Section 4: Peerless Heavenly Fox Egg, Lady Shu's Poisonous Scheme

Monster eggs are categorized into superior, medium, and inferior grades.

Superior monster eggs, such as this Sea Burst Crocodile egg or this Green Fang Snake egg, are not only lustrous but also exhibit signs of life, such as audible sounds, distinct scents, and the rhythmic pulses of fetal movement.

Medium-grade eggs, like this Fire Fox egg, have clear, distinct colors and lie quietly in the corner like exquisite handicrafts.

Inferior eggs resemble mere stones; their shells are covered in dark spots and spiderweb cracks, with only the faintest trace of vitality leaking through.

Wait, could it be... Looking at the Fire Fox egg, the Beast Tamer suddenly considered a possibility, but he immediately shook his head, dismissing the thought.

"Sigh, it seems this child couldn't resist the temptation of the Earth-Fiend Stone Coins. But that's no surprise; Lady Shu has never looked kindly upon him and always skimps on his allowance. To him, this bag of Earth-Fiend Stone Coins must be a massive fortune, right?" The Beast Tamer felt a secret pang of pity for Chu Yun.

Trading a whole bag of Earth-Fiend Stone Coins for a superior monster egg—the exchange was truly a terrible deal!

"In that case, I shall choose this Fire Fox egg." At this moment, Chu Yun stepped forward and gently stroked the shell with his palm. In a trance, he felt a response from the life within the egg.

So spirited, so warm. He couldn't help but smile; this feeling was exactly as it had been in his past life.

"Wait! You brat..." Seeing Chu Yun smile, Shu Er felt a sudden jolt in his heart, realizing something was wrong. Putting himself in Chu Yun's shoes, he immediately sensed a trick. Could Chu Yun be playing him?

"What, do you want the Earth-Fiend Stone Coins back?" Chu Yun glanced at him, then immediately adopted an urgent tone, even patting the leather pouch at his waist as if to protect the coins.

Hmph, I was overthinking it! This brat is just a country bumpkin who's never seen the world! Thirty Earth-Fiend Stone Coins are nothing more than my monthly allowance. Heh! You foolish brat, just wait to cry later! A look of disdain flashed through his eyes, and Shu Er's heart settled.

"Alright, since you have all made your choices. Shu Da, the Sea Burst Crocodile egg belongs to you. Shu Er, make sure to incubate that Green Fang Snake egg well. And Chu Yun, the Fire Fox egg is quite good too; keep up the good work!"

Receiving the Beast Tamer's affirmation, Shu Da and Shu Er finally set their minds at ease.

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Elder." Chu Yun cradled the monster egg, carefully shielding it against his chest, and bowed to the Earth Altar Beast Tamer in thanks.

"Let's go, let's go! Mother is still waiting for us outside!" Shu Er called out to Shu Da, casually clutching his Green Fang Snake egg, and walked outside without looking back.

"But this egg is so big, how am I supposed to carry it?" Shu Da stared blankly at the Sea Burst Crocodile egg in front of him.

"Serves you right, haha!" Shu Er's gloating voice drifted back immediately.

"Rest assured, someone will naturally deliver it to your home," the Earth Altar Beast Tamer said.

Shu Da's face instantly lit up with joy as he patted the monster egg. "Old man, remember to have it delivered to my house. Make it quick!" Having said that, he glanced at Chu Yun beside him, snorted, and turned to leave.

"Elder, Chu Yun takes his leave." Chu Yun also spoke up from the side.

"Sigh, you child... keep working hard."

"Yes..."

Stepping out of the Earth Altar, Chu Yun was greeted by a bright, ethereal expanse of azure sky. In the distance, the sea and sky merged into one, white gulls soared, and the tide rolled in, carrying the damp, briny scent of the ocean. Nearby stood tall green coconut trees, and on a colorful path paved with iridescent seashells sat an exquisite, ornate carriage.

The carriage had four wheels and two shafts, its cabin spacious and magnificent, adorned with silver plating and gold accents. Pulled by four large horses—not ordinary steeds, but Wave-Treading Horses, a type of monster beast capable of walking on the waves as if on flat ground—the carriage was flanked by four Beast Tamer guards. Each had a row of six Immortal Pouches at their waists, standing with the steady, imposing presence of mountains.

Seeing this carriage, Chu Yun's pupils constricted. This was Lady Shu's personal carriage.

"Hey, Chu Yun, come over here! Mother wants to lecture you!" The red silk curtain of the carriage suddenly lifted, revealing Shu Da's face as he barked impatiently at Chu Yun.

Chu Yun was about to refuse and turn away when he noticed the four Beast Tamers. These were the personal retainers Lady Shu had brought from her maiden family. After a moment's thought, he walked over with a calm expression.

Halfway there, he could already hear Shu Er inside the carriage, chattering incessantly and bragging about the wit he had displayed at the Earth Altar.

"Lady Shu." Approaching the carriage, he stopped at a distance of five paces and bowed toward the cabin.

The carriage shifted slightly, as if someone were adjusting their position. Then, a faint snort followed, and the curtain lifted a corner to reveal the chin of a woman. Her skin was coated in a thick layer of white powder, and her chin was sharp, lacking any softness, silently manifesting the narrow-mindedness and mean-spirited nature of its owner.

"Chu Yun, since you have participated in the coming-of-age ceremony, you are no longer a child. As an adult, you should be even more focused on establishing a family and a career. Since you chose to leave Shu Family City on your own, you might as well not come back. Once you've settled down, you can at least make your foster father proud."

Lady Shu's voice was sharp, her tone frigid. She paused before continuing.

