Fate, in its curious dance, rarely follows reason. Just as Bai Yufei's life was on the brink of extinguishing beneath the rain-soaked cold, a miracle stirred.
From beneath a nearby ancient tree, a long root emerged, twisting through the air with unnatural speed, and wrapped tightly around the infant's tiny body.
More roots followed, surging from the earth like living tendrils, layer upon layer, encasing him with precision and care—wrapping him like a sacred offering, or a silken cocoon woven by nature itself.
At first, the branches could not hold back the biting chill. The cold still pierced through, and Bai Yufei remained shivering, teetering between life and death.
But then… warmth.
A soft glow began to radiate from within the branches—threads of emerald light that flowed into his body, not just warming his skin, but easing something deeper. It was gentle, comforting, like the warmth of a mother's embrace.
Bai Yufei relaxed into it, instinctively absorbing the energy that pulsed through the tree's lifeblood. Something within him stirred, something unseen, and slowly, imperceptibly, his body began to change.
Time flowed quietly.
By midday, the strange cocoon that wrapped him had taken on the shape of a great egg, glowing faintly with a soft, pale green light.
Another day passed.
Then, without warning, the cocoon trembled.
Cracks began to appear, hairline fractures forming at the top and snaking downward. With each tremor came a sharp crack, echoing through the silent mountain.
Night deepened.
Suddenly—BOOM!
A loud, resonant burst echoed as the cocoon split cleanly in two, revealing the miracle within.
There, cradled in light, lay a newborn child. His skin shimmered like translucent jade, flawless and radiant, his tiny face delicate and serene, eyes still gently closed. He looked less like a mortal infant and more like a sculpture carved by divine hands.
"Ahh… so warm and light…"Bai Yufei stood and stretched his arms, a blissful expression spreading across his face.
"Haha! I'm alive—and I feel stronger than ever!"He took a few cautious steps forward… and to his own astonishment, moved with ease and balance.
A newborn child—walking freely within days of birth? It defied all logic. Were anyone to witness this, they would doubt their very eyes.
Then he paused.
"Huh? There's… something inside me…"
He felt it: a gentle stirring deep within, as though some unfamiliar force was waking inside his soul.
"How strange…"At a thought, he raised his left hand.
A faint green glow shimmered into being, then surged into a radiant pulse. In an instant, a luminous sphere appeared in his palm—delicate, translucent, and alive.
It hovered just above his skin, a crystalline orb that glowed with verdant light, its form pulsing gently like a living heart.
It was ethereal. Otherworldly. Magical.
Were any cultivator or elder present, they would fall silent in awe—for what Bai Yufei held in his hand was a miracle of unimaginable rarity.
The Heart of the Wood Spirit—a divine treasure not seen in a thousand years.
Though still in its nascent form, this seedling heart held boundless potential, a living force of nature that could change the fate of any who possessed it.
And now, it beat in rhythm with Bai Yufei's own.
...