian Wu was conflicted about messing around with a ominous-looking thing, but in the end curiosity won out. He tapped it a few places and helped break away the thick shell.

A little popping noise startled him as the thing inside burst out, its body began wiggling through the hole that was as small as a coin. Black and gooey liquid oozed out along with it.

"Fuck no!" Xian Wu yelped as he dropped the entire egg. "Not this again, I just bathed."

And so the egg cracked open even more on the ground. The creature squirming out of its hole and rolled onto the ground in a hapless manner. It was a tiny salamander. It waddled over the stones fast as a cockroach, trying to escape whatever wide and empty space it'd been born into, or perhaps searching for something as its eyes darted about.

At least, it tried to run, but Xian Wu's boot landed on its tail, pinning it in place.

The small salamander gave a tiny shriek, one that made Xian Wu frown by how annoying it was. To think that they'd only just killed one, but now another had appeared!

"…what in heaven's name are you?"

"Caw caw caw…caw," said Mildew.

The tiny salamander was equally unable to give an answer, shrieking again as it tried to escape from under Xian Wu's boot. But soon it's behavior shifted.

It stopped moving as fast and wriggled as though in suffering. Xian Wu hadn't done anything to it yet, though, and this prompted him to raise his brow.

In the next second Mildew flew down landing next to the salamander on the ground. Its beak held a browning piece of intestine from who knows where. Delicious! It dropped the meat onto the ground, and the salamander finally slipped out from Xian Wu's boot and dove onto it, eating the intestine in with large gulps.

"What's wrong with you, Mildew?" Xian Wu thought it was all pretty disgusting when he remembered that large pit of corpses that had been on Deathly Howling Mountain. All those bodies had probably been this little thing's 'food supply'. "Why are you feeding it?! It might be black in color but it sure isn't a baby crow…and it seems evil, we aren't going to raise it, okay-"

Xian Wu had started complaining too soon. Mildew's beak flew down, grabbing the salamander by the head before it was eaten up by the bird.

"….." Xian Wu didn't know what to think anymore. Is this the cycle of life? Just as fast as the little evil salamander appeared in the word, it was snuffed out of existence by one hungry crow.

Mildew cawed profoundly, appearing quite satisfied with its meal.

There was a thunderclap above.

Seriously? It was gonna rain now, too? It had been clouding up for a bit, but he'd been too distracted with keeping Lai Yiteng alive to notice.

Xian Wu wondered when he'd get a break. Still, he couldn't let Lai Yiteng get soaked and cold right now. He went over to his body and carried him up on his back. He even went as far as to drape the last set of clothing over him, trying to keep him a bit warmer.

He trudged partway into the forest and found a shaded spot to take cover just as soon as rain droplets began to fall. Xian Wu could only lean his back against a tree and sit down, moving Lai Yiteng to rest partially in his arms.

For a moment, he stared at those dark lashes and sharp features.

Alas, if only it were a beautiful lady…

The rain began to fall more heavily, the leafs drummed from the force and the ground turned wet, the air saturated with humidity. Xian Wu could only use the spare robes to cover their heads and wished that he'd asked Bo Penglai for a spare umbrella, too.

There was nothing better to do, so he stared at Lai Yiteng's expressions a little longer. When asleep, the younger looked so peaceful and harmless, innocence painted over his brow. But oh how his expression darkened with suspicion and viciousness whenever he was awake.

Even more bored, Xian Wu took a finger and poked his lips. They were a little pale, but with a hint of red, and opened slightly, unresisting to his touch.

Xian Wu quickly withdrew his hand from his lips, shell-shocked at himself.

O-Okay he might be bored but he didn't need to touch places like that.

"Mmm…" Lai Yiteng made a sound.

Xian Wu nearly jumped out of his skin.

"I, I wasn't trying anything strange!" he said in a way that was entirely suspicious. "Yi'er…?"

"…Master An…." Lai Yiteng mumbled a few other incoherent lines in his restless sleep. He breathed, "Junior-brother…why did you…" his brow scrunched and twisted, clearly dreaming something unpleasant.

Xian Wu felt a rare moment of tenderness. He pulled Lai Yiteng's body in closer, keeping his head tucked into his chest, and said quietly, "I am not Sect Master An, nor your Junior-brother…you should call me gege again."

Lai Yiteng seemed to like the warmth of Xian Wu's chest, as his expression relaxed slightly.

"Gege…" he murmured.

"Yes, your brother, Graceful Dragon Sect Master, is spending his valuable time on you!" said Xian Wu. "Be very grateful…" he yawned.

Actually, Xian Wu was quite exhausted as well. He let his head nod until he fell asleep propped up against a pine tree, Lai Yiteng snug in his arms. The rain pattered down around them, within the lonely mountain forest, it was only the two of them.