A Bird's Egg Falls From the Sky

Chapter 34: A Bird's Egg Descends from the Heavens

Although Zi Bofeng valued this white fox, he truly could not favor the little creature over a human life.

Zi Bofeng met the fox's gaze. Its eyes were as black as two drops of ink, yet remarkably lively, filled with such terror, despair, hope, and supplication that they seemed almost human.

Zi Bofeng frowned slightly. Before he could make a decision, he heard Uncle Zhuzi shouting as he ran back.

"Uncle Zhuzi, who bullied you?" Little Stone was shocked to see Uncle Zhuzi's forehead covered in blood and gore. Uncle Zhuzi had no time to answer; he reached under the cart and pulled out a hunting bow.

It was the same bow Uncle Zhuzi carried every day. The unvarnished wood had been stained a pale yellow by sweat, polished as smooth as jade. Uncle Zhuzi strung the bow, raised his hand, and mimicked drawing it toward the sky, only to shake his head and mutter, "Not enough, this bow can't reach..."

"Uncle Zhuzi, what are you trying to shoot? What did the doctor say?" Zi Bofeng asked hurriedly. Uncle Zhuzi was fine in every other way, but he lost his composure the moment something happened. To put it kindly, he was impulsive; to put it bluntly, he was scatterbrained.

Uncle Zhuzi shook his head repeatedly, unstrung the bow, shoved it back under the cart, and grabbed the cage at the rear. "Let me slaughter it, take its pelt, and trade it for a good bow!"

"Don't kill it!" Little Stone cried out in a panic. "It's so pitiful!"

"It's just a white-furred beast, what's there to pity?" Uncle Zhuzi moved to open the cage. "Once your Second Grandma is better, Uncle will catch you some wolf pups."

"Brother..." Little Stone brought out his trump card, beginning to beg Zi Bofeng.

Looking at Little Stone's teary eyes and then at the little fox's lively, hopeful, and pleading gaze, Zi Bofeng couldn't bear it either. All things in the world possessed a spirit, and this white fox was exceptionally spiritual—a treasure of heaven and earth. To kill it just for its fur would be a waste of nature's gifts.

"Uncle Zhuzi, don't be in such a rush to kill the fox," Zi Bofeng said. "I see this fox is so clever and cute; perhaps some wealthy merchant or official's daughter would like it as a pet? This fox is so small that even if you took its pelt, it might not fetch a high price. Why not go find a good bow first, ask around if any young lady wants to keep a little white fox as a pet, and then decide whether to kill it or not?"

"Not bad... if I kill it but can't sell it for a good price, I won't be able to afford a good bow... Bofeng, you actually know how to say something sensible for once..." Uncle Zhuzi slapped his thigh and turned to run off again.

Watching the impulsive Uncle Zhuzi, Zi Bofeng could only roll his eyes. What did he mean by "actually know how to say something sensible"? He had always been sensible!

Seeing Little Stone beaming as he teased the fox in the cage, Zi Bofeng said helplessly, "Be careful it doesn't bite you!"

"It won't, it's so well-behaved." Little Stone giggled, extending a finger to tease the fox's ears. The fox seemed to know Little Stone was its savior, leaning in and nuzzling against him, acting very docile. Seeing there was no danger, Zi Bofeng stopped worrying. As long as the little fox's life was saved, his good deed would be complete.

He looked up in the direction Uncle Zhuzi had left, feeling puzzled. Uncle Zhuzi had clearly gone to find a doctor, so why was he looking for a good bow upon his return? Was he planning to hunt something? But his current bow was already the best in Lower Yan Village. If that one wasn't enough, what kind of bow did he need? Why did Uncle Zhuzi have to leave without explaining? He could have helped him brainstorm. Sigh, this Uncle Zhuzi.

Zi Bofeng picked up the water skin hanging by the cart and shook it; it was long empty. He said to Little Stone, "Little Stone, keep an eye on Second Grandma and the fox. I'll be right back."

"Mm." Little Stone agreed absentmindedly, continuing to tease the little fox. The fox extended its pink, tender tongue to lick Little Stone's finger, making him laugh out loud.

Little Stone glanced left and right. Brother Bofeng was gone, and no one else was looking, so he quietly opened the cage door and reached out. The little fox trembled as Little Stone scooped it into his arms.

The fox rested its small head on Little Stone's shoulder, its soft fur making him giggle. The fox licked Little Stone's neck, leaving white streaks on his dirty skin.

"Little one, you shouldn't take the fox out, be careful it runs away," a passing man said, seeing Little Stone playing with the fox. He shook his head. "A fox isn't a cat or a dog; be careful it bites you."

"It won't." Little Stone held the little fox up. "Right?"

The little fox's watery eyes looked at Little Stone, full of spirit. The more Little Stone looked, the more he loved it. He placed the fox on his lap and gently stroked its smooth, supple fur.

