Chase Game

Deep inside the cave.

"See? I told you so, it really is 'will-o'-the-wisp'!"

"Holy crap, this thing actually exists?"

"It looks no different from the torches we have..."

The three brothers each showed varying degrees of surprise at the will-o'-the-wisps burning in the air.

Mencius' father, who was walking at the front and holding a torch, could see more than his three brothers.

He interrupted the three brothers' conversation: "You all wait here."

As he spoke, he prepared to go and investigate alone.

Although the three brothers did not believe in ghosts or gods, they still instinctively felt uneasy in the face of the unknown.

The eldest son stepped in to stop Meng's father, saying, "Father, give me the torch, let me go and take a look first?"

The second and third brothers then eagerly requested to go instead.

Seeing his three filial sons, Meng's father felt a surge of joy, but he still maintained a stern expression on his face.

"You all stay here and don't follow me!"

"Father……"

The third son regretted it at this moment. Why didn't he come over to check the will-o'-the-wisp when he saw it? He had actually made his father take the risk.

But there was nothing they could do; under the pressure of their father's authority, the three brothers could only wait anxiously behind them.

Ling Yi bypassed the three brothers and followed behind Meng's father.

Before long, they arrived at the so-called "ghost fire".

"This is... an egg?"

Unexpectedly, the flames floating in mid-air actually contained an egg.

The egg is entirely red, with flame-like runes on its surface.

Not only was Meng's father surprised, but Ling Yi was also somewhat astonished.

Wasn't it supposed to be a phoenix? How did it turn into an egg? Does that mean the phoenix hasn't grown up yet?

"As expected, there are some discrepancies between the rumors and the facts."

Ling Yixin arrived.

On Meng's father's side, he held the torch in his hand and cautiously probed towards the egg.

The instant the two came into contact, the flames on the torch were instantly drawn to it, and the flames enveloping the egg burned even more intensely.

The cave became brighter, but a sudden anomaly startled everyone.

Meng's father fell to the ground, and his three brothers, ignoring the previous warning, rushed forward in one fell swoop.

"Father!"

"Father, are you alright?"

Mencius' father waved his hand repeatedly, stopping the crowd from expressing their concern.

"Father, it looks like you're pressing down on a stone tablet?"

The sharp-eyed third brother pointed it out, and Meng's father touched himself and also noticed the abnormality beneath him.

With the help of his two older brothers, he stood up and looked down at the stone tablet beneath him.

However, this stone tablet had been lying on the ground for countless years and was covered with a layer of dust.

"Wipe it clean and see what's written on it?"

The third brother immediately squatted down, not minding the dirt, and started wiping with his sleeves.

The stone tablet wasn't large, and the dust was quickly swept away, revealing its contents.

Only then did everyone realize that what was carved on the stone tablet was not text, but vivid pictures.

Ling Yi also stepped forward, and the moment his gaze fell on the stone tablet, it felt as if an electric current ran through his body.

In an instant, Ling Yi understood what the pattern was trying to convey.

"I see……"

He sighed, looking at the father and his two sons before him. Clearly, they also knew everything.

The four men looked at each other with equally somber expressions.

The third son spoke somewhat uneasily, "Father, elder brother, you...you must have seen it too, right?"

The eldest and second eldest brothers looked solemn and nodded.

The second brother turned his gaze to the egg engulfed in flames in the air, his breathing becoming rapid: "This is a treasure...this is our destiny!"

The eldest brother frowned, looking somewhat resistant: "But there's a risk involved in getting it..."

"What doesn't involve risk? If our family possesses this divine bird egg that gathers good fortune, how can we not prosper?"

The third brother didn't express his opinion. He looked at his second brother for a while and thought that what he said made sense.

I glanced at my older brother again and realized that his worries were understandable...

Unable to make up his mind, he turned to look at his father.

The silent middle-aged man continued to gaze at the inscription on the stone tablet.

The stone tablet bears the inscription of a transaction.

The egg next to them is indeed the egg of the mythical phoenix.

Countless years ago, the divine phoenix perished here, but it will never die.

He transformed into an egg, waiting for an opportunity to be reborn.

And this chance for rebirth is the "transaction" recorded on the stone tablet.

The divine bird egg is nourished by "popularity," and the divine bird egg responds with its own vitality.

The divine bird also has requirements regarding popularity; it only requires popularity related to the contractor.

In other words, the more prosperous and thriving the Meng family is, the more people will supply the divine bird eggs.

If it weren't for the two restrictions mentioned later, Meng's father might have agreed on the spot.

One of the limitations is that the divine bird is a god, and its eggs also possess a divine charm, which cannot be easily touched by ordinary people.

Whether the consequences of someone not approved by the divine bird taking the egg are good or bad is unpredictable.

The second restriction is that the fortune will be recovered on the day the divine bird revives.

Once the contract is completed, the two parties will go their separate ways, each without interfering with the other.

To be honest, Meng's father was somewhat tempted.

Even though he had three sons and could be considered a local tyrant, so what? He still spent his whole life toiling in the fields, digging for food.

But now an opportunity is presented to you, giving you the chance to transcend social classes and rise to the top in one step.

Will you answer or not?

Unlike those timid and hesitant farmers, Meng's father was someone who had ventured out and returned, someone who had truly seen the world.

Having a wife and daughter, he thought he had gotten used to a peaceful life, but when the opportunity presented itself, he couldn't help but feel excited.

His lips trembled slightly: "You... step back..."

Mencius' father left his three brothers and went alone to the divine bird's egg.

Seemingly sensing Meng's father's intention, the divine bird egg also released the flames that enveloped it.

The moment the flames touched Meng's father, he suddenly screamed in agony.

"Ah! My eyes!!!"

Hearing their father's screams, the three brothers rushed forward again.

"Don't come any closer!"

Meng's father tried to stop him, but it was too late.

The eldest and second eldest brothers screamed in agony one after another.

"Ah! My hand!!"

"Ah! My leg!!"

Only the third child stood blankly in the middle, somewhat at a loss.

Seeing the pain on his father and brother's faces, his gaze turned to the egg emitting flames in the air.

So he quickly stepped forward, steeled his heart, reached out, and scooped the divine bird egg into his arms.

The fiery light emanating from the divine bird egg subsided, and the pain of the father and brothers seemed to be alleviated.

Only then did the third brother realize that the fire was merely the first hurdle; he still needed to collect the divine bird egg into his possession to be considered to have signed the contract.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't "store" the divine bird egg in his arms.

At this moment, the rain outside the cave also stopped.

Mencius' father made a decision—

Let's go home first!

Watching the father and his three sons running through the forest in a state of near panic and disarray, stumbling and slipping here and there, Ling Yi's gaze deepened.

The world spun again, and the scene changed.

He returned to the wooden house at the foot of the mountain.