Chapter Twenty-Four: The Egg of the Cloud-Treading Tiger

Hong Zhichu looked at Shen Wan with a blank expression, his mind struggling to keep up with the conversation.

“Ghost Tiger… What’s that?”

“Uh…” Shen Wan wasn’t sure how to explain it. He certainly couldn’t say it was a prize from a game lottery. “I was just wondering if I could get a beast companion to use as a mount. The sect is so big, and walking around every day is wearing me out physically.”

He stated his purpose candidly, gazing hopefully at his junior.

Hong Zhichu frowned slightly at this.

“With all that time, wouldn’t it be better to cultivate properly? I’ve never seen someone complain about being tired from just walking.”

He thought this to himself, but outwardly he smiled and said, “Since Senior Brother has a request, follow me. There are plenty of beasts in the sect suitable as mounts.”

Shen Wan’s heart leapt with joy.

He knew that as long as he asked, there wouldn’t be much trouble—his backing was strong after all.

Following Hong Zhichu, they passed behind a screen and entered the inner courtyard.

The moment they stepped inside, Shen Wan was utterly stunned by the scene before him.

Rare and exotic plants grew in a harmonious array throughout the courtyard. Thick trunks rose from the earth, with enormous leaves in every hue overlapping and interweaving, covering the entire yard. Fluffy pom-poms, resembling dandelions, drifted through the air. These soft pink puffs seemed almost alive, frolicking among the magical flowers and herbs. Gentle misty drizzle caressed his face, smooth and tender, illuminated by shafts of sunset light filtering through the leaves, spreading rainbows through the air.

It was breathtakingly beautiful. If Shen Wan could sense spiritual energy, this scene would be even more extraordinary. His heartbeat would surely become as erratic as the scenery itself.

Though he’d witnessed dreamlike sights each day within the Qianxuan Sect lately, what lay before him now was distinctly different.

To the right, atop a giant tree, five or six winged monkeys drank sap from its trunk. Their tails were so long they wrapped around the branches in loops.

To the left, a butterfly the size of a water jar fluttered its enormous wings. Multicolored powder drifted evenly onto the flowerbeds below.

On the ground, a dozen holes revealed round, eye-bearing antennae protruding from each.

Shen Wan stared in disbelief.

These bizarre creatures moved about right before his eyes, so unreal it felt like a dream.

“These are all low-level beast companions, at most third rank in the mortal class,” Hong Zhichu explained with a smile, not bothering with further detail.

He led them through the courtyard, around two corners, stopping at a house on the northernmost edge.

He pushed the door open.

As soon as they entered, Lin Bufan felt a surge of concentrated spiritual energy. Shen Wan, of course, felt nothing at all.

The room was tall and spacious—like a massive warehouse. Wooden racks lined the interior, each adorned with beast eggs in vibrant colors.

Grouped in threes and fives, the eggs were neatly arranged.

Shen Wan had never seen so many kinds of eggs. On Earth, there were only chicken eggs and duck eggs; ostrich eggs existed only in textbooks.

Looking around him now, some eggs were intricately carved, others multifaceted, some crystal clear, and some completely transparent like glass.

He wandered among the racks like a curious child, amazed by the variety.

But when Shen Wan approached a giant egg towering up to the ceiling, the shock made him wonder what sort of anatomy could possibly lay such a thing.

Hong Zhichu, seeing his junior so overwhelmed, shook his head in resignation and smiled, “These are all beast companions in their infancy. Newly hatched cubs are easier to bond with—just make sure the first thing they see when they hatch is you.”

With that, he led Shen Wan to a row of racks by the window.

“These are the more docile beasts, best suited as mounts.”

Shen Wan scanned the selection—thankfully, these eggs looked ordinary enough.

Circling the racks for a while, he found each one appealing.

“Goodness, am I supposed to have trouble choosing?” he muttered inwardly.

Hong Zhichu, noticing his indecision, picked up an egg from a nearby rack and said with a smile, “This is an egg of a Cloud Tiger. I don’t know what your Ghost Tiger looks like, but I think you’ll like this one.”

“Cloud Tiger?”

Shen Wan took the egg and examined it closely.

It was pale blue, patterned with cloud-like markings—quite beautiful. The name had ‘tiger’ in it, so it seemed perfect.

