Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 41 - Hatching the Golden Egg (1)

The first ray of sunlight slipped through the cracks of the small wooden building, accompanied by the clear crowing of the morning rooster.

Knock knock knock— Early in the morning, someone knocked on the wooden door loudly. Zanxing got up to open the door, asking, “Who’s there?”

As the door opened, Tian Fangfang stood at the doorway, holding something in his arms. Upon seeing Zanxing, he immediately thrust the item in his arms towards her as if it was a hot potato and said, “Junior Sister, the thing you asked me to keep safe, here it is back to you!”

Zanxing lowered her head to take a look, and a dazzling golden egg lay in her palm, emitting a familiar warmth.

Tian Fangfang leaned against the door frame, half of his body hiding outside, his gaze fixed on the golden egg as if facing a formidable enemy.

“What’s wrong, Senior Brother? Is there something wrong with this egg?” Zanxing asked.

“…There’s nothing wrong, it’s just that this egg keeps moving. It kept making noise all night, and even woke me up this morning.” Tian Fangfang rubbed the bruise on his forehead, “I suspect this egg is homesick and wants to go back, so I hurriedly brought it to you.” Tian Fangfang looked troubled, “Junior Sister Zanxing, what’s inside this egg? It has such a temper.”

“I don’t know either,” Zanxing said, perplexed. But seeing how obedient the egg was in her arms, she thought for a moment and said, “Never mind, I was just about to go find Sixth Senior Uncle and have him take a look.”

When she arrived at the Miaokong Hall and saw Xuan Lingzi, he was reading a book. Upon seeing Zanxing approach, he waved to her and said, “Zanxing, are you here to receive punishment for yesterday’s altercation in the sect? Ziluo has already informed me. Considering that you acted out of fear and confusion, you’ll only receive a minor punishment as a warning. You’ll be tasked with cleaning the outer courtyard of the sect for seven days, and copy the ‘Clear Serenity Scripture’ ten times.”

Before Zanxing could speak, Xuan Lingzi took out a white brocade Bag from his sleeve and said, “Oh, by the way, Hua Yue found your Qiankun bag in Gufeng Mountain. Hurry and take it back, and be more careful next time.”

Zanxing: “…” That scoundrel Hua Yue.

“I know you’re feeling unjust, but rules are rules,” Xuan Lingzi’s voice came, carrying a hint of meaning, “This is your first time entering the mountains, take it as a lesson. I believe you’ve grown a lot from this experience.”

Zanxing looked up, Xuan Lingzi still had a somewhat frivolous demeanor, as if his words just now were casually spoken. Zanxing hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, “Disciple understands, thank you for your guidance, Senior Uncle.”

“Understood, now go back,” Xuan Lingzi waved his hand, “Autumn brings many fallen leaves, cleaning won’t be easy.”

Zanxing turned to leave, took two steps, then remembered something and turned back, reaching into her arms to pull out the dazzling golden egg. She asked Xuan Lingzi, “By the way, Sixth Senior Uncle, I found this egg in Gufeng Mountain. It’s not recorded in the ‘Thousand Items Compendium,’ so I wanted Senior Uncle to help me identify what it is.”

Whether it was her imagination or not, the egg in her hand seemed to tremble slightly.

Xuan Lingzi stepped forward, took the golden egg, stroked it a few times, and examined it carefully for a while before shaking his head and saying, “The shape resembles that of a demon bird’s egg, but the color is completely different. Moreover, there’s no aura of malevolence within.”

After a moment, he looked at Zanxing and continued, “Gufeng Mountain is home to many strange phenomena, and I have never seen anything like this before. Since your Qiankun bag was lost from the beginning and you found this egg during your journey, it may be an opportunity for you. Take this egg back with you. I sense that there is an overflowing spiritual energy on its shell, and whatever is inside may hatch soon.”

“In less than three days, we’ll know what kind of creature this is.”

*

Zanxing carefully cradled the golden egg again.

Because of Xuan Lingzi’s words, Zanxing deliberately found a wooden box, lined it with soft cloth, and placed the golden egg carefully inside. She even covered it with a layer of silk handkerchief. When Tian Fangfang saw it, her expression was quite colorful, and he probably thought she was crazy but did not want to say it to her face. In the end, he only said, “Junior Sister Zanxing is quite compassionate, treating an egg with such care.”

Zanxing replied, “After all, it’s an opportunity for me.”

This thing was like opening a mystery box. until the day it hatched, no one knew what would emerge. It was quite exciting to think about, but considering her luck, she probably wouldn’t get any rare item.

After this, she also delivered the Night Vine Branch to Li Danshu’s Hall.

During this trip into the mountains, while other disciples’ Qiankun bags were filled with spiritual herbs and fruits, her bag was stolen, and she barely escaped alive. Except for picking up a mystery box… no, the golden egg, she only had that Night Vine Branch. It was fortunate that Zanxing didn’t let go of it when she fell into the Black Marsh. After all the trouble, she finally didn’t make a wasted trip.

Li Danshu happily instructed the disciples to put away the Night Vine Branch and looked at Zanxing with a smile, saying, “Not bad, girl. This Night Vine Branch is very fresh. Today, I will refine the Skin Rejuvenation Pills for you. Come to the hall to collect it after seven days.”

Zanxing bowed, saying, “Thank you, Fourth Senior Uncle.”

“Don’t mention it,” Li Danshu waved his hand, revealing a sleeve corner scorched by alchemical fire, and said kindly, “We are all family here, no need for thanks.”

Zanxing thought to herself, “Yeah right,” knowing full well that she almost lost her life in Gufeng Mountain just to obtain this Night Vine Branch.

Over the next few days, Zanxing was busy with her punishment—cleaning the outer courtyard of the sect.

Since it was autumn, leaves were falling everywhere. Every time she swept, a gust of wind would blow, scattering golden leaves all over the ground. That scoundrel Hua Yue secretly bribed fellow disciples to deliberately practice swordsmanship nearby while Zanxing was cleaning, causing the sword energy to blow leaves all over the place, adding to her burden for no reason.

Why did they always end up getting beaten up by the male lead? Because no villain is innocent.

After three days of hard cleaning, on the fourth morning, Zanxing woke up from her sleep sensing a commotion in the house.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. At this moment, the rooster had not yet crowed, and only a corner of the sky was starting to brighten. In the dim morning light, she could see that the bedding and utensils in the room were scattered on the floor, resembling the aftermath left behind by a fierce wind.

The wooden box at the foot of the bed was empty, the silk handkerchief lay on the ground, and a heavy object pressed against her stomach. Zanxing lowered her head to look, and there in front of her lay the egg, dazzlingly golden.

Zanxing picked up the egg and placed it aside. Just as she was about to get out of bed to pick up the scattered items on the ground, she suddenly heard a crack—.

Turning around, she saw a crack appearing on the smooth surface of the golden egg. Following that, the crack grew larger and longer, then with a crisp sound, the golden egg split open into two halves.

Was it hatching? Zanxing suddenly felt excited.

Inside the eggshell, there was a vague white mass wriggling. After a moment, a soft and fluffy paw extended out, accompanied by a mewling sound.

Zanxing stretched her neck to take a closer look and met a pair of bright blue eyes, causing her to freeze.

A cat?

From within the eggshell emerged a snow-white kitten.