"Y…you…you," The uncle driving the Bullock cart was having a problem getting his words out for some reason. The stuttering was mostly blocked out as Xu Zeng tried to focus on the reassuring weight against his chest and the warmth engulfing his right hand.
The two sensations were keeping him rooted in the moment. Xu Hu Zhe and the Da Long and Xiao Long duo were anchoring him somehow, even as his body and mind both desired freedom.
Freedom from what? Freedom from his decisions. Xu Zeng wished he didn't need his shell, but since his nephews had stopped growing, their development had come to a complete halt, watching them stay in that limbo for another several months would be a painful experience in itself.
He didn't want to force his nephews to stay this way until springtime. Xuan Jian was of the Torran Clan, yet he didn't have an all-powerful artifact to help his children hatch. Even with all of Xu Zeng's own efforts, the combined items he'd found in Nanshan forests weren't enough.
