Chapter 1: The beloved daughter is born, joyfully obtaining the Dao fruit

Dàjǐng, Yúnzhōu, Fēiléichéng.

A night of heavy snow made the whole dilapidated city silver‑clad, the chill biting.

The sky was gray and dim, the cold wind like a knife, blowing and chilling to the bone.

Li Che tightened his thin cotton coat, holding in his hand a carp frozen solid as a rod, a fish he had spent a lot of money to obtain in winter.

To nourish his pregnant wife's body.

He stroked his stubble, exhaled a puff of white mist into his palm, Li Che braved the cold wind, stepped on the snow, and hurried along the wide streets of Fēiléichéng toward home.

Having traversed this world for nineteen years, from a crying infant to now a struggling commoner seeking livelihood, Li Che abandoned the fantasy of possessing a golden finger.

Tall buildings and neon lights had long become a mirage in dreams, leaving only memories, never to return.

This world resembles antiquity but is far more perilous, with natural and human calamities, and Xiejwei rampant, making survival hard for the people.

Having accepted his fate, Li Che only wished to protect his wife and children's warm kang, to live peacefully and well through his second life.

According to family arrangement, he married at eighteen, consummated the marriage and hit the mark immediately; now his wife is ten months pregnant, about to give birth.

Fēiléichéng is large, divided into Nei Cheng and Wai Cheng; Nei Cheng is said to be where noble clans and officials reside, with broader streets, extravagant living, and tighter security.

Only those with status can enter Nei Cheng.

As for Wai Cheng, it is where the vast masses of laboring commoners dwell.

Walking several li down the main street, he turned into a lane and saw rows of low black‑tiled earthen houses.

His hurried steps on the soft snow made a creaking sound.

"Che Ge'er! Oh, Che Ge, you've finally come off work!"

"Your wife is about to give birth, hurry back and see!"

"You're about to become a father!"

In the distance, acquaintances of Li Che among the neighbors, seeing him, hurriedly shouted.

Li Che heard this, his heart jolted.

At the same time nervous, he hurriedly quickened his pace, sprinting toward his earthen house, plain snow fluttering behind him!

The sky had already grown slightly dim; Li Che arrived at his home's door, the old wooden door open, from inside came a woman's soft cry of pain through clenched teeth, and the midwife's urgent encouragement.

"You're back?"

In the small courtyard outside the earthen house, on a broken bench sat an old scholar wearing a cotton‑padded jacket underneath and a tattered robe outside, puffing on his dry tobacco with a 'ba‑da' sound.

This scholar was none other than Li Che's eldest uncle, Li Liang.

When Li Che was eight, his parents died of illness; he was fostered in his uncle's household, grew up smoothly, and in marrying and having children, the uncle's family also lent considerable help.

"Don't worry, Lei A Po is the best midwife within ten li; Xiao Ya will be fine, surely mother and child safe." The old scholar said, holding his dry tobacco.

Having lived two lives, yet this is his first time as a father, Li Che naturally felt nervous.

Holding the frozen carp, he paced back and forth in front of the earthen house.

This annoyed the old scholar a bit: "You little brat, what's with the loafing? You're about to be a father, yet you lack any steadiness!"

"Can't you first put down the frozen fish in your hand?"

Li Che glanced at him, said nothing; the fish naturally stayed in his hand, but his pacing stopped.

Because from inside the house suddenly came a loud wail!

Li Che's eyes narrowed, his heart felt as if gripped tightly by a hand.

The pipe‑smoking old scholar Li Liang also immediately rose, extinguished his smoke, and gazed eagerly at the interior.

Suddenly, the dim sky emitted a deep rumbling thunder like a rolling boom!

The old scholar was startled, muttering under his breath.

Li Che instinctively lifted his head; faintly visible above the firmament seemed a thunder dragon rolling into view, flashing.

Birth accompanied by an omen?

You think this is a fantasy novel?

Li Che didn't think of that at all; following the midwife's shout, he hurried inside.

Inside, the charcoal brazier burned, dispelling the chill and bringing some warmth.

The midwife held a rosy‑cheeked infant in her arms, looking at Li Che: "Congratulations, Sir Li, congratulations, Sir Li, it's a lovely daughter."

Li Che's face showed joy; the hand holding the frozen carp had nowhere to go for a moment, so he kept saying, "Thank you, thank you..."

