The Birth of White Jade

Luo Yuyan’s expression grew peculiar upon hearing this. She leaned closer to Bai Lan, her eyes alight with a strange curiosity, and asked,

“Checking your body, how exactly does one do that? Could you elaborate?”

Seeing Luo Yuyan’s playful, winking expression, Bai Lan felt an urge to complain. This woman, she’s hundreds of years old, yet she still acts like a little girl, she thought.

However, Bai Lan knew that cultivators, due to their training, often had their mental age align with their appearance. Luo Yuyan’s outward age clearly didn’t exceed sixteen, thus her girlish personality was quite pronounced.

Of course, this also depended on their individual choices. Cultivators could, by their own will, maintain their age at a certain stage.

For instance, Bai Yiren’s mental and physical age hovered between twenty-two and twenty-six, making her appear quite mature.

Ximen Xue appeared to be around eighteen. As for Bai Lan, her current appearance matched Bai Yiren’s, as one’s outward form grows according to their inherent mental age. Since Bai Lan was twenty-six in her previous life, her present appearance also reflected a mature individual.

“Honestly, Senior Sister, why are you so gossipy?” Bai Lan asked, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. “How else would one check a body? I’m not telling you anything more; I’m going back now.”

What had happened with Bai Yiren earlier would have been utterly mortifying, had it not been for the Ice Crystal Profound Jade Earrings suppressing her emotions.

“Alright, let’s not talk about that then,” Luo Yuyan conceded. “Junior Brother—oh, no, Junior Sister now! Junior Sister, what’s it like, this feeling of transforming from a boy into a girl? I really want to experience what it’s like to be a boy myself!”

Luo Yuyan began relentlessly questioning Bai Lan about her experience of becoming a woman.

“Ugh! It’s incredibly awkward, unfamiliar, and uncomfortable,” Bai Lan sighed, describing her feelings.

“Why is that?” Luo Yuyan pressed on. “Senior Sister and I have ventured out on training expeditions. Don’t male cultivators in the cultivation world absolutely adore beautiful women?”

“Seriously, Junior Sister, your figure is top-notch, even better than Senior Sister’s or Master’s. Don’t you feel absolutely fantastic?”

Bai Lan’s mouth twitched. She turned and walked away, but Luo Yuyan immediately caught up, pestering her with endless questions.

There were some things Bai Lan simply couldn’t articulate. No matter what one does, adaptation is necessary. Changing a living environment requires a long period to fully integrate into the new surroundings, let alone when both one’s physical body and environment have transformed. Such changes demand even more time to grow accustomed to.

Luo Yuyan followed Bai Lan for a while, but seeing Bai Lan remain silent and unresponsive to her questions, she stamped her foot in frustration.

“Damn it, how can I make my body continue to grow?” Luo Yuyan grumbled, looking at her petite figure.

Luo Yuyan’s body remained in an adolescent state, indicating that her mental age had also ceased to mature. This was a common phenomenon in the cultivation world.

It was a combination of starting cultivation too early, not experiencing many of life’s hardships, and her innate personality that had shaped the Luo Yuyan of today.

Soon, Bai Lan returned to her dwelling. Xue Linglong and Li Yunxi breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her.

“You’re finally back, Little Sister Bai Lan. Are you alright?” Li Yunxi asked with concern. “Did a Senior Sister from the inner sect need something from you?”

Bai Lan shook her head.

“It was nothing, just some discussions,” Bai Lan replied. “Alright, Linglong, Sister Yunxi, please continue your cultivation. I’m going back inside.”

She offered a greeting before entering her own residence.

Xue Linglong watched Bai Lan enter her dwelling and close the door, then didn’t linger outside herself, returning to her own room. She sensed Bai Lan’s complex emotions, a clear indication that something had distressed her earlier. This was Xue Linglong’s intuition.

Once back in her residence, Bai Lan immediately sat in meditation to calm her mind. While the Ice Crystal Profound Jade Earrings could dispel her negative emotions, such external suppression still had a certain impact on a cultivator. It was always best to adjust one’s own mindset.

Only with a stable mind could one achieve true clarity of thought.

Days of cultivation swiftly passed amidst this monotonous existence. In the blink of an eye, several more months elapsed.

One evening, as Bai Lan cultivated in her room, she suddenly felt a reaction from the egg within her storage pouch. She promptly retrieved the egg.

Upon pulling out the egg, she noticed cracks had already formed on the beast egg, and they were rapidly multiplying. With eyes full of anticipation, she watched the egg.

After a few minutes, the shell split open, revealing a tender, pinkish little snake to Bai Lan’s sight.

The tiny serpent didn’t look much different from an ordinary hatchling; it was utterly adorable. The little creature slowly opened its eyes, and the first person it saw was Bai Lan.

Animal young possessed a unique characteristic: the first person they saw upon opening their eyes after birth would become the most trusted individual in their lives.

They would treat that person as their parent.

A flood dragon, juvenile form. Once mature, it will be at least a Nascent Soul realm great demon… Bai Lan read the information about the little creature.

The little creature crawled out of its shell. Immediately, it began devouring the eggshell piece by piece—a common habit among most oviparous beast young.

Their first meal after birth was the eggshell, which contained potent energy, allowing them to recover from their weakened state to normal within a very short time.

Indeed, after the little one finished consuming the eggshell, its body swiftly turned white, and its scales became clearer and more lustrous.

Its size also expanded considerably, growing from less than a foot long and thumb-sized to the thickness of a baby’s arm.

Moreover, this little creature could actually fly! It circled around Bai Lan, occasionally emitting adorable sounds.

Upon seeing such an endearing little one, Bai Lan couldn’t help but smile. She extended her hand, and the small flood dragon, seemingly understanding her intent, immediately coiled around Bai Lan’s wrist.

It rubbed its smooth body against Bai Lan, clearly showing its affection.

Bai Lan carefully examined the little creature. Its appearance resembled a snake, yet its head and tail were distinctly different from those of ordinary serpents.

Furthermore, the little one possessed two tiny, inconspicuous pairs of claws on its body. They would likely become more prominent as she grew larger. Oh, and by the way, this little creature was a female flood dragon hatchling.

Even as Bai Lan observed her, the little creature had already fallen asleep. Indeed, she was soundly slumbering, coiled around Bai Lan’s wrist.

Any animal’s young, in their infancy, simply ate and slept, then slept and ate.

“Little one, from now on, you shall be called Baiyu,” Bai Lan mused, bestowing a name upon her.

The next morning, Bai Lan took the little creature to find Xue Linglong and Li Yunxi. Upon their first glance, Xue Linglong and Li Yunxi were utterly captivated by the adorable beast.

“This? Sister, is this the beast young that hatched from the egg?” Xue Linglong asked curiously. “It doesn’t seem to be a serpent-type beast, does it?”

“Perhaps not,” Bai Lan replied. “Regardless, this little one is my pet now.”

She reached out and gently stroked Baiyu.

Just then, Baiyu seemed to sense something. She slowly opened her eyes, waking from her deep slumber, and fixed her gaze upon Xue Linglong.

Finally, she even flew from Bai Lan’s hand and approached Xue Linglong. After observing Xue Linglong for a moment, she affectionately rubbed her small head against Xue Linglong’s cheek.

“Oh? That tickles!” Xue Linglong giggled, charmed by the little creature’s sudden action.

Bai Lan paused, taken aback. She felt a pang of bewilderment. Why would this little creature, seeing Xue Linglong for the very first time, take such an immediate liking to her? It simply didn’t make sense!