In the instant his palm covered it, that overflowing spiritual energy centered on the egg and spreading in all directions suddenly vanished completely, as if this thing was startled from being touched and retracted all its spiritual energy back inside.

Those people massacred the entire Zhou family's village just for this thing?

In his previous life, he had seen countless magic treasures, so naturally he was no stranger to this egg that might give birth to a demon beast.

If it wasn't a high-level demon beast, it probably wouldn't drive those people so crazy.

Zhou Yin wasn't a lofty gentleman unmoved by treasures, but such a high-level demon beast with powerful spiritual power, if it didn't willingly follow him, even if it was born in the future, it might very likely turn on the cultivator.

Humans and demon beasts have never had a master-servant relationship. Not to mention ancient deities like Nüwa mostly came from the demon race. Even high-level demon beasts, many could transform into human form with profound cultivation. They just mostly hide nowadays.

Cultivators are arrogantly mistaken, thinking they can single-handedly defy the heavens. From thousands of years ago until now, who knows how many people forcibly tried to make demon beasts acknowledge them as masters, only to be turned on and die miserably in the end.

But even so, there are still cultivators who capture those high-level demon beasts one after another to use for themselves, only because the demon beasts' innate abilities can greatly benefit the cultivators.

He set up a barrier to separate the surrounding water, then cut his finger and dripped blood onto that egg.

The blood quickly disappeared, absorbed into that layer of black eggshell.

This was a display of the other party's affection and recognition. If not, the blood would not have been absorbed.

Zhou Yin took it and swam towards the shore.

Without the spiritual energy, the water temperature plummeted, gradually returning to its icy cold. But the egg in his palm was still very warm. He could even sense that inside was a lively spirit desperately brewing, wanting to break out of its shell.

On shore, he used a spell to dry his clothes. That egg was very restless. Put on flat ground, it could still roll back and forth. Zhou Yin ignored it, so it rolled even more vigorously, as if deliberately trying to get Zhou Yin's attention.

"If you keep making a fuss, you won't get to come with me," he said coldly.

The egg that had been rolling with glee suddenly stopped, lightly swaying twice, finally quieting down, looking very aggrieved.

Zhou Yin put it in his bosom and flew towards the village on his sword.

A village of several hundred people, to be completely buried overnight, naturally wasn't an issue for a cultivator. But since they died unjustly, it was hard to guarantee someone wouldn't come dig up the corpses later.

Zhou Yin didn't enter the village, just stood at the entrance, quietly gazing for a moment.

A few swift Fire Spells flew out from his spell-casting fingertips, igniting various places in the village.

Haystacks connected to houses, quickly burning fiercely.

The flames grew bigger and bigger, finally engulfing the entire village in a sea of fire.

He watched all this, no sorrow or joy on his face.

That egg started restlessly rolling back and forth in his bosom again, from right chest to left chest, from left chest back to right chest, as if just trying to find a comfortable position.

But that position was truly too sensitive. The dignified demonic cultivator grandmaster, even with two lifetimes added together, had never been taken advantage of like this.

Zhou Yin took it out, expressionlessly saying: "There happens to be a fire, roasted it should taste pretty good."

The egg jumped a couple times, its warmth instantly dropping quite a bit too, seeming scared silly.

It had no eyes, so naturally it couldn't see the slight upward curve at the corner of his mouth either.

The great fire burned for an entire night, reducing the Zhou family's village to ashes.

However, Zhou Yin didn't immediately return to the Mirror Sea Sect, but headed in the direction of Fulin County.

Fulin County connects to Yunzhou in the north and reaches the East Sea Prefecture in the south, linking the two major capitals of Anyang. Although not large in area, it is a hub for north-south travel.

When the Dongyue army invaded from the south, due to the Anyang army having long fallen into disrepair, they didn't encounter much resistance. The Dongyue army had a much easier fight than imagined.

Fulin County was practically an undefended city. On the contrary, because the army was stationed in nearby Yunzhou, it became even livelier. Dongyue soldiers and northern and southern merchants could be seen everywhere on the streets.

The people of Anyang mostly have a gentle and peaceful temperament. The Dongyue people were very smart and didn't use iron-fisted suppression. Instead, they issued various benevolent policies to win over the people's hearts.

So the common folk quickly recovered from the shocking news of their country's demise and discovered the change in dynasty didn't affect them much. They started living their little lives of managing their own households again.

Ji Zhenlian stood at the doorway, supporting her mother Madam Cao. The mother and daughter leaned on each other, weeping woefully, their faces full of panic and helplessness.

A commotion had just occurred here. The crowd of onlookers had not completely dispersed. They pointed at the Ji family's mother and daughter, curious and also sympathetic.

The Ji family had a good relationship with their neighbors. Some came over to console them and help come up with ideas. But Madam Cao was at a complete loss, too anxious and flustered, feeling dizzy.

The elderly housekeeper had gone out to get information. Seeing Madam Cao about to faint, Ji Zhenlian and the manor's only young maid anxiously supported her, in a flurry of confusion.

"Mother, why don't we go find Aunt and Uncle for advice? The manor only has womenfolk, your daughter is also afraid..."

Madam Cao perked up and quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, hurry, have Ah Fu hitch up the carriage and go to the Zhou family's village to bring your aunt and them over!"

"No need to go."

The unfamiliar voice made them raise their heads in surprise.

The Ji family was just a small merchant household and didn't have many rules. Just now in the hustle and bustle, no one thought to close the main gate. But then they saw an unfamiliar young man standing at the doorway, speaking to them.

The other party wore all black robes, cold and indifferent, not much expression, looking unlike an ordinary person.