After quickly thanking the midwife, he then belatedly tossed away the carp.

Carefully, with both hands slightly trembling, he took the child and examined it closely.

At sight, a feeling of blood‑line connection welled up; although the newborn's skin was wrinkled, its looks could not be judged.

But Li Che felt this treasure was the most beautiful child under heaven.

Because this is his Li Che's daughter!

Just as Li Che, full of delight, stared at the baby without cease.

His vision suddenly blurred, as if a phantom appeared: on a vast, empty wilderness, earth and stone split, rocks shot upward, a jade‑like green sprout sprouted vigorously and rose straight up.

In an instant, it grew into a towering tree with lush branches and leaves.

"This..."

Li Che looked bewildered.

Then he saw that on the towering tree, as countless leaves trembled, reflecting light, it formed the scene of him outside the earthen house hearing his daughter's birth wail.

The image flashed past, then contracted at visible speed like a vortex, finally condensing on a corner of a branch into a crystal‑clear, seven‑colored fruit.

……

【Joyfully obtaining a daughter, bonds bound】

【The beloved daughter is born, the Dao tree bears fruit】

【Your daughter was born safely, you obtained a Dao fruit】

……

Li Che snapped back to his senses, his daughter's 'wah-wah' cries continued.

"Husband, let me see our daughter……"

A weak voice came from the pale-faced, lovely young woman on the bed; Li Che hurriedly and carefully held the baby and moved over.

"Wife, quick, look, our baby!"

Li Che unconsciously cracked open his mouth, his smile beaming to the extreme.

"Dao fruit and such…" he temporarily had no mind to think about it; now his heart was filled only with wife and daughter.

His wife Zhang Ya, Li Che's other half, was also a woman in this chaotic world willing to entrust her life to him.

"Husband, the baby's nose really resembles yours, quite straight." Zhang Ya's face was pale, yet at this moment she was also full of joy, extending her slender finger to tap the baby's little nose.

Li Che gazed gently at his wife: "Wife, does it hurt?"

Zhang Ya pursed her not-so-red lips, gave a light smile and shook her head: "No, it doesn't hurt; I'm happy."

"Husband, what should we name our child?"

Zhang Ya asked expectantly, but seemed to think of something; her gaze swept past Li Che and unconsciously fell on the old scholar standing at the door.

Li Che glanced at the old scholar, seeing him furrow his two brows, unusually silent instead of showing off his literary talent, apparently intending to contend for the right to name the daughter.

Li Che then knew what was on his mind.

Yet he didn't mind, taking his wife's icy small hand and speaking softly: "These days, I've already thought it over."

"This winter is extremely cold; I only hope our little baby can spend it warmly, so let's call her Li Nuanxi……"

"Warm like the fire of dawn, dispelling disaster, illness, and pain, able to grow up safe and happy."

Li Che said in a gentle voice.

Zhang Ya laughed happily: "Nuanxi, truly a lovely name……"

The Xixi in Zhang Ya's arms seemed to have heard her name, actually stopping her crying and showing a smile.

But after a moment, she opened her throat and began wailing loudly.

The midwife hurried over: "The baby must be hungry; we need to feed her milk……"

Li Che and the old scholar, hearing this, hurried out of the earthen house.

……

……

In the courtyard, goose-feather-like pure snow drifted down from the sky.

The chill rose, deep winter harsh.

The smile on Li Che's face never faded; realizing what it felt like to be a father, a sense of responsibility to protect mother and daughter welled up in his heart.

However, the old scholar seemed somewhat displeased, picking up his dry tobacco and puffing again.

Li Che smelled the smoke, furrowed his brows: "Uncle, hurry and put it out, the child is here."

The old scholar sighed, extinguished his dry tobacco, but pursed his lips: "Just a girl, why no son? Our Li family……"

Upon hearing this, Li Che couldn't help but smile: "Having a son or not… does it matter?"

"Does the Li family have a throne to inherit?!"

Hearing this, the old scholar's patriarchal bias wasn't so easily dispelled, yet he also felt embarrassed and fell silent, only muttering under his breath.

Li Che shook his head, but didn't say much more.

He picked up the frozen-solid crucian carp and headed to the kitchen, intending to make a steaming crucian carp and tofu soup for his wife.

While the fish soup was cooking.

Only then did Li Che finally relax his mind, intending to thoroughly study the Dao fruit that had arisen with his daughter's birth.

(End of chapter)