Chapter 932: Unanimously

Liu Junyan felt that Xiao Jiu's condition this time was more like a nightmare.

But he didn't dare to rashly shout to wake Xiao Jiu, so he walked aside to call Bai Shulan and explain the situation.

Finally, Liu Junyan asked, "Can I wake Xiao Jiu now? She looks very uncomfortable."

"No need," Bai Shulan said. "Just stay with her; if she's still not awake by midnight, prick her brow with an embroidery needle to draw a bead of blood."

Liu Junyan agreed verbally, but he remained uneasy: "Shulan, are you busy? If not, could you come over here?"

Bai Shulan thought for a moment and said, "It probably won't come to that. Keep observing; if there's no improvement by tonight, I'll rush over immediately."

Only then did Liu Junyan relent.

After hanging up, Liu Junyan sat back down, staying by Xiao Jiu's side to fan her.

Fortunately, after more than an hour, Xiao Jiu, drenched in sweat, suddenly jolted awake from sleep, her eyes wide open as she stared at the starry sky, and she remained dazed for a while.

Liu Junyan softly asked, "Xiao Jiu, are you awake?"

Only then did Xiao Jiu's consciousness return; she turned her head to glance at Liu Junyan and struggled to sit up.

Liu Junyan immediately held her up into a sitting position, but Xiao Jiu turned her head to look toward the mountains behind the house.

Liu Junyan asked again, "Xiao Jiu, what's wrong?"

Although there were stars tonight, the moon came and went, and the mountains behind were a pitch‑black expanse where nothing could be seen.

Xiao Jiu, however, stared for a long, long time.

Then she pressed a hand to her chest, let out a difficult sigh, and said, "Āyàn, this time I really did dream, and I remember the dream's scene."

Liu Junyan hurriedly asked, "What did you dream about?"

"Qi," Xiao Jiu said. "When I first fell into unconscious slumber, my spirit was summoned by the Queen of Earth, wandering through the earth veins, and I saw many different kinds of 'qi.' I told you about this before, right?"

"Right," Liu Junyan said. "And the 'qi' you once saw—we encountered similar real‑world cases when we were clearing the earth‑vein lines."

Xiao Jiu nodded: "Yes, that 'qi' I dreamed of this time—I saw it before as well, and I'm certain it was an egg. Back then I wondered, if I could pinpoint the egg's exact location, once it hatches I will surely summon Shan Shan to have her tame it."

Liu Junyan was somewhat startled; he instinctively also looked toward that dark stretch of mountains behind, and after a long while he said, "You mean your recent discomfort isn't due to poor health, but because something here is impacting your spirit, causing this?"

Xiao Jiu couldn't help but admire Liu Junyan's keen and rigorous thinking: "Yes, that's about right."

Xiao Jiu pointed toward the mountains behind and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, that egg should now be right beneath this mountain."

Liu Junyan doubted: "Are you sure? I haven't sensed any abnormal qi."

"Yes, if I hadn't entered the dream, I wouldn't have sensed it either," Xiao Jiu said. "Given our current cultivation and status, even if it were deep underground, we ought to have noticed it; this situation suggests only one possibility…"

Liu Junyan immediately interjected: "It's not some evil entity, nor is it an ordinary spiritual object; the spiritual qi it emits is extremely close to that of the earth veins."

"Exactly!"

Their thoughts coincided without prior consultation.

Xiao Jiu said, "The closer it is to earth‑vein spiritual qi, the rarer it is. Āyàn, should we call Shan Shan over?"

Shan Shan's abilities are now quite strong; she's no longer the little girl who, after suffering heavy damage during training, would hide and cry.

Although Liu Junyan dotes on the children without limit, he does not overindulge them.

With such a fine training opportunity, and with both of us and Xiao Jiu protecting her, Shan Shan will come to no harm.

Thinking this through, Liu Junyan said, "I'll contact her first; before she arrives, let's go into the mountains to scout the route, preferably ensuring safety."

Xiao Jiu naturally agreed.

Liu Junyan rubbed Xiao Jiu's sweat‑damp hair and said, "Go back to your room, take a hot shower, change into dry clothes; I'll cook, and after we eat we'll head into the mountains."

Xiao Jiu rose and returned to her room; Liu Junyan first contacted Shan Shan and explained the situation.

Shan Shan was overjoyed, saying she would come as quickly as possible.

After hanging up, Liu Junyan called Bai Shulan again, telling her Xiao Jiu was fine and that she needn't worry or make a special trip.

After Xiao Jiu finished her shower and came out, Liu Junyan had already prepared a vegetable noodle dish and squeezed a cup of watermelon juice; while she ate the noodles, he stood beside her blowing dry her hair.

Xiao Jiu ate while giving Liu Junyan a thumbs‑up, saying, "Āyàn, your cooking keeps getting better."

Liu Junyan's lips curled; he had specially researched his cooking to suit Xiao Jiu's taste.

Past nine o'clock, the two finished their preparations and headed straight up the mountain.

In this season, even in the mountains around Huaihua, daytime is scorching hot, the afternoon weather is unpredictable, but at night the heat fades and a gentle breeze blows.

On this mountain the trees are lush; the deeper one goes, the more the whole body feels refreshed, the oxygen level is extremely high, with no trace of stuffy heat.

Xiao Jiu even saw fireflies flickering in this mountain forest.

She hadn't seen such a thing in many years.

Their appearance indicates that the environment is quite good.

The two progressed quickly; before long they reached the summit.

When they stood at the highest point of the summit, Xiao Jiu's uncomfortable tightness in her chest surged again.

It was then that they both realized the mountain was somewhat odd.

The mountainside they had just climbed up was truly a natural oxygen source, especially suited for long‑term survival.

But on the other side of the summit, the temperature shot up suddenly; mountain winds gusted, bringing scorching heat that felt like it could scorch the skin.

Looking down from the summit, Xiao Jiu saw that on that side of the mountain there were few trees, but each trunk stood straight, shooting up to the sky like veteran soldiers who had weathered many hardships.

Xiao Jiu closed her eyes, first held her breath and focused, then emptied herself, using her spirit to probe the special forces on the mountain's far side.

Liu Junyan instantly understood what Xiao Jiu was doing; he immediately took her hand, monitored her condition, and would at once help her gather her spirit and avert danger if anything seemed off.

As time passed, Xiao Jiu's spirit continually sank downward.

The deeper she sank, the more it felt like falling into an endless abyss.

Moreover, as she descended, Xiao Jiu only felt the temperature rising higher and higher; even with just a trace of spirit, she still sensed it.

When she saw that cluster of red 'qi' blazing like fire, Xiao Jiu exclaimed, "How long has it been? This egg has grown so large already!"

Within that expanse of red qi, Xiao Jiu saw the egg's surface covered in cracks, as if it might burst open at any moment, spewing forth something from inside…