"What about us? Do we wait until the Ice Empress finishes comprehending it before we leave?" Bi Ji asked.
"No rush."
Lu Yuan found a clean rock to sit on and patted the spot beside him.
"Once she finishes comprehending it, we'll have her sacrifice herself. We've raised her for so long. It's time to harvest!"
Bi Ji came over and sat down. "Then when do you plan to leave for Mingdu?"
"After we finish up here, of course! You'll come along too, won't you, Sister Bi Ji?"
Bi Ji smiled gently. "Do you want me to come?"
Lu Yuan nodded without hesitation and draped an arm over Bi Ji's shoulders. "Sister Bi Ji provides the best logistical support. Who wouldn't want you along?"
"Then I suppose I'll reluctantly agree to accompany you!"
Lu Yuan chatted idly with Bi Ji, his gaze occasionally drifting toward the Sun Spring.
The Fire Dragon King's Dragon Egg lay soaking in the shallow waters of the Sun Spring. Its shell looked far more lustrous than when they had first discovered her.
It should have more or less recovered by now.
"I'll go check on that egg."
Lu Yuan stood up and walked toward the Sun Spring.
Bi Ji did not follow. She remained seated, watching him quietly.
The temperature around the Sun Spring was much higher than around the Cold Spring. Heat rose in steaming waves, making the air shimmer and warp.
The Dragon Egg lay half-submerged in the spring, its shell glowing with a warm, mellow sheen like a piece of red jade fired all the way through.
"You're recovering nicely."
Ever since the Fire Dragon King had replenished the Dragon Egg's essence with the dragon core, the egg had remained in the Sun Spring, nourished by the dragon energy and spring water