Li's eyes narrowed as he moved toward the source of the faint glimmer. The light reflected off two large, oval objects partially buried beneath a pile of scattered rocks not too far from where the Hibiscus Bloom once stood.
"Zhang Wei, come look at this!" Li called out, his voice tinged with curiosity and excitement.
Zhang Wei, still recovering from the intense battle and the marvel of the healing Hibiscus Bloom, approached cautiously with Lei Yun, Lei Chen, and Mei Ming trailing behind. He stopped short, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of the shimmering, dark-scaled eggs. Each was about the size of a human head, with faint, glowing veins pulsing beneath their glossy surfaces like living things.
"They're…basilisk eggs," Zhang Wei whispered, awe-struck.
Mei Ming gasped, taking a reflexive step back. "Reptiles! Ugh, keep those things away from me!" She shivered, clutching her arms. "I can't believe that monster laid eggs in here."
Lei Yun tilted his head, inspecting the eggs with guarded interest. "Are they valuable?"
Zhang Wei nodded, his expression turning serious. "Extremely. If hatched and nurtured properly, a basilisk can become a powerful spirit beast. It would bond with its master for life, fighting alongside them. Their venom alone is a deadly weapon, and their stone-like scales are nearly impervious to most attacks."
"That sounds... dangerous," Lei Chen added warily, exchanging a glance with his twin.
"Dangerous, yes, but also incredibly useful," Zhang Wei continued. "Most sects would pay fortunes for even a single egg, let alone two."
Li stepped closer to the eggs, feeling an inexplicable pull toward one of them—the one closest to him. The resonance stirred something ancient within him, a faint echo in his very soul. He reached out but stopped just short of touching the egg, sensing its dormant energy.
"Looks like you're interested, Li," Zhang Wei observed, crossing his arms. 'Do you want to take them?
Li hesitated, uncertain how to explain the strange connection he felt. "I... think I'm supposed to have it."
"Good," Zhang Wei declared with a decisive nod. "The twins don't seem interested, and Mei Ming clearly wants nothing to do with them."
"Absolutely not," Mei Ming affirmed, stepping further back. "I'll pass."
"We should keep one for the sect," Zhang Wei suggested, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "The elders could raise it as a guardian beast."
'Isn't that scary? Asked Mei Ming
'of course not! Being raised in the sect will make the beast the guardian of all members of the sect, even future members. I know the beast taming pavilion has a special skill of taming powerful beasts like the Basilisk. So no need to fear' assure Zhang Wei
'But would the Basilisk be roaming the sect like a dog or cat?' Mei Ming asked, still wary of having a serpent, especially a basilisk in close proximity
'Yes, it would come visit you in your quarters' joked Lei Yun
Mei Ming's eyes suddenly grew rounder and bigger than before and it looked like she would swoon any moment from now.
'Stop it Yun,' admonished Zhang Wei as he watched Mei Ming's reaction 'Yun is only pulling your legs. The beast would be kept in the beast tamers' side of the sect and they have dwelling caves for individual beasts according to their prowess'.
'I heard the Xen royal family has a basilisk as their royal guardian spirit beast. Elder Han once described it as being fierce and protective of the royal family. Wont it be disrespectful and dangerous for the sect to also have a basilisk as one of its guardian beasts? Asked Mei Ming
'I heard the emperor is very vindictive and as the controlling power in our Xen empire, he would not hesitate to wipe out our sect because of a perceived slur to the royal family' Lei Yun corroborated
'You are both right' said Zhang Wei thoughtfully. 'I didn't consider it from that angle. But we still need to take the egg. The sect master and elders can decide what to do with it when we get back. But Li, do you still want the egg in light of what Mei Ming just said?
'Yes, I want it' Li insisted with a sudden glint of red in his eyes.
'Okay, its decided then, we take the eggs. I suggest we keep the eggs safe. I'll take the other one since Li has suddenly falling in love with the other.' Zhang Wei said.
Everyone laughed at Li's sudden look of consternation as they agreed with Zhang Wei's plan. With great care, he retrieved a special protective box from his spatial ring and gently placed one of the eggs inside.
As for the second egg, Zhang Wei gestured toward Li. "It's yours. But raising it won't be easy. A spirit beast needs a master with strength and resilience. Are you up for that?"
Li nodded firmly, still feeling the egg's pulsing warmth through the air. "I'll do my best."
Carefully, he cradled the remaining egg, noting how its faint glow seemed to brighten at his touch. He placed it into his own spatial pouch, feeling a sense of completion, he couldn't quite explain.
With their new treasures secured, the group pressed deeper into the cavern, going through its winding tunnels. Despite expecting more dangers, the paths were eerily quiet and empty.
