"Put it down. This isn't something you're supposed to touch."
The voice was as cold as shards of ice. Xu Mo shivered, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
He turned around stiffly, his heart thudding against his chest.
By the moonlight, a woman stood quietly not far away. She wore a black casual outfit, her long hair tied back. Her features were delicate, but her eyes were as sharp as if they could pierce through a person's soul.
An overwhelming sense of pressure bore down on Xu Mo like a mountain.
"Wh... Who are you?" Xu Mo swallowed hard, subconsciously clutching the cyan stone egg tighter to his chest.
"Who I am doesn't matter," the woman said in a flat tone. "What matters is that the object in your arms emits abnormal energy fluctuations. According to regulations, it must be contained and handled by us."
"Abnormal energy? Regulations?" Xu Mo's mind raced. "I don't know what you're talking about. I just couldn't sleep at night, so I came out to fish. Th... This is just a rock I caught!"
He decided to play dumb. Are you kidding? This was a flood dragon egg! If he gave it to her, what would happen next?
The woman seemed amused by his words, a cold smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Fishing? With a phone? Are you making a fool of me, or of yourself?"
As she spoke, she slowly walked toward Xu Mo. Each step felt like it landed on the beat of his racing heart.
"I warn you, don't come any closer!" Xu Mo mustered up his courage to shout. "This rock is weird—it... it bites!"
Just then, the flood dragon egg in his arms seemed to understand his words and suddenly began to vibrate violently!
"Buzz-buzz-buzz—"
The ancient patterns on the eggshell lit up under the moonlight, glowing with a faint cyan light. A strange, life-filled aura emanated from inside the egg.
The woman, who was still advancing, suddenly froze in her tracks. For the first time, a look of shock appeared on her otherwise expressionless face.
"Dragon Qi resonance?!" she exclaimed, her gaze locking onto Xu Mo. "Wh... Who exactly are you? A descendant of some reclusive clan?"
In her eyes, only someone extraordinary could trigger such a strong reaction from a flood dragon egg that hadn't even hatched yet. This ordinary-looking young man in plain clothes must be a descendant of a powerful noble family, out to gain experience in the mortal world!
"What kind of resonance?" Xu Mo was confused by her question. But he quickly realized this was an opportunity—she had misunderstood! If she thought he had a powerful background, he'd let her keep believing it!
Clearing his throat, he tried to mimic the demeanor of the wise sages he'd seen on TV, putting on a solemn expression. "Miss, there are some things better left unasked. This... is a pet egg given to me by my elders. It's in a critical hatching stage, so it's not convenient for outsiders to see."
"A pet egg?" Ling Qinghan's brows furrowed even deeper. She didn't believe him for a second. How could a proud flood dragon be willing to become a human's pet?
She decided to test him herself.
"I don't care what kind of egg it is," Ling Qinghan冷哼ed. "Tonight, I must investigate it thoroughly!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the sharp aura around her surged. She was like a drawn sword—her right hand turned into a blur, snatching toward the flood dragon egg in Xu Mo's arms as fast as lightning!
Xu Mo felt as if he were being crushed by a mountain, barely able to breathe. He watched her hand loom closer in front of his eyes, but he couldn't move a muscle to stop her. The gap in their strength was far too great!
Just as Ling Qinghan's fingers were about to touch the eggshell—
"Splash!"
A high-pressure water arrow, as thick as a baby's arm, suddenly shot out from inside the egg!
The arrow was terrifyingly fast and aimed at a tricky angle, targeting Ling Qinghan's wrist directly!
Ling Qinghan's face paled. She had never expected an egg to launch an active attack!
In a hurry, she had no choice but to yank her hand back. Leaning backward, she barely dodged the water arrow in an awkward posture.
The arrow whizzed past the tip of her nose and finally "thud"—it hit the trunk of a big tree behind her, leaving a deep hole in the wood!
Before Ling Qinghan could regain her balance, something even more shocking happened.
"Crash!"
A two-meter-high wave suddenly surged up from the calm lake surface. As if it had eyes, the wave bypassed Xu Mo and crashed straight toward Ling Qinghan, who had just steadied herself!
"Slap!"
A crisp sound echoed through the quiet night.
Ling Qinghan, who had maintained a cold and aloof demeanor the entire time, was hit square by the unexpected wave. She was completely stunned.
Lake water dripped down her delicate cheeks and hair. Her neat black casual outfit clung tightly to her body, outlining her curves. She was still beautiful, but her imposing aura was gone—only utter bewilderment and embarrassment remained on her face.
"Pfft..." Xu Mo almost laughed out loud at the sight. He silently gave the flood dragon egg a thumbs-up in his heart. Well done!
"You!" Ling Qinghan's cheeks turned bright red—whether from anger or embarrassment, it was hard to tell. As an elite agent of the special organization "Spirit Suppression Division," she had carried out countless dangerous missions. When had she ever been so humiliated? To be splashed with water by an egg!
"Cough," Xu Mo seized the opportunity. He immediately stepped in front of the flood dragon egg to protect it, putting on a serious expression. "I told you it has spiritual awareness and doesn't like being touched. I think there might be a misunderstanding between us. Why don't we sit down and talk it over properly?"
Now he had leverage for negotiation.
Ling Qinghan glared fiercely at Xu Mo, her chest heaving with rage. After several seconds, she ground out a few words: "...Fine. Let's talk."
She knew full well that snatching the egg by force was impossible now. The egg's instinct to protect its owner was so strong—if she made another move, she'd only end up worse off. Moreover, she was even more wary of Xu Mo's "non-existent" background.
In the end, the two "sat down" on a bench by the lake. Of course, only Xu Mo sat—Ling Qinghan stood, her clothes soaking wet, unable to sit.
After a "friendly" negotiation, the two reached an agreement:
On behalf of the "Spirit Suppression Division," Ling Qinghan would temporarily refrain from containing Xu Mo and the "abnormal object" in his possession. In exchange, Xu Mo had to accept her supervision—he must report all his "abnormal activities" to her and cooperate with the "Spirit Suppression Division" when necessary.
In short, Xu Mo had gone from an unregistered "target to be contained" to an "off-the-books personnel" on "probation." It wasn't perfect freedom, but at least he and his mythical creatures were safe.
"The agreement is reached. I hope you keep your word," Ling Qinghan said. She turned to leave—she needed to go back and change clothes immediately. If she stayed any longer, she thought she'd lose her mind.
After taking a few steps, she seemed to remember something. Suddenly stopping, she turned around and gave Xu Mo a cold glance.
"Oh, and one more thing to remind you," she said.
"What?" Xu Mo asked.
A meaningful, cold smile tugged at Ling Qinghan's lips.
"Hatching this flood dragon egg requires extremely harsh conditions. According to ancient records, it needs to be watered with both 'rootless water' and 'earth-vein spiritual liquid' to have even a glimmer of hope of hatching. Good luck to you."
With that, she didn't linger any longer. Her figure flickered a few times before disappearing into the night.