Mortal Mirror

Li Ergou's calculation was quite shrewd, but the price of these eggs was a bit too high. Ordinary people simply couldn't afford to spend so much money on an egg. Even if he described them as heavenly, no one would buy them. After all, such expensive eggs were beyond the reach of ordinary folks.

The ideal was grand, but reality was stark. An entire morning passed, and he hadn't sold a single egg.

Li Ergou felt somewhat disheartened, so he made a significant decision: to give them away! He thought that people weren't buying because they didn't know the wonders of his eggs. Once they realized the benefits, they would definitely buy them.

You can't catch wolves without taking risks. He made up his mind and immediately wrote on the side of his goat cart: 'Free Eggs, One Per Person.'

To prove that his eggs were extraordinary, he gave them a name: 'Ergou Miracle Eggs.' He told everyone that these eggs were special, capable of curing illnesses and boosting strength.

This, however, caused quite a stir. People lining up for the eggs stretched from one end of the town to the other, alarming the county magistrate. He summoned the county sheriff, who in turn summoned Head Constable Wang. When Head Constable Wang arrived and saw Li Ergou giving away eggs, he was speechless. In the end, Head Constable Wang took home a basket of eggs, and the other constables each took ten, before they happily left.

It took Li Ergou an entire afternoon to give away all the eggs. This incident made him famous in Kushui County, earning him the nickname 'Egg Prince'.

The next day, when he came back with five thousand eggs, they were snatched up even before he reached the market. He soon learned the reason: the day before, an old man had taken an egg home and, seeing his grandson coughing, had the bright idea to give it to him. To his surprise, the boy was better overnight, a miraculous recovery.

Another old woman's son had broken his leg, and the swelling was severe. After eating the egg, she woke up the next morning to find the swelling had gone down.

And some people, after eating the eggs, felt invigorated and had no problem going three rounds in bed at night.

A golden cup or a silver cup is not as good as the people's word-of-mouth.

These eggs were so good that the old man and the old woman immediately spread the word.

These Ergou Miracle Eggs were like divine medicine, much cheaper than taking actual medicine. That's why everyone was scrambling to buy them. Seeing so many people buying, Ergou was overjoyed, busily working until he was drenched in sweat. Before long, the eggs were sold out, leaving many disappointed.

Li Ergou was putting away the silver when he saw a young man dressed like a nobleman calling him to stop.

"Friend, please wait a moment. Could I have a word with you in private?"

Li Ergou looked at him. The man was tall and sturdy, over six feet in height, with phoenix eyes, a high nose bridge, and a face like a sculpted knife. He wore azure silk cloud-patterned robes, and his eyes shone with divine light. It was clear he was no ordinary person.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "You are a cultivator of the divine path."

"Good eye. My name is Liu Zhiyu, and my father is Liu Erhe."

"Liu Erhe, that name sounds familiar."

"Uh, he is the local county magistrate."

Li Ergou was slightly surprised. So, this was the county magistrate's son. This was troublesome. Was he here to cause trouble?

Seeing Li Ergou's expression, Liu Zhiyu smiled calmly and said, "He is him, and I am me. We don't interfere with each other. Besides, my father has seventeen sons, so you don't need to worry about anything."

Li Ergou understood somewhat and couldn't help but ask, "So, what does Young Master Liu want?"

Liu Zhiyu swished open the fan in his hand and chuckled, "I just want to be friends with you. I have opened a Spirit Item Pavilion, specializing in selling various spiritual items. I see that your eggs are extraordinary. Could you give me an exclusive agency? Don't worry, my prices are fair and will save you a lot of trouble compared to selling them yourself."

Li Ergou understood. He wanted to buy in bulk. The idea was good, but he didn't know about the price. If the price was right, it would be good to avoid selling the eggs himself, since his time was limited and he couldn't come to sell eggs every day.

Having figured out the key point, he said, "How much can you give me?"

Liu Zhiyu thought for a moment and said, "How about this? I'll give you thirty copper coins per egg, and I'll sell them for forty coins. If sales are good, we can discuss increasing the price later. This way, you won't lose out at all, and you'll be selling several times more than you would yourself. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Li Ergou was immediately overjoyed. He wouldn't have to sell them himself, and the price would be multiplied so many times. Only a fool wouldn't agree. He immediately said, "Good, very good. I am willing to cooperate."

Liu Zhiyu was very happy and said, "I don't know, what is your daily production?"

"About six hundred eggs a day."

Liu Zhiyu thought for a moment and said, "Good, how about this? We will go to your place every ten days to collect the goods, and we will settle the payment each time. What do you think?"

Li Ergou naturally wouldn't refuse, but hesitated for a moment and said, "Well, I have about ten thousand eggs at home for now. You can send someone to pick them up tomorrow."

Liu Zhiyu didn't expect Li Ergou to have so much stock and was immediately happy, "Good, I'll send someone to pick them up tomorrow."

The two settled everything, and Li Ergou drove the goat cart away, feeling very pleased.

Liu Zhiyu looked at his back thoughtfully. A servant next to him said, "Young Master, you gave him too high a price. You seem to value him very much."

Liu Zhiyu smiled slightly and said, "This person is not simple. Did you see the goat pulling his cart? It's much bigger than normal goats.

This person must have cultivated some special technique. I suspect he is a disciple of the most mysterious Agricultural School.

Only the Agricultural School can cultivate such extraordinary spiritual items. Be sure to associate with this person. It won't be wrong. Our Spirit Item Pavilion has been able to grow continuously over the years because of such friends.

Don't underestimate such people. They will be our God of Wealth in the future. We depend on them for our livelihood."

Li Ergou returned home, feeling very pleased. He immediately cleaned up another room and put the eggs inside, waiting for them to pick them up tomorrow. This made him a lot easier.

Li Ergou felt that if he could live by collecting money in the future, wouldn't he be living like a god?

Just as he was happy, he saw the black cat return like a ghost. It was carrying the remains of a chicken in its mouth.

Li Ergou felt uneasy and was furious. Who had stolen his chicken?

He looked at the black cat and asked suspiciously, "Did you find it in the mountains?" The black cat nodded.

Li Ergou took the remains of the chicken and looked at it. There were bite marks all over it. Only the skinny chicken feet and the outer layer of skin were left on the chicken. The internal organs and flesh had been eaten clean.

In the evening, all the chickens returned. He counted them and found that three of the first generation chickens were missing.

A fierce look flashed in Li Ergou's eyes, and he muttered, "Who is it that dares to steal my chickens? No, I have to find this guy."

Near the fifteenth of the month, the moon was oval and the moonlight was perfect. On Bitter Mountain, under a thousand-year-old locust tree, a den of foxes emerged one after another.

The old fox walked in front. This fox was as black as ink, almost blending into the night. Behind it were a lame fox and a mixed-colored red fox.

"Granny, are we going to eat chicken tonight? That chicken is so delicious, the meat is sweet, juicy, and crispy. There is nothing so delicious on the mountain anymore," the lame fox said excitedly.

"Hmph, eat, eat, all you know is eat. Tonight, we'll go to the burial ground to find some dead people's heads so we can practice our illusion techniques. Didn't you see that big black cat during the day? We are no match for it. If we transform into humans, it will be different. Then we can use the gold in our hands to buy chickens.

Spending money is the way to go. Being able to eat chicken in a simple and safe way is the ultimate wisdom of our fox clan."