76: Chapter 76 New Life

[Ding, I am here. Host, what are your orders?]

Bai Qi looked at the mound of earth in front of him and asked directly without beating around the bush.

"Can the Moonlight Cloud-Dwelling Sparrow be resurrected?"

The System was silent for a moment, as if searching for something.

[Ding. The Moonlight Cloud-Dwelling Sparrow can be resurrected. Approximately seven thousand years old, deceased, spirit ring has been absorbed. Resurrection conditions are as follows: 1. Within twenty-four hours after the spirit ring dissipates, the residual Soul imprint can be extracted. 2. An egg of the same species is required as a vessel. 3. A Resurrection Pill is needed to inject the Soul imprint into the egg, allowing it to be gestated anew. Note: The resurrected Spirit Beast will lose its memories of its previous life and only retain its racial characteristics.]

Bai Qi quickly went through the three conditions in his mind. The Soul had not dissipated within twenty-four hours. However, he had neither an egg of the same species nor a Resurrection Pill. Bai Qi then asked,

"Is it sold in the Mall?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a panel appeared in front of him, and the product page popped up.

[Ding. Moonlight Cloud-Dwelling Sparrow Resurrection Bundle: Includes Resurrection Pill ×1, unhatched Moonlight Cloud-Dwelling Sparrow egg ×1. Price: 300,000 gold coins.]

Bai Qi looked at the mound of earth again. Under the moonlight, the color of the freshly turned soil was darker than the surrounding area. He still remembered how Ye Lingling had knelt here and dug the pit with her bare hands.

"Buy it."

[Ding. Purchase successful. gold coins automatically deducted. Items have been sent.]

The System panel flashed, and white light poured out from the screen, making Bai Qi squint his eyes. Then the white light dissipated, and a jade box appeared in front of him.

The box wasn't large, just enough to be held in the palm of his hand. The box was milky white, engraved with silver-white patterns that looked like the patterns on the wings of a Moonlight Cloud-Dwelling Sparrow.

Bai Qi sat on a nearby rock, placed the jade box on his knees, and reached out to open the lid.

Inside lay an egg quietly. It was the size of a fist. The eggshell was entirely silver-white with fine golden patterns on it, exactly the same as the patterns on the Moonlight Cloud-Dwelling Sparrow.

There was a faint halo on the surface of the eggshell, as if moonlight was encased inside. Bai Qi reached out and touched it; it was cold, not warm, as if there was nothing inside.

"What should I do next?"

[Ding. Place the Resurrection Pill above the corpse, then silently recite the name of the Spirit Beast. The Resurrection Pill will directly absorb the residual Soul. Once completed, place the Resurrection Pill next to the Moonlight Cloud-Dwelling Sparrow egg, and it will be absorbed automatically. It will hatch in about three to six months.]

Bai Qi took the Resurrection Pill. He put the box on the rock, walked to the mound of earth, knelt down, placed the Resurrection Pill directly above the mound, and spoke.

"Moonlight Cloud-Dwelling Sparrow."

The Resurrection Pill lit up.

Silver-white light emerged from the pill and seeped into the soil strand by strand. After a few seconds, silver specks of light emerged above the mound, rising one by one from the soil and hanging in the air like fireflies before merging into the Resurrection Pill.

When no more silver light specks emerged, Bai Qi picked up the Resurrection Pill and placed it next to the egg. After that, the Resurrection Pill automatically merged into the Moonlight Cloud-Dwelling Sparrow egg.

The faint halo on the surface of the egg was more obvious than before, as if something had throbbed inside. Bai Qi reached out and touched it; the egg was now warm.

[Ding. Soul imprint injection complete. The hatching rate can reach over ninety-nine percent.]

After that, Bai Qi closed the lid and put the jade box into his Wishful White Pouch. He stood up, patted the dust off his body, and turned back to the tent.

The next morning, Bai Qi woke up. He lay there for a while longer, and after hearing the sound of Ah Yin lighting the fire outside, he sat up and pulled back the curtain.

Beside the mound near the Medicinal Garden, Ye Lingling was squatting in front of the mound, using her hands to remove the withered herb leaves and replacing them with a few new ones.

Her head was lowered, and her movements were very gentle, as if she were tucking in someone who was asleep.

Bai Qi looked for a moment, withdrew his gaze, and chuckled softly. Surprises were more enjoyable when there were more people around, weren't they?

Bai Qi walked to the dining table, and Ah Yin conveniently handed him breakfast.

At this time, Ye Lingling also walked back from the mound, washed her hands, and sat at the table.

She was still the same as yesterday, picking up her porridge, taking a sip, and saying nothing.