Little Stone naturally did not see that the little fox's lively eyes were darting around. Not far from the road was a bun-shaped hill, bare and devoid of much vegetation. At the summit stood a solitary cliff, and on the south side of the hill lay a dense, impenetrable forest.

It quietly moved its limbs, flicked its tail, and prepared itself. Its muscles tensed, ready to spring, and then it extended a front paw and scratched the back of Little Stone's hand.

"Ouch!" Little Stone jerked his hand back. In the blink of an eye, the little fox struggled free from his embrace. Once it hit the ground, it scrambled away, sprinting toward the south side of the hill like a gust of wind.

"Ah, little fox! Don't run!" Little Stone was shocked. He took off in pursuit, shouting and hollering, forgetting even about Second Grandma.

When Zi Bofeng returned, this was the scene he witnessed.

Zi Bofeng was alarmed. This fox was the capital for Uncle Zhuzi to cure his mother; if it escaped, Uncle Zhuzi would hate him to death.

Although he cherished the fox's spirit, compared to a human life, a fox didn't amount to much.

Little Stone had been used to running around since he was small, but the fox had been trapped in a cage for a long time and its limbs were weak, so it wasn't running fast. In the first few steps, Little Stone actually managed to get ahead of it.

The little fox was forced to turn and run in another direction, but Zi Bofeng had already circled around. The little fox flicked its tail and bolted toward the hillside.

The two brothers shouted and chased after it up the slope.

But the fox ran across the mountain with incredible speed. No matter how they chased, they only fell further and further behind.

"Little fox, come back! I have something delicious for you!" Little Stone shouted, trying to lure it.

But compared to freedom, what was a treat?

One does not cherish what one has not lost. The little fox hadn't forgotten that it had fallen into a trap for the sake of a bit of food; it certainly wouldn't repeat the same mistake.

It abandoned Little Stone with firm, absolute resolve.

"Screech!" A hawk's cry suddenly rang out in the sky. A massive shadow rose from the solitary cliff at the summit. A giant eagle, easily five feet long, suddenly took flight and swooped down toward the little fox.

"Stinking eagle, bad eagle!" Little Stone screamed, jumping in frustration. Zi Bofeng was also anxious. If the little fox escaped, he could just pay for it—he had some silver on him—but if it didn't escape and became the eagle's meal, wouldn't that be a double loss?

How fast was the giant eagle? It dove from the sky and reached the little fox in an instant. Little Stone immediately forgot that the fox had just scratched him and screamed, pulling a slingshot from somewhere and firing a stone at the eagle.

But it was too late. The giant eagle's talons—three sharp claws, like the legendary three-legged crow, each forged of refined steel, pitch-black and gleaming, with edges shining with a cold, snowy light—had already seized the little fox. If the little fox could speak, it would surely have shouted, "If I had known this, why would I have run!"

Or perhaps, "My life is over!"

Unfortunately, it could not speak. It only let out a miserable wail as it was snatched from the ground, seemingly destined to become eagle feed.

Zi Bofeng's eyebrows arched. He snatched the slingshot and stone from Little Stone's hand and reached out to trace the character for "Speed" in the air—

At that very moment, a flash of light streaked past less than three meters before Zi Bofeng's eyes, the force of the wind nearly slicing his cheek!

Then, the world shook and the earth trembled. The cliff where the giant eagle had perched let out a thunderous explosion and shattered!

Rocks flew everywhere, and one of them happened to strike the giant eagle's wing. The eagle let out a mournful cry, released its talons, and spiraled downward.

The little fox didn't care about fear at all; the moment it hit the ground, it scrambled up and fled with its four paws moving like a blur. Zi Bofeng and Little Stone, however, were completely stunned. Little Stone's mouth hung open wide enough to swallow a whole egg as he watched the cliffside tumble past them, less than five meters away, carrying a terrifying, thunderous momentum as it rolled down the mountain.

With a "pop," an egg of unknown origin smashed against Little Stone's head, instantly bursting into a messy bloom. Little Stone let out an "ouch," convinced his head had been cracked open and was bleeding, and hurriedly clutched his head with both hands. Another egg flew down from the sky, slid along his raised arm, slipped into his overly wide sleeve, and got stuck at his waist.

After standing there foolishly for a long time, Little Stone finally turned his head to stare blankly at Zi Bofeng, no longer knowing whether he should be afraid or simply terrified. After a long while, he pulled an egg from his robes, stared at it for ages, and then asked with a sob, "Brother, if I tell Uncle Zhuzi that the little fox turned into an egg... will Uncle Zhuzi eat me?"

Even though Zi Bofeng always prided himself on his composure, he couldn't remain calm at this moment. There were simply too many shocking things that had happened in that instant, and he didn't know which one to be surprised by first. In the end, his attention settled on that streak of light.

"What was that flash just now?" The flames burning on the cyan Porcelain Shard spinning atop his forehead slowly flickered out. Zi Bofeng looked toward the direction from which the light had shot; the streak was long gone, leaving only Meng City sitting squarely where it had always been, ancient to the point of loneliness.

Record of Raising Monsters