“All right, I’ll take it!” Shen Wan accepted the egg with gusto.

Never mind anything else—since his junior, the keeper of the Beast Garden, had chosen it for him, it must be a good pick.

He imagined himself one day riding a tiger atop the forested peaks, the image so grand he couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

Lin Bufan, standing nearby, offered, “Junior Uncle, there are many adult beast companions here as well. Are you sure you don’t want to look around more?”

“No need. I think this one is just right.” Shen Wan hugged the Cloud Tiger egg, unable to put it down, then turned to Lin Bufan with a cheeky grin.

“I just love the thrill of opening a mystery box.”

Leaving the Beast Garden, Shen Wan quickly returned to his residence with Lin Bufan in tow.

He carefully placed the Cloud Tiger egg on his bed, even covering it with a blanket.

Lin Bufan, puzzled, asked, “Junior Uncle, what are you doing?”

“Hatching it,” Shen Wan replied, stroking the egg’s surface without turning around.

“Hatching? Junior Uncle, that won’t work.”

Lin Bufan hurriedly pulled Shen Wan aside, retrieving the egg from beneath the covers.

“Beast eggs need to be nourished with spiritual energy. Spiritual energy here is already scarce, and you’re smothering it with a blanket—are you trying to kill it?”

“Uh…” Shen Wan was left speechless.

He had no idea about these things—he’d assumed, like on Earth, that proper warmth and humidity were needed.

“So what should I do? I don’t have any… spiritual energy incubator.”

Lin Bufan thought for a moment, then pulled a spirit stone from his storage pouch.

He looked around, took Shen Wan’s washbasin, placed the egg inside, and tossed the spirit stone in as well.

“This should be about right.”

“What’s that?”

“A spirit stone. Beast companions need spiritual energy to hatch. Put some spirit stones nearby and let them absorb it as they grow.”

Hearing this, Shen Wan quickly unfastened a cloth pouch from his jeans.

“Is it this?” he asked.

The pouch had been given by his senior brother, filled with cultivation resources pooled by several elders.

“I don’t have spiritual energy, so I can’t open it. Can you take the spirit stones out for me?”

After all, everyone believed his smooth passage through the sect was thanks to the protection of the Sky Profound Master.

So if Lin Bufan had any doubts, Shen Wan planned to use that excuse.

Lin Bufan paused, feeling as if he’d stumbled on something, but didn’t press the issue due to Shen Wan’s status.

He opened the pouch handed to him and poured out the spirit stones.

At first, it was fine, but soon he was stunned.

A veritable mountain of spirit stones piled up, dazzling to the extreme.

“J-Junior Uncle… are all these yours?”

Lin Bufan’s voice trembled.

Shen Wan was startled as well—was he really this wealthy?

He didn’t know the value of spirit stones, but the sheer quantity was unexpected.

He hadn’t realized his senior brother and his fellow disciples held him in such high regard.

The room overflowed with spirit stones, making Lin Bufan dizzy.

“So many spirit stones… I could never earn that in a lifetime!”

That was Lin Bufan’s truest feeling at the moment—so piercing it hurt.

Because Shen Wan didn’t understand their value, he wasn’t as shocked as Lin Bufan, only pausing briefly at the sight.

He ran over and retrieved the egg from the washbasin.

He dug out a hollow in the spirit stone mountain and nestled the Cloud Tiger egg within.

Dusting off his hands, he turned and asked, “Is this good enough?”

Lin Bufan swallowed hard, truly unsure how to answer his extravagantly wealthy junior uncle beside him.

Wiping sweat from his brow, he finally managed to compose himself and said, “N-no problem…”

“OK!”

Shen Wan snapped his fingers, grabbed a cushion, sat down on the floor, and fixed his gaze on the egg, not looking away for a second.

“Junior Uncle, what are you doing?” Lin Bufan asked, confused by his actions.

Shen Wan replied solemnly, “Leave now. The first thing it sees when it hatches has to be me.”

Lin Bufan stood there, bewildered, cursing internally.

“How can you be so outrageous? Is abandoning a helper supposed to be this dignified? No, it’s like burning bridges after crossing the river—I’m no donkey…”