Chapter 326: Snake Egg Hatches (Bonus Chapter for Donations)
… …
After the New Year, they were immediately followed by the full moon banquet for the two little angels. Not many months later, it was time to hold a birthday banquet for the two phoenix cubs.
With so many children, birthdays came around almost every month.
Sang Luo had been in the Holy Palace and unable to come for the previous few birthday celebrations of the phoenix cubs. This year, she specially refined two small gold and jade necklaces as birthday gifts for them.
Fei Yuan held extremely grand and lively birthday banquets for the children every year.
The various Beast Emperors and Beast Kings of the Eastern Continent also graced the occasion with their presence, bringing gifts.
Sang Luo helped register the gift-givers.
A slender youth in red robes and green hair, followed by a black-clad guard, brought many valuable gifts, several boxes worth, showing considerable generosity.
Sang Luo wondered which Beast King was so generous. Fei Yuan walked over and greeted with a smile, "Lou Tian, long time no see."
"Brother Fei Yuan, good to see you."
Sang Luo found the green-haired youth's face somewhat familiar, then remembered that he was Lou Tian, the Eastern Beast Emperor.
She had seen him once at Quan Jin's coronation banquet as Southern Beast Emperor. Speaking of which, she wasn't too clear on the current situation in the South. Quan Jin certainly hadn't returned in recent years, and hadn't managed things much, so it was likely someone else had taken over.
Fei Yuan took the guest registry from Sang Luo's hand and scanned it. It was densely packed with dozens of pages, listing hundreds or even thousands of gifts. He rubbed her sore wrist and said with a smile, "Almost everyone has arrived, and the banquet is about to begin. Let's go over."
Sang Luo clasped his hand and chatted idly along the way, "The Eastern Beast Emperor is still so young after all these years. He doesn't seem like a Beast Emperor, but more like a teenager who hasn't come of age."
Fei Yuan smiled and said, "His true appearance is not like this. That face is deliberately maintained in a youthful state."
"Oh? Why?"
"I don't know much about the internal affairs of the East. Perhaps there was a coup in the Bifang Clan back then, and his parents both died in that coup. He was temporarily pushed into this position, and later, he became accustomed to using this appearance to meet outsiders."
"The Eastern Beast Emperor seems to value that guard very much, always bringing him along. The last time he attended the Southern banquet, it was also him accompanying the Beast Emperor. Each Beast Emperor and Beast King who attended could only bring one family member, but the Eastern Beast Emperor only brought a guard."
"How do you know the guard isn't a family member?"
"Ah, could it be that the two of them…?" Sang Luo's gossip spirit burned fiercely.
Fei Yuan smiled ambiguously, "Let me tell you a secret. The Eastern Beast Emperor is a female. 'He' disguised her appearance and identity, using the identity of 'his' deceased older brother. Back then, a coup occurred in the palace, and 'his' parents and brother died together in the coup. 'His' current appearance is that of 'his' brother in his youth. Since the deceased is gone, 'he' doesn't know what his brother would look like as an adult, so 'he' has always maintained his appearance in his teenage years."
Sang Luo was amazed, what a twist!
Fei Yuan, this melon-eating lemming in the fields, claimed not to know much, but secretly investigated all kinds of secrets!
Sang Luo came back to her senses, "It's been so long, hasn't anyone discovered… Wait, how did you know? I remember you two seemed to have a good relationship back then, 'he' even helped you! Could it be that you two, in earlier years…"
Fei Yuan quickly stuffed a sweet cake into her mouth, "Eat your food."
Sang Luo swallowed the sweet cake whole and mumbled, "You will honestly confess everything to me today!"
Damn it, he shouldn't have been so talkative!
Fei Yuan eventually confessed that he had saved Lou Tian once in the past, and accidentally learned 'his' true identity. However, the two of them didn't have anything else later, and only interacted as friends.
Sang Luo then asked about the current situation in the South.
"No new Beast Emperor has appeared in the South. In name, Quan Jin is still the Southern Beast Emperor, but he hasn't handled any of the South's affairs for so many years, and hasn't even appeared a few times. Those below are about to think he's dead, making him a figurehead… Many Beast Kings in the South are vying for power, and the situation is chaotic. If he could come back and manage it, the situation should improve a lot."
"Alas, he always disappears without a trace every time he leaves. I don't know when he will return this time."
Sang Luo returned to the banquet. The children were gone.
"Where have these little brats run off to play again?"
"In the back garden. The weather is nice today, and the children are all there, having forgotten the time while playing. I'll go call them over."
"I'll go with you."
Suddenly, Little Zhenzhen ran over from afar, shouting for help, "Mother, Mother, something bad happened! Snake Sister's egg is broken!"
"What?!"
Sang Luo and Fei Yuan's expressions both changed, and they rushed over instantly.
The snake egg had originally been kept in Sang Luo's space. The weather was good today, and the children were playing together. Little Qi said he wanted to take his sister out to bask in the sun, so she took the snake egg out and gave it to the children. She didn't expect this to happen.
Little Zhenzhen said, "When we were playing, we put the snake egg on the stool. No one touched it, but I don't know why the egg suddenly fell off!"
When Sang Luo arrived at the back garden, she indeed saw an egg on the ground that had shattered into several pieces.
The cubs didn't know what to do. Seeing Sang Luo coming, they were a little scared.
Little Stone said softly, "Mother, I'm sorry, we didn't do it on purpose…"
"I heard Little Zhenzhen on the way, it's not your fault." Sang Luo appeared calm, but was anxious in her heart. She went over and found only the eggshell. The little snake inside was gone.
Little Qi crawled out of the bushes, shaking off the mud and dead leaves, "Mother, I searched around, but couldn't find my sister."
"Did Sister run out?"
"Yes, it ran out the moment it hatched. I lost track of it."
"It seems it wasn't an accident. It was time for it to hatch, and it wanted to run away on its own."
Sang Luo sighed, and then, with a thought, used the ability of a mother beast to summon its offspring.
In the next instant.
A small silver-purple snake landed in her palm.
Sang Luo said happily, "Daughter, I am your moth—"
"Hiss hiss~" The little snake tensed up, raised its head to stare at her, its purple eyes filled with ferocity, its whole body inflated, and the frantically spitting snake tongue made a violent hissing sound, a complete aggressive threatening posture!
Sang Luo's expression changed slightly. Before she could let go, the little snake lunged and bit her hand hard!
It was so fast that Fei Yuan, who was beside her, didn't even have time to stop it, "Luo'er!"
The moment Sang Luo released her hand in pain, the little snake took advantage of the chaos and quickly escaped, disappearing into the hidden grass.
"I'm fine." Sang Luo purified the snake venom, but was unable to summon it again.
In less than half an hour, many guards and servants in the palace had been bitten, poisoned by the snake venom, and turned blue. Sang Luo had to go to the witch hospital first to help treat the bitten beastmen.
Fei Yuan said in a low voice, "Luo'er, don't worry, I'll take people to find it."
"Quickly chase it back. Once it runs out of the palace, it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack, and more people will suffer!"
"Okay."
Based on the routes of the bitten servants, Fei Yuan quickly drew up several routes. An hour later, the little snake was captured at the palace gate and brought back to justice.
