Chapter 457: Incubation (1/2)
Chapter 457: Hatching [V5C164 – A Distance Within Reach]
That jade tablet was sparkling, translucent, and as thin as a cicada’s wing. However, it was also incomparably sturdy.
The detailed golden patterns covering its four sides weren’t just decorations. They were actual origin array lines used to protect the jade tablet from damage. The cost of the array alone was worth thousands of gold coins. On the other hand, this jade tablet was carved so thin yet was capable of sustaining the array. Its material was definitely worth more than a thousand gold coins.
There was a line of large, straight words at the very center of the tablet: Fortune Courtyard, Marrow Cleansing Pond.
Qianye examined the object repeatedly and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s this?”
Song Zining laughed, “The right to use the Marrow Cleansing Pond once in exchange for military contributions.”
“Marrow Cleansing Pond?!” Qianye was startled. Zhao Yuying had mentioned before that it was best for him to advance in the Marrow Cleansing Pond, but he didn’t put that to heart. It was of secondary importance where his advancement would take place, but this meant that he would have to go to the Zhao clan.
Song Zining knew what Qianye was thinking. He patted the latter’s shoulder and said, “You’ll have to face this matter sooner or later. The one-year agreement between you and Zhao Jundu is also fast approaching. He’s fighting in the Evernight bloody battle, so it’s quite likely that he’ll visit you. Since you’ll have to go there once anyway, why not perform your advancement in passing? The Zhao clan’s Marrow Cleansing Pond is by no means inferior to the Song Clan’s Sky Grade Cultivation Chamber. It might even be more suitable for your present situation.”
“But…” Qianye stopped midway through a wry laugh.
Song Zining said with a smile, “No buts! If you think you owe me for the contributions, then you’ll pay for the wine from here on out. But I must have girls to accompany me.”
Qianye’s heart, at this moment, was wracked with myriad emotions, and he didn’t know what to say. At this point, his gaze suddenly froze as though he had sensed something and soon realized that the abnormal feeling was coming from Andruil’s Mysterious Realm. He had little reservations in front of Song Zining. Thus, he proceeded to scan the space and immediately found the source of alarm.
Song Zining sensed Qianye’s odd expression and couldn’t help but say, “It’s just some girls. Do you really need to be so distressed about such an expenditure? Qianye, you can be considered the owner of a home and business now. You must learn to enjoy life!”
Qianye was too lazy to retort and only said, “Do you remember the count-level arachne egg I told you about?”
Song Zining quickly recalled the matter. At first, he had planned to have someone pick it up from Qianye and send it to an affiliated research facility. However, Qianye went missing soon afterward, and he himself was surrounded by the dark race army. The matter was thus delayed. Arachne eggs had a limited survival time after leaving the magma-filled incubation chamber; that egg should’ve died completely after such a long time.
Song Zining muttered, “A dead arachne egg isn’t worth any money. The couple of gold coins we can get for it won’t even cover travel expenses. Let’s just fry and eat it.”
Qianye didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. It was fine even if the egg was made into a scramble since expired arachne eggs were usually served as raw materials for ordinary recovery medicine. “That arachne egg isn’t dead yet. I unexpectedly discovered that it can absorb my blood energy to retain its vitality.”
Song Zining’s expression turned solemn. With a flick of his finger, an autumn gale filled the room amidst a swirl of fallen leaves. “It absorbed your blood energy?”
Seeing that the room had been enveloped in Song Zining’s domain, Qianye simply took out the spider egg from Andruil’s Mysterious Realm.
Song Zining’s brows couldn’t help but jump as he watched the lustrous black arachne egg appear in Qianye’s hand. Qianye didn’t make any special effort to hide it since the two were inside Song Zining’s domain. The latter could clearly sense the space around Qianye’s necklace distort momentarily.
A muffled heartbeat reverberated throughout the room as the arachne egg appeared. It was like the beating of a war drum. If Song Zining had been present to see the egg back at Black Nest, he would’ve noticed that it had grown one circle smaller than before, and that the green veins forming the natural array upon it had turned into a dark golden color.
Song Zining was somewhat startled. “What intense vitality! Is Stuka even that powerful?”
Qianye replied, “Its aura was weak when I obtained it, almost as if it’s congenitally deficient. I’ve been instilling blood energy into it at regular intervals since finding out that it can maintain its vitality. Just like that, it grew stronger over time and even seems to have undergone a transformation. I remember the patterns on the shell were green when I first found it.”
“A transformation?” Song Zining frowned. He was no expert in biological technology, and neither was Qianye. The knowledge they possessed regarding the dark races was limited to where their vitals were and how to kill them the quickest.
Song Zining stared at the egg seriously for a good while. If the transformation was indeed born of Qianye’s blood energy, then they couldn’t let just anyone take it for research. Otherwise, it might reveal Qianye’s secrets. However, Song Zining felt something special about this transformed count-grade arachne egg which prevented him from suggesting its immediate destruction.
Song Zining fished through the air to grab a couple of fallen leaves. He then arranged them in front of him to perform a simple divination.
“How is it?” Although the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art was a divination art, Qianye had rarely seen Song Zining perform it in earnest. But from another perspective, it was clear that Song Zining had no clue since he had even brought out such a method.
After observing the shape of the leaves in front of him, Song Zining glanced at Qianye with a fairly odd expression.
Baffled by Song Zining’s gaze, Qianye glared back and said furiously, “Stop acting all mysterious. Just say it!”
Song Zining dispersed the leaves with a wave of his hand. He had only performed this divination on a whim but had reached a truly unexpected result. “This little thing seems to be linked deeply to both you and I. It’s truly odd. Why don’t we just eat it? That way, any and all karma we have with it will be resolved in a couple of days.”