Looking at the egg of the Fire Fang Snake Lin Mu could only think that it must have been something like a mutation of some kind.
"Wait, is the egg even viable?" Lin Mu wondered and probed it using his spirit sense.
He couldn't tell what was inside the egg as it was just liquid, but he could feel the aura of life from it.
"It's alive at least…" Lin Mu muttered.
The Fire Fang snake was also looking at the egg with a strange gaze. She touched it and sniffed it a few times before shaking her head.
~hiss~
She then nudged the egg with her head and moved it to the front of the nest.
"Huh?" Lin Mu was confused by this and wondered what the beast was doing.
"Seems like the Fire Fang Snake is rejecting the egg." Xukong spoke.
"Rejecting? Why is she rejecting her own egg?" Lin Mu questioned.
"Most beasts will reject eggs that they think are not viable or unusual. They do this due to their ingrained instincts." Xukong spoke.
Lin Mu looked on as the Fire Fang Snake finally pushed the egg out of the nest.
~thud~
It hit the ground with a light thud and rolled all the way to Lin Mu's feet. Lin Mu himself was a bit shocked and checked if the egg was cracked or damaged.
"It's… fine?" Lin Mu said, feeling surprised.
"Of course. Beast eggs aren't so fragile as to break from such a small fall." Xukong said.
Lin Mu looked back at the Fire Fang snake, who was now busy cultivating. It had not even been five minutes since she had laid the egg, and she didn't seem worried about it at all. It felt quite strange to Lin Mu at first.
But then he realized he could not judge it according to his standards. These were beasts and he had no right nor logic to judge them by his own standards as a human.
~Sigh~
"What will become of this egg now?" Lin Mu muttered.
"Well, since the snake has rejected it… you may as well take it with you. If anything, it will make a good meal." Xukong suggested.
Lin Mu felt the corner of his lips twitch, but he just shook his head. He opened his eyes and looked at the egg, not feeling like eating it. He instead felt a strange curiosity towards the egg now. Unlike the Fire Fang Snake, Lin Mu could very well tell that the egg was alive and had the aura of life within it.
"I wonder what kind of a snake will be born from this… one egg instead of six or ten… that too of a different color… there is bound to be something unique about it." Lin Mu murmured.
Lin Mu made up his mind and picked up the egg. He was about to store it in the ring when he realized something.
"Can I keep the egg in the ring or will it die, senior?" Lin Mu asked, unsure if the same rule applied to an egg instead of a grown animal.
He didn't know if it would be the same or not, as the egg didn't really need air for now.
"Hmm… it is hard to tell. For a short period, it should be fine. The spatial energy streaks and distortions shouldn't cause many problems if it is not there for long." Xukong said.
"So if I take it out every so often it will be fine?" Lin Mu asked.
"Yes, that should work. And just in case, you can keep it near the Altar. From what I've seen barely any spatial energy streaks get near there." Xukong replied.
"Alright." Lin Mu said before storing the egg in the ring.
He even took a few extra looks there to ensure that it was fine before nodding his head.
~Huala~
Suddenly a faint cyclone of spirit Qi could be felt revolving around the Fire Fang Snake.
"Huh? It's close to a breakthrough?" Lin Mu's gaze went back to the Fire Fang snake.
Spirit Qi lightly revolved around the beast and was absorbed by it.
"Looks like the Fire Fang Snake was actually being restricted by the egg in her belly. Now that she has laid it, she can cultivate freely." Xukong said.
"You mean to say senior… that she rejected the egg because she knew was close to a breakthrough?" Lin Mu asked.
"Yes. Usually, the stronger the beast's cultivation base is, the better offspring they will birth. So if she successfully breaksthrough to the Nascent Soul realm, her offspring will be better than when she was in the core condensation realm." Xukong stated.
"I see…" Lin Mu nodded his head in understanding.
Lin Mu observed the Fire Fang Snake for a bit and realized that she was in the same preparatory period as Alchemist Bilao when he was awaiting the Heavenly tribulation.
"Wonder how Bilao is now… there was no news about him…" Lin Mu was reminded of the man.
Bilao himself was not bad and had been polite to Lin Mu, as far as he had seen from his interaction. Lin Mu did feel sorry for the man as he could not break through to the Nascent Soul realm, but he also understood that this was for the best.
If Bilao broke through to the Nascent Soul realm, Gu Yao would have likely made him his pawn as well. Thus putting his life in danger.
'I'll make up to him sometime…' Lin Mu thought to himself, while taking a seat in one of the trees near Little Shrubby.
He was going to wait here for the Fire Fang Snake's tribulation to come so that he can take advantage of it as soon as possible. Little Shrubby on the other hand, was already sleeping and his tail was swinging from side to side. Though Lin Mu could also sense the spirit Qi moving around him, being slowly absorbed by his body.
Light winds blew, bringing leaves with them, painting a rather serene picture; man and beast lounged around while waiting for the heavens to crack open.
