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Beichen Kingdom, Northern Frontier, Jufeng Mountain Range.
The deep winter night was piercingly cold, with snowflakes drifting down from the sky.
“Wah wah.”
The delicate, soft cry of a baby girl echoed through the dark night, setting the cave abuzz.
“Congratulations, Old Madam! Congratulations! The mistress has given birth—it’s a daughter!”
Jiang Shi cheerfully lifted the makeshift cloth curtain and stepped out, holding a small baby girl wrapped in swaddling clothes, bringing the joyful news to Old Madam.
“A daughter is good, a daughter is wonderful!”
Old Madam, nearly seventy years old with a head full of white hair, leaned on her Dragon-head Cane and gazed at her great-granddaughter, her eyes reddening with emotion. “A daughter won’t have to go to the battlefield, won’t have to sacrifice her life for that wretched emperor.”
“Let me hold the baby.”
The mistress of the Fu Guo Gong Residence, the baby girl’s biological grandmother, Madam Qin, eagerly took the swaddled infant from the servant’s hands and cradled her carefully in her arms.
“Wah wah.”
The little baby girl opened her misty, adorable eyes and let out a soft, delicate cry, as if responding to her.
“Oh my, look quickly, how adorable my little granddaughter is!”
Madam Qin’s eyes sparkled with delight, growing fonder of her own granddaughter the more she looked at her.
This baby girl was different from other newborns—unusually beautiful.
Her tiny body wasn’t wrinkled and shriveled but fair and tender, with delicate, picturesque features that closely resembled her father’s.
Mu Bai, once the number one young master of Beichen, the dream lover of countless young ladies in their chambers, and the heir of the Fu Guo Gong Residence.
Poor Mu Bai had sacrificed his life for the kingdom, his body not yet cold in the grave, when the Fu Guo Gong Residence was accused of treason and colluding with the enemy due to the failure of his third brother, Mu Xiao, to defend the city. The family was confiscated and exiled.
Madam Qin’s second son, Mu Ai, had perished before her eldest son, Mu Bai.
Laoguo Gong had died unjustly, leaving behind only the women of the family and three young sons under ten years old.
Exiled all the way from the capital to the Northern Frontier, they had endured endless humiliation and suffering.
Mu Bai’s wife, Yan Yiqing, had gone into premature labor less than eight months into her pregnancy and given birth in this cave.
~
“It’s true! Sister-in-law is so blessed to have such a beautiful daughter.”
“I’m so envious! It’s a pity I don’t have a daughter, only one troublesome little boy.”
“I want a daughter too. In the future, if I have a son, I’ll throw him away, but if I have a daughter, I’ll spoil her endlessly.”
“Hahaha, you say that now, but when the time comes, you won’t have the heart to do it.”
As Madam Qin praised her little granddaughter, the cave instantly became lively.
Mu Ai’s wife, Madam Liu, along with the two unmarried daughters of the Fu Guo Gong Residence, Mu Yufu and Mu Yulin, gathered around with smiles, chatting and laughing with their mother.
The little baby girl seemed to understand their praises, as the corners of her lips curled slightly upward into a sweet smile.
“Oh my, look quickly! My dear granddaughter is smiling!”
Madam Qin’s breath caught, her heart melting with tenderness.
“This child is truly well-behaved.”
Madam Liu watched in amazement, praising enthusiastically, “She can smile right after being born. My little boy only knows how to cry with his mouth wide open.”
“Hehe.”
The baby girl seemed to understand again, her chest trembling slightly as she let out a soft laugh.
“Oh my goodness!”
Madam Liu widened her eyes in astonishment. “This child is extraordinary! It’s as if she can understand what we’re saying…”
“My granddaughter is definitely clever.”
Madam Qin didn’t dwell on it too much. Holding her little granddaughter, she straightened her back with immense pride.
~
“Did Mother give birth to a little sister?”
“I want to see my sister!”
“Me too!”
“See sister, see sister!”
Hearing the women’s laughter, three boys of varying heights ran into the cave from outside.
The oldest was no more than six or seven, while the youngest was only two or three, toddling after his older brothers with his head down, charging forward.
“Alright, alright, let you all see your little sister too.”
Madam Qin was overjoyed, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crinkling like chrysanthemums.
Madam Liu helped her sit down by the fire so the children could see their little sister more clearly.
“Sister, sister.”
“Little sister.”
The three boys happily gathered around, tugging at the swaddling clothes and vying to catch a glimpse of their sister.
“Little sister is so pretty, just like Mother.”
Mu Yunlong, the six-year-old eldest brother and full-blooded sibling of the infant girl, felt a surge of familial affection the moment he saw his sister, silently vowing in his heart.
As the eldest grandson of the Mu Family, he must uphold this household, protect his loved ones, and ensure no one ever bullied his little sister.
“Little sister is so beautiful, I want to hold her too.”
Mu Yunhu, the four-year-old son of Madam Liu, lived up to his name with a sturdy, tiger-like appearance and a brute strength that even surpassed his older brother’s.
He tentatively reached out, wanting to hold the fragrant, soft, and seemingly irresistibly sweet little sister.
“You can’t!”
Madam Liu slapped her son’s hand away, her face darkening as she scolded, “Little sister was just born and is still very delicate. She can’t handle any rough handling. I’m afraid you might accidentally break her tiny arms or legs.”
“I wouldn’t use that much force…”
Mu Yunhu rubbed his reddened hand, complaining pitifully.
“Little sister, kiss…”
Mu Yunlei, the two-and-a-half-year-old second full-blooded brother of the infant girl, took advantage of the adults’ distraction and planted a smacking kiss on his sister’s fair, tender cheek.
“Hehe.”
Having kissed his sister, he gleefully covered his mouth, secretly delighted.
“Oh, this child.”
Madam Qin found it amusing and poked her grandson’s forehead, chiding with a smile, “You little rascal, sneaking a kiss from your sister.”
“Sister is so fragrant and soft, even sweeter than milk candy.”
Mu Yunlei spoke in his adorable, milky voice, clearly expressing his thoughts.
“I want a kiss too.”
“Me too.”
Mu Yunlong and Mu Yunhu watched eagerly, also wanting to lean in and kiss their sister.
“Oh no, no, no.”
Madam Qin dodged while holding her little granddaughter, “You can’t kiss your sister’s cheek too much, or she’ll drool.”
“Let us kiss her just once, just once.”
Mu Yunlong and Mu Yunhu refused to give up, playfully circling their grandmother.
~
“Madam, it’s not good.”
Jiang Shi’s startled cry shattered the rare joyful atmosphere in the cave: “The mistress’s condition isn’t good, the bleeding won’t stop…”
“What?!”
Madam Qin’s face paled in shock, and her hands trembled as she held her little granddaughter, nearly dropping the child.
“Mother, I’ll hold the baby. You should go check on sister-in-law quickly.”
Mu Yufu swiftly caught the infant and cradled her in her arms.
“Yufu, boil some more hot water.”
“Yulin, go tell the constable’s captain and ask them to help find a doctor.”
Madam Qin forced herself to stay calm, instructing her two daughters before she and Madam Liu lifted the curtain and entered the makeshift delivery room.
“Wah…”
Hearing that her mother was in trouble, the infant girl let out a soft, gentle cry.
Unseen by anyone, within her Dantian, a jade-green bead, sensing its master’s emotional fluctuations, trembled slightly, emitting a soft, lustrous glow.
Invisible to the naked eye, Spiritual Power rippled out from the bead like one after another of undulating waves, nourishing her body.