"Mother..." Ji Zhenlian became frightened and tightly grasped her mother's sleeve.

Madam Cao was also a bit nervous. She loudly called the servant Ah Fu's name, then asked him: "May I ask what business this young master has here?"

Then they heard that man say: "Aunt, I am Zhou Yin, the youngest son of Zhou Chai and Ji Ah Ying."

His mother, Madam Ji, originally had three elder brothers, but the second and third brothers passed away early. Only the current eldest brother remained.

Madam Cao opened her mouth, looking at him, face full of shock, somewhat unable to speak.

Ji Zhenlian also poked her head out from behind her mother, secretly sizing up this second cousin she had never met before.

An hour later, Madam Cao finally confirmed Zhou Yin's identity and invited him into the main hall. But before she could recount the calamity that had befallen their family, she was first stunned by the news Zhou Yin brought.

"You mean, the Zhou family's village caught fire last night, and everyone, everyone is..." Madam Cao turned pale.

Zhou Yin said concisely, "Nobody survived. The authorities have already gone to investigate. There will be results soon."

He couldn't say more to Madam Cao and the others.

Madam Cao burst into tears, "How could this happen! What sins have our Ji family committed!"

Ji Zhenlian also began sobbing quietly.

Zhou Yin didn't comfort them, but directly asked about the Ji family's situation.

Madam Cao tearfully recounted everything in detail.

The Ji family had peasant origins. By Ji Rong's grandfather's generation, he had saved money to open a small cloth shop, which was passed down to Ji Rong. For generations, they had been cautious and content with their small business, never being opportunistic or cunning. Life was decent and they could even hire one or two servants and maids.

After Anyang was occupied and annexed by Dongyue, Dongyue didn't carry out a massacre. All laws and regulations remained as before. After the initial panic, the common people calmed down. Only the magistrate of Fulin County was replaced, and the Pingnan Army was stationed nearby in Yunzhou.

The trouble started with the cloth shop across from the Ji family's store. The owner had long been jealous of their business and found an opportunity to falsely accuse the Ji family of harboring a criminal from the former dynasty. The new magistrate was eager to ingratiate himself with the new rulers and had been worrying about not having a chance to make a big achievement. Upon hearing this, he immediately went to the Ji residence and arrested Ji Rong first.

The Ji family had been honest small businessmen for generations, with no background or connections. They never imagined such a disaster would befall them. As soon as Ji Rong was arrested, the Ji family lost its backbone. Madam Cao felt like she had been struck by lightning. Then she heard the news of the massacre at the Zhou family's village, adding frost to snow.

She at least knew the situation was serious and didn't faint like before as she often did. But she could only look at Zhou Yin with tears, "What can we do now..."

Ji Zhenlian's face also had tear stains, but she was a bit stronger than her mother, "Second Cousin, do you have any way to first rescue my father?"

Zhou Yin asked, "Where is he being held?"

Ji Zhenlian said, "I saw the county yamen's officers and soldiers from the army camp take him away."

Zhou Yin made an "en" sound but didn't say anything.

From beginning to end, he acted too calmly, even when talking about his parents' deaths, calm to the point of being ruthless.

Madam Cao and Ji Zhenlian originally had some doubts, but considering he had been sent to cultivate immortality since childhood, they understood.

Although they were just ordinary people, they occasionally saw cultivators on the streets. Each one looked down on others, even more arrogant and aloof than Zhou Yin, coldly not even glancing at people. Zhou Yin was already considered quite normal.

Madam Cao said, "It's getting late. You must be tired from the journey. Why don't you stay here first, and we can think about how to rescue your uncle tomorrow."

She placed great hopes in Zhou Yin. In the eyes of Madam Cao, her daughter, and many common people, cultivators were equivalent to immortals. They were almost omnipotent. Indeed, in this continent, the imperial court treated cultivators with great courtesy and dared not offend them easily.

Ji Zhenlian personally tidied up the guest room and led Zhou Yin to the door of the side room.

"Second Cousin, it's simple here. Please make do for now. If you need anything, just tell Ah Fu."

Ji Zhenlian wore a plain blue ruqun with embroidered lotus flowers on the hem. She stood gracefully, not as beautiful as Chen Quanzhi or He Yun, but had the feeling of a pretty girl from a humble family.

Zhou Yin watched her leave and closed the door. He took out the egg from his bosom and placed it on the table, then sat down.

This strange demon beast egg had been very lively recently. Zhou Yin discovered that it would sometimes absorb spiritual energy from his body, but not much, almost a negligible amount, seeming quite restrained.

He didn't bother managing it. After absorbing spiritual energy, the demon beast egg became even more lively, and its spiritual power became more and more abundant. It seemed the time was ripe, but it still hadn't hatched for a long time.

If it were someone else who obtained this egg that likely contained a powerful high-level demon beast, they would have probably tried all sorts of methods to make it hatch early. But Zhou Yin did nothing, letting it be.

The egg rolled around happily on the table. It accidentally rolled too far, all the way to the edge of the table.

It: "!!!"

Zhou Yin: "..."

He picked up the fallen egg and calmly placed it back on the table.

"Exciting enough? Want to do it again?" Zhou Yin said expressionlessly.

It didn't move, playing dead.

Author's Note:

Setting reminders:

1. Countries that have appeared so far: Dongyue > Anyang (the country where Zhou Yin is from). Anyang is a small country that has already been annexed by Dongyue.

2. The other protagonist is indeed this egg, but other than that, all your other guesses/worries/doubts are wrong. I generally won't write plot points that repeat my previous works. Everyone can rest assured and keep reading, hehe.

3. Calling for extra character names. Everyone can write the names and genders you hope to be used. I will add them as appropriate. (*^__^*)