The lid lifted and the four sides lowered like the petals of a blooming flower. On a red silk cushion rested an egg, the size of which I had never seen. About two hands high, it was the color of bronze. I put my palm on it. The shell, a little rough, was neither hot nor cold. I tapped it with my fingers and put my ear to it...nothing, no movement. It seemed empty. I couldn't figure out what material it was made of...the shell didn't look like a hen's egg. I wondered what it could be? It was not decorated, there were no marks of the tool that could have carved it ... this object was a mystery!

"Lao Wen, where are you? " said my soul mate from the next room.

"Coming, coming..." I had to put everything back in place or else ....

I closed the box and promised myself to come back as soon as I could to learn more about this strange egg. I joined A-xu. He was sitting at a table reading. In front of him were piled up several manuscripts.

"A-xu, how did you find this place?" I asked him as I sat down opposite him.

"I had come down to look at one of the agricultural treatises on certain herbs. I thought there would be some advice on how to grow them in a cold or very cold environment. When I tried to turn on the lantern to see more clearly, the hanging ring came off and rolled down the wall. When I bent down to pick it up I leaned against the wall and one of the stones sunk in, activating the mechanism to open the passage. "

"Why didn't you come and get me? "I said sulkily!

"You were sleeping so well when I got up that I didn't have the heart to wake you up.

"And you went on an adventure by yourself without me !!!! " I asked him with that little unhappy look I had been working on for a long time and which I knew he could not resist !!!!

He smiled, he knew what I was doing. He knew me well! But he still let himself be touched every time...

He reached out and caressed my cheek.

"I promise, the next time I find a secret room, I'll come and get you and we'll explore it together! "I put my hand on his and turned it over to kiss his palm. I loved these tender moments between us. I wondered if I could take advantage of the situation to convince him to give in to me again... but he was once again focused on the manuscript in his hands... I still kept his in mine. I wasn't going to let go of the case so easily...nor his hand for that matter!

"In the meantime, according to what was written in this book, when they were still nomads, the Tuojie tribe went in search of a number of treasures and relics. Some of them seem dangerous..."

"Do you have an inventory? "

"No, just accounts of their salvage expeditions with, the number of wounded, the number of dead, the expenditure on food .... "A-Xu raised his head and frowned.

"Lao Wen, I don't know what's brewing in your mind, but forget it right now! Some of the things in this room have been booby-trapped! And don't touch anything until we have listed everything we can find in these writings!

"All right!" I answered him in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Wen KeXing! I'm not kidding! "

My answer must have been too quick and he was suspicious. So I took a book and opened it in front of me.

"Hey Hey, okay let's read and list, before we go identify each room in the next room." A-Xu looked suspicious. I pretended to concentrate on the document in my hands. My mind, however, was on this strange egg and I must admit that I was curious about it!

After several hours, A-Xu raised his head.

"You didn't take your potion this morning..."

"No, there was no potion left, I need you to make me some... but it can wait.

A-Xue stood up.

"I'm going, you shouldn't joke about your health and it's been three days since I gave you my internal energy..."

"A-Xu it is not necessary, you know it, I do not risk anything here, especially with this cold! "

"Don't argue, continue your reading, I'll be right back."

He headed for the exit and at the last moment changed his mind. He turned to me and said:

"You do not touch anything in my absence, understood? "

"Hmmm" I replied, waving over my shoulder and pretending to be absorbed in my reading. As soon as he left the room, I waited for a moment and stood up in turn. I approached the entrance and listened for the sound of his footsteps... they were far away. He must have been on the stairs leading to our room. I returned to the treasure room and reopened the egg case... strangely I found it different! It looked... bright!

I took it in my hands and shook it gently. There was something moving inside! Yet earlier I was certain of the opposite. What had happened in the last few hours that made what was inside come alive? A-Xu was right, I probably shouldn't have touched that egg!!! But now it was too late. I put it back on its cousin.

I recoiled as the object of my curiosity jumped onto his pillow. The thing inside was trying to get out !!!!! A-Xu was about to grab me, and lecture me once again !!!!!

"A-XUUUUUUUUUUUU! come quickly !!!!!! "

Suddenly I saw a piece of the shell being thrown to the ground. I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around and my soul mate was standing in the doorway looking worried, then his face changed...he was angry!!!

I focused on the egg again...a head was emerging from it...

"A-Xu look it's a... "baby"

"Lao Wen, what have you done now! I told you not to touch anything!" said A-Xu as he approached me.

I looked eagerly at what was laboriously extracting itself from its egg... At first sight, one could have thought it was a baby lion because of its color and its mane. But on closer inspection, there was something reptilian about him, but I liked it!

"Look how cute he is !!!! Are you hungry baby???"

I was trying to find something to give him, I had some medicinal herbs in one of my pockets. I handed them to him. He started to chew them.

"Lao Wen, we don't even know what he can eat!

"A-Xu can we keep him? "I asked innocently, scratching the head of the newly hatched "baby". What else could we do after all, we were not going to kill this poor animal that did not seem very dangerous !!!!

Lao Wen, have you seen what it is?" A-Xu said with an exasperated look.

"A baby," I replied excitedly.

"It's a Fucang dragon !!!!! "

"So what ???? So he can guard the armory if we have to leave!

The baby dragon looked at us in turn and grunted something in his language. Strangely enough, I had the feeling that he thought we were his parents and that he had called me "daddy" and A-Xu "mommy". Of course I didn't breathe a word of it to my soul mate, considering the furious look he gave me when Fucang came to snuggle on my lap and ... "purred"?

"One thing is certain Wen Kexing, the presence of this animal is forbidden in our room and for the moment ... you too.

A-Xu turned around and left the room. He was furious. It's true that I had lied to him once again by promising not to touch anything... but to forbid me to enter our room !!!! He had to be joking !!! It was not possible otherwise !!!!!

I hugged Fucang asleep and went after my soul mate. I had to make amends and this time it might be complicated !!!!!

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Small message: 

Exceptionally there will be no publication next Sunday because I take a week of vacations. see you on August 22.

kisses

😘