"Heh, for all these years, you've lived off our Shu family, eating, drinking, and staying for free, and we haven't held it against you. Here are twenty Earth-Fiend Stone Coins as a fund for you to settle down. Don't say I, your elder, haven't looked after you. I will speak to your foster father; since you are so smart, you should know how to be grateful."

Her words were heavy with implication.

A mere twenty Earth-Fiend Stone Coins, and she thinks she can buy favor and block my foster father's censure when he returns? Chu Yun sneered inwardly, but his reply was equally loaded.

"Kindness must be repaid, and grudges must be settled. Please rest assured, Lady Shu."

Clack.

With a soft sound, a bag of Earth-Fiend Stone Coins was tossed from the window, landing on the path with a crisp collision against the shells. The pitch-black cloth bag lay silently atop the colorful, iridescent seashells, looking completely out of place against the backdrop of the sea and sand. In Chu Yun's eyes, it was an eyesore.

In my past life, I stood right here, shouting in fury and demanding to see my foster father. I ended up being brutally beaten, and the monster egg in my arms was sabotaged, developing cracks. Heh, I was so naive back then...

With a self-deprecating, bitter smile in his heart, Chu Yun calmly bent down and picked up the bag of coins. He habitually weighed it in his hand and immediately realized the weight was wrong.

Anger flared in his heart, but he gritted his teeth and said nothing, merely offering a polite farewell: "Thank you for your generosity, Lady Shu. Chu Yun takes his leave."

"Hmm?" Watching Chu Yun's retreating figure, Lady Shu was extremely surprised. According to her calculations, Chu Yun would surely throw a tantrum, giving her an excuse to sabotage his monster egg while "teaching him a lesson." She hadn't expected him to be so patient!

A scholar who has been away for three days must be looked at with new eyes. This little brat hasn't been seen for a few days—why does he seem so composed, hiding his emotions so deeply? Thinking of Chu Yun's calm, ink-black eyes and his unruffled expression, Lady Shu felt a chill creep up her spine.

This little brat is a monster! He was hiding his true self before, making people underestimate him. Now that the coming-of-age ceremony has arrived, he's finally stopped holding back. No, this won't do. I absolutely cannot let him rise during the ceremony! Shu Family Island is my children's inheritance; I cannot let this outsider take it!

Hmph, even if he didn't cause a scene, I've already tampered with that bag of Earth-Fiend Stones. Once he starts the incubation... Chu Yun, oh Chu Yun, you are still too young and can't hide your intentions. Trying to fight me? You're still too green!

Thinking this, Lady Shu narrowed her eyes, a flash of venomous malice passing through them.

"Mother, tell me, am I smart? I managed to trick that brat Chu Yun with only thirty Earth-Fiend Stone Coins!" After rambling on for a while and seeing no reaction from his mother, Shu Er grew petulant, sitting beside her and shaking her shoulder.

That little brat is so desperate and hungry for Earth-Fiend Stone Coins; he will surely use my bag... Incubating a monster egg required a significant amount of Earth-Fiend Stone Coins.

When the time comes, I'll make him pay! Lady Shu sneered inwardly, but when she turned to look at Shu Er, her expression softened like a spring breeze, her doting affection fully displayed. "Good boy! You are both Mother's clever children; how could that outsider Chu Yun compare to you two? Hmph, it's only your father who treats that trash like a treasure. Shu Family Island will definitely be yours. Mother will keep an eye on it for you; no one will be able to take it away!"

The sun shone brightly, the tide ebbed and flowed at his feet, and the snow-white beach was inlaid with scattered, colorful seashells. Occasionally, small demon beasts like the Martial Dao Crab and the Seaweed Turtle would scuttle across the sand with their cute, petite bodies.

After bidding farewell to Lady Shu, Chu Yun strolled along this path, his expression indifferent, though cold ripples stirred within his heart.

To give her own son thirty Earth-Fiend Stone Coins as pocket money at any time, yet to dismiss me with only twenty—and even those were tampered with. Lady Shu, your intentions are truly vicious!

Chu Yun weighed the cloth bag Lady Shu had given him in his hand, slowly coming to a halt. After checking left and right to ensure he wasn't being followed, he suddenly swung his arm and tossed the bag containing the twenty Earth-Fiend Stone Coins into the sea.

The bag bobbed up and down in the light blue tide, and after a short while, it sank to the seabed, carried away by the surging waves.

The process of hatching a demon beast egg inevitably required the use of Earth-Fiend Stone Coins. Lady Shu knew this, so she used it as an opportunity to play tricks, hoping to ruin the Fire Fox demon beast Chu Yun carried, which was already "low in talent and mediocre in aptitude."

Unfortunately, she could never have anticipated that Chu Yun was a man reborn!

Yes, just three weeks ago, it was as if he had awakened from a great dream. Chu Yun discovered that he had truly returned to twenty years ago. At this time, he was thirteen years old, and everything in his life had returned to the starting point, like a blank sheet of paper waiting for him to rewrite it.

He adjusted quickly, adapting to this life. Then, he took the initiative to leave Shu Family City, escaping Lady Shu's surveillance.

During the second week, he did nothing but begin to recall his past life. He then recorded every piece of important information.

In the third week, he encountered the first turning point of his life—the coming-of-age ceremony.

At the ceremony, he used a small trick to lead Shu Da and Shu Er around in circles, and then made the same choice he had in his previous life—he chose this "Fire Fox egg."

To call it a Fire Fox egg was, of course, inaccurate.

Only Chu Yun knew that this was not a Fire Fox egg, but a Heavenly Fox egg!

Demon beast eggs were divided into three grades: high, medium, and low. But above the high grade, there was one more—the peerless grade!