"Strange," Lei Yun muttered. "I thought there'd be more beasts down here."
"I am sure the basilisk kept other creatures away," Lei Chen suggested, still limping slightly despite the miraculous healing he'd received.
They continued cautiously until they stumbled upon another patch of herbs sprouting from cracks in the rock walls. Zhang Wei crouched down, inspecting the plants with practiced precision.
"Skyroot Vines," he murmured, plucking a few with deft fingers. "Excellent for making strength-boosting potions."
Mei Ming knelt nearby, her eyes sparkling. "Over here—Starveil Mushrooms! They enhance spiritual awareness during cultivation."
The group worked together, gathering herbs as they went. Each discovery added to their growing collection, though nothing rivaled the rarity of the Hibiscus Bloom.
After several hours of exploring and harvesting, they reached the cavern's deepest end—a dead end lined with ancient, glistening mineral veins.
"We should rest here," Zhang Wei suggested, dropping his pack with a relieved sigh. "We've come far, and we're all drained."
The others nodded in agreement, setting up a makeshift camp near a smooth, dry section of the cavern floor.
As they settled in, Lei Chen stretched with a wince. "Never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad we're staying put for a bit."
Mei Ming smiled faintly. "I still can't believe we survived that fight… or found the Hibiscus Bloom."
Zhang Wei's gaze darkened thoughtfully. "We can't let our guard down yet. The forest outside is even more dangerous than this cave."
"True," Li agreed, placing his gear down near the faintly glowing mineral wall. His thoughts drifted to the basilisk egg resting securely in his spatial pouch. He could still feel its presence, as though it were aware of him too.
'I'm hungry though' said Mei Ming as her stomach let off a gurgling sound which was soon mirrored by the others.
The group brought out various cooking utensils from their spatial pouch while Zhang Wei brought out a portion of the beast meat they had preserved earlier. They quickly got a fire going and soon the sweet aroma of well seasoned meat filled the cavern.
'We need to plunder the Basilisk of all valuable items such as the fangs, skin, beast core and even the meat. I heard the ones with horns are quite old and valuable. I remember seeing a horn on the head of the one we just killed. Li, follow me to do this while the others finish cooking.' Zhang Wei commanded.
Li wearily got off and followed Zhang Wei who eerily had a good sense of direction. Li was confounded as after taking several twists and turns in the tunnels, they got to the carcass of the great beast which was lying exactly how they had left it with a big gaping hole in its throat which was the softest part of its body. In fact, that was the only place a sword could have penetrated.
Zhang Wei looked at the gaping hole and then at Li in wonder.
'Why is senior brother staring at me so strangely? Li asked
'I am actually surprised at how you could detect the vulnerable part of the beast so quickly' Zhang Wei replied.
'I really can't explain' said Li as he looked away in embarrassment, not willing to talk about the sudden burst of energy from deep inside him and the confident thrust of his sword from earlier during the battle.
'Anyways lets get down to business' said Zhang Wei as he brought out a knife and knelt beside the great carcass which spread for over four miles. Li joined him and the worked in companionable silence as they removed all the valuable parts of the serpent. Soon they were left with just the meat as they even removed the sinews.
'Heard that the meat is actually quite tasty and could supply plenty of energy for cultivators' Zhang Wei said as they made to leave, eyeing the meat.
'So let's take it along with us' replied Li
'But Mei Ming wont want to eat it' pointed out Zhang Wei
'Who will tell her its serpent meat? Asked Li with a grin
They both laughed mischievously as they went back and packed the meat carefully in their storage rings. The meat was so plentiful that it took over half of the space in both their rings.
When they finished, they returned to the others and this time around, Li could easily follow the twists and turns of the tunnels back to their resting place. The meal was ready and the others had even started eating.
Li and Zhang Wei took their portions and ate and in the time it takes an incense stick to burn, they had finished the content of the pot.
Lei Yun stretched out beside his brother who was lying on the cavern floor using his pack as a pillow, rubbing his full stomach as he stifled a yawn.
Soon the sound of yawning could be heard from all the others as they reclined in one position or the other.
"Let's rest while we can. We'll need all our strength when we leave." Said Zhang Wei. 'We will take four hours watch each as we still need to be wary of our surroundings. I'll take the first watch, Li and Mei Ming will take the next while the twins will take the last watch.'
'Okay' they replied
As the group settled into a much-needed rest from the activities of the last twenty four hours with Zhang Wei standing watch, the cavern's soft, ambient glow provided a rare sense of safety and peace and soon the youths were sound asleep as they softly snored in the silent space.