Xiao Wu crawled out of the tent, her eyes not yet fully open, but she had already walked over and sat down beside Bai Qi.

Dugu Yan also sat down, glanced at Ye Lingling with some concern, and slowly stirred the porridge in her bowl with a spoon without drinking it.

Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Meng Yiran also walked over one after another.

Once everyone was up, Bai Qi stood up, took out the jade box, and placed it on the table.

"Lingling, this is for you."

Ye Lingling looked up at the jade box. A bit confused, she put down her spoon and reached out to open the jade box.

Inside lay an egg. It was the size of a fist. Ye Lingling's hand stopped in mid-air; she didn't reach for it.

"Is this... a Moonlight Cloud-Dwelling Sparrow egg?"

Her voice was a bit hoarse.

Bai Qi nodded and said slowly.

"After it died last night, I found a way to resurrect it. This egg is that Moonlight Cloud-Dwelling Sparrow."

Hearing this, Ye Lingling's eyes instantly turned red. She didn't speak, just looked at the egg and the familiar golden patterns on it.

Xiao Wu was the first to lean over, poking her head out to look.

"Really? This isn't the egg of that bird from yesterday, is it? Didn't that bird already..."

"It's not that one."

Bai Qi explained.

"This egg is new, but the Soul inside is that of the Moonlight Cloud-Dwelling Sparrow."

Ning Rongrong also leaned over, looking at the egg in the jade box, covering her mouth with both hands.

"So Lingling can raise this bird?"

Bai Qi nodded, his voice carrying a hint of a smile.

"It will hatch in a few months. The hatched little sparrow won't remember its past life, but it might recognize Lingling as its mother."

Xiao Wu reached out to touch the egg but was slapped away by Bai Qi.

"Don't touch it; Lingling hasn't even touched it yet."

Xiao Wu withdrew her hand and pouted, but she wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled and patted Ye Lingling's shoulder.

"Lingling, you're going to be a mother!"

Ye Lingling ignored her, her eyes still fixed on the egg. Tears had already fallen, but she didn't make a sound.

Dugu Yan stood up and walked to the table, looked down at the egg in the jade box, her lips curved slightly, but she quickly returned to her usual expression.

"I'll find a warm place for you to put it when we get back."

Meng Yiran and Zhu Zhuqing were also sincerely happy for Ye Lingling.

Ning Rongrong leaned on the table, tilting her head to look at the golden patterns on the eggshell.

"It's so beautiful. Lingling, can I touch it after it hatches?"

Ye Lingling nodded, her voice a bit muffled.

"Mm."

Xiao Wu was already getting excited.

"Can we ride it when it grows up? I wanted to ride that big bird before, I just didn't dare say it."

"Let it hatch first. If you want to ride it, you'll have to wait thousands of years."

Bai Qi interrupted her fantasy.

Ye Lingling carefully picked up the egg, afraid of breaking it, and held it in her arms.

Ye Lingling cried for a while, then carefully put it back into the jade box, closed the lid, and stood there holding it in her arms.

She walked up to Bai Qi, her eyes and nose red. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say many things, but in the end, she only said two words.

"Thank you."

Her voice was very soft, but the way she looked at Bai Qi was different. Before, she saw Bai Qi as a teammate and a friend, but now, there was something more in her eyes. It was hard to say what it was, but Bai Qi felt it.

Bai Qi touched Ye Lingling's face and said with a smile.

"You are my woman; how could I bear to let you be unhappy?"

Hearing this, Dugu Yan was displeased.

"Hey, Lingling is mine!"

Dugu Yan walked over and pulled Ye Lingling away.

Bai Qi withdrew his hand and said casually.

"What's yours is mine; why distinguish between yours and mine?"

Dugu Yan rolled her eyes at Bai Qi and pulled Ye Lingling back into the tent, saying as they walked.

"Let's go, back to the tent to pack things up. The road is bumpy; don't let the egg get bumped."

Ye Lingling's ears turned red as she gave a soft "mm" and followed Dugu Yan.

Xiao Wu looked at their backs and suddenly turned to Bai Qi.

"Xiao Qi, why were you able to resurrect this bird?"

Bai Qi glanced at her and smiled.

"It's a secret."

Xiao Wu huffed and didn't ask further.

After finishing breakfast, everyone packed their things and prepared to leave.

Bai Qi walked at the very back and looked back at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He withdrew his gaze and turned to catch up with the team.

Ye Lingling walked in the middle of the team, holding the jade box in her arms, walking faster than usual.

Dugu Yan walked beside Ye Lingling, occasionally glancing at the jade box in her arms, saying nothing.