Chapter 039: A Double-Yolk Surprise!

Before Qiao Yue Ru could speak to persuade him to stay, Xiao Ji Han had already turned and walked out of the partitioned room.

In the outer chamber, he glanced up toward the fifth floor, and as expected, met Yan Shu’s gaze. This time, before Yan Shu could look away, he was the first to withdraw his eyes and strode downstairs.

Yan Shu: ...

The male lead’s damned competitive streak.

Since she had already been caught several times, Yan Shu simply watched him openly. If her guess was correct, that violet-gold soft armor earlier had been a gift from Qiao Yue Ru.

But she also knew Xiao Ji Han would not accept it, for his nature was such that he never owed anyone a thing, nor allowed anyone to owe him. His dealings with others were always as clear-cut as a transaction.

Yan Shu had assumed, seeing him descend from the third floor, that he was leaving the Treasure Pavilion, but to her surprise, he went all the way down to the first floor and found a corner where he stood motionless, quietly observing the auction.

With the favorability score at a steady -30 (disdain), Yan Shu watched him for a while, lost interest, and turned her gaze to the auction itself.

The items being auctioned grew ever more exquisite, the prices climbing higher and higher, until those on the first and second floors only raised bids as a formality.

After several items had been auctioned off, suddenly an image of an egg floated in midair.

The man in green announced loudly, “Everyone is familiar with this egg. There’s a fluctuation of spiritual energy inside, so it can clearly be hatched, but the Treasure Pavilion does not know the exact conditions for hatching, nor what might emerge from it. The starting bid remains the same: one hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones!”

As his words faded, the crowd erupted in discussion.

Yan Shu was stunned, unable to restrain a low exclamation: “What kind of egg is this, to be so expensive?!”

Liu Zhiqing narrowed his eyes, watching the image in the air. “No one knows what this egg is, but precisely because its nature is unknown, it can’t be a common thing. Someone once bought it, tried every method, but failed to hatch it, so he returned it to the Treasure Pavilion.”

“Later, many others who refused to believe in failure bought this egg, but without exception, all failed to hatch it. This egg has journeyed across the Nine Provinces, a marvel in its own right.”

Yan Shu listened and scrutinized the egg, remarking, “The Treasure Pavilion must have made a fortune. Sell it for a hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones, buy it back for a low price, and sell again for another hundred thousand. A few turns and they’ve made hundreds of thousands, pure profit without any cost!”

At this, both Liu Zhiqing and Yu Wenche gave her a strange look.

Yan Shu blinked. “What, did I say something wrong?”

“No,” Liu Zhiqing coughed lightly, “Just that your focus is unusual. Others are curious about what the egg truly is, yet you’re fixated on how much the Treasure Pavilion has earned.”

Yan Shu rolled her eyes at him.

Because she was poor.

Still, she had to admit, the egg was beautiful, faint red glimmers flowing over its surface like dark patterns or streaks of color, dazzling and exquisite.

Such a remarkable egg, how was it never mentioned in the original novel?

Yu Wenche noticed Yan Shu’s gaze lingering on the egg, clearly intrigued, and asked, “Yan Tong, do you like it?”

Yan Shu replied indifferently, “It looks nice, but it’s too expensive. Otherwise, it would make a fine omelet.”

Yu Wenche, who had just been about to say, “If you like it, I’ll give it to you,” quietly swallowed back his words.

Just then, the egg—which had sat quietly on the display platform—suddenly began to move.

The unexpected motion shocked the crowd, even the man in green onstage was momentarily speechless.

At that moment in Yan Shu’s mind, a childish voice suddenly echoed: “Mother, I’m not tasty, wuwuwu, Mother, you actually want to eat me...”

Yan Shu: ...

When the hell had she laid an egg?!

She was a mammal, born live, not from an egg! Even if she were to have offspring, it wouldn’t be an egg!

No, she was single from birth, in both her past and present lives—where would any offspring even come from?!

In a flash, Yan Shu’s mind conjured up a grand melodrama spanning three lifetimes.

No, no, such a ridiculous plot wasn’t for her. This egg must have mistaken her for someone else.

“Brother, Mother doesn’t want me anymore, wuwuwu...”

“It’s all right, little sister. If Mother doesn’t want you, you still have your brother. I’ll always protect you.”

Yan Shu: !!!

A double-yolked egg?!

After the movement, the egg on the display platform suddenly settled down again.

The man in green regained his composure and announced, “You’ve all seen it—this egg has shown signs of life. Perhaps it will hatch soon. If you wish to buy it, seize the opportunity! One hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones, bidding starts now!”

“Is it really about to hatch, though? I heard it’s moved before.”

“One hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones is a steep price. Rare as it is, if what hatches has no fighting power, all that spirit stone would be wasted.”

“This egg is strange. Who knows what will come out?”

“Forget it, none of us can afford it. Let’s see if any noble houses or sect disciples will buy.”

Many discussed, but none made a bid.

The man in green was in no hurry, simply waiting.

Suddenly, from across the fifth floor, a languid male voice sounded: “One hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones.”

The man in green onstage smiled and declared, “Master Ying Zi Heng of the Nether Sect bids one hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones! Any other bids?”

At the name Ying Zi Heng, the crowd turned in astonishment toward the fifth floor.

Even Liu Zhiqing, who had previously been absorbed in eating and drinking, frowned and looked opposite. “Ying Zi Heng actually came himself?”

Yu Wenche nodded. “He arrived three days ago.”

Yan Shu paid little attention to the voices around her, for the childish voices had returned in her mind: “Mother, do you really not want me and my sister?”

Yan Shu felt her composure falter. No matter if these were her offspring or if this was the start of some melodramatic three-lifetime tale, those tender voices unsettled her.

Truthfully, if it weren’t so expensive, she would have wanted to buy these two children.

Had she not heard those childish voices, to her, it would have been just an egg, no different from a chicken’s or duck’s or goose’s.

But after hearing those innocent voices, the egg became two children in her eyes.

To leave them in the Treasure Pavilion, treated as dead objects in a box, Yan Shu felt a pang of pity.

But she was poor—so poor even her pockets couldn’t jingle—so...

There was nothing she could do.