“Little sister, little sister.”
Mu Yunlei called out to his sister in an adorable, milky voice, hoping she would play with him.
“Your sister is sleepy and needs to sleep.”
Seeing her daughter yawn, Yan Yiqing smiled and stopped her son from playing.
The newborn baby girl couldn’t resist her drowsiness. After eating and drinking her fill, sleepiness washed over her. She tilted her little head and fell asleep instantly.
Yan Yiqing smiled affectionately, placed her daughter’s swaddling clothes beside her, and pulled the quilt over her.
~
Night deepened, and the cave gradually grew quiet.
The family had only two quilts. The three children huddled together, sleeping at Yan Yiqing’s feet.
The others had no bedding and could only sit around the fire to keep warm.
Exhausted from the day’s labor, everyone was extremely tired, dozing off with their chins propped on their hands.
In the bitter cold, falling asleep made them feel even colder. Mu Yufu and her sister leaned against each other but still shivered uncontrollably.
~
Snow fell softly, swirling and dancing in the air.
No one noticed that within the baby girl’s Dantian, an emerald-green gem emitted a soft, lustrous glow.
Invisible Spiritual Power, like ripples spreading in water, emanated from the gem, nourishing her body.
The baby girl opened her eyes, her dark and lively pupils darting around. She glanced at her mother and brothers, who were sleeping restlessly, and with a slight thought, the ripples of Spiritual Power gradually expanded, enveloping everyone.
In her sleep, Yan Yiqing breathed comfortably, her brows and eyes relaxing.
Those sitting around the fire no longer felt cold and peacefully drifted into slumber.
~
“Master, you’re awake.”
Inside the baby girl’s Dantian, the emerald-green Heaven-Mending Divine Stone trembled slightly. A soft, milky voice, as adorable as a baby’s, clearly reached her ears.
“Shi Bao, thank you for accompanying me in this reincarnation.”
Hearing the familiar milky voice, the baby girl smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, looking utterly adorable.
“Master has shown kindness to Shi Bao. No matter where we go, Shi Bao will follow you.”
The emerald-green Divine Stone transformed into a tiny, palm-sized sprite with a perky topknot, wearing a red bellyband, fair, plump, and pink. It flew out of her Dantian and appeared before her eyes.
“It’s so good to have you here.”
A flicker of emotion passed through the baby girl’s eyes. She extended a small hand from under the quilt and affectionately poked Shi Bao’s plump, pink belly.
“Hehe.”
Shi Bao giggled, clutching its belly. Its soft, milky voice warmed the heart.
Listening to the laughter, the baby girl’s lips curled slightly upward before she yawned sleepily again.
“Master, sleep now.”
Seeing her master was tired, Shi Bao transformed back into the emerald-green gem and flew back into her Dantian. “Shi Bao will watch over you. No villain can harm you.”
“Mm-hmm.”
The newborn baby girl was too delicate to resist her drowsiness. She closed her eyes once more.
The Heaven-Mending Divine Stone emitted dense Spiritual Power, nourishing her body.
An invisible barrier of Spiritual Power sealed off half of the cave, keeping the cold wind and the officials outside.
Outside the cave, the cold was bone-chilling, but inside, it was as warm as spring.
In the depths of winter, withered leaves and yellowed wildflowers inside the cave sprouted new buds overnight, blooming in full.
~
By dawn, the snow had stopped.
A red sun slowly rose from the horizon, its beauty magnified against the backdrop of pristine white snow.
Mu Yufu woke up, stretched comfortably, and opened her eyes to glance around. To her astonishment, she discovered that half the cave was now blooming with wildflowers.
“Yulin, Yulin, wake up quickly.”
“The flowers in the cave have bloomed. Am I dreaming?”
She rubbed her eyelids in disbelief and gave Mu Yulin a firm shake.
“What are you talking about so early in the morning?”
Mu Yulin grumbled unhappily. Just as she was about to retort, a wave of floral fragrance drifted into her nose, startling her into opening her eyes wide. She leaped up from the ground in an instant.
“Strange, I actually fell asleep last night and didn’t feel cold at all.”
“Me too. I had a rare peaceful sleep and slept straight through till dawn.”
Old Madam, Madam Qin, Madam Liu, the loyal maidservant who had served Old Madam for many years, Jiang Shi, and the three children all gradually woke up.
Yan Yiqing opened her eyes at the sound and was surprised to find her body feeling exceptionally light. The wounds from childbirth didn’t hurt at all.
“This is truly miraculous!”
“What’s going on?”
The family was both shocked and delighted, as if witnessing an illusion.
~
“Yiyaya.”
The little baby girl also woke up, waving her tiny hands happily while babbling.
Yan Yiqing, too astonished to dwell on it, picked up the swaddled infant and began to breastfeed her.
The little baby girl suckled contentedly, drinking her fill.
Once satisfied, she let out a sweet, milky burp.
“Mother, how adorable our little sister is. Let’s give her a name.”
Mu Yunlong, with a childlike heart, instinctively believed that it was his little sister who had brought good fortune to the family, and he genuinely adored her.
“The baby was born on a snowy day.”
Yan Yiqing gazed at the cave, now filled with spring-like scenery and veiled in mist, resembling a beautiful, otherworldly paradise. Inspiration struck her.
“After the snow clears, the mist lingers. Let’s call her Xueyan.”
“Great! Little sister has a name now.”
Mu Yunlong jumped for joy, circling happily around mother and daughter. “Xueyan, Xueyan—what a lovely name for our little sister.”
“Hehe.”
The little baby girl seemed to understand, happily shaking her head and smiling with eyes curved into crescents, looking utterly adorable.
~
“Old Madam, what do you think is happening?”
Madam Qin and Madam Liu, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, listened to the children’s cheerful laughter and, unable to contain their astonishment, both turned their gaze toward Old Madam.
“Fortune and misfortune are intertwined; misfortune may conceal fortune.”
Old Madam rotated a string of prayer beads in her left hand, glanced toward the birthing chamber, and felt a surge of mixed emotions. “This is Heaven’s mercy, unwilling to see our Mu Family suffer unjustly. It has sent us blessings.”
“Old Madam means…”
Madam Qin and Madam Liu followed her gaze toward the birthing chamber, their hearts trembling with realization. “This good fortune… was brought to us by Yan Jie’er?”
“There are many extraordinary people and strange occurrences in this world.”
Old Madam, being well-traveled and knowledgeable, had heard of matters related to the Immortal Domain and was not overly surprised. “Yan Jie’er was born different from other children. Perhaps, like the immortals of the Immortal Domain, she possesses innate talents and abilities beyond the ordinary. There’s no need for you to make a fuss. Just remember that our good fortune comes from Yan Jie’er. From now on, simply cherish and care for her more.”
“I will remember, Mother-in-law.”
Upon hearing the mention of immortals, Madam Qin’s eyes lit up. Suppressing her excitement, she nodded repeatedly.
“Yan Jie’er is so adorable.”
Madam Liu also hurriedly agreed. “Even if she weren’t a child of fortune, I would still love and dote on her.”
“It’s good that you understand.”
Old Madam nodded in satisfaction, her left hand turning the prayer beads as she silently recited Amitabha Buddha several times in her heart.
She thanked the Buddha for his profound love toward them.
For bestowing upon them a granddaughter born with innate fortune.
Perhaps, the future prosperity or decline of the Mu Family would rely on this divinely